Hinduism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Hinduism - Essay Example To overcome the fear they turn to religion. This is evident from the statistics that show that those who are religiously active have lower mortality rates and lower levels of anxiety and depression. There seems an inherent human drive to believe in something transcendent, unfathomable and otherworldly, something beyond the reach or understanding of science (Henig, 2007). This paper will discuss the origin and belies of Hinduism and compare it with the beliefs of Christianity. Matter will be drawn from academic literature available. Hinduism is not a religion but a concept, a way of life that encompasses many religious thoughts and views. Its origin is in such remote past that it cannot be traced back to any particular individual. Some scholars are of the opinion that Hinduism must have existed even in circa 10000 B. C. and the ancient scripture Rig Veda was composed well before 6500 B. C. (Das, 2008). In fact even the term ‘Hindus’ is not found in any text. It was in traduced by foreigners to refer to people living across the river Indus around which the Vedic religion has believed to be originated. Unknowingly, many Hindu concepts were absorbed by everyone like the worship of the formless God. In fact the British coined the word Hinduism and to them Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism were all part of Hinduism (Ninan, n.d.). Hinduism has remained the most enduring concept and culture in the world. India is a land of diversity and is generally believed that the main religion is Hinduism. Hinduism is not really a religion; it is a way of life. It upholds the principals of virtuous and true living. The Hindu faith has no hierarchy, no organization, no founder, no structure and no central administration (HAWA, 2005). Anyone who believes in the omni-present, omnipotent and the omniscient non-dual Absolute, is a Hindu. Various names have been given to this Absolute –