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The philosophy of my ancestors is engaging enough to those who are mentally strong to stay this tradition.

Your ancestors use to wear dhotis. Do you wear dhoti? What tradition have to do with a man's choice of faith. If Hindus can worship stones, what's wrong if I worship something else. My choice does not make me an evil son to my parents. My human deeds and charity makes me more of a Godly son than to utter god's words to the needed. When I was born, there was no physical mark on my body to indicate what religion I belong to. Also, there was no Hindu genes that passed through my blood from my ancestors.

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Also, there was no Hindu genes that passed through my blood from my ancestors.

Actually, there might be. You might be a re-incarnation of Mohandas!

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Actually, there might be. You might be a re-incarnation of Mohandas!

According to the so call Aryans, you can only come back as a human being if you are white skin, if not you will come back as a carrot plant, clams or bushes. :)

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there was no Hindu genes that passed through my blood from my ancestors.

look chap, not cause yuh great great great nani wuz some white man pony mek yuh mo Xtian than me or ICIP suh cut de crap

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look chap, not cause yuh great great great nani wuz some white man pony mek yuh mo Xtian than me or ICIP suh cut de crap

You missing my point, Freak. But I will ask you one simple question. What's wrong with my choice of faith? Do you consider your self a Christian basher? Even if my choice is wrong, what it is to anyone? I don't feel inferior to anyone because of my faith. Think before you bubble. :)

i am not a Xtian basher but quit claimin yuh ent gat indo bloodlines, guh look in a flappin mirror again

CRASH!!(mirror break):D

response to pj's simple question to freak
Certainly your choice of faith ought to be on no consequence to anyone. That being said, it does concern ALL those that like you..yes, I said like you...when a person such as you, who is normally affable with a good sense of humor, engage in the vilification of someone or someone's religion. by making a public profession of faith, one takes upon himself the onus of upholding the ethics of such faith..especially when he goes against other faiths. This is moreso for christianity than ANY OTHER Faith. Why? Because if your question about becoming a minister was not in jest, then know that in Judaism and Islam, there is no such thing as a priest in modern interpretations. There is only the scholar..who may nor may NOT be a model of propreity. For the christian, when s/he talks about finding Jesus, then that presents a problem of action and their repercussions. A pandit actually is the same..he is technically only a scholar...and his ethics might not go hand in hand with his knowledge. No apologizing, just showing you the far reaching implications of your question.
To the other posters about reincarnation: think carefully about it before dissing it. Jews are the only ones who might be able to laugh at it (which they normally don' t do.) Christians and MOST muslims dare not do this. WHy? Because in reincarntation (one facet of it) is where they found refuge re Jesus. Think about the abrahmic concept of life and death. But not so for jesus. he supposedly lives in another dimension. to come back again. After having died. (well at least in the christian view; the muslim one is a little more confusing--pace coreligionists). Moral: read Julie's citation on another thread I think and draw your conclusions.
BTW: I still need another few thousand for my Mercedes, how come nobody but Amral,D2 and Cliff sending money?

DS, you should take your own advise to Pets and Anta - don't try to teach those who don't want to learn but only to find faults.

Aw gaad gyall, me brain nat wokking today. My come in about 3.a.m. today and the only thing I had for brekkie was about 20 slice of salara and one cop caafee. Thank your lucky stars you not going to be in the same car with me after about an hour ( I am referring to the scatological of course).

If you're new to this faith, here's where to begin. In this simple introduction to a complex religion, get your basic questions on Hinduism answered and explained in brief.

What is Hinduism?: Hinduism is the world's oldest extant religion, with a billion followers, which makes it the world's third largest religion. Hinduism is a conglomeration of religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas and practices that originated in India, characterized by the belief in reincarnation, one absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, following the path of righteousness, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths.

How is Hinduism unique from other religions?: Hinduism cannot be neatly slotted into any particular belief system. Unlike other religions, Hinduism is a way of life, a Dharma, that is, the law that governs all action. It has its own beliefs, traditions, advanced system of ethics, meaningful rituals, philosophy and theology. The religious tradition of Hinduism is solely responsible for the creation of such original concepts and practices as Yoga, Ayurveda, Vastu, Jyotish, Yajna, Puja, Tantra, Vedanta, Karma, etc.

How and when did Hinduism originate?: Hinduism has its origins in such remote past that it cannot be traced to any one individual. Some scholars believe that Hinduism must have existed even in circa 10000 B.C. and that the earliest of the Hindu scriptures – The Rig Veda – was composed well before 6500 B.C. The word "Hinduism" is not to be found anywhere in the scriptures, and the term "Hindu" was introduced by foreigners who referred to people living across the River Indus or Sindhu, in the north of India, around which the Vedic religion is believed to have originated.

What are the basic tenets of Hinduism?: There is no “one Hinduism”, and so it lacks any unified system of beliefs and ideas. Hinduism is a conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions, in which the prominent themes include:

Dharma (ethics and duties)
Samsara (rebirth)
Karma (right action)
Moksha (liberation from the cycle of Samsara)

It also believes in truth, honesty, non-violence, celibacy, cleanliness, contentment, prayers, austerity, perseverance, penance, and pious company.

What are the key Hindu scriptures?: The basic scriptures of Hinduism, which is collectively referred to as "Shastras", are essentially a collection of spiritual laws discovered by different saints and sages at different points in its long history. The Two types of sacred writings comprise the Hindu scriptures: "Shruti" (heard) and "Smriti" (memorized). They were passed on from generation to generation orally for centuries before they were written down mostly in the Sanskrit language. The major and most popular Hindu texts include the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

What are the major Hindu deities?: Hinduism believes that there is only one supreme Absolute called "Brahman". However, it does not advocate the worship of any one particular deity. The gods and goddesses of Hinduism amount to thousands or even millions, all representing the many aspects of Brahman. Therefore, this faith is characterized by the multiplicity of deities. The most fundamental of Hindu deities is the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - creator, preserver and destroyer respectively. Hindus also worship spirits, trees, animals and even planets.
Read More: Gods & Goddesses in Hinduism

Who is a Hindu and how to become one?: A Hindu is an individual who accepts and lives by the religious guidance of the Vedic scriptures. While the teachings of the Hindu tradition do not require that you have a religious affiliation to Hinduism in order to receive its inner teachings, it can be very helpful to formally become a Hindu because it provides one a formal connection to the “world's oldest continually existing enlightenment tradition."

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What are the major Hindu deities?: Hinduism believes that there is only one supreme Absolute called "Brahman". However, it does not advocate the worship of any one particular deity. The gods and goddesses of Hinduism amount to thousands or even millions, all representing the many aspects of Brahman. Therefore, this faith is characterized by the multiplicity of deities. The most fundamental of Hindu deities is the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - creator, preserver and destroyer respectively. Hindus also worship spirits, trees, animals and even planets.
Read More: Gods & Goddesses in Hinduism

Does an entity being worshiped in and of itself worship another entity? Is there an order of superiority?

I mean, if Vishnu and Shiva are both gods, who created who? Maybe it is the definition of "God" that causes my confusion.

This comes from the diff. understanding. In Islam we see it as attributes. The SYMBOLISM of hinduism puts attributes in another perspective. An educated pandit would draw a parallel between the Muslim attribute of "Qahhar" and "Rauf"..as per shiva and Krsna. The worship aspect of hinduism combined with the atman idea makes you see the issue as nothing but symbolism. I cannot speak for later Xity, although in EARLY XITY, it was also symbolic.

So they worship what God represents (his attributes)?!

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Originally posted by limer:
So they worship what God represents (his attributes)?!

This is how it might seem to non-hindus. but they attribute is still a part of God. A pandit would say it is like when a Muslim prays and for different occasions says "ya rauf" and for another "ya dhal jalaali wa'l ikram'. Perhaps one of the Hindu persons can provide more elucidation here. It is the perennial problem of God and attributes...

So if I display mercy like God, do people start worshipping me?

ah my friend, that is the aspect..in the hindu tradition it is not ANYONE..for in fact, no one can reliably establish some heroes lived..but the incarnation of an attribute...or rather granting personality to an attribute, that was symbolism at its very best.
The Muslim theologians were faced with this problem which is why they said that for attributes, we ensure we say "al" before them to distinguish between god and created (although in Sura yusuf, the term aziz is used to represent the powerful minister)...theology..the bane of mystics..

We gotta realise that when dealing with hinduism, we are dealing with a symbolism that has no equal among middle eastern religions. As Anta pointed out a few days ago, it was from this tradition that the zero came--meaning that in terms of figurative and metaphorical symbolism they were unparalled. TO the point that hindus of non-pandit status themselves could not undertand much of the imagery. WHich is why the pandits left the thinking to the educated ones and let those of faith stick with puja. It is what Ibn Rushd also said in Islam: you speak to scientists about science, and lesser intellects about religion. Note that Ibn Rushd was a qadi.

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Originally posted by dara shikoh:
This comes from the diff. understanding. In Islam we see it as attributes. The SYMBOLISM of hinduism puts attributes in another perspective. An educated pandit would draw a parallel between the Muslim attribute of "Qahhar" and "Rauf"..as per shiva and Krsna. The worship aspect of hinduism combined with the atman idea makes you see the issue as nothing but symbolism. I cannot speak for later Xity, although in EARLY XITY, it was also symbolic.

attributes, symbolism, another perspective ......... whats the difference with islam and hinduism? I dont see any significant differences with practices except the concept/notion of god.

I sort of see where you are coming from. But in Judaism/Islam, the attributes are not separate from the divine quiddity and we should not project it as such. IN christianity, it was the same until later ideas from greece stepped in. IN hinduism, the concept of the avatars is different. As is the concept of atman. ON that issue, Islam and hinduism are totally different.

Is wha really ah yo ah try fo do yaso reinvent the wheel or larn fo mek bigan choka.

U gotta point. But i did not start this crap. But I will not let the religion of my ancesters be maligned by those who ought to know better.