Religions of India
Jamie Pokerwinski
Religions in India
Percent Distribution of Religions in India
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Hinduism - 82% Islam - 12.12% Christianity - 2.34% Sikhism - 1.94% Buddhism - .76% Jainism - .4% Other - .44%
Hinduism Islam Christianity Sikhism Buddhism Jainism Other
Percentage Distribution Worldwide
Non Religious Buddhism
Hinduism
Islam
Other
Christianity
Islam
• The youngest major religion in the world. • Monotheistic-Belief in one God (Allah) • Based on the word of God as told through the prophet •
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Muhammad. The role of Muhammad as the last prophet was to formalize and clarify the faith and purify it by removing ideas which were added in error. They respect the earlier prophets, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, but regard the concept of the divinity of Jesus as blasphemous and do not believe that he was executed on the cross. Islam believes in rescuing people from eternal damnation through their conversion to Islam Muslims believe that Islam is a way of life and those who sincerely repent and submit to God will return to a state of sinlessness and go to Paradise after death. The sacred texts are the Qu’ran and the Hadith.
The Five Pillars
• Kalima-the person becomes a Muslim
when he or she makes the declaration, "I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger." dawn, noon, afternoon, after sunset, and evening), Muslims rise, cleanse with water, and present themselves directly before Allah for prayer.
• Salat-five formal prayers (before
• Sawm-Fasting during the month of
Ramadan
• Zakat-Muslims able to do so must pay
2.5% of earnings to the needy
• Hajj-Once in a lifetime, a Muslim who
is financially and physically able must go on the pilgrimage to Mecca during the 12th month of the lunar year.
Hinduism
• One of the oldest major religions. • Polytheistic-Belief of many Gods. • Hinduism is based upon the teachings of God in the form of His
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incarnations and manifestations, the Vedas, Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. Hinduism believes in letting the individual choose his path according to his inner convictions. The purpose of life is to realize that we are part of God and by doing so we can leave this existence and rejoin with God. This enlightenment can only be achieved by going through cycles of birth, life and death. The sacred texts are the Vedas, The Laws of Manu, and the Smriti.
Vedas and The Laws of Manu
• There are several sacred scriptures in •
Hinduism, one of the more important are the Vedas. There are four Vedas, each consisting of four parts. The primary portion is the mantra or hymn section. In addition, there are ritualistic teachings, theological sections, and philosophical sections. The Rig Veda is the oldest and most important of the Vedas and it includes a full listing of al the deities of Hinduism. The Laws of Manu are another collection of scriptures in the form of law books. The Laws of Manu are important because they list how each class or caste should be treated as well as the differences between men and women.
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Conflicts
• The Muslims believe in only one God and that there is no other God
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but Allah. They therefore find the practice of many gods and goddesses blasphemous. The Muslims also dislike the strict caste system that is prevalent in Hinduism. They do not believe in the concept that one set of individuals is better than another and that anyone could be considered “untouchable”. When India gained its independence from Britain, disputes were amplified between the two religious groups as to who would rule the new nation. These disputes led to the eventual split of India into two separate nations, Hindu ruled India and Muslim ruled Pakistan. This dispute was what led to Gandhi’s death at the hands of a devout Hindu. Several wars have been fought over Kashmir since India was divided along religious lines (Hindu and Muslim) shortly after World War II.
The Atmosphere Today
• Clashes continue between
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the two groups. Kashmir, a region situated between Pakistan and India, is still disputed as to which country it belongs to. Religious tolerance continues to be problematic.
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Activities
• Students will fill out this
comparison chart to help answer the following journal questions. Journal questions-What are the similarities between the two religions? What are the major differences between the two? Why do you think the two religions continue to have disputes? Do you think that there will ever be peace between the two?
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Resources
• About.com. (2004). Hinduism: Symbols we live with. Retrieved November 18, 2004,
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from http://hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/aa121400a.htm BBC. (2004). The Five Pillars of Islam , Muslim man praying (Slide 4). Retrieved November 16, 2004, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/faith/islam_five_pillars_of_islam.shtml Beyer, B., Craven, J., McFarland, M., & Parker, W. (1991). Eastern Hemisphere. New York: MacMillan/McGraw-Hill School Publishing Company. Census of India. (1991). India at a Glance: Religions. Retrieved November 16, 2004, from http://www.censusindia.net/religion.html Gibson, L. (2003). Living Religions: Hinduism. Chicago, IL: Raintree. Islamic Images. (2004). Hajj photo (Slide 4). Retrieved November 16, 2004, from http://www.censusindia.net/religion.html Islamic Animations (2004). Islamic words (Slide 3). Retrieved November 16, 2004, from http://www.muslimtents.com/islamicgallery/glranm01.htm Morris, N. (2002). World Of Beliefs: Islam. Columbus, OH: Peter Bedrick Books. Pictures of Lord Shiva. (2004). Retrieved November 16, 2004, from http://gallery.shaivam.org/image/galshiva.htm Taj Mahal Pictures. Retrieved November 18, 2004, from http://www.angelfire.com/in/myindia/thumbnails.html