Dakshinas or right-hand form of worship among the Hindus, that is, when the worship of any goddess is performed in a public manner and agreeably to the Vedas or Puranas. The only ceremony which can be supposed to form an exception to the general character of this mode is the Bali, an offering of blood, in which rite a number of animals, usually kids, are annually decapitated. In some cases life is offered without shedding blood, when the more barbarous practice is adopted of pummelling the poor animal to death with the fists; at other times blood only is offered, without injury to life. Such practices are not considered orthodox,
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More