Is it true that Hindus consider the cows to be gods?
397279
No.  This is a false representation of the hindu religion.  They consider the cow to be a sacred animal because of it's milk.  It being related to the mother's milk, thus life sustenance.
390224
jbs, get lost if you don't have anything constructive to say.\n\nJainism is an offshoot of Hinduism. Its followers follow the teachings of Lord Mahavira. Jain beliefs are very similar to Hindu beliefs, and the two religions have very much in common. Jains, like Hindus, believe very strongly in ahimsa [nonviolence], self control, and the sacred nature of all life. They also share the Hindu belief that God is the eternal, the universe, called Brahman by the Hindus [ not sure if the Jains also call it Brahman] and that the human soul is also part of that entity.\n\nJains are vegetarian because of their belief in ahimsa and that life is sacred. Sometimes very religious Jains cover their mouths with a cloth when outside to avoid allowing bacteria into their mouths because they want to prevent the death of the bacteria.
449040
Jainism is very similar to Hinduism, being an offshoot. It shares the Hindu beliefs that all life is sacred and that God is the eternal reality of the universe, called Brahman in Hinduism. They believe in ahimsa, originally a Hindu concept, and take it to the level that some very orthodox Jains will cover their mouths with a cloth in public so bacteria do not enter their mouths and die. They are vegetarian for the same reason and because they believe that all of nature is sacred and equal. They follow the teachings of Lord Mahavira among others.
321050
I am a Hindu. It is against my religion to try to convert you to Hinduism and it is even more spiritually damaging for me to try to explain to you what I have experienced and understood of God. Hindus say that God is infinite...vast...big....and because of this each of us merely gets a glimpse of the whole, we only touch a small portion of the whole. \n\nThe story that is often used is about three blind men who each walk into the forest and come across an elephant. The first blind man comes across the elephant but is only able to touch the elephant's tail. The second comes to the elephant and is only able to touch the elephants nose before it runs back into the forest and the third only gets to touch its ears. Each of these three goes back to their respective villages where the people have never seen an elephant and tell about what they experienced. Is any of their experiences invalid? God is like the elephant and we are like the blind men who only touched a part of the elephant. Each of our experiences, our understandings, is valid for us. Therefore what I say about God is from my own experiences and understandings. You should search your own experiences and understandings. Perhaps God is not the in the personal form for you. Perhaps you see beyond the need for forms and names and divinity and see the Impersonal, formless, nameless One. Whatever it is, it is.\n\nThe Upanishads talk a lot about Brahman (the term they use for both the impersonal and personal form of the One...the Ultimate Reality, Cosmic Consciousness, etc). The question is asked "How do we know that Brahman is real?" and the answer comes that "You exist, therefore Brahman exists." This is better understood when you consider that the text has up to this point said that the entire universe came out of Brahman and that the Atman (usually translated as soul in English) within each of us is also Brahman...everything is Brahman and yet Brahman also pervades the universe. You could say, from a scientific viewpoint that Brahman was what was before the Big Bang (and even science can't really describe what that is and thus Hindus say that we as humans can often experience it, but cannot usually put it into words). The three words that come up in Hinduism a lot for Brahman are sat-cit-ananda (being-consciousness-bliss). In Buddhism and Jainism they talk about the Void, the Nothingness...as the terms are translated. Yet in every sense the Void, the Nothingness, the One...Brahman...etc....this is God, too.\n\nIn the words of eastern religions: search for yourself, test what you hear, and if it does not work for you, move on.\n\nPeace.
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Apollo God of the Sun.  Odysseus' crew were amply warned.  But those cows were just so golden and delicious.\n\nInteresting parallel to the story of Moses who left his crew and found them to be worshipping a golden calf upon his return.
101682
They revere Krishna as the supreme Godhead just as many Vaishnavites revere Vishna as the supreme personality or those that follow Rama see Rama as the supreme personality and Saivites see Shiva as the supreme personality. Ganapatiyas see Ganesh as the supreme personality. \n\nWhy? Because Hinduism teaches that there is only ONE God, one supreme personality, one cosmic consciousness, one ultimate realtiy, one unmanifest reality (all terms used by various Hindu philosophical schools). The One can be called by any name. For ISKCON this is Krishna. For other Hindus it is Ganesh, Shiva, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Parvati, Kali, Durga, Ayyappa, Murugan, Rama, or any other name. Some use images, some don't use images. The images are merely a tool, much like the name. Hinduism teaches that no matter what name you call God by, God will always hear your prayers and answer.
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May be some buddhists followed traditional Brahma statues.\n\nIt is Buddha and four faces just symbolise that he was extraordinary.\n\nThe reason why the Hindu deities are represented in this way is simple: it is to show that they are gods, that they differ from human beings and have more and greater powers that they. A symbol such as a multi-armed image, graphically portraying God's astounding versatility and superhuman might. The use of symbolism extends to every detail of the image of a deity.\n\nIt is obtuse to confuse Hinduism's images with idolatry, and their multiplicity with polytheism. They are runaways from which the sense-laden human spirit can rise for its "flight of the alone to the Alone." \n\nBehind the lush tangle of religious imagery, is a clear structure of thought. Hinduism, in its plethora of symbols and images, is endlessly complex and therefore endlessly misunderstood, but its true mission is both simple and universal: soul-enlightenment. Hinduism is goal-oriented, not way-oriented. In other words, its focus is the ultimate attainment, Self-realization, in God. Symbolism helps the seeker to concentrate his mind on the worship and meditation of god.\n\nGod's innumerable forms, and the acknowledgement of His Presence in everything, are an expression of the extraordinary vitality of India's collective imagination down through the ages.
604414
Hindu is a religion in India among majority people. Hindus believe in worship of God's an godes's idols for which they have made or established a system oftemple where these idols are being placed by doing some religious ceremony called Murti Sthapan. This place is called Temple MAndir in Hindi which is a centere of most religious activities and celebrations and also a part of society.
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Namaste! (the divine in me reverently bows and honors the divine in you)\nHinduism has managed to stay around because it's central message and teachings are still relevant. Most people outside of Hinduism, sadly, are very misinformed or misunderstand Hinduism. NonHindus think that Hindus worship statues and pictures, yet this is not true. Those images are just symbols and Hindus are not worshipping them, they are using them to focus their mind on God and all that the symbolism is used to remind us of about God. For example, that elephant headed image, called Ganesh (the name means "First Lord" and reminds us to keep God as a priority), the elephant head is a symbol. In ancient India elephants were used to clear the forests to make roads, to knock down buildings that needed to be rebuilt. They were basically the ancient version of the modern bulldozer. Thus the symbolism of the elephant head is to remind us that God removes the obstacles that stand in our way of getting closer to God. And that's not where the symbolism with Ganesh stops. People find it odd that the images always have so many arms and hands. In each hand they hold something or they make a gesture. These also are symbols. Even the very color of the figure in the image is symbolism. The mythological stories are just symbolism for the deeper philosophical and theological teachings of Hinduism (sort of like Jesus's parables in the New Testament). \n\nYou might be surprised to know that Hinduism advocated evolution. Why? Because it's sacred texts describe, in poetic imagery, the teachings that everything in the universe starts out very small and that it gradually changes and changes and changes over time. The sacred texts even say that one day our sun will grow very large and turn red. It will engulf the planets before finally collapsing on itself. Eventually the entire universe will do collapse on itself, having expanded as far as it goes, and thus once expanding as far as it can go it will then start to shrink and return back to the source...God. Everything in the universe manifested out of God (the Hindu sacred texts make it sound very similar to the Big Bang) and everything will eventually return to it). Terms like Supreme Soul, Cosmic Consciousness, Ultimate Reality, and so many others are sometimes used along side the word God. Hindus say that all religions in the world are just different perspectives on the same thing...on God. That each is just approaching, experiencing, and looking at God from a different angle. God can be called by any name and devotees can use whatever symbols, be they images of a half elephant headed and half man or something abstract like the linga or the yantra. It doesn't matter. No matter what name you call God by, God hears your prayers. No matter what form you are using to focus your mind on, symbolism you are using to remind you of God, God knows you aren't worshipping the actual image or statue, etc. You are worshiping God. Hindus call their religion "Sanatana Dharma" or "The Eternal Religion". They say this, not to be arrogant, but because they truly believe that that every religion, including the one their religion is founded upon, has the capability of making a person realize the universal truths of the innate nature of their inner Self. Hindu teachers will point to people from various religious traditions like St. Terese from Christianity who said that when she looked in the mirror all she could see was God, Rumi from Islam, the Buddha from Buddhism, Mahavira from Jainism, Ramakrishna from Hinduism, and so many others. Hindus even make the case that a person needn't have a religious tradition to realize the universal truths of the innate nature of the inner Self and point to some who later became ended up teaching within the Hindu tradition itself (again, it's very diverse and tolerant). Swami Vivekananda is one such example. There is even a saying that a Hindu teac
951418
I have never heard of this idea that the cow is their mother before. It is a very strange statement, can you give a reference to this or is it just something you made up?
793997
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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There are so many gods in Hinduism. Do Hindus believe that there are multiple Gods ? Why do they worship multiple gods ? \n\nThere are 33 devas (divines) that include agni, indra, varuNa, vAyu and others. There are many references to these names in the vedas. If we analyze it we could see that each one is an essential function (fire, water, air, sun etc) that supports our living in this world. So these 33 aspects are hailed in the vedas. But Hindus consider the trinity (brahma, viShNu, rudra) to be above these divines. While brahma does not get worshipped by many as the God, shiva (rudra is an aspect of Lord Shiva) and viShNu are worshipped by the Shaivites and the Vaishanavaites respectively. Along with Shaivism and Vaishnavism, shAktam, gANApatyam, kaumAram, sauram are the four religions that make up the shaNmata (six religions) on the Hinduism. \n\nHindu scriptures state clearly that there is only one Supreme God (ekam sad viprAH bahutA vadanti). Then why are so many deities and worship ? It can be understood by reading the scriptures that each of these devas represent/have an aspect/energy of the Supreme. So in essence it is a complete divine system that operates. For example the Shaivites consider shakti as the dynamic part of the Supreme. Each of the six religions of Hinduism would call by different names and would put forward different philosophies, but all agree that there is one and only one Supreme God. \n\nIt is in fact the specialty of Hinduism that it lets multiple perspectives of the God to coexist on its platform, all sharing the same common dharma. \n\nIn essence there is only one God and the other divines (many times callas as gods) are responsible of one part of nature or other. The God is worshipped in multiple perpectives, names in Hinduism that has six major religions in it. This has been possible due to the tolerance of Hinduism.
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Lots. A whole lot. Very very many. Hinduism alone recognizes a few million--they may actually have one of the more accurate numbers, as Hinduism recognizes gods of other religions as well.
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&*&*&\nI HOPE THIS HELPS YOU.  GOOD LUCK!!!\n\n\nhttp://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/animalgods.htm\n\nAnimals and the Gods of Ancient Egypt\nby Caroline Seawright\n\nEgyptian towns usually had their own local sacred animal. It was thought that some gods and goddesses represented themselves on earth in the form of a single representative of a specific species, and honoring that species of animal would please the god or goddess associated with the animal. The animal believed to be the incarnation of the god or goddess lived a pampered life in and near the temples and religious centers.\n\nBaboon y`n baboon determinative y`n - The dog-headed baboon was one of the manifestations of both Thoth, god of writing, and Khonsu, the youthful moon god. Both deities were related to the moon. Hapy, the son of Horus who guarded the canopic jars that held the lungs, had the head of a baboon. There was also a baboon god in the Early Dynastic period named Hedjwer, 'The Great White One', who became closely linked with Thoth. Sometimes Thoth was shown in baboon form, perched on top of the scales of judgement in the underworld.\n\nBast, Egyptian Cat Goddess Cat myywcat determinative myw - Many deities were depicted as cats, both domestic or wild, and so they were seen as benevolent, sacred animals. Bast, originally a desert cat, was later depicted as a domestic cat. Ra was shown as 'The Great Cat of Heliopolis' who defeated Apep in 'The Book of the Dead'.\n\nCattle mnnmnntcattle determinative mnmnt - Hathor, Isis, Nut and Bat were three goddesses who were often depicted as cows, with the horns of cows or with the ears of cows. Because of this, and because of the relationship of the pharaoh as a living god, the cow came to symbolize the mother of the pharaoh. The cow was also a solar icon, where Nut carried the sun across the sky on her back, when she was in cow form. The cow was linked to female fertility and to the mother of the pharaoh. Osiris was related to the bull - the Apis bull, after death, became Osiris-Apis. While it was still alive, the Apis bull was seen as the Ba of Ptah, mummified god of creation. The Mnevis bull was regarded as the Ba of Ra-Atum. The bull, therefor, was linked to masculinity and the pharaoh.\n\nWadjet in her Human-headed Cobra Form Cobra djtcobra in a basket determinative djt - The cobra was sacred to Wadjet, the cobra goddess of Buto, who represented Lower Egypt and kingship. The cobra goddess Renenet was a fertility goddess who was sometimes depicted as nursing children and as protector of pharaoh. Another cobra goddess was Meretseger, 'she who loves silence', who could punish criminals with blindness or her venom.\n\nCrocodile mshcrocodile determinative msh - Ammut, the demoness at the judgement hall, had the head of a crocodile along with other fearful creatures, and was known as 'the devourer of the dead' who punished evildoers by eating their hearts. The god of the Athribis region, the solar god Horus Khenty-Khenty, was sometimes shown as a crocodile. But the crocodile was also sacred to Sobek, who was portrayed as a human with the head of a crocodile, or as the crocodile itself. The temples of Sobek usually had sacred lakes where crocodiles were fed and cared for. The hippo goddess of childbirth, Taweret, was thought to have the back and tail of a crocodile, or was shown with a crocodile perched on her back.\n\nFalcon / Hawk bykfalcon with a flagellum determinative byk - The sacred bird of the falcon-headed solar god Horus, it was also regarded as his Ba. The falcon was a bird that had protective powers, and was frequently linked with royalty, where it was depicted as hovering over the head of the pharaoh, with outstretched wings. The falcon was also sacred to Montu, god of war, and Sokar, god of the Memphite necropolis. The bird of prey was sometimes associated with Hathor, 'The House of Horus'. The son of Horus, Qebehsenuef who guarded the canopic jar of t
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As u said Hindus are the ones who worship cows, so they don't eat meat. But muslims are allowed to eat meat, except for pork. The reason for not eating pork, was identified recently by scientists and doctors, it was discovered that due to the prok eating manners, that they eat whatever they find infront of them, and this causes that some of what they eat are stored in their body [meat] which when a human being eats its meat, it becomes part of his body, and causes some diseases.\n\nso after all Allah had his reason to forbidden us from eating pork. He always knows the best for us.
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The Cow is a sacred object in India therefore the phrase holy cow..\n\nToledo is a complete dump and needs the blessing of God or else it will turn into hell on earth.\n\nHence the phrases
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There are about 33million deities in Hindu religion. Lord Ganesha is the god of knowledge.Goddess Durga is The god of Power. Ram(a) &Krishna are thesame gods but of diffrent era's.They are the gods of dasha avatar (10 births). thoes births are 1)Matsya(fish) 2)Kurma(tortoise) 3)Varaha(pig) 4) Nrisingha(head of lion & body of man) 5)Vaman(short man) 6)parshu Ram 7)Ram 8)Krishna 9)Buddha(to whome buddhist follow) 10) Kalki (who will take birth after 38000 years after). You asked about Shiva , he is one of the 3main Gods Vishnu(who gives birth),Bhramha(who takes care),Shiva(who kills).Krishna is the only god  who has been called the supreme personality of godhead. If you still want to know more visit a sight, India divine.com.\nAnd yes these gods are not only taking care of this earth but also of this universe\n                                Thank you for reading!