Hindu

APOL 6543 Issues In ApologeticsOKWU

Origin

Caste System

• Brahmins- The intellectual class

• Kshatriyas- The warrior class

• Vaishyas- The trader class

• Shudras- The service people.

Reincarnation

• Kharma-

• Moksha-

“coming again into physical body”

This cycle of rebirth continues until one achieves liberation from worldly bondage (moksha). At the liberated stage a soul becomes godly and reincarnation stops.

The kind of body the soul enters into at death determined by one's actions (karma) in present life. A person's karma determines in what form he will reappear. He may come back in a higher (human) or lower (animal) life form. Good karma in the present life leads to a better next life and bad karma in the present life leads to a worst next life

Scriptures• Vedas-

– Ramayana– Mahabharta

• Both are told in epic form. the former being the oldest and the latter the largest of the epics. Both glorify the principles of the Vedas in a simple way. The celebrated Bhagavad-Gita is a part of the great epic, Mahabharata.

Vedas- • Rig- Veda• Sama-Veda• Yajur-Veda• Arthava-Veda• Upanishads- Reveal a shift to a more

internal and speculative Religion with the introduction of reincarnation and the importance of Moksha

Brahma

Vishnu

Shiva

Rama

Krishna

Hinduism Simplified : Summary

5 Principles • God exists; One absolute, Om. One trinity:

Brahma, Vishnu Mahesh. Several divine forms.

• Divine nature of human beings • Oneness of existence through love • Harmony of all religions • Knowledge of 3 Gs : Ganga (sacred river),

Gita (sacred script), Gayatri (sacred enchant)

10 Disciplines (10 Commandments)

• Satya (Truth) • Ahimsa (Non violence) • Brahmacharya (Celibacy, non adultery) • Asteya (Non stealing or desire to possess) • Aparigraha (Do not bribe or get corrupted by accepting gifts) • Shauch (Cleanliness) • Santosh (Contentment) • Swadhyaya (Reading of scriptures) • Tapas (Austerity, penance-practice) • Ishwarpranidhan (Regular prayers)

Hinduism Simplified : Summary cont’d..

Worldview Questions• What is ultimate reality?

• What is a human being?

• What happens to a person at death?

• How do we know anything at all?

• How do we know what is right and wrong?

• What is the meaning of history?