There are many different kinds of religions and beliefs in South Asia. I decided to research the religion Hinduism because it is very different compared to other religions in the world. One million people in this world believe in Hinduism. There are many important parts to the religion like the founder of Hinduism, origination, and religious texts. Another important part would be the basic beliefs including reincarnation, karma, and the caste system. Hindu beliefs are recorded in the sacred texts like the Vedas and Upanishads. The Vedas were written over 2,500 years ago. The Vedas contains the truth that was given to the wise men, and the Upanishads explain the ideas that are stated in the Vedas. There are four Vedas the Rig Veda, Yajur …show more content…
There is no formal church, but many Hindus practice the religion at temples or by using home shrines. Hinduism is based off the Ancient Aryan beliefs and religious practices. It is a mixture of many different beliefs and practices. The religion has developed over many years, and is the main religion in India. In the religion Hinduism they warship thousands of gods from based on peoples different religious beliefs and practices. Each god is part of a force called Brahman; many Hindus believe that not many people understand that Brahman is nameless, and unlimited. There are three main gods that Hinduism the Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. Brahma is the creator, Siva is the destroyer, and Vishnu is the preserver. Vishnu is also a incarnations of Krishna and Rama. Some Hindus also believe in the god Devi which is the protecting mother, and the creative energy of the universe. The basic beliefs of hinduism is that they believe in the unity of all life. Hindus believe that every person has a universal soul called the atman. They also believe that atman and brahman are essentially the same thing. Many Hindus think that it is important to respect nature because all things in nature are apart of the same universal soul. In their beliefs cows are a symbol of life that can never be …show more content…
The caste system was developed thousands of years ago. Many Hindus believe that a person’s caste is a result of karma. In every caste level there is a strict religious and social order that people in each caste have to follow. If someone was born into a certain caste you remain within that caste for the rest of your life. The life goal is to work yourself up the caste system in order to reach the Brahmins caste which is the closest to moksha. Hindus believe that you can improve your caste system by doing the required things in this life. People that are in the higher caste system are considered pure; they can only marry communicate to those in their caste. If a person of a higher caste system talks to the untouchables then they would be considered impure. If a person wants to marry someone of a lower class they must go down the to the lower level caste. A person cannot move up the caste system based on marriage only down the caste system. At the top of the caste system is the Brahmins which is the priests and the scholars. The next caste level is the Kshatriyas or the warriors, and protectors of society. The next caste level is the Vaisyas which is the skilled trade workers, merchants. The next caste level is the Shudras which are the unskilled workers, and servants. Then the last caste level which is outside of the caste system is the