2. INTRODUCTION -
India, the land of spirituality and
philosophy considers religion as an
integral part of its entire tradition. The
worship of various religions and its
rituals play a significant role in every
aspect of human life in the country.
3. HISTORY-
India is the birthplace of four of the world's major
religious traditions; namely,
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.
Throughout its history, religion has been an
important part of the country's culture.
Religious diversity and religious tolerance are
both established in the country
by law and custom.
A vast majority of Indians associate themselves
with a religion.
4.
5. Hinduism is the predominant religion of
the Indian subcontinent, and one of its indigenous
religions.
Hinduism is formed of diverse traditions and has
no single founder
Hinduism is often called the “Oldest Living
Religion“.
Hinduism does not have a "unified system of belief
encoded in declaration of faith or a creed“, but is
rather an umbrella term comprising the plurality
of religious phenomena originating and based on
the Vedic traditions.
6. Hinduism refers to a religious mainstream which
evolved organically and spread over a large
territory marked by significant ethnic and cultural
diversity.
Hinduism is a diverse system of thought with
beliefs
spanning monotheism, polytheism, , pantheism,
monism and atheism among others.
Its concept of God is complex and depends upon
each individual and the tradition and philosophy
followed.
7. The core beliefs of Hinduism that are generally
accepted by many of its practitioners
are AvatarVada, Ekeshwaravada (One Supreme
Divine Reality), Veda Praman (Authority of
the Vedas), Atman, Karma,Yoga, Ahimsa, Four Pu
ruṣārthas, Varnashrama dharma and Punarjanma
(Reincarnation) .
Core knowledge of India’s great spiritual tradition
is what came to America and was adapted to life
in this country.
“From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and
Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the
West”
8. Even Christians and Jews have started adding
meditation and yoga to their own religious
practices
Hinduism is not a missionary religion and will
never spread to other parts of the world through
acts of conversion.
Hinduism will spread to other parts of the
world, just the way Vedic religion spread in India
millenniums before, peacefully, through individual
families and their religious activities and
contributions.
This is how Hinduism will become a beacon of
eternal divine wisdom for the generations to
come in different nations of the world.
9.
10. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded
during the 15th century in the Punjab
region, by Guru Nanak Dev which continued to
progress with ten successive Sikh gurus.
Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikhism.
It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the
world, with approximately 30 million Sikhs.
The principal beliefs of Sikh are faith
in Waheguru—represented by the phrase ’ Ik
OANKAR ” ,meaning one God.
Sikhism is a practical religion, it does not consist
in a certain set of beliefs or mere words
11. Sikhs are not Hindus, though they arose from
Hinduism and share many beliefs and traditions.
Customs or traditions have changed Sikhs ,they
have become westernized.
The biggest change has been the cutting of hair.
Thus, it has become a matter of debate in the
Sikh community as to whether it is acceptable to
call yourself a Sikh even if you have cut your hair.
This is particularly true of men and becoming
increasingly true of women both here an- in India.
12.
13. Buddhism, is a world religion, which arose in
and around ancient Kingdom of Magadha , and is
based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama.
It spread outside of Magadha starting in the
Buddha's lifetime, and with the reign of the
Buddhist Mauryan Emperor Asoka.
It spread across Nepal straight down to China and
all the way to Japan and became one of the
dominant religions in these parts of Asia.
Followers of Buddhism, called Buddhists in
English , referred to themselves as Saugata.
Other terms were;
namely Sakyansm, Sakyabhiksu, Sakyaputto, Ariy
asavako, and Jinaputto.
14. In the modern world, the total number of the
Buddhists vary between 230 millions and 500
millions, and even is increasing as the Buddhist
ideology, which is based on logic and science, is
appealing modern man with modern thoughts.
India where Buddhism had evolved and from this
place had spread to other parts of the world.
Almost all the major sects of Buddhism are
prevalent in different parts of the Asian continent.
While Tantrayana or Vajrayana is predominant in
Tibet, Mongolia and parts of India.
15. The Buddhist flag that was designed to
celebrate the revival of Buddhism in Sri
Lanka, later was accepted as the International
Buddhist flag, indicating peace, harmony and
love for all beings.
16.
17. Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a
path of non-violence towards all living beings.
Jain doctrine teaches that Jainism has always
existed and will always exist, although historians
date the foundation of the organized or present
form of Jainism to sometime between the 9th and
the 6th century BC
Jains believe that to attain enlightenment and
ultimately liberation from all karmic bonding, one
must practice the following ethical principles i.e.
Ahimsa (Non-violence), Satya (Truthfulness),
Asteya (Non-
stealing), Brahmacharya (Celibacy), Aparigraha (Non-
possession, Non-materialism)
18. In the modern world, the name Mahatma Gandhi
has become synonymous with non-violence.
In many ways, the principles practiced by Gandhi
have very special relevance to the Jain
community.
He exemplified the practical application of some
of the basic principles of Jainism.
Though followed by relatively less people in the
world, Jainism is highly respected by all those
non-Jainas who have studied Jainism or who have
come into contact with the true followers of
Jainism.
19. There are instances of non- Jaina people in the
world who have most willingly either adopted
Jainism or have accepted and put into practice
the principles of Jainism.
. Though a religion of a small minority, Jainism is
not the religion of a particular race, caste or
community.
People from all the four classified communities of
ancient India; Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and
Shudra have followed Jainism.
Hence Jainism is a Universal Religion.
22. The works of Scholars and eastern Christian
writings claim that Christianity was introduced to
India by Thomas the Apostle.
He visited Muziris in Kerala in 52 A.D and
baptized Kerala's Jewish settlements who are
know as ‘Saint Thomas Christians’.
Christianity is India’s 3rd largest religion with
24 million followers, constituting 2.3% of India's
population.
The French Dominican missionary Jordanus
catalani was the 1st European to start conversion
in India.
23. Although the exact origins of Christians in India
remain unclear, there is a general scholarly
consensus that Christianity was rooted in India
by the 3rd century A.D .
Christianity in India has different denominations
such as Roman Catholicism, Oriental orthodox
Christianity and Protestantism.
While Christians in India do not share one
common culture, their cultures for the most part
tend to be a blend of India and European culture.
India ranks 15th among countries with highest
church attendance , religious processions and
Carnivals.
24. Christian philosophy represents an entire
worldview, a view that is consistent with the Bible
throughout.
In the end, you choose between a
materialist/naturalist worldview and a super
naturalist worldview and your choice will create
repercussions throughout every aspect of your
life.
Thus the task of showing the relevance of the
Christian realistic philosophy to a world in process
is one which requires eternal vigilance.
26. Islam is the second most practiced religion in the
Republic of India after Hinduism with 13.4% of the
country’s population.
Though Islam came in the 7th century with the
advent of Arab traders , it started to become a
major religion during the Muslim conquest in the
Indian sub-continent.
In India the Muslims are divided into 2 main sects-
SUNNI and SHIA.
Along with these two main divisions Muslims have
other divisions also like the Bohra and the Khoja.
Another well known Muslim community is the
Pathan, they have arrived from Afghanistan to
India.
27. Islam is a monotheistic religion centered around
the belief in one god, and following the example
of Muhammad.
As per Muslim rituals thy offer 5 daily prayers at
specific times of the day, indicated by ‘ADHAN’
from the local mosques.
Before offering prayers they must ritually clean
themselves by performing ‘WUDU’, which
involves washing the body parts that are usually
exposed to dirt or dust.
A recent study by Saachaar Committee found
that 3-4% of the Muslim children study in
Madrasas.
28. Islam is a religion for all people from whatever
race or background they might be. That is why
Islamic civilization is based on a unity which
stands completely against any racial or ethnic
discrimination.
Such major racial and ethnic groups as the
Arabs, Persians, Turks, Africans, Indians, Chinese
and Malays in addition to numerous smaller units
embraced Islam and contributed to the building
of Islamic civilization nation.
The global civilization created by Islam also
succeeded in activating the mind and thought of
the people who entered its fold
29. The religion of Islam was itself responsible not
only for the creation of a world civilization in
which people of many different ethnic
backgrounds participated, but it played a central
role in developing intellectual and cultural life on a
scale not seen before.
30.
31. It was no doubt accepted that India, inhabited by
many religions, did not discriminate against any
religion and will allow freedom of religions to the
followers of different religions.
Secularism is the doctrine that morality
should be based solely on regard to the well-being
of mankind in the present life to the exclusion of
all considerations drawn on belief in God or in a
future State.
Secularism is a much-discussed word in India and
it never fails to evoke the strongest of reactions
from all concerned.
32. However, it must also to be noted that the Indian
State is not truly ‘secular’, for all its
claims, protestations and displays of righteous
indignation.
Indian etatiste secularism is best described as
‘haphazard’, displaying a crass insensitivity to the
feelings of both the majority and minority
communities.
The customs and traditions of our great systems
of
belief, viz., Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism
, Christianity and Islam, have been trivialized by
the over-zealous manoeuvres of our stridently
secular State.
33. In conclusion, it appears that secularism in India
is, to quote a Bengali adage— “a stone bowl of
gold” (sonar pathorbati)! Whereas the
Constitution enjoins us to disjoin religion from
politics and administration, it will be
progressively more difficult to require this of
certain classes of our society.
Given the present trend, it is likelier that they will
veer towards the Right, which in India carries the
baggage of cultural/Hindu nationalism.
This leaves the way clear for all
pessimists, including the economy, would then be
just fine!
