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Compare and contrast monotheistic religions
Hindu religious essay
Hindu religious essay
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Recommended: Compare and contrast monotheistic religions
What is Hinduism? Is it polytheistic? Monotheistic? What do they believe in? Who do they believe in? There are many gods and goddesses in the Hindu religion. These gods are worshipped for their blessings and for what they represent. Some see it as a monotheistic religion, some see it as a polytheistic religion. Logically speaking they are both. Many people wonder how that can be. Because, in truth, it is common for a religion to be filed into one or the other. I was curious myself of how and what to categorize Hinduism as, and it led to realizing that it is not just polytheistic or monotheistic, but monistic as well. Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion. On a scale of popularity, it takes the bronze. However, it is not as simple of a religion as many would like to believe. Hinduism is a monotheistic religion based upon a system of many gods. This makes it polytheistic as well; making its true identity a mystery to non-Hindus. To those who have researched and/or believe in the Hindu faith, the religion is monotheistic. This means there is one Supreme Being. A more common example of a monotheistic religion …show more content…
She, like the Supreme, comes in many forms. Her official title is the Divine Mother and she is primarily Parvati. Her fierce power comes with two names, Kali and Durga. Kali is known s the goddess of time and death. As a form of the Divine Mother, she shows the raw power of her divine nature to take life or time in Hindu society. There is even a sect of practices that devote someone to the Divine Mother. Her other fierce form is known as Durga. She is the side of the Mother that is impossible to reach, therefore there is little information on this form. However, opposite of Durga is the last form, Ambika (Amba). She is known as the Protector, or the nurturing side of the Divine mother ("Hinduism Hinduism fast facts and introduction" 2017). In terms of mothers, she is much like a momma grizzly protecting her
divine mother, who endures all the ills and pains and offers milk from her sagging breast to
Unlike most religions, Hinduism has no specific founder, scripture or set of teachings. Hinduism has over nine hundred million followers today. The history of Hinduism is that it was found in the Indus Valley and it is an oral religion. Hindu’s believe in the three gods named Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma is believed to be the creator of the world and creatures.
In conclusion, it is obvious that the Absolute is recognized to be within more than one god or goddess. The question that then arises is “who is truly the Absolute?” It could be Vishnu, Siva, or any of the forms of the Devi (Durga). The simple fact is that whether the Absolute be Vishnu, Siva, or the Devi, they all encompass the same qualities that the Absolute is understood to exhibit in their respected branches of Hinduism. Since certain people of the Hindu religion believe that their god or goddess is the Absolute, it is possible that the Absolute is simply all of the gods and goddesses in one body working together to be most supreme and powerful creator within the religion.
Hinduism is an ancient religion. It has no known founder. It has several holy books. The most important of these is the Vedas, a collection of hymns. Hinduism like buddism believes in reincarnation. The goal of this religion is also to escape the birth-death cycle. Through Hinduism the entire Indian social structure was formed by creating the caste system. The major difference between Buddism and Hinduism is that Hindus believe in a god. Brahman is the spirit that encompasses all living things. There are several lesser gods who are believed to be incarnates of Brahman.
Other than a religion, Hinduism is a way of life through philosophy that is mostly concerned with spirituality and enlightenment. The impracticality of the Hindu religion comes from the Vedas. Vedas are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu religion that are considered to be a straight ...
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one God. There are three of the most influential monotheistic religions in world history today known as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These three religions share both vast similarities and differences. One significant similarity they share is the belief in one deity. The belief of one God gave many people guidance and purpose in their lives. For this reason, these three religions gained many followers and believers who had faith in God. Through faithfulness in God, many were promised eternal paradise. In the following paragraphs, I will explain the similarities and differences between the rituals, holy scripts, and salvation that these religions shared.
Hinduism, also known by the name Sanatana-Dharma, is often referred to as the “oldest religion” in the world, is generally considered to be an ethnic religion and is fundamentally based on the religion of the original Aryan settlers. “Hinduism, from the Persian Hindi (Sanskrit sindhu), literally "river." Means "of the Indus Valley" or simply "Indian." Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma,"eternal religion" or "eternal truth” (“Facts on Hinduism”). It was founded around 3000 BCE, and is now considered to be the third largest religion in the world. Followers of Hinduism, which is estimated to be anywhere around 900 million, are especially concentrated in India, Nepal, and other countries throughout Asia. The broader world contact that has occurred since World War II allowed various forms of Hinduism to become more widely known and accepted. The multiple Hindu sects, including the Krishna Consciousness, have been particularly successful among young American and Europeans and claims to be adherent around the world. Hinduism is dissimilar compared to other religions, in the fact that it has no founders. This religion is considered to be permissive in creed or code as it is not necessarily coordinated in any way, even though various sects and cults are formulated. This religion is especially known for its tolerance because it is willing to accommodate those who are exceptionally religious; whether it be a Jew, Christian, or Muslim as a part of their religion. Hinduism is very transformable and accepts elements of different religion. Overtime it has even developed different aspects of both Christianity and Buddhism and incorporated them into the religion of Hinduism. Hinduism worships a multiplicity of gods; the most important in...
-Kali (the dark mother) is first mentioned in Hinduism at around 600CE as a distinct goddess.
There are hundreds of different religions with each of them having their own different beliefs and practices. Hinduism and Christianity are two of the most different and yet most popular religions. They are different in almost every way. One is polytheistic and the other is monotheistic. One has no real religious leader or founder, and the other’s is known all around the world.
Hinduism is a very unique religion; it is the oldest living religion and does not have a single founder unlike Buddhism. Hinduism
In addition, what makes Hinduism even more complex, is that fact that it is also “viewed as a monotheistic religion, because it recognizes only one supreme God: the panentheistic principle of Brahman that all reality is a unity. The entire universe is seen as one divine entity who is simultaneously at one with the universe and who transcends it as well. [Still others] view Hinduism as Trinitarian because Brahman is simultaneously visualized as a triad - - one God with three persons” (Robinson, 1995):
Durga is a warrior queen who slays demons in the battle to keep the cosmos at balance. Durga is universally beautiful. She rides on a lion into battle and holds many weapons with her many hands attached to her many arms. David Kinsley, author of Hindu Goddesses, describes Durga as "The great battle queen with many arms, each which wields a weapon. She rides a fierce lion and is described as irresistible in battle." This is very different from the description of Kali, as said by the above author, "The goddess Kali is almost always described as having a terrible, frightening appearance. She is always black or dark, is usually naked, and has long disheveled hair." Kali likes to accent her naturally scary beauty by wearing severed heads, arms and dead children as jewelry. Blood seems to be her favorite cosmetic.
This image shows the goddess Durga in nine of her forms. The goddess in the middle is the main form, Durga. This is evident because she is in the center and is largest, suggesting that she is more important, or that the entire image has to do with her. It looks a lot like the image of Vishnu and his avataras. Durga, often referred to as Durga Maa (‘Maa’ meaning mother), is associated with many things. Her vehicle is a tiger, she is extremely beautiful, and she carries weapons in each of her hand except one in which she holds a lotus. The weapons and her vehicle refer to her creation. Durga was created by the Gods when they were overthrown by a demon that could not be killed by them. Since a woman could only kill this demon, the gods put their angry energies together and from each of those energies stemmed a body part of Durga. Each of the gods gave her his weapon, which is why she carries weapons such as Shiva’s trishul, Vishnu’s discus, and the lion from Himalaya. These weapons are the key symbols to look for when recognizing an image of Durga Maa, along with the tiger. The other eight forms of Durga are formed each day of her battle with this demon. Since this battle took nine days, there are nine total parts of Durga. The first form is Shailputri. ‘Shail’ comes from the Sanskrit word meaning mountain, which explains that she was incarnated from Himalaya. She is recognizable in the image as the one on the bottom left corner. Her mount is a bull. She has a trishul in one hand and a lotus in another. She is known for wearing colored apparel. The second phase is Brahmacharni. In this content, Brahma means penance. In this image, she is located right above Shailputri. She is the part of Durga that practices penance. Brahmacharni is easily recognized because she is the only form of Durga that does not have a vehicle.
Hindu mythology has been around for ages; it is the world’s oldest surviving religion. Hinduism was formed through diverse traditions in the year 2,000 B.C.E. There is no single person that gets the credit of developing Hindu Mythology because one person did not create it. Hinduism was originated in India, where it is the most practiced now. Hinduism has over a billion followers and about two-thirds of those people are in India. There are many temples open to worship gods and goddesses. “The needs of the gods would be met by the worshipers who have to prepare themselves through purification rites to draw near to their god” (Organ,193) Hinduism is not only the oldest religion but one of the biggest, with Islam then Christianity being above it.
In Hinduism some of the things I found most fascinating is that the idea of God in Hindu is compounded and how they worship. There is one Supreme God and his form is unlimited. The Supreme God’s qualities and forms are represented by the numerous deities that stem from him. The deities God can form can be either male or female, allowing Hindus to pray to a god or goddess.