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Their view of Jesus
Their view of Salvation
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The history of Hinduism comes from the Aryan peoples who moved to the Indus Valley in northwestern India, somewhere around 1500 B.C. Over the next centuries they conquered the entire subcontinent of India. They brought with them an Aryan religion of what was then in Iran, somewhat similar to Zoroastrianism. Hinduism has developed from this root. Different "ways" have developed over the history of Hinduism, Vedic Hinduism being the oldest, and then the ascetic and mystical way known as Vedantic Hinduism, and more recently the way of devotion, or Bhakti.
Their basic beliefs.
Reincarnation
Man is trapped in a nearly endless series of rebirths (samsara). All creatures are in the struggle to ascend the ladder of rebirths through the lower forms of life up to human life, through the lower castes, to the highest caste of the Brahmins, finally achieving after thousands of reincarnations- release (moksha) or liberation.
Karma
Karma is believed to be law that entraps and keeps a soul in samsara, the long process of rebirth after rebirth. There are different types or categories of karma: the karma with which one is born that has comes from previous lives(sanchita), the karma of your present life's actions (kriyaman), karma produced by our thoughts-our plans for our life (agama), and the karma that is determined to be in force for this present life (prarandha). There is not simply individual karma but also the karma of your people and culture. Karma is used to explain evil in that if something terrible happens to a person with no seeming connection to their direct actions, it is assumed that the law of karma is bringing to bear the bad fruit of past actions.
Dharma
This means religion or duty. Hinduism is sometimes referred to as Sanatana Dharma (eternal law or duty). One knows ones duty in society by determining one's caste placement and stage of life. This is called varnashrama. By determining one's caste and stage of life (child or student, householder, retired, and the stage of renunciation).
Caste
The law of karma determines your placement in society, in one of four major castes: Brahamins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), Vaishyas (merchants), and Shudras (workers). The three higher castes are termed 'twice- born' and are given full participation in society. The Shudra caste exists to do the manual labor of the society and are considered impure to the higher castes. Outcastes or untouchables (called harijan by Gandhi, meaning 'children of God") have little or no standing in the society and do work that renders them unclean. Though the caste system is formally abolished in India, it is still conceptually essential in the Hindu concept of dharma, karma, and reincarnation.
Their view of Jesus and Salvation.
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