A Study in Hinduism

Hindu Symbol

Hinduism is one the most ancient religions in the world, so ancient in fact that there is no recorded date to the exact foundation of the religion. It is the dominant religion of South Asia, most notably in India, where Hindus make up 80% of the nation's population. Hinduism has around a billion followers worldwide.

Shiva "The Destroyer"

Like many other religions, Hinduism teaches how to make yourself a better person. However, unlike other established religions, Hindu teachings do not strictly adhere to written rules or scripture. Instead, most of the religion is based off of religious, philosophical and cultural ideas, traditions and customs that are all closely related. Because of these diverse principles, there is no "true" form of Hinduism. Themes that are always present in Hinduism, however, are Dharma, the important duties and ethics in life, Karma, actions to take which reflect well upon you, Reincarnation, the belief in rebirth after death, and Nirvana, the release of the soul after a series of cycles of rebirths. Hinduism also has an estimated 330 million gods and goddesses. The most important god is Shiva, or "The Destroyer" seen as the "supreme god" of all of the Hindu gods.

Ganesha, patron god of arts

There are some very attractive features of Hinduism. If offers simple yet complex ways to "cleanse" the soul of sin, with ways like daily baptism. Also that anyone can have their own interpretation is quite appealing. The most confusing aspects of Hinduism are that there are so many different traditions and customs that make up the religion. Among these are he ideals revolving around sin, which I feel are not made quite clear.

Sources:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html
http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/overview.htm
http://hinduism.about.com/od/basics/p/hinduismbasics.htm
http://contenderministries.org/hinduism/hindubeliefs.php