Did you know that India is the birthplace of most customs, religions, and traditions found in the world? India is a country in South Asia, and it has one of the oldest cultures in the world. This country’s culture is known to be very intriguing with its unique arts and rituals. In India, traditions are made to celebrate cultural festivals and religious activities. These traditions have been very important for centuries and they have been passed down generation to generation. One of the many cultural aspects of India that have been found in many other countries is its religions. Religion is a cultural system of practices, ethics, sanctified places, and even associations, that relate humankind to heavenly or supernatural elements. Many of the world’s major religions that are found in India are Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Hinduism is the most practiced Indian religion and it is the third-largest religion in the world. Hinduism is dharma (the eternal and inherent nature of reality) or way of life, which believes that all people accumulate karma throughout the time of their life on Earth. This religion relates to Christianity, which is a religion mostly found in the United States. There are some similarities between the customs of religion in the United States and India, but many differences stand out.
My family and I are from the United States and Christianity is the religion that we are a part of. Christianity is a religion that is based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. In the religion of Christianity, oneself is described as a Christian and we believe that Jesus is Christ. We believe that there is only one God, whom we call Father and he died on the cross for our sins so that we might live for righteousness. Also, we believe that when Jesus comes back, everyone will either go to Heaven or Hell, and this will be decided by God on the Day of Judgement. This is the same for when people die, and if you give your life to the Lord, then you will go to Heaven but if not, you will go to Hell. Every Sunday morning and Wednesday night, my family and I go to church to praise the Lord for everything that he has bestowed upon us. On Sunday morning, we have a church service and we dress in formal wear or casual wear. During this church service, we take up an offering for money, people sing and worship the Lord, and the pastor preaches the Word of God. On a Wednesday night, we have bible study and the pastor teaches us about the Word of God. As Christians, we pray to God every day and night whether it is for healing or mercy over us. We have bibles that we read at church and outside of the church, which consists of sacred scriptures of reading. In this religion, you must be saved and to do that, you must accept God, believe in God, and confess your sins (your wrongful doings). As a result, our religion of Christianity centers around the beliefs of birth, life, death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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Hinduism is a religion that originated from India and there is a diversity of religious beliefs and practices in this religion. As earlier stated, Hinduism is dharma (the eternal and inherent nature of reality) or way of life, which believes that all people accumulate karma throughout the time of their life on Earth. In Hinduism faith, oneself is described as a Hindu and the word “Hindu” is used to identify an Indian living in the Indian subcontinent. Most Hindu’s believe that there is one God without denying the existence of other religions, which is evident in an article from History.com that states, “Most forms of Hinduism are henotheistic....they worship a single deity, known as “Brahman”, but still recognize other gods and goddesses....” (“Hinduism,” 2017). There is a heaven and a hell in Hinduism, along with other religions, and fortunate souls enjoy spiritual communion with the personal God in Brahmaloka (the highest heaven) while sinners (wicked souls) are tormented after death in Naraka (Hindu equivalent for Hell). In Hinduism, there are sacred texts that are known as the Vedas (book of knowledge) and they are composed in Vedic Sanskrit (an old Indo-Aryan language), which contains the teachings of how the soul can be whole with the ultimate truth. Karma is a Sanskrit word that is used in the Hinduism religion, referring to the meaning of “action”. Hindus follows the Law of Karma; “every action has an equal reaction either immediately or at some point in the future” (Flood). In other words, good actions receive good rewards and bad actions result in suffering. A Hindu temple is the place of worship for Hindu’s and it is a symbolic house of God. This is where Hindu’s come together to express ideas and beliefs of Hinduism. In an article from Templenet, Anthony Batchelor discusses the purpose of the Hindu temple, writing, “The temple is a place where God may be approached and where divine knowledge can be discovered. All aspects of the Hindu Temple focus on the goal of enlightenment and liberation – the principles of design and construction, the forms of its architecture and decoration, and the rituals performed” (Batchelor). In this way, Batchelor informs us about how the temple is a symbol of the aspects of Hinduism and God. As a result, the Hinduism faith is about the way of life and a code of behavior, which Hindu’s should righteously.
As broad as the customs of religion may seem in the United States and India, there are few similarities between Christianity and Hinduism. For instance, both religions believe that people go to Hell or Heaven. People who engage in wrongful doings go to Hell, but others that engage in good deeds and act according to their faith go to Heaven. They both have a certain belief that they follow. Christians must confess their sins and act righteously, and Hindus must act righteously to receive good rewards. Although they have varied customs, Christianity and Hinduism have similar qualities when it comes to a code of behavior.
There are many key differences between the customs of religion in the United States and India. For example, they have different sacred texts that they use for teachings in their religions. Christians use bibles while Hindus use the Vedas (books of knowledge). Hinduism is based on a way of life or karma, but Christianity is based on the belief of birth life, death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Most Hindu’s has many gods and goddesses that they recognize, however, Christians only have one God that they worship. Another key difference between the two religions is that Hindu temples are mostly for art and architecture, but churches in Christianity are for a place of worship unto God. Overall, Hinduism has thousands of gods while Christianity recognizes one God, and this causes the big difference between the two religions.
In conclusion, there are some similarities between the customs of religion in the United States and India, but many differences stand out. In both religions, people must act righteously to reap the harvest in Heaven. However, they have different reasons when it comes to faith because Christians believe that Christ is the only way to God, but Hindus believe in thousands of gods who are all aspects of Brahman (God in Hinduism). Through my findings of these religions, it can be inferred Hinduism and Christianity are more different than they are similar. As a result, this research enhanced my global awareness and appreciation of different cultures, because it allowed me to gain insight into India’s culture by comparing it to the United States culture.
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