Investigating Hinduism Essay

Benchmark – Investigating Hinduism Essay

If possible, interview a practicing Hindu individual or a leader of a Hindu temple, which can be used as an academic resource. If you would like to take pictures during your visit to this community or place of worship, be sure to obtain permission.

Write an essay of 1,250-1,500 words that analyzes key beliefs in Hinduism by addressing the following concepts:

Describe the three most important Hindu deities found in the Trimurti, their history of development in the Vedic literature, and their functions in the kalpic cycle of life.
Make an analysis of how the caste system might function in the life of a particular Hindu individual as he or she interacts with individuals of other castes.
Select one ancient or modern Christian community living or serving in a Hindu context, such as the St. Thomas Church of South India, denominations and ministries started by William Carey, Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity, etc. Compare the principles and practices of this Christian community with the four key Hindu beliefs and practices: all pervasive divinity, karma, reincarnation, and dharma.
Taking into consideration the differences between the four key Hindu beliefs and practices and Christian doctrine, how might a Christian engage a follower of Hinduism with the gospel of Jesus Christ? What would be vital points to consider for such a conversation (e.g., Who God is, sin and the fall, Jesus, forgiveness, salvation)?
Utilize the course textbook and a minimum of four academic resources, one of which can be your interview and should include topic materials and external resources.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

ANSWER

Investigating Hinduism Essay

Introduction

Hinduism entails faith and the way that most of the people in India live. Religion is ancient such that it had many types of religious practices and beliefs. With time the Hindus have come to accept the idea that there exists a supreme God. Hinduism is considered different than other religions in that most individuals tend to consider it as a religious culture rather than an actual religion (Narayanan, 2018). However, religion has no permanent beliefs and customs despite the fact that people believe that Hinduism is a highly practiced religion. This paper will focus on Investigating Hinduism to understand the different Hindu deities and their functions, compare Hinduism and Christianity, and examine the caste system.

Hindu deities

The Hindu deities consist of the god and the goddesses in Hinduism. Being one of the largest religions in India and in the world. According to the Hindus, there is only one universal God who is considered as the supreme being, Brahman. However, there also exists various gods and goddesses but Brahman remains to be the supreme god. Hindus believe that there are three main gods that come from Brahman. These include Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva. Brahma created the universe and is believed to offer the sacred texts (Narayanan, 2018). Brahma is the first god in the Trimurti of the Hindu. The Trimurti consists of three gods that are responsible for the upkeep, creation, and destruction of the world. The job of Brahma is the creation of the Universe as well as all creatures. Today, Brahma is the least worshipped God in Hinduism as compared to the other two.

The other god is Vishnu who is responsible for the preservation of the Universe. Ideally, whenever there is a problem between evil and good, Vishnu plays a great role in solving problems. Vishnu ensures that he fits the issue at hand to offer an effective solution. Vishnu is considered as the sustainer and preserver of life. He represents the principles of righteousness, order, and truth. Hindus that pray to Vishnu believe in the god during the times of disorder. They believe that Vishnu will appear in times of disorder and restore peace and order on earth. His presence will restore order to the world since his presence is found in every force and object in creation. Some Hindus believe in Vishnu as the divine being through which all things come. Vishnu has been incarnated nine times. It is believed that he will be reincarnated one more time before the world ends.

Shiva is the third god of Hindus and represents dissolution and death, destroying the universe to be recreated by Brahma. However, he is also considered as the master of regeneration and dance. Shiva destroys the world once he feels that it has become too corrupt. Hindus believe that there is a power of destruction and recreation which are utilized to destroy imperfection and illusions in the world through paving way for effective and beneficial change.

Vedas Literature and Kaplic Cycle

The Vedas are the ancient religious texts that were used to define the truth for Hindus. Hindus believed that messages were received direct from God to the scholar who was used to pass the texts from one generation to the other (Halbfass, 2017). The mainstream Hindu deities are linked to figures that appear in the Vedic literature as well as the worship practices that involve fertility, spirits, and local tutelary gods. In the Kaplic cycle of life, Brahma is responsible for the creation of life while Shiva is responsible for destroying the universe.

Caste System

The Caste system has been used to divide the Hindus into four major distinctions, Brahmins, Vaishyas, Kshatriyas, and Shudras (Weightman, 2017).  The Brahmins were at the top since they were mainly intellectuals and teachers who were believed to originated Brahma’s head. Then came the rules and warriors that came from the arms, Kshatriyas, while vaishyas were the traders that came from the thighs (Weightman, 2017). At the bottom was the Shudras who originated from Brahma’s feet. Over the years, the caste system has been used to dictate every aspect of social and religious life with each group having a specific place in the complex hierarchy.

The rural communities have been organized on the basis of castes the lower and upper castes. Depending on what one is, it might be challenging to operate within a caste system. For instance, Brahmins could not accept drinks and food from the Shudras while one was only allowed to marry from their own caste. Someone in the lowest caste will definitely have issues with the Hindu Caste since they feel that those who are not well off are not regarded well as compared to those in the highest caste.

Considerably, it is definite that when one has greater power than the other they will use it to their personal advantage. This separation made it challenging for daily interactions as compared to lives in other countries. Ideally, activities such as worshipping and eating together would be hard in the caste since people are prohibited to interact with people of a different caste. For instance, the lower caste would have been restricted to their religious privileges and obligations.

Hinduism and Christianity

Hinduism varies from Christianity in various ways. According to Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity, Christians believe in God and only worship him while the Hindus worship many small gods from the main god. Reincarnation has been one of the most important elements of the Jews. The sisters do not acknowledge reincarnation since they do not believe in past lives. However, Christians believe in eternal life which is life after death. Another major variation with Teresa’s Sisters of Charity is that Hinduism is an evolving and growing religion which means that there is no point and time when Hinduism began. For Christianity, the founder who is Jesus Christ is a vital and central part of Christianity.

Dharma is the last major belief among the Hindus which signifies the actions and behaviors that are considered to be in order with Rta, the order which makes the universe and life possible. With regard to the Hindu belief, when an individual adheres to God’s laws they naturally get closer to God (Boyer, 2019). This belief is the same among the sisters and Christians.  They believe that following God’s laws builds a strong relationship with God. Hindus also believe that everything is part of God’s desire even evil while Christianity believes that God does not create evil since He allowed mankind to make freedom of choice.

Conclusion

In summation, Hinduism has been regarded as a religion with no beginning and identifiable end. With reference to Hinduism, religion should be considered as a practice rather than a belief. The exploration of Hinduism has offered a clear picture of the practices and a systematic approach to understanding the concept of the Hindu faith. Hinduism varies from Christianity with major contrasts which bring the main difference between the two religions. According to the Hindus, three gods rule the world while in Christianity there is only one supreme God. When engaging with other religions it is important to show respect to their beliefs and practices and building a good relationship.

References

Boyer, S. D. (2019). Incarnations, Christian, and Hindu: Christology in Conversation with Vaishnavism. Evangelical Review of theology, 43(1), 17-25.

Halbfass, W. (2017). The Idea of the Veda and the Identity of Hinduism. In Defining Hinduism (pp. 16-29). Routledge.

Narayanan, V. (2018). Hinduism. In Her Voice, Her Faith (pp. 11-57). Routledge.

Weightman, S. (2017). Hinduism. A new handbook of living religions, 261-309.