Hinduism a presentation by Ina

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Hinduism a presentationby Ina Felix
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Main Facts

• one of the worlds main religions
• about 850 million followers
• spread over India and a few more states like
  Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia and
  Fidschi

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History

• Hinduism is mixture of traditional natural
  religions and the religion of the Arians who came
  from the North
• earliest proofs of Hinduism from about 5000
  before Christ
• first sacred texts, the Vedas, were composed at
  about 2000 before Christ
• Hinduism was influenced by Buddhism and Jainism

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History (II)

• Around Christs birth Hinduism had lost many
  members and was nearly gone
• Conflict with the Islam from the eights century
  until about 1700
• New ideas and renovation after contact with
  western culture

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What is Hinduism ?

• many different points of view -gt many different
  gods (about 3 million)
• no founder (like Jesus for Christianity)
• no institution with authority
• main ideas reincarnation and caste system
• target climb up the caste system and finally
  escape the circle of rebirth

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Influence on Society

• caste system structures society
• castes are divided into thousands of different
  family groups or social communities
• to be born in a certain caste sometimes means
  having a certain job
• although the caste system is banned from
  constitution, people still have different rights
  and duties

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Role of Women

• very controversial views
• H.H. Wilson (19th century) in Hinduism women are
  more respected than in other religions
• some rites are forbidden for women
• ideal woman loving and caring mother and wife
• rate of love marriages (instead of arranged
  Marriages) rises
• -gt uncertainty of the role of women in India

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• references
• www.wikipedia.de/Hinduismus
• www.kirchenaustritt.de/hinduismus
• www.der-hinduismus.de
• Thanks for listening!