Hinduism
Introduction
Hinduism is the third largest religion after Christianity and Islam. It lacks a unifying belief system since it can not be traced to a single founder and has no specific belief system but rather has several religious groups that have developed with time. Despite this fact, Hinduism has a wide following mostly in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. It recognizes a single deity and considers other gods and goddesses as evidence of the presence of the Supreme God. Hinduism is a henotheistic religion since focus is placed on the supreme deity. Polytheistic religion is the other type of belief which appreciates the presence of many gods and goddesses.
The term Hindu was originally used to refer to the people who lived beyond the river Indus who are now people of the present day India that the British referred to as Hindustan. Hindu then became the equivalent of an Indian who was neither a Christian nor a Muslim therefore comprising a range of religious beliefs and practices (Fenton, 1988)
Cultural and societal issues
The caste system is highly respected and observed by the Hindu from time immemorial. There are four main castes or social classes (plus several other sub-groups within the castes). Each caste has its unique rules and regulations concerning all the facet of life. The top caste is the Brahmins or priests. Then secondly there is the Kshatriyas rank-that is the warriors and rulers. The third rank is the Vaisyas who are merchants and farmers. Under all these are the Shudras that is the laboring class. Salvation is believed to be possible for only the top three castes, and these are referred to as “twice born.” The untouchables or the outcasts are exterior to the caste system. Many people in the countryside are still taken as outcasts although this state of affairs was outlawed in India in the 1940s.
The religion is taken to be unique since it focuses mostly on the daily life of its members, that is, the rituals. There are numerous way side shrines to divinized ancestors, local goddesses and stylish pictures of the great deities like Visnu or Siva. Pilgrimage to Rivers and Sacred places, impressive pictures of deities and saints in shops, homes and buses point to the fact that Hinduism is a religious force in the world that mostly deals with issues that pertaining the daily welfare of its people (Maqngalwadi, 1999).
Nothing in Hindu is inherently sacred, the sacredness of objects, time or persons depends on the situation and the boundaries within which the sacred and everyday life is in agreement or are at conflict. For example, a ritual dancer possessed by a god and mediates on behalf of the community may simply human the next day. The temple icon before cleansing is just but a stone, wood, or metal but after it has been cleansed it is empowered to become the theme of meditation that is significant to the life of a Hindu.
Desire for liberation from earthly existence
The Hindu religion holds the belief that the world is a bad place and consequently everyone has to strive to their best in order leave this bad place and go to the good place when the time comes. This means that Hinduism accepts that there is reincarnation from the pre-Vedic proto Sankhya and Jainamism. The belief in eternity “Purusha” is a requirement prior to reincarnation. The soul must have existed in order for it to be embodied in the future as was the case in the past. Without the pre-existence of the soul reincarnation cannot take place at all.
The doctrine of reincarnation or transmigration of the soul is called Samsars which is a second core belief of the Hindu. The scriptures state that the individual souls are reborn in this world but in another human body or animal. Tied to this doctrine of reincarnation is the-Ahimisa. This is the core moral value of Hinduism. It advocates for non-injury to living things but their protection of all life which is divine. This is probably the core reason why maybe Hindus are vegetarians. The caste system is also tied to reincarnation of the human body and the soul.
Reference:
Maqngalwadi Ruth (1999). The Legacy of William Carey: A Model for the Transformation of a Culture.’ New York: Cross way books, 160
Fenton, John Y. (1988). Transplanting Religious Traditions: Asian Indians in America’. New York: Praeger,
