REL133 wk 5 contemporary issues facing the assigned Eastern religious Essay

REL133 wk 5 contemporary issues facing the assigned Eastern religious tradition - Essay Example This means that these movements have something in common with what societies understand as constituting religion. There is what can be considered as mainstream religions like Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, atheism and so on. The fact that there are some movements that are implicitly regarded as religions in their very nature and characteristics is an indication that all religions share a common characteristic or a number of characteristics which can be sorted out. One such religion that shares many characteristics with other religions is Hinduism and, in this paper, the common characteristics that Hindu religion shares with other religions will be outlined and discussed. Like many other religion’s mythologies, Hindu mythology is rich, multifarious and inclusive. In this case, like many other religions, Hindu mythology is a portrayal of terrible in benevolence, triviality alongside the cosmic and sublimity in grotesque (Vaz, 2001). Many religions are based on these pi llars and are not an ordinary ideation but an ideation of powers that are beyond human understanding. Apart from Christianity and Islam, most religions draw or associate the powers with some form and in many cases, the forms are numerous and hierarchical (Vaz, 2001). Like many religions, Hinduism has many gods and each god has its own association, function, and associated shape or form. Moreover, Hinduism like many other religions such as Islam, Christianity and Jewish religions draws their inspiration and religious knowledge from texts. Christianity draws from a number of texts combined into a bible and Islam has a number of texts combined into a Quran. Hinduism has important texts such as Upanishad, Rig Veda and Bhagvad Gita; usually referred to as the four Vedas or â€Å"books of knowledge† (Beversluis, 2000, p. 52). Religion constitutes a belief in a power and Hinduism, like many religions is a power and not an ordinary ideation. Hinduism acknowledges the presence of four major goals namely material, satisfaction of desire, human position and beyond life. The acknowledgement of an existence beyond life is among all religions and entails a goal of achieving liberation from unending cycles of rebirth in which all living beings are locked. Like Christianity, Hinduism believes in the trinity of god. While Christians acknowledge God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; Hinduism believes in â€Å"Brahama the creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the destroyer† (Flood & Olivelle, 2003, p.273). Many religions integrate various heterogeneous elements and like them, Hinduism is a complex and a continuous whole with religious, artistic, social and economic aspects. These aspects inhere in the fact that Hinduism, like many other religions, covers the wholeness of life. As a result, Hinduism is not fit explained in terms of a single definition but rather a characteristic. In addition, there are countless rituals that are associated with Hin duism as in other religions. Christianity, Islam and many other religions base their belief and knowledge on various rituals, which are meant to appease their gods and spirits (Vijay, 2001). Hinduism is a religion that is associated with many gods and goddesses. Like many other polytheist religions, these gods are believed to rule the world. The three gods that are