Hinduism at a Glance Hinduism is one of the most prominent religions on Earth. It contains approximately 1 billion followers, which is close to 14% of the Earth’s population, and it is after Christianity and Islam the largest religion by population. Hinduism is mainly popular in India, Nepal, which has the largest proportion of followers, and Bangladesh, among other parts of the planet. Numerous people consider Hinduism a culture, or a way of life, more than just a “simple” religion. Even though there is not a dated record of the creation of Hinduism, it is considered by many as the oldest religion in the world. The word Hinduism originated from a Persian background, which refers to the Indus River, northwest of India. Additionally, …show more content…
As stayed by Hinduism, God is one, but also many, the purpose of man is to appreciate divine nature, and the cause of all sufferings is the ego. They believe the world is an illusion and any individual lives many lives. Hindus believe that all beings have a soul, and humans are but another step in evolution. Karma is another belief that consists of positive or negative reactions to a simple action. Unlike other religions, Hinduism believes that one individual is responsible for the path chosen, and it says to “follow your own self, live according to your own dharma and discover your own truth that is in harmony with yourself.” In general, Hindus do not try to convert other people to their own religion, but they accept if a person wants to change his or her religion. Although they allow people to change religions, they will not permit anyone to teach the scriptures to people who do not follow Hinduism. There are sacred texts, and most in most cases they believe in various gods and goddesses. Hindus are very organized as they try to achieve three goals in life: be honorable in their religious life, economic success, and satisfaction of their mind. They often meditate and follow Yoga, as one of the most common practices. In contrast to other religions, Hindus accept other religions and one of their …show more content…
However, the creation of the world is not clear to their religion and they show certain uncertainty to this topic. The Rig-Veda says, “Then was not non-existent nor existent: there was no realm of air, no sky beyond it. What covered in, and where? And what gave shelter? Was water there, unfathomed depth of water? Who verily knows and who can here declare it, whence it was born and whence comes this creation? The Gods are later than this world's production. Who knows then whence it first came into being? He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it, whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows not”. (Rig-Veda