Difference between revisions of "Hinduism"

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[[Image:Hinduism.jpg|left|Hinduism]]
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'''Hinduism''' is the fourth largest religion in the world and is the oldest among major religions.<ref>The largest being [[Christianity]], [[Islam]], Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist, and Hinduism, in that order[http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html]</ref>  Historians believe that it originated more than 5000 years ago.<ref>[http://hinduism.about.com/od/hinduism101/a/origin.htm Origin of Hinduism] (About.com)</ref> Hinduism is the first [[Dharmic religion]]. It can be called "the religion of India;" about 800 million of the world's billion Hindus live in India, so about 80 percent of Hindus are Indians.<ref>[http://www.censusindia.net/religiondata/Brief_analysis.pdf Census of India, religion data, brief analysis (PDF)]; "At the national level, of 1028 million population, 828 million (80.5 percent) have returned their religion as Hindus followed by 138 million (13.4 percent) as Muslims and 24 millions (2.3 percent) Christians. 19 million (1.9 percent) persons follow Sikh religion; 8 million (0.8 percent) are Buddhists and 4.2 million (0.4 percent) are Jains as per the 2001 Census. In addition to these, 6.6 million belong to ‘Other Religions and Persuasions’ including tribal religions which are not part of the six main religions stated above. About seven lakh (or 0.7 million) persons have not stated their religion."</ref>
 
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According to a recent American survey, Hindus are the best educated and among the richest religious groups in the [[United States]].<ref>Hanerjee, Neela, [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/us/25cnd-religion.html?ei=5124&en=1f44cce06fd2c02a&ex=1361682000&adxnnl=1&partner=digg&exprod=digg&adxnnlx=1204020358-3HkVoV4zxeYh9vTOw6Tydw Americans Change Faiths at Rising Rate, Report Finds], New York Times, 25th February, 2008.</ref>
 
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[[Image:Hinduism..jpg|240px|right|Shiva the Cosmic Dancer]]
 
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Hindus believe in [[reincarnation]] and eventual unity with what is known as [[Brahman]] as well as respect for all life forms. Their holy writings are known as the [[Vedas]]. The goal of Hindus in life (purusharthas) is to follow four life-long aims: dharma (righteousness), artha (material success), kama (love/pleasure), and moksha (release from reincarnation/reunification with Brahman).
 
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== Description ==
 
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In 1966, the Supreme Court of [[India]] defined what Hinduism is for legal purposes:
 
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1. Belief in the authority of the Vedas (an ancient hymns to the gods, written in Sanskrit). The oldest collection of hymns in the Vedas is the Rig Veda, which was written between 1800 and 1300 B.C. The greatest Veda hymn is the “Bhagavat Gita,” a section in the Mahabharata concerning life’s never-ending spiritual journey towards perfection. Bhagavat Geeta is rendered as a dialogue between Shri [[Krishna]] (incarnation of [[Vishnu]]) and Arjuna (the great archer) in the middle of the battlefield.
 
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2. Spirit of tolerance and willingness to understand and respect an opponent’s view.
 
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3. Belief in world rhythms: long periods of creation, maintenance and dissolution follow each other in endless succession.
 
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4. Belief in reincarnation (rebirth) and preexistence.
 
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5. Belief that there are many ways to salvation.
 
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6. Unlike most other religions, Hinduism is not defined by a specific set of philosophical concepts.
 
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7. Belief in one god. Contrary to popular belief, Hinduism is not a [[polytheism|polytheistic]] religion.  The Vedas, the primary Hindu holy scriptures states that there is only one [[God]] but can manifest in many forms.  This is the reason why there are many deities.  A common example used to explain this is that an individual can be called different names depending on the relationship has with another.  A man can be a son to his parents, a nephew to his uncle, a father to his son, and a husband to his wife all at the same time.  None of these different relationships suggest multiple people but rather different aspects of one person.  The same is applied to God in Hinduism, which has no form and is infinite.  Hindus may call God, Paratman (Supreme Soul), Brahmana (Eternal Spirit), or Ishvara (Supreme Lord).  Deities have various names but represent aspects of God that manifest in the world.  For example [[Agni]] (fire, Divine spark), Vayu (wind, or breath which could mean life force, [[Indra]] (in mythology king of gods but also refers to the senses such as vision, hearing, touch, taste), and [[Lakshmi]] (fortune).
 
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8. Secular multiplicity and accommodating flexibility in spiritual practices.
 
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Relations between Hinduism and Christianity have also been shaped by unequal balances of political power and cultural influence. Although communities of Christians have lived in South India since the middle of the 1st millennium, the great expansion of Indian Christianity followed the efforts of missionaries working under the protection of the British colonial government. <ref> [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-261549/Hinduism Hinduism and Christianity] Encyclopædia Britannica. </ref>
 
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Some state governments such as Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh have passed anti-conversion laws, attempting to prevent Hindus converting to other religions such as [[Islam]] and [[Christianity]].<ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2003/24470.htm India: International Religious Freedom Report 2003] (U.S. Department of State)</ref>
 
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For more on Hinduism, see [[World History Lecture Three]].
 
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==Criticisms==
 
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===Sati===
 
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''Sati'' was a practice during the medieval period whereby Hindu widows were forcefully burned to death by family members of the husband. This practice was abolished in the 19th century by the efforts of Ram Mohan Roy and Lord William Bentinck.
 
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===Caste system===
 
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Hinduism also has a caste or ''varna'' system. Traditionally Hindu society is divided into four castes:
 
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*''Brahmin'' (the highest caste in Hinduism)
 
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*''Kshatriya'' (the warrior or ruling class)
 
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*''Vaishya'' (merchants)
 
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*''Shudra'' (unskilled laborers and servants)
 
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The caste system used not to be hereditary. <ref>[http://western-hindu.org/2008/01/27/the-caste-system/ The Caste System]</ref>
 
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''Shudras'' were the lowest caste and were denied of many rights in past. Apart from these four main castes, there is another group called the ''Dalit'' (Untouchables).<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/living/caste.shtml The caste system] ''BBC''</ref> Historically these ''dalits'' are the victims of discrimination by higher castes. Even today there are many reports of discrimination against ''dalits''.<ref>[http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/1954/44/ Dalits face discrimination in southern Tamil Nadu] ''All India Christian Council''</ref><ref>[http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2007/02/13/india15303.htm India: ‘Hidden Apartheid’ of Discrimination Against Dalits] ''[[Human Rights Watch]]''</ref>
 
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== External links ==
 
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*[http://www.spaceandmotion.com/Philosophy-Hinduism-Hindu.htm Hindu Religion]
 
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*[http://western-hindu.org/2008/01/27/the-caste-system/ The Caste System]
 
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==Further reading==
 
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* Johnson, W. J. ''A Dictionary of Hinduism'' (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Hinduism-W-J-Johnson/dp/0198610254/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238980666&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
 
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* Knott, Kim. ''Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction'' (2000) [http://www.questia.com/read/62971675?title=Hinduism%3a%20A%20Very%20Short%20Introduction online edition]
 
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* Shattuck, Cybelle. ''Hinduism'' (1999) [http://www.questia.com/read/103395975?title=Hinduism  online edition]
 
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* Sullivan, Bruce M. ''Historical Dictionary of Hinduism'' (1997)
 
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* Werner, Karel. ''A Popular Dictionary of Hinduism'' (1997) [http://www.amazon.com/Popular-Dictionary-Hinduism-Dictionaries-Religion/dp/0700710493/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238980666&sr=1-3 excerpt and text search]
 
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* Zaehner, R. C. ''Hinduism'' (1966)  [http://www.questia.com/read/23180604?title=Hinduism  online edition]
 
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==References==
 
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<references/>
 
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[[Category:Hinduism| ]]
 
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[[Category:Dharmic Religions]]
 
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[[Category:India]]
 
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[[category:Indian History]]
 

Revision as of 14:11, January 24, 2010

corrected by anon

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