Yea... I'm not bashing here....but I seem to see Hinduism as a mass-cult rather than a religion.
I mean, you go to every little village in India, each one of those little villages has it's own popular god or goddess, it's different in each community. And yes, they do have common scripture and holy books, but I still see Hinduism as a very intricate cult that has variations. Reminds me sort of like Ancient Rome, there was no official set of gods for any one city, each had their own "populares" or favorite deities they prayed to, you know? It just seem so for Hinduism because of the vast panoply of gods they pray to. Any opinions?
2007-12-01 15:05:57 · 30 answers · asked by Ultra N 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes I do, and I have a lot of respect for Hinduism as it is far older than Christianity and Islam put together..
Blessings.. )O(
2007-12-01 15:11:13 · answer #1 · answered by Bunge 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Hinduism does feature plenty of gods, yes, and it is possible that individuals and communities gravitate toward one or the other. This does not automatically give Hinduism cult status, however. As you point out, there is a common scripture and holy books, and I think you'll find most Hindus believe in the three main gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Core tenets exist in Hinduism as much as they do in other world religions.
It's difficult to define just what a religion is, but it is generally accepted that some religions are polydeistic. Just because Hinduism gives its followers leeway to dedicate themselves to one doesn't make it less of a religion.
2007-12-01 15:11:22 · answer #2 · answered by Come on in, the water's lovely 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Seriously, the same thing could be said about christianity, which in my opinion is the biggest cult....just because you do not know about traditions or cultures, it doesnt mean you label them as 'cult'...devoted followers of any religion help make it popular...not a cult....and about your 'many deities' question...hinduism doesnt force you to follow something...you have a full freedom to follow and worship who'd u like too....therefore intricracy creeps in, but the beliefs are still united with a common underlying knowledge about the world....
2007-12-01 15:11:53 · answer #3 · answered by b.arnav 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
How can any government dictate who the God is?I am amazed at your ignorance.Is it man or men in Govt that is going to say who the God is? Then is it not a cult?Cult is man made, which in your case will apply to Christianity,Judaism,Islam, but Hindus enjoy the freedom of visualing the path according to their maturity and intellectual and they don't follow any mandates from the sick/eccentric rulers of Rome or Israel.
So who is following a cult here?
2007-12-02 02:16:13 · answer #4 · answered by Roger 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Hinduism is not considered to be a religion but a way of life, because religion is deeply interwoven into the life of a Hindu the way nerves are interwoven in our bodies. It is very difficult to separate living and religion in the life of a devout Hindu. Both are inseparable. Both compliment each other. Both exist because of each other and both would lose their meaning and significance without the other. Religion is the center of living and living is the center of religion
2007-12-01 18:32:52 · answer #5 · answered by pardes333 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Of course it is a religion. Just because it is not yours doesn't mean that it's a cult. A cult is a secretive organization which often endorses unsavory practices. There have been such modern Christian cults, such as David Koresh and his followers.
And bear in mind.....when Christianity first started, it was considered a cult by those in the pagan majority. So give some respect where it is due.
2007-12-01 15:09:45 · answer #6 · answered by MiaOMya 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Hinduism is DHARMA, which cannot be translated. An inaccurate and inadequate translation is religion. Nor does Sanskrit language translate "religion", which is an alien term, might as be a Martian word.
Other Indian "religions" too are Dharmas.
Even if that is discounted, how can anyone sit in judgement about It??
2007-12-01 18:19:57 · answer #7 · answered by rupee100 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Cult is merely the worship or object of worship within a religion. Hinduism is a religion. The cult of Shiva is the worship of Shiva in the religion Hinduism.
2007-12-01 15:12:14 · answer #8 · answered by delsydebothom 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
What you just said is that because different people have different patron deities [separated by community] that it isn't actually a religion.
So, little villages in Mexico with patron saints, aren't Catholic, even though they have the same core, and worship the smae thing?
2007-12-01 15:11:23 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think it's because it allows you a wide variety of dispositions and still allows you to reach liberation. You can be a materialistic hindu, a mystical hindu, a hindu who is liberated by faith, an ascetic hindu. Plus there may be something else about accepting other belief systems, the hindus even believe the Buddha is one of the avatars.
2016-05-27 04:45:12 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes Hinduism is a religion.
A religion is a set of beliefs. How the world came to be, what happens to us after we die, who controls our destinies, what is our purpose... religion is meant to answer those questions. It's not about who/what you worship. It doesn't even have to involve a higher power: atheism is a religion too. So yeah, Hinduism is a religion.
2007-12-01 15:15:59 · answer #11 · answered by deadletter graveyard 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋