Hinduism Lacks a Uniting Belief

¶ … Hinduism lacks a uniting belief system, what makes up the Hindu religion? It isn't quite accurate to say that Hinduism "lacks a uniting belief system." However, the structure of that belief system is more loose than in most religions. There is no strong doctrine that a person must follow in order to be a Hindu. Rather, the Hindu religion is based on a few core beliefs, and then provides a variety of approaches one can use to live a better life.

The Hindu religion teaches that there is one God who is closely tied to all beings and everything that exists in the world. In the Hindu belief, God is present in every person and in every living thing, waiting to be found (Subramuniyaswami, 2000). The Hindu religion also teaches that there are lesser Gods, each of whom performs a specific function (Subramuniyaswami, 2000). Hindu scholars say that Hindu is a guide for life. Each person follows his or her own path.

That path will be different for each person, because each person's soul needs to learn different lessons before being reincarnated again (Subramuniyaswami, 2000). While most religions have rules to follow, such as the Ten Commandments or the rules laid down itne Qu'ran, Hindu does not have such rigid rules. In Hindu, each person is supposed to study and pray and develop the wisdom to choose his or her actions wisely (Subramuniyaswami, 2000). One of the core beliefs is that of reincarnation, or transmigration of the soul (Atkinson, 2003).

Hindu teaches that the soul, or "atman," is reborn into new bodies over and over until the soul is united with Braman, or God (Subramuniyaswami, 2000). Hindus believe there are some lesser gods who play important roles in the lives of Hindus. (Subramuniyaswami, 2000). Brahma is the creator; Vishnu sustains, and Shiva is the destroyer. While this makes Shiva sound negative and angry, Hindus believe that life comes out of death (reincarnation), and believe that the universe is in a constant state of death and rebirth, so Shiva's role is important.

Because of reincarnation, the present vessel for that soul, the individual's body, is temporary and transient. By living a good life, the person can be confident that his or her soul will be reincarnated at a higher level in the next life (Atkinson, 2003). Each time the soul is reincarnated, it has specific lessons it is to learn during that life on Earth (Subramuniyaswami, 2000). Related to reincarnation is the concept of Karma.

Hindu teaches that all the things a person do have an effect on what kind of life the soul will lead after it is reborn into a new body, so some actions can result in good or bad Karma. Being kind to a stranger would give the person good Karma, while being cruel to an animal would be bad Karma. Karma can also cause good or bad things to happen to a person during their life on Earth.

What are the cultural and societal influences that have made Hinduism vital to the region in which it originated? Hinduism is so important to Indian culture because it is so old, dating back 5,000 years. The most important scriptures for the Hindu religion, the Bhagavad Gita, or Song of the Lord, dates back to 3,000 BC. It teaches that devotion to God is the highest level of worship. Because God is everywhere around the person, anything the person does, if done with devotion to God, pleases God.

This caused the religion to infuse every day life Explain the desire for liberation from earthly existence. The highest goal for a Hindu is for its soul to learn all the Earthly lessons it needs to learn, completing all the reincarnations necessary to achieve that goal, and be released from moksha, or the cycle of reincarnation. When a soul reaches this high state, it is united with Brahma.

This can take many reincarnations and makes it important for each Hindu to strive to learn all he or she can, and to worship God and act in ways pleasing to God, so the soul can move forward to this liberation (Atkinson, 2003). Once the soul is joined with Brahma, it never again returns to a human body. To help the soul be joined with Brahma,.