Download 6.3 Beginnings of Hinduism Slides

Beginnings of
Hinduism
Pages 142-147
Objectives
• Identify major beliefs of Hinduism –
examine why it is a false religion
• Explain how these beliefs created a
unique social structure and identify its
chief castes
What is “Hinduism?”
• Belief there is a
powerful, invisible
force - everything in
the world is
connected by this
• It is one of the
world’s oldest false
religions with 800+
million followers
• Hinduism is practiced
in many different
ways
Aryan Songs
• Aryan songs
described “how the
world works”
• These songs were
believed to be holy
• The book of songs
became known as
the Vedas, or “books
of knowledge”
The Vedas
• First building blocks
of Hinduism
• Told Hindus how they
should live and
explained life
• The Vedas say the
world is run by many
gods and goddesses
• What is it called when a
culture believes in
“many gods and
goddesses?”
The Vedas
• The Vedas explain
how Hindus believe
people were created
• Hindus believe that
four different classes
of people created
The Caste System
• Four classes of
people developed
into a caste system
• Caste = a person’s
place in society
• (it is determined by
the rank of the family
he or she is born into)
Next slide = larger image
The Caste System
• People born into the
priestly caste of India
have the highest rank
• Job is to teach people
about the Vedas
• People of the servant
caste are said to be
born to serve the
other castes
Reincarnation
• Vedas’ false idea that
people move in a
constant circle of
birth, death, and
rebirth
• Hindus believe bad
deeds done in one
lifetime must be paid
for in a person’s next
life
False Idea of Reincarnation
• According to this
belief, people born as
servants , for
example, are paying
for wrongs done in
the past
• Priests, on the other
hand, have done
many good things in
past lives
How did Hindus know what
was right and wrong?
• Followed the
“dharma” of their
caste
• Dharma means laws
and duties
• Following dharma
helped to keep Hindu
society running in an
orderly fashion
When people broke the rules of
dharma…
• Forced to live outside
their castes – they were
called “outcastes”
• They were looked down
upon by others and said to
be “impure”
• Hindu priests performed a
cleansing ceremony if they
were even touched by a
shadow of an outcaste
• Children of outcastes were
called “untouchables”
Examples of “breaking the rules”:
• People who married
against the rules of
their caste
• People who did a job
their caste was not
allowed to do
Different forms of Hinduism
• Hinduism allows for the
existence of more than
one god and more than
one way to truth
• In a Hindu book, the
god Vishnu says
• “Howsoever people
approach me, even so I
do accept them; for on all
sides, whatever path they
may choose is mine.”
Hinduism Today
• Overtime,
certain gods
became
“favorites”
• Vishnu - “The
One that is All”
• Shiva - “The God
of Time and
Destruction”
• Devi - “The
Mother of All
Creation
Hinduism Today
• Hindus still consider the
Vedas the most holy
books of their religion
• Other books have
adventure filled stories
about gods and
goddesses, called epics
• In 1950: Indian
government made it
illegal to mistreat
outcastes
Think About It
• What is dharma? Is it
the same for all Hindus?
• Why was it important
for Hindus to do the
duties expected of their
caste?
• What are the Vedas?
What role did they play
in the shaping of Indian
culture?
• How do you know
that Hinduism is a
false religion?