The majority religion in India, Hinduism is more of a way of life than a traditional religion. Instead, Hinduismbelieves in an inner power possessed by every human. There is no specific belief in a God so Hindus generally accepted tolerate any viewpoint of a Supreme Being. It is this tolerance and flexibility that has preserved this religion throughout India’s history including times of invasion and foreign rule.
This is not to say there is no Supreme Being observed by Hinduism. Followers do believe in a single God but instead of the Trinity and Angels the Hindu God has many avatars or incarnations.
In Hinduism there are four reasons for life:
- Dharma – fulfilling one’s purpose
- Artha – prosperity
- Kama – desire, sexuality, enjoyment
- Moksha – enlightenment
Of its most universal and fundamental beliefs is “karma”. This refers to the belief that one’s moral actions have
unavoidable and automatic effects on one’s fortunes in this life and as a condition of rebirth into the next life.
Hinduism began sometime between 1500 BC and 500 BC.
This is part of a series on the cultures of religions excerpted from getmaximpact.com of Rochester Hills, Mich. It looks at Christian, Muslim, Hinduism, Buddhism, atheism, Sikhism, and Judaism. To view more religions, click here. It is used by their permission.
©2014 Max Impact, used with permission.
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