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Hinduism
Kelsey Scofield
And
Sarah Cobb
Gods Of Hinduism
~ Brahma was considered creator of the universe and began alone until he split
himself into two and created the universe. Most people don’t worship him
because he is considered responsible for distracting the mind away from the soul
and towards craving or lusting of flesh. Although he was thought unpopular, he still
was the 1st in the Trimurti or The Trinity.
~Vishnu was the savior and protector who preserves the universe and is the 2nd ,
behind Brahma, in The Trimurti.
~Shiva was destroyer of evil and creator of new life, but unlike Brahma, she was
heavily worshipped because of fear.
~Rama, the Hero in the epic Ramayana, and represents the roles of family and respect
for the elders.
~Khrishna represented reincarnation and he is unborn and forever living, or has
eternal life, which is confirmed in the famous literatures, The Vedics.
Practices
Most Hindu practices consists of ceremonies
focused on the four major parts of life which
include: infancy, marriage, retirement, and death.
There are often major cults formed that devote
all their time to worshipping the gods. Their laws
of Karma consisted of good deeds in order to be
born into higher stations in their next life, which
also explains their concept of reincarnation.
Hindus also show their devotion by building
shrines and statues of different gods, depending
what a family focused on.
Major Texts and Literatures
~The Puranas is one of the richest, and most known collection of mythology in the world.
It centers mainly around the Hindu trinity “Timurti”, which is extremely similar to the
Christians “Holy Trinity”. In the literature, a sort of heaven and hell is described and it
emphasizes to important parts, the Bhakti, or the devotion to god, and Dharma, or your
personal and social duties.
~ The 4 Vedas is a collection of prayers and sacrifice rituals that is used to please the gods.
Its divided into three parts, the Yajur (sacrifices to the gods), Sama (chants for worship),
and Atharra (magic spells for healing).
~ The Upanishads reflects significant development in Hinduism’s concept of divine figures,
and also contains the essence of The Vedas and vivid descriptions of the nature of
Atman, the supreme soul. There are 1,180 Upanishads in all and it continues to play an
important role in the everyday lives of the average Hindu.
~ Ramayana , also called the Romance of Rama, which is the greatest epics in Hindu history.
It shows the morals of Hindu life, including faithfulness, perseverance.
~Laws of Manu is the Hindus version of the Christians' 10 Commandments. It Stresses the
right way of living (Dharma) and is some times looked upon by other religions, such as
Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Diffusion of Hinduism
There is no definite founder, but it is believed
that it derived from within the Vedic
civilization around the Indus River Valley,
which is currently Pakistan. Hinduism spread
mostly throughout modern day India and
partly into the island of Bali in Indonesia. It
diffused mostly from West to East.
Major contact with other religions
Hinduism came in contact with many other religions such as
Greek Mythology, Christianity, and Buddhism. Its shown
that Hindu ascetics often visited Greece and in certain
texts, you can see the similarities they both share in their
religions. Also, Hinduism was majorly connected with
Christianity. Its shown that they both influenced each other,
though it’s not proven which one started first. Buddhism
converted many Hindus, which started a tense feelings
towards the two religions. People that converted to
Buddhism liked their non-violence morals that Hinduism
didn’t have as much as. After awhile, the two religions
came to terms with each other and started having a
peaceful relationship.
Citations
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~Gods
http://www.religion-cults.com/Eastern/Hinduism/hindu4.htm
Brahma: http://www.siamese-dream.com/page/siam1/CTGY/article-hindu-gods-brahma#
Vishnu: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/v/vishnu.html
Shiva: http://1stholistic.com/Prayer/Hindu/hol_Hindu-Shiva.htm
Rama: http://adaniel.tripod.com/ramayana.htm
Krishna: http://www.naturalnirvana.com/India/IndianStates/Religion/Deites.htm
~How followers practice this religion
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001469.html
1-4 practices: http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/practices.htm
~Major texts and books of faith
http://www.religion-cults.com/Eastern/Hinduism/hindu3.htm
http://www.religion-cults.com/Eastern/Hinduism/hindu3.htm
http://teacherweb.ftl.pinecrest.edu/SNYDERD/MWH/readings/3/3%20-%20Religion.pdf
~Major contacts with other religions
http://www.city.varanasiguide.co.in/index.php/some-details/india/hinduism/early-hinduism.html
http://www.religion-spirituality.org/hinduism/brief-history.php