I am a proud Hindu and I am not ashamed

[Dubious]

disputed??
Prove it !!!

The early history of Hinduism is difficult to date and Hindus themselves tend to be more concerned with the substance of a story or text rather than its date.

BBC - Religions - Hinduism: History of Hinduism


According to historians, the origin of Hinduism dates back to 5,000 or more years.
Theories About the Origin of Hinduism

Sometime between 2000 and 1500 B.C.E., a new religion began to emerge in India, the religion of the Vedas. Some scholars hold that this religion was brought to India by nomadic, horse-riding warriors, a group known as the Aryans, from the steppes of central Asia. This has, in recent years, become a matter of some dispute in India. Regardless of where they came from, the Aryans practiced a sacrifice-based religion that was centered around the purifying and transformative qualities of fire, and that was oriented toward influencing a vast array of powerful gods, called devas.

Sometime after 1000 B.C.E., some of these priests began to ask whether there might not be more than this ritual world of exchange in which the "payoff" of religious action was largely material wellbeing. Some began to reject the rituals and their material trappings. They renounced the material and social world, and focused instead on asceticism andmeditation. Gradually a new body of philosophically-oriented texts, the Upanishads—sometimes referred to as Vedanta, the end (or completion) of the Vedas—began to emerge.

Read more: Beginnings


The religion of Hinduism originated in Northern India, near the river Indus, about 4000 years ago and is the world's oldest existing religion.



Unlike other religious traditions, Hinduism does not originate in a single founder, a single book or a single point in time. It contains many different beliefs, philosophies and viewpoints, not always consistent with each other. These apparent contradictions strike only those who are not familiar with this tradition: the Hindu insight claims that the Oneness expresses itself in many different forms.

. The oldest evidence of religious practices in Indiadate back approximately to 5500 BCE. It is a mistake to reduce all early Hinduism to Vedic religion: there were many other non-Vedic religious traditions in early Hinduism which have left no early texts and that can be known to some extent by archaeological evidence.
Hinduism -- Ancient History Encyclopedia

5000-10000 BC from Hinduism Facts, Facts about Hindu Religion, India, Kids


2000 BCE - Origin of Major Religions


So which one is it?

 

[Lord ZeN]

Very Interesting facts!

Christianity ….One Christ, One Bible Religion…

But the Latin Catholic will not enter Syrian Catholic Church.

These two will not enter Marthoma Church .

These three will not enter Pentecost Church .

These four will not enter Salvation Army Church.

These five will no enter Seventh Day Adventist Church .

These six will not enter Orthodox Church.

These seven will not enter Jacobite church.

Like this there are 146 castes in Kerala alone for Christianity,

each will never share their churches for fellow Christians!

How shameful..! One Christ, One Bible, One Jehova???

Now Muslims..! One Allah, One Quran, One Nebi....! Great unity?

Among Muslims, Shia and Sunni kill each other in all Muslim countries.

The religious riot in most Muslim countries is always between these two sects.

The Shia will not go to Sunni Mosque.

These two will not go to Ahamadiya Mosque.

These three will not go to Sufi Mosque.

These four will not go to Mujahiddin mosque.

Like this it appears there are 13 castes in Muslims.

Killing/bombing/conquering/ massacring/... each other!

American attack on Iraq was fully supported by all Muslim countries surrounding Iraq !

One Allah, One Quran, One Nebi....????

Hindus -

They have 1,280 Religious Books, 10,000 Commentaries, more than one lakh sub-commentaries for these foundation books, innumerable presentations of one God, variety of Aacharyas, thousands of Rishies, hundreds of languages.

Still they all go to All TEMPLES and they are peaceful and tolerant and seek unity with others by inviting them to worship with them whatever God they wish to pray for!

Great post mate
But there is no need to blame other religions.

 

[Dubious]

@levina said Hinduism is ONE OF THE oldest religion. but you only focused on THE OLDEST RELIGION

OH no doubt many believe it IS the oldest religion!

You are taking things said here far too seriously.

Why shouldnt I? Did I come here to waste my time like many of you? NOPE!

 

[Levina]

The early history of Hinduism is difficult to date and Hindus themselves tend to be more concerned with the substance of a story or text rather than its date.

BBC - Religions - Hinduism: History of Hinduism


According to historians, the origin of Hinduism dates back to 5,000 or more years.
Theories About the Origin of Hinduism

Sometime between 2000 and 1500 B.C.E., a new religion began to emerge in India, the religion of the Vedas. Some scholars hold that this religion was brought to India by nomadic, horse-riding warriors, a group known as the Aryans, from the steppes of central Asia. This has, in recent years, become a matter of some dispute in India. Regardless of where they came from, the Aryans practiced a sacrifice-based religion that was centered around the purifying and transformative qualities of fire, and that was oriented toward influencing a vast array of powerful gods, called devas.

Sometime after 1000 B.C.E., some of these priests began to ask whether there might not be more than this ritual world of exchange in which the "payoff" of religious action was largely material wellbeing. Some began to reject the rituals and their material trappings. They renounced the material and social world, and focused instead on asceticism andmeditation. Gradually a new body of philosophically-oriented texts, the Upanishads—sometimes referred to as Vedanta, the end (or completion) of the Vedas—began to emerge.

Read more: Beginnings


The religion of Hinduism originated in Northern India, near the river Indus, about 4000 years ago and is the world's oldest existing religion.



Unlike other religious traditions, Hinduism does not originate in a single founder, a single book or a single point in time. It contains many different beliefs, philosophies and viewpoints, not always consistent with each other. These apparent contradictions strike only those who are not familiar with this tradition: the Hindu insight claims that the Oneness expresses itself in many different forms.

. The oldest evidence of religious practices in Indiadate back approximately to 5500 BCE. It is a mistake to reduce all early Hinduism to Vedic religion: there were many other non-Vedic religious traditions in early Hinduism which have left no early texts and that can be known to some extent by archaeological evidence.
Hinduism -- Ancient History Encyclopedia

5000-10000 BC from Hinduism Facts, Facts about Hindu Religion, India, Kids


2000 BCE - Origin of Major Religions


So which one is it?

Thanks for proving my point that Hinduism is one of the oldest religion...so lets get back to where it all started.
Abraham and Brahma!!
Hinduism is about 5000 yrs old and Islam is about 1500 yrs old so do you want me to believe in Abraham or Brahma?? Use your common sense!!

 

[Black Mamba1]

Heritage = to making carpets or doing henna designs, why not?

But heritage = making an idol with your hands to bow to it is not something that a monotheist religion appreciates esp when it is against the 1st pillar and the 1st article of Islam!

If you want to do that...You are free to be a Hindu why lie to yourself? If you cant handle the 1st pillar how can you handle anything more?...It is India seems like you guys will only accept people who seep such things into their religion otherwise it is too pure to handle?

Hi, we were indulged in a good discussion in some other thread. I still remember that. I want to mention some feature of Hinduism once again-
1. If one is believer of idol worship he may be a part of Hinduism. As you know it very well, I am not giving any link
2. If one believes in single God , he may be a part of Hinduism. One major philosophy/sect in Hinduism is called Advaita Philosophy ( means no duality) which believes in single God ( with no physical shape)
3. If does not believe in Idol worship still he /she can be a part of Hinduism. Many sects in Hinduism do not believe
4. Even if you are a non believer /atheist of different degree still you have a place in Hinduism. Many major cult philosophy in Hinduism like Sankhya, Charvaka are based on various degree of atheism, just imagine!!

"Samkhya does not describe what happens after moksha and does not mention anything about Ishvara or God."

Samkhya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Cārvāka (Sanskrit: चार्वाक), also known as Lokāyata, is a system of Indian philosophy that assumes various forms of materialism, philosophical scepticism and religious indifference.
Cārvāka is classified as a heterodox Hindu (Nāstika) system.[ It is characterised as a materialistic and atheistic school of thought."
Cārvāka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hinduism is not a single philosophy or a rigid religion like Abrahamic religions. Hinduism is not at all a religion in the same sense as Islam or Christianity. Its really difficult for you to conceive the complexities of several Hindu philosophies. Even most Hindus limit their practice within idol worship which is now main stream Hinduism. Although we often use the word" Dharma" as a translation of the" religion", they do not share same meaning. Dharma is much wider term than the meaning of religion.

"There is no single word translation for dharma in western languages. In Hinduism, dharma signifies behaviors that are considered to be in accord with rta, the order that makes life and universe possible and includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and ‘‘right way of living’’

Dharma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Probably before 1400 AD the term "Hindu " was unknown in India. The word Hindu is not also originated in India.

"The word Hindu is derived (through Persian) from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, the historic local name for the Indus River in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent (modern day Pakistan and Northern India). According to Gavin Flood, "The actual term Hindu first occurs as a Persian geographical term for the people who lived beyond the river Indus (Sanskrit: Sindhu)". The term Hindu then was a geographical term and did not refer to a religion.

The Hindu religion (dharma) was set in apposition with Islam (turaka dharma) by poets such as Vidyapati, Kabir and Eknath. 16th- to 18th-century Bengali Gaudiya Vaishnava texts including Chaitanya Charitamrita and Chaitanya Bhagavata also made similar comparisons. Towards the end of the 18th century, the European merchants and colonists began to refer to the followers of Indian religions collectively as Hindus"

Hindu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Dem!god]

Their bibles are SLIGHTLY different and who said they wont?
No idea where you got this idea from...

How sure are you? Can you show me where its written?

Well, we are talking about RELIGION not WHAT people are doing in its name! Indians are raping under your nationality...What do you want to make of the Indian nationality?
As an example!

Are you sure?
That may be true coz they have an additional prophet! Hence a difference...we dont believe....

So visiting places of worship means soo much to you? What about terrorists who go to a mosque, temple to blow themselves?
How do you classify them? They DO visit mosques if not how they know which ones to blow?

Not true at all!
No Idea what that is!
I think India has more!
AGAIN:
Well, we are talking about RELIGION not WHAT people are doing in its name! Indians are raping under your nationality...What do you want to make of the Indian nationality?
As an example!

Well, you cant say no to America or else you face sanctions...Bringing in politics coz you cant refute truth?

i am not here to refute you dear... so i won't . I think you know the answers to all questions you have put forward..

just one thing i will say about America bombing iraq, if there is something called ummah and if it has stood togather, then America would hv bowed down... world was dependent on middle east oil and gas, not other way around. though shale gas has started to change the scenario..

 

[Dubious]

didn't god say he is omni-present and ever existent ?? so what is wrong in me giving a form to god , making an idol and praying it ???

So you didnt understand omni-present or you didnt understand the unique part where he is not supposed to be "created" by the human HE "created"?

that is my way of reaching him.. y does u r religion find it to be so offensive..

do u mean to say tat lord holds grudge if i choose my own way of worshipping him ?? ever thought of giving it a taught ??

As a matter of fact I did!

No grudge! But we worship HIM not CREATE HIM!

Nor do we go against HIS will of trying to be the creator!
Have you given THAT a thought?

u see this is the same thought that makes hinus feel that there are many religions through which u can reach him .. u can even reach him without following any of these religions too... which is severely opposed by abrahmic religions..

I dont have problem with any of that...I do have questions not problems...

I have said this repeated times on THIS VERY THREAD and far more times on this forum: To you be your belief and to me be mine!

But if you open threads to discuss then I get to question!

OT : jst now i got to know tat u r a gal .. hope u look beautiful

what gave in?

 

[Dem!god]

Great post mate
But there is no need to blame other religions.

not blaming buddy, but facts can't be denied... though its not 100%accurate... but generally this trend follows...

 

[Lord ZeN]

copy cat

But still impressive. Great Statistical analysis on religions

 

[Dubious]

Err.... ok.

You want your ancestors to be apes? sure...your choice/ belief

 

[ranjeet]

OH no doubt many believe it IS the oldest religion!

Why shouldnt I? Did I come here to waste my time like many of you? NOPE!

Many might do, but she clearly didn't say that yet the very idea of it made you jump the gun. Be tolerant of others point of view. I heard it somewhere it's a good thing to do, especially if someone want others to show some respect to their concerns.

Wow if you really wanted to learn something shouldn't have been out right confrontational, people learn a thing or two if they are open to accept what the other person is trying to say.

 

[Dubious]

But still impressive. Great Statistical analysis of religions

Stats have no. figures and backing data....

It is rather funny how you people are congratulating him for not even finishing his homework

 

[Levina]

But still impressive. Great Statistical analysis on religions

well it was not created by me
I just happened to be the messenger.

 

[Lord ZeN]

not blaming buddy, but facts can't be denied... though its not 100%accurate... but generally this trend follows...

Well the same thing can be said about Hinduism by haters by raking up Caste system , riot etc......
Every religion has some dark history. No need to get obsessed on it.

 

[Dubious]

Many might do, but she clearly didn't say that yet the very idea of it made you jump the gun.

No it didnt and I put in my argument to which she did reply :coffee

Be tolerant of others point of view. I heard it somewhere it's a good thing to do, especially if someone want others to show some respect to their concerns.

Well how was my question not tolerant? Is questioning Hinduism considered intolerance?

Wow if you really wanted to learn something shouldn't have been out right confrontational, people learn a thing or two if they are open to accept what the other person is trying to say.

People learn a thing or two if they are not intimidated not to ask as you are trying to do with your sarcastic remarks!