The Supreme Court, in its judgement delivered in 1995, maintained that Hinduism is a way of life rather than just a religion. Many political pundits opine that the verdict has empowered Hindu religious parties such as the BJP to exploit Hindutva to garner votes. Social activist Teesta Setalwad, who is the most vocal proponent of anti-Hindutva, urged the Supreme Court to step in to ensure that politicians don’t misuse religion in political speeches to garner votes in the name of faith.
Notwithstanding all the politics surrounding the issue, I would like to put across my views on Hinduism and why it is not a religion per se and just a paganism.
Religions mean Abrahamic religions i.e., Judaism, Christianity and Islam. They are considered to be the true religions by their followers. They all have
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If we take Christianity as an example, they have only one god called Jehovah, one prophet called Jesus Christ, one book called the Holy Bible, one pilgrimage place called Jerusalem and one method of worship. Though there are sects such as catholic and protestant, they are only doctrinal differences which arose during the process of the reformation of the Church. The same is the case with the other two Abrahamic religions i.e., the Judaism and the Islam.
As far as Hinduism is concerned it does not have any of the above-mentioned qualities to qualify itself to be called as a religion. It is completely polytheistic and idol worship is widely prevalent. In fact, believe it or not, Hindus are busy adding new gods and goddesses to their pantheon. As if the number of gods and goddesses they have already been worshipping is not enough, they even started worshipping Saibaba of Shirdi, a Muslim Fakir and Mary Mata, the mother of Jesus Christ.
They have a variety of scriptural literature such as the Ramayana, the Mahabharatha, the Bhagavatha, the Vedas and the Upanishads. In fact, the ‘Bhagavad-Gita’ is actually a small part of the
Hinduism is a religion practiced all over the world and has gained a large following. Hinduism got its start in the Indus Valley civilization and since then has evolved into a open and tolerant religion upon which every and anybody from all walks of life are welcome. In Hinduism there is a divine reality which can best be described as all reality is ultimately one for monistic Hindus or that there is no distinction between the divine reality and the rest of reality for dualistic Hindus. Either way it is put Hindus try to understand divine reality through their different gods, images, nature, and avatars.
Hinduism is a major religious and cultural tradition of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a diverse family of devotional and ascetic cults and philosophical schools, all sharing a belief in reincarnation and involving the worship of a large pantheon of deities.
Both of the religions Hinduism and Judaism are similar but different in their own ways. Hinduism worships many gods and goddesses, whereas Judaism is a confirmedly monotheistic religion. In the Hinduism religion the bedrock is the belief that the Vedas is sacred and the caste system decribed in it. “Hinduism is a guide to life, and the goal of which is to reach union with Brahman, the unchanging ultimate reality”(75). The dharma or moral law that need to be followed. There are many gods that were worshiped and each person may worship a different god. Images of the gods in homes or temples were presented where each person can show devotion to their personal gods by singing hymns or offering flowers before the images. The Hindus believe in many things such as that the universe undergoes and endless cycle of creation, believe in karma, that the soul reincarnates, the belief that all life is sacred.
I stare at myself in the mirror. What do I see? I see a socially awkward teenager, I see someone who is oblivious to the immensity of real life, I see a dancing phenom. I like to compare myself to John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever, and it's not my groovy hairdo and careless attitude that builds this parallel, it's the fact that we’re both kings of the dance floor. Unlike John, I'm no connoisseur in the art of 70’s disco, instead, I’ve mastered the Latin dances of quinceañeras.
Around the world, people believe Hinduism isn’t a religion, but a way of life. Michael Molloy states, “Hinduism is not a single, unified religion; it is more like a family of beliefs (75).” It was constructed from the Aryans who brought it into India in 1500 BC. The religion is one of the dominant religion in India over centuries. “Hinduism is the religion followed by about 70 percent of the roughly seven hundred million people of India. Elsewhere, with the exception of the Indonesian island of Bali, Hindus represent only minority
First, I would like to introduce the religion of Hinduism. The term Hinduism was derived a river of South Asia, the Indus. This term was used by the ancient Persians to classify the people of that region of the North-West territory of the subcontinent. Indian religion, Hinduism, was the term given by the British in the nineteenth century to the population of India that were neither Muslim or Christian.
Hinduism is considered one of the oldest surviving religion on Earth. With over one billion people following its traditions, values, and customs, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world currently, the first two being Christianity and Islam. The roots of this religion lie mainly in the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism seems narrow to most people, but in reality, it is very broad. It consists of many different languages and traditions, but most of the beliefs remain constant throughout the surface.
Since the beginning of civilization many religions and cultures have come and gone. One of the few that has stood the test of time is Hinduism. Hinduisms base flourishes from the practical view of human life, belief in eternal truth and it’s ability to make small adaptations to it without compromising its core values. Hinduism is the oldest known religion in the world and also the third largest in the world. Most of its one billion followers live in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Even with its immense amount of followers and lengthy existence, many non followers are unaware of its history, beliefs, and practices.
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world. It has billions of followers not only in India, but all over the world. Hindus have many beliefs and worship many deities. Brahma is said to be the Absolute god, the Universal Being, he is above all and deities are its many forms. There is considered to be a trinity in
What do Christianity and Hinduism have in common? Christianity is a monotheistic religion, however, Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. But, they both believe in a paradise or heaven. Christianity and Hinduism are both alike and different in various ways.
Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that is very much a part of the people in India and Nepal. It has over 900 million followers worldwide and it is considered one of the oldest religions in the world, dating back many thousands of years. This religion is split into many different branches because of their belief in many gods and goddesses. Each branch worships a different god that they view as “supreme above all others.” Granted that they had a great leader, Mahatma Gandhi, they were able to change the world, and more specifically the United States. His philosophical ideas inspired our country to fight for equality. But in order to understand this better, it is important to have a deeper understanding of the Hinduism beliefs.
Though each religion is unique, some religions have several traits in common. For example, many religions are polytheistic, meaning that there are many gods. But, some religions only believe in one god, meaning that the religion is monotheistic. The religions also have many things that differ with each other, like the sacred text, symbol, and traditions. These qualities are what make each religion different and special.
Hinduism is a religion that is difficult to define. No one can say who the founder is, or connect it to a certain place or time. So in order to understand Hinduism, we follow a coherent set of assumptions upon which people base their lives; otherwise defined as the Indian Worldview.
The word Hinduism is not the name of one religion, rather Hinduism is an umbrella term for a group of similar religions. Hinduism is very diverse, and it is more like a family of religions instead of just a single religion. Within Hinduism there is an extraordinarily wide and diverse range of beliefs and practices from which all Hindus can choose. As a whole, Hinduism is the entire complex of beliefs and institutions that have appeared from the time of the ancient scriptures to now.
Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world; but it is generally thought to be the world?s oldest organized religion. The Hindu religion has a lot of different traditions so it has the reputation of featuring freedom of practice and beliefs. A good example of this would be that Hindus ?recognize a single deity, and view other Gods and Goddesses as manifestations or aspects of that supreme God;? but there are atheists in the Hindu religion. Some ex-Hindus explain that atheism is accepted but only to the point that you will not be socially shunned for professing non-belief in a god. It is important to know what Hinduism does not have. It does not have a single founder; a single holy text like the Bible or Koran; a single concept of deity (as mentioned above; a single system of morality; a central religious authority or a specific theological system; nor do they have any concept of a