Religion and Theology

Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world, which is why its followers who are generally referred to as Hindus, call it the eternal religion or sanatama dharma (Woodhead, 2002, p.15). Hinduism is the primary indigenous religion of South Asia and is composed of practices, beliefs and socio-religious institutions of Hindus from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bali in Indonesia (Dogra et al., 2003, p.5) Hinduism is different from monotheistic, panentheistic, theistic and monistic systems because it is not a single belief system, but a combination of all, which means Hindus worship gods in different forms. Hinduism has numerous sacred traditions and beliefs, which are closely tied to the history and social structure of the Hindu society.

Among the many societal and cultural influences that make Hinduism vital to Hindu society is the caste system, which is founded on the Hindu belief in reincarnation. A persons caste determines his marriage partner, occupation, and many other opportunities and responsibilities in his life. Castes compose a hierarchy based on the four varnas mentioned in the Veda, the sacred text of Hinduism (Woodhead, 2002, p. 20). The four castes are the Brahmins who are scholars and priests, the Kshatriyas who are rulers and warriors, the Vaishyas who are merchants, and the Shudras who are servant surfs. There are also law books today that recognize a fifth caste called the vana or untouchables. Since each group is considered a separate entity, intermarriage is strictly prohibited between castes (Hall, 2004, p. 79).

There have been many reformers that attempted to abolish the caste system, but many Hindus have time and again vehemently refused such action because they believe that a persons life on earth is a direct consequence of his deeds in his past life. Hindus believe that a person rightfully deserves to be in his present caste because his past deeds or karma resulted in his present life. In fact, there is even a local caste council that regulates the caste system, so that no one crosses over to anothers caste since this is interpreted to be an act of interference with gods will. The council makes sure that the person who does is harshly penalized for breaking the rules.

Hinduism has been shaped by various historical forces, among which is the geography of the land of its origin itself. Natural features such as rivers, woodlands and oceans may be considered holy by Hindus, as well as man-made structures like family shrines, temples, and other places of pilgrimage. One of the most special natural places for Hindus is the Himalayas, which they believe to be the home of the gods of the Hindu pantheon (Bowen, 1998, p. 231). Mountains are traditionally special to Hindus. In fact, man-made temples, such as the Kailasa Temple in Ellora, are designed based on the gradual ascending pattern of a mountain range.

One of the most central sacred beliefs of Hindus is reincarnation. According to Hindu tradition, reincarnation repeatedly happens until a persons soul has resolved all experiences and learned all the lessons in life the material world has to offer. While the soul is immortal, it does evolve from an immature form into a spiritually illuminated form. When a soul finally liberates itself from earthly existence, it attains moksha. Once the soul is finally liberated, it continues to exist but it doesnt enter a physical body anymore. As evidence of reincarnation, many Hindus usually refer to people who claim they remember their past lives.

Hindus believe that after a persons death, his soul leaves his physical body. The soul then occupies a subtle body referred to as the astral body while in a non-physical dimension called the astral plane. The soul continues to have experiences while in this state until it is reborn in a physical body as an infant. Based on a familys potential to fulfill its requirements for moksha, the soul chooses which family it will be reborn into. The cycle of reincarnation only stops when the soul has reaches enlightenment by freeing itself from its earthly existence.

Power, magic and godly interventions are all aspects of Hindu beliefs and traditions. The Atharvaveda, the last book of the Vedas, contains a collection of hymns from the Rig Veda, as well as magic spells for everyday life. These magic spells are supposed to help Hindu people get by their lives through the help of various gods they believe in. For instance, one magic spell to make a horse run swifter from the Atharvaveda reads, Swift as the wind be thou, O steed, when joined (to the chariot) at Indras urging go, fleet as the mind (Bloomfield, 2004, p. 101)
 
Hindus practice a plethora of ritual practices that vary widely based on factors such as region, deity, gender, caste and social status. They generally follow the lunar calendar which is filled with different rituals for different occasions. For example, Puja, a ritual performed on various occasions to glorify the gods, may consist of meditation, prostrations, chanting, food offerings austerity and reading of the holy text of Veda (Rinehart, 2004, p. 123)

There are different ways to perform rituals, and these can be performed individually or as a group. For example, a Hindu family may start their day with puja at home to venerate their deities. The puja may be as simple as offering incense and flower to deities, or they may have up sixteen different offerings similar to a temple puja. Because of this, a Hindu home is usually designed to accommodate a puja, usually equipped with spacious floors where members of the family could sit together and worship their gods.

Natural objects found in the environment also play an important role in the practice of Hinduism. Thus, aside from worshipping deities in human form, some Hindus also worship stones and trees for they believe that deities may reside in such things (Hall, 2004, p.179). Deities may also dwell in man-made structures, like the deity Kali who is supposed to live in Hindu cemeteries. The importance of the environment to Hindu ritualistic traditions can also be seen in the practice of bathing in sacred rivers such as Yamuna and Ganges. According to Hindus, water is a substance that absorbs and washes away impurities. Therefore, water from these sacred bodies clears away the transgressions of people. Unfortunately, religious practices like this may pollute rivers since hundreds of people may bathe at the same time.

The intimate connection of Hindus to their environment is also rooted in their belief of Brahman, the main god of Hinduism. All people, creatures, trees, stones, stars, and everything that exists come from Brahman, which is why Hindus rarely refer to Brahman as god but rather, It. Everything in the world and in the universe is part of Brahman and therefore sacred. Such beliefs in the equality of god and nature have led some analysts to categorize Hinduism as pantheism.

Like Muslims who have a religious duty to visit the sacred city of Mecca, Hindus also have a religious duty to visit places of pilgrimage. Followers of Hinduism are known to go on long, painful journeys to places they consider holy. It is believed that going to pilgrimage sites cleanses away a persons past sins, and makes his future life after death better. In fact, many believe that the harder the journey is the more spiritual merit a person gets.

In India where Hinduism is the main religion of the population, wayside shrines dot the cities. These wayside shrines usually come in the form of a lump of clay daubed with red paste. Travelling Hindus come to these shrines to meditate or venerate their gods.

Hinduism has truly developed into a rich and colorful religion because of its long history and various influences from the peoples of many cultures. Today, Hinduism is still thriving in many countries around the world because of the deep meaning people get from believing and practicing it. While many of its sacred religious beliefs and practices should be continued, a few, like the caste system should be checked and abolished completely as it still goes on in many small towns and rural areas. The government may also evaluate the safety of sacred religious practices like bathing in holy rivers. All in all, Hinduism is a meaningful religion, which has to be improved to better benefit its growing number of followers.