"Hinduism Or Democracy"
Submitted by hanason on 06/30/2008 05:21 PM
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"Hinduism Or Democracy"
During the middle of the second millennium B.C. there were some changes in thought, belief, social organization, and government took place in India. Indians developed a new system, called Hinduism. It still protects its meaning, which is a fluid mass of religious and social expressions, which collectively encompass the living faiths of all the diverse peoples of India who call themselves Hindu. Clearly, there was not a dichotomy between religion and social organization. Hinduism has some common elements. These elements are Brahman, the caste system, dharma, reincarnation and karma. There are many gods in Hinduism. Brahma is the creator of the universe. This is the main purpose of Brahma. He never destroys what he created. There are also two important gods in Hinduism. One of them is Vishnu the great preserver, and the other one is Shiva the destroyer and also the re-creator. Crucially, there is a "Absolute" behind them, called Brahman. The main point of the Hinduism for Hindus is to become a Brahman, because when a Hindus becomes a Brahman he will be the part of universe. According to Hinduism, life flows on through many existences, from birth through death to rebirth. This is called reincarnation. If people do good things in their life, they will be rewarded by being well born in their next life. This is called Karma. When they reach Brahman they release from the cycle of birth. This aim shapes their belief system and social organization. According to Hindus, they born into one of four castes (social classes), or they born into the outcastes "untouchables". The social classes are arranged according to hierarchy. These classes are Brahmins (priest-intellectuals), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyes (traders) and Sudras (peasants and laborers). People are unequal when they born, therefore they born into the different castes. Being born into an upper caste is not a haphazard privilege, but a reward for virtue in an earlier life. Therefore, concept of...
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