Hinduism
By Lauren Burroughs
Origin
Around the Indus River in India
How did it spread
Hinduism didn't spread through missionaries. Hindus don't see Hinduism as a religion but as a way of life, so this religion has primarily stayed within the Indian race and country. Through trade and people migrating to other places Hindus took their beliefs and practices to other regions and cultures of the world.
Where is this most influential?
India, parts of Africa and Southeast Asia
How many followers?
About 1 billion
Monotheistic or polytheistic?
Polytheistic
Major deities
There are over 300 million gods but the major ones are:
- Shiva
- Vishnu
- Shakti
Founder/founded
There is no certain founder of this religion. It was established around 2000 BC.
Holy Text
- Sruti
- Smruti
- Vedas
Organization of religious leaders
There are no specific religious leaders overall, which leads to no overall organization.
Beliefs
Hindus believe that all people are stuck in an endless cycle of rebirth and death, and your karma determines what you return as in your next life.they have a set cast and social system that you are born into and you have to do what your parents and ancestors do. Their ultimate goal is to get to moksha, or to break out of the endless cycle and get their soul to unite with Brahman. Brahman is the god or figure that all of their gods manifested from.
Sects
There are four major sects:
- Shaktism
Saivism
- Vaishnavism
Smartism