Traditionally when Americans think of religion they think of Christianity. Christianity has been around in the United States since its conception. For that reason, Christianity is anything but a mystery to a majority of Americans. The Religion of Hinduism has not had such an easy journey to being understood in America. I took the time to interview two people who live in my house. The first person I interviewed was Elliott Parsons. Elliott is a normal sophomore in college and he is not a Hindu. The second person I interview was Sumhed Khair. Sumhed is from India and practices the faith of Hinduism. Both shared what they believed Hinduism is and why they feel Hinduism has not spread a crossed America let alone being understood in America.
The Hindu population in the United States has been growing since the early 1900s. in 1900 the Hindu population was 1,700 people. In 2008, the Hindu population was 2.29. (Hindu American Foundation (HAF), 2017). That is a huge increase in population. With the population bump in people practicing the faith people would be led to believe that there has been an increment in the understanding of the faith. The first thing I asked the people I interview to do was to tell me the basic beliefs of Hinduism. The first thing Elliott said was, “I do not know a great deal about Hinduism”. He would
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Both answered the reason why it is hard to teach it here is because America has been around Christianity since its conception and not around Hinduism and people are set in the ways of Christianity and not look at other religions. Sumhed said that there was a lack of “Hindu culture” causing the lack of the Hindu faith in the united states. This lack of presence has caused a lack of knowledge in the Hindu faith causing people like Elliott who I interview to have very little and not detailed