Hinudism

What is Hinduism?

Hinduism is the religion of over 900 million people. The majority of people in India and Nepal are Hindus, but many followers also live around the world.

How many people are Hindus?

• 1 Billion

• 99 Million

• 900 Million

• 9 Billion

Some historians say that Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world because elements of it existed thousands of years ago. Hinduism originated near the Indus River Valley.

Unlike most other religions, Hinduism does not have a single founder, a single scripture [holy writing], or a common set of teachings. Throughout its history, there were many teachers of Hinduism, many philosophies, and many different holy books. For these reasons, historians often call Hinduism 'a way of life' or 'a family of religions,' not a single religion.

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world because

How Many Gods?

Hinduism is considered a polytheistic religion, but it is more complex than that. Hinduism includes more than 33,000 gods, and each god has its own story, personality, and responsibilities.

Hinduism is polytheistic because

Three of the most important gods are Brahman, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahman is the creator of the universe, Vishnu is the protector of the universe, and Shiva is the god of destruction. Many Hindus believe all of the gods are actually different forms of Brahman, the “ultimate reality.” Because of this, some people believe Hinduism is really a monotheistic religion.

Who are the 3 most important gods in Hinduism?

• Vishnu

• Lakshmi

• Brahman

• Shiva

Why can Hinduism be considered monotheistic?

Death and Rebirth

A central belief in Hinduism is reincarnation, or the idea that an individual soul is reborn in a different form after death. Continuously, the soul is born again and again until the soul escapes the cycle. It unites with Brahman, a condition called moksha.

What is reincarnation?

• Heaven

• Cycle of rebirth

• Moksha

• Good deeds in life

To escape reincarnation, a person must perform their dharma, or responsibilities, while alive. The entire good and bad actions of someone’s life is called their karma. If a person fulfills their dharma well, they will have good karma. Having good karma is important to escape reincarnation and unite with Brahman.

To have good karma, a person must fulfill their responsibilities, or

Holy Books

The most holy books in Hinduism are a collection of hymns [religious songs] called the Vedas. The oldest Vedas were written over 6,000 years ago. A section of the Vedas, the Upanishads, discuss philosophy, medicine, and the nature of God. They are the central spiritual thought of Hinduism, and were written by many authors.

When was the oldest Veda written?

• 600 years ago

• 60 years ago

• 6000 years ago

• 6 years ago

Hold Books

The Mahabharata is the world's longest epic. It is a long story about a massive war in ancient India between cousins fighting for the throne of a kingdom. The Mahabharata inspired Hindu sacred music, dance, and drama.

The Mahabharata is a long epic poem about

The belief of being born again and again is called