Religious Studies

Hinduism

Symbol Aum/ Om: the aim is the first sound uttered at creation.

Facts: Hinduism comes from northern India, the people that practice it are called Hindus.

There are 3 forms of gods: Brahma- creator, Vishny- preserver, Shiva- destroyer.

There is only one God, Brahman which has many forms. Ganesha- elephant's head, Goddess of money- Lakshmi, bull- Nandi (Shiva).

Some Hindus are vegetarian. Holi is colored powder. Ravana is evil, he has 10 heads. The cow is respected. A diva is a candle. Mandir Shree means holy temple. 

The founder is unknown. The holy book is the Veda. The holy building is the Mandir. One of the festivals is Divali. 

A myth or a legend is a story and they often have a moral. In Hinduism there are lots of myths to explain certain morals. The myths may or may not be true.

Atman- 'spark' of God

When a human being dies, the 'spark' of God returns to God. When a new baby is born, your Atman (soul) returns. This is Samsara (reincarnation). 

The Hindu religion is the oldest religion and has been around for 500 years. Each different God has their own 'symbol' and animal companion. Bathing in the holy lake, 'gangi', washes away your sins. all temples worship a certain God. The largest Hindu temple is England, is in nort London. A Guru is a healer, believed to have special powers and lives in the south of India. In Hinduism you canchoose your own way to God.

Hindus believe that everything you do in your life is worship. 

Classes and Casts, Things that you can't do:

1) It would be very difficult to leave your caste

2) Have friends outside your cast

3) Must never marry someone outside your cast

4) Rare to get a job outside the role given to you within your cast

You should be honored to be in your caste.

• The priests (Brahmins), teachers and spiritual leaders
• The nobles and warriors (Kshatriyas) who maintain law and good government
• The merchants and craftsmen (Vaisyas) who are responsible for trade and commerce, agriculture and industry
• The labourers (Shrudas) who are manual workers
• Uuntouchables (Dalits) they prepare bodies for funerals

People who did tehdirtiest work were the 'untouchables' because their work was considered unclean or contaminating. 

Caste is a social group into which a Hindu is born depending on the occupation or background of their parents. The cast defines a person's social position and their religious and social duties and responsabilities. Although a person always remains within the cast…