A Brief History and Look inside Hinduism

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One may be familiar with India and its various taboos, much like our own country, these taboos and beliefs sprouted from a religion, which is Hinduism. Hinduism, being India’s traditional religion, is one of the oldest religions, shaping the country’s history and its people’s moral values. India being one of the most populated countries in the world gives advantage to expansion of Hinduism, making it the third largest religion. It is a complex religion with a vague beginning, but that hasn’t stopped its enlargement. Much like other religions, its concept is hard to grasp, but contains many unique values which set it far apart from any other religion. Hinduism is a teaching of love and acceptance in every way. In this paper, the history of Hinduism and its key aspects will be explained, in hopes to enlighten those about the teachings of Hinduism.
Hinduism’s exact time and place of origin remains unknown to this day, it is all speculation. It is said that Hinduism’s beginnings date back to the third millennium BCE, making it one of the oldest surviving religions in the world (Jacobs 5). It was born near some of the oldest and first civilizations, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, in the Indus Valley. Although it has religious meaning now, the term “Hindu” was coined by Persians to describe those living on the eastern side of the Indus River, and had nothing to do with religion at the time (Ganeri 6). It is rumored that the religion came into existence with the merging of two ancient civilizations, bringing together their ideas and values. A group called the Aryans, presumably from Russia, invaded the valley making their way to India, until they ruled the entire region; Hinduism is thought to be a mix of the Aryan religion and Indus religio...

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...ue beginnings. There was a lot about Hinduism that I did not know, or even knew I’d find interesting. Reincarnation and the atman were my most favorite to read about, because I have always believed we are just souls in a temporary body. Hinduism seemed to line up with a lot of my personal beliefs, making the process fun, not a chore.

Works Cited

Ganeri, Anita. The Ramayana and Hinduism. North Mankato, Minn.: Smart Apple Media, 2004. Print.
George, Charles. What makes me a Hindu?. San Diego, Calif.: KidHaven Press, 2004. Print.
Gibson, Lynne. Hinduism. Austin, TX.: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers, 2003. Print.
Jacobs, Stephen. Hinduism Today. London: Continuum, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
"Karma and Reincarnation." Basics of Hinduism. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. .

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