Why castism in Hindu religion?
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Because they adopted from life . . . and put into religion form.
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Although I was raised as a christian, I am sometimes ashamed of those who represent it falsely. I have also studied Hinduism and many of the teachings match the Essenes Christians which I have found to have the truth. \n\nThe early Essene Christians also believed in reincarnation as did the Jewish mystics and Gnostics.\n\nAn early Jewish teaching said that God (Jehovah) will pluck us up and replant us many times to help us achieve perfection.\n\nWhen Jesus disciples and other followers implied that he was David (reincarnated) ... he did not deny it.\n\nI wish that we Christians had the peaceful history that you Hindus have. Our history from the crusaders to George Bush shows us to be a very bloody and violent religion.\n\nI also wish that we Christian were as open minded about sexuality as the Hindus. We and the Muslims will almost kill if we see a homosexual.\n\nThat leaves us with your cast system...It really is not right and fortunately your people have began to realize this. \n\nOur Christianity, on the other hand is fast becoming a cast system due to the capitalist here. We place those that are industrious  on a pedestal while we frown on those that are poor or unable to work.  Our aged is locked out of everyone's way rather than respected and honored. Our mentally disabled are not treated as other disabilities. In many ways we have done worse than your cast system.\n\nJesus said, "Let he with out sin cast the first stone".  This one from the Christian religion will not cast stones.  In many ways I admire you.
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Hinduism gives women full rights of inheritance to unmarried girls of the family equal to male members. in Islam females get only 1/3rd.\n\nIn Hinduism married women got inheritance in form of dowry at the time of their marriage. On this dowry and all the jewellery and other gifts were her Stri Dhan(women's property) and she had full control over it.\n\nIf a man spends any part of her wife's money in emergency he has to return that Stri Dhan with interest.\n\nBesides that a man is supposed to hand over his daily income to his wife as she is "Grih Lakshmi" Goddess of wealth.It is one of the marriage vows.\n\nA Hindu married man can not perform Puja without his wife. At the time of Puja woman takes precedent and sits at right side.\n\nHindu women did not used to change their family name after marriage. It is a western custom. Seeta was Janki And Draupadi was daughter of Drupad.\n\nIn fact male heroes are regularly identified with their mother's name in ancient books e.g. Arjuna is called Parth (son of Pritha- Kunti)\n\nShakti is the divine feminine power found in everything. Hinduism is not a male-dominated religion. It is a culture whose only words for strength and power are feminine -- ``shakti'' means ``power'' and ``strength.'' All male power comes from the feminine. And Shakti is the fundamental strength of the feminine that infuses all life and is viewed as a goddess.\n\nShe is the Saraswati(goddess of knowledge).\n\nWomen have contributed to Vedas and Gargi, Matreyee are among most respected philosophers.\n\nHinduism is much older than most religions. Ancient Hindu law gives much more rights than Islam.\n\n In fact position of females in society was much degraded after the Islam entered India. Many restrictions, parada, child marriage were direct result of Muslim invasion. So was the Sati system which got popularity among Rajputs women to get away from harems of  Muslim conquerors.\n\nMost pagan cultures were nature and mother goddess related religions. They regularly respected female and they have all kinds of rights.
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The original concepts of Hinduism were that 'One's heart is God's abode, and correctly performing one's work is the best Prayer'.\n...Purely exhibitionist influences from foreign visitors, invaders, plus colonialists, did later help in the introduction and popularisation of mass/group worship, lighting of lamps, burning of incense, and even offering sacrifices, to 'appease' or 'bribe' God, into granting 'favours' - as if God was just some corrupt and crooked warlord, politician, or governing official !
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Many religions often add that you change your name to something from within that religion's tradition. The reason is because a name is what you are called and names are said to have power, in religious traditions. Sometimes the it is just to honor the tradition, sometimes it is to show that you have made a change in your life and to try to connect you further to your new faith.\n\nWhen I changed my religion to Hinduism, while HInduism does not have any official formal conversion process, taking a Hindu name (not necessarily changing it legally, but having a Hindu name by which other Hindus will address you) is often seen as the most important step for someone. Hindu names often are names of the many aspects of God (the Devas...sometimes misthought of as gods and goddesses). Thus the name is said to carry with it the aspects itself. Sometimes Hindu names are more concepts, ideas, and aspects that are wanted to be reflected. It is said each time the name is said to the person that you bestowing the power of the name upon the person. Thus in Hinduism if your name is "Love", for example, you are being addressed with "Love" and that aspect is being put on you by the Divine. Think of it as God's Love is put on you. \n\nSometimes changing the name is to honor those within the faith. Being named Abraham, Luke, etc are all in honor of people of the faith in Judaic and Christian religions.
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I believe Hinduism is true because a lot of it makes sense to me. \n\nBut even if it weren't I would still embrace it for its nonviolence, compassion, and tolerance.
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homosexuality is perhaps not a part of hindu culture.  There is no mention of  homosexuality in any of our scriptures.\n\n  In Ajanta and ellora caves, which are of Tantrik tradition, there are sculptures  of homosexuality, anal and animal sex...perhaps in that Tantrik era this was allowed for Tantriks for their rituals.\n\n    bieng homo is perhaps not for religions, it is a state of mind and mainly depend upon cultural backgrounds
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Cnnverting to Hinduism is an oxymoron.\nSince most Hindu tradition or hinduism is a composition of embracing different faiths, doctrines and beleifs... It's as if you were born a human being than later realise that you are a human being ;-)\n\nIt is not a religion like we define it with Middle-Est (Jewdeo-Christiano-Ilamic) base religions. It is rather an amalgamation of different ideological and spiritual visions and some actually contradict one another yet, they do not "collide", thus the absence and respect of the different path. Love is action, the most sublime action of Love is to listen to God, God is in everyone's heart.\n\nMost indian spiritual traditions do not require that you abandon your own religion heritage. It is rather an itiation towards your own Path. Some teachings will require that you dedicate time to the teachingss so it may look like you abandoned a previous religion.\n\nSo if you are looking to "convert", what is the tradition or lineage that teaches that...?\n\nBrahmanism can be define as a religion and like many jewish tranditions, the transmission is a family lineage thing and conversion is more of an adoption...\n\nCertain branches of Vaishnavites such as the Krishna movement is a religion that behaves in their procelytism (yet mild) in pretty much the same manners as Pantheistic views (Middle Estern Heritage) sush as the concept of being Saved, or an alignment with a personalized God that is seperate from whow we are.\n\nSo Kuladevata is more initiatic and more of a energetic connection that you are making with a chosen Deity. Yes Jesus can be your Kuladevata since he is the power or the initial form that energize the Christic tradition.\n\nKuladevata does not make you a Hindu it empowers the relationship with the force from which your path was initiated. It is a support to one who seeks the or his/her calling.
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Short answer: people.\n\n"Hinduism (Sanskrit: हिन्दू धर्म, Hindū Dharma, also known as सनातन धर्म, Sanātana Dharma) is a religion that originated on the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism encompasses many religious beliefs, practices, and denominations. Most Hindus believe in a supreme cosmic spirit called Brahman, who is worshipped in many forms, represented by individual deities such as Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti. Hinduism centers around a variety of practices that are meant to help one experience the divinity that is everywhere and realize the true nature of the Self."\n\n"Modern Hinduism evolved from the ancient Vedic tradition (Vaidika paramparā). Prominent themes in Hinduism include Dharma (individual ethics, duties and obligations), Samsāra (rebirth), Karma (right action), and Moksha (salvation). Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism all share some traits in common with Hinduism, as all these religions originated in India, and all focus on self-improvement for the ultimate purpose of attaining personal spiritual experience."
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The beliefs of others are always viewed critically and found to be mythology, while one's own mythology is viewed as fact.\n\nWhat I like about the Hindu god is that you can't corner it, you can't trap it, you can't blaspheme against it because, well, because it's god. The Hindus have one of the highest concepts of god on the planet, and if people think it's stupid because there are cows involved then they simply lack the ability to understand what "infinite" means. That's why such people are limited to worshiping a finite anthropomorphic god made in their own image.
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They worship one God who has many manifestations.  Used to have a friend who was hindi.
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:}\nA Hindu celebration\nWorship directed to Pasupati is idolatry. western Christians are attracted to the idea and exotic nature of eastern religion, while Hindus in India are coming to the Lord in waves of increasing numbers.
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Hinduism is not a religion.\nIt is a collection of thoughts and beliefs gathered over thousands of years.\nThey have hundreds of Gods and hundreds of different theories.\nEvery region in India has a differnt following for a particular God and follow different rituals.\nHinduism has evolved with time. Because people have made changes according to thier wishes.\nEven Jesus and Mohammad (PBUT) are considered Avatars or forms of thier God.
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You should do some reading up on Hinduism, specifically samsara, and Shiva and Vishnu. Not exactly the same idea, but a similar concept.
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Hinduism worships Rama and Krishna as gods. Both were Human and had birth and death as well. The concept is very clear. We worship them for the great deeds they performed and set themselves apart as people more than Gods.Similarly Hanuman was the true trouble shooter or some one who came to the help of Ram in times of great distress when thinks looked very grim. Hanuman was totally devoted to Ram. Nothing was impossible for him due to his enormous prowess and sharp intellect. Hanuman is blessed with life till the end if time. He is worshipped for his great deeds immense devotion and most selfless being in the entire Ramayana.
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yes it it true that all of us agree that their is only one god. even in hinduism where apprentlly many gods are worshipped even the uneducated devout hindu agrees that all of them are just different facets of one divine gem.\n  the real problem is not that there is someone other than god being worshipped but everbody thinks his is the only right way of worshipping.\n\n Regarding OPM's post:\n   the paragraph is not out of context. The Upnishads contain deep philosophical theories and maintain that there is only one abstract god. in hinduism it is just accepted that worshipping something you can feel but not see is not possible for everyone. and most of the people need a symbol. so hinduism allows you to worship and pray to god in whatever form you like .\n\nKrishna says :\nif any worshiper do reverence with faith to any god whatever,\ni make his faith firm and in that faith he reverences his god and gains his desires for it is i who bestow them.\n\n accept it or not, while people may not be worshiping  actual idols every faith has something as a symbol of god . Be it a book or be it a cross or a place or a structure.
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I am thinking that it may be because most users on the site are Christian, and Hindu questions aren't as "popular."  So maybe people just go with the flow.  I am a Hindu but I do ask many Christian questions just because I figure most people here are Christian, and if I ask them a question, then I get to hear their insights.  I like hearing from people of all different backgrounds and religious convictions.