Hindu

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Hinduism
Introduction
The term Hinduism was a British terminology that defined the set of creeds that have been practiced within the Ganges valley from time memorial. The set of belief comprises various p[philosophies, rituals and numerous systems of beliefs which date back to the second or probably third millennium BCE. The religion is popular in the Indian subcontinent as well as Nepal, Africa, America, and Europe. The religion has a following of over one billion adherents with a majority of them being native Indians. In India alone, the religion has a following of over 80% ahead of all the religions practiced in India. Actually, Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion.The world oldest religion is the third largest religion behind Christianity and Islam. Moreover, the religion is one with no specific founder (Brown, 327).
Hinduism
Hinduism exists in numerous texts referred to as the Vedas. The Vedas is also comprised of the Upanishads, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana. It is within these texts that incantations, poems, rituals, stories, hymn, and poems that comprise the base of Hinduism beliefs. Hinduism is a polytheistic belief with over 330 million gods, yet the supreme god is referred to as Brahma (Brown, 327). Brahma is the supreme god, and it exists in three separate entities: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. Hinduism, therefore, exists as a henotheistic religion because it refers to Brahma as the supreme god, while it recognizes other gods and goddesses (Pereira-Salgado, 18).

Pereira-Salgado et al., states that the Hindus majorities are vegetarians and they do not partake any form of meat(15). Besides some of them do not take foods they deem to perturb their faith such as garlic and onions. The dress code of Hinduism requires modesty (15). Hindu women wear a gold chain or sacred threads around their necks while men wear the same ornaments around their chests. Hindus practice fast as an integral mode of self-disciplining their body. It is important to note that Hinduism supports body organ transplants, while thy belief that any form of cognitive/mental health illness is tied to spiritual, physical and biological elements. Mental illness is as a result of Karma. The experience of pain and suffering is a result of karma; hence it provides a space to progress spiritually (16). Hindus do not accept abortion, and lastly, Hindus believe that death is determined by one’s destiny (16). Treatment should be provided to prolong terminal stages of illness. However, euthanasia is discouraged.
The Hindus observe lots of festivals and holidays and the most popular festivals include the Diwali, which is the festival of lights, the Holi, which is a spring festival, Navaratri, which celebrates harvest and fertility, and Janmashtami which is a tribute to Krishna’s birthday (Pereira-Salgado 16). Other festivals include Raksha Bandhan and Mahashivaratri. The Hindu form of worship is known as Puja, and it basically takes place in the temple. The worship sessions can also take place at homes.
According to Brown (328), the Hindu system believes in a caste system which grades humanity into four levels. The initial and top-ranked caste is the Brahmin, then Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and lastly the Saundra’s. Hindus have set of rituals which differ according to the various caste levels. The Hindus have birth and wedding rituals, and besides, water is the main object of purification. Indeed, Hinduism considers bathing of the entire body holly, and the Ganges River is considered a holy site, and it is the most vital place where various forms of purification get performed annually during the various festivals (Klostermaier, 4).
Conclusion
Hinduism is comprised of a very complex set of doctrines. The religion, however, has wise approaches that have led to contributions in the discipline of medicine, and the emergence of other faith such as Sikhism, and Buddhism.
Work Cited
Brown, Frank B. The Oxford Handbook of Religion and the Arts. , 2014. Print.
Klostermaier, Klaus K. Hinduism: A short history. Oneworld Publications, 2014.
Pereira-Salgado, Amanda, Patrick Mader, and Leanne M. Boyd. “Advance care planning, culture, and religion: an environmental scan of Australian-based online resources.” Australian Health Review (2017).