section_path: Religious and philosophical views/Hinduism
section_name: Hinduism
paragraph_text: Hinduism
  
  Commenting on the sacred texts of the Hindus, the Vedas, Voltaire observed:
  
  The Veda was the most precious gift for which the West had ever been indebted to the East.
  
  He regarded Hindus as "a peaceful and innocent people, equally incapable of hurting others or of defending themselves." Voltaire was himself a supporter of animal rights and was a vegetarian. He used the antiquity of Hinduism to land what he saw as a devastating blow to the Bible's claims and acknowledged that the Hindus' treatment of animals showed a shaming alternative to the immorality of European imperialists.