• Does Hinduism have
a historical founder?
A majority of the world religions have
founders, but there are two that do not have a historical founder.
Those two are Hinduism and Shinto; the latter being a
religion that was not covered in this site. From the Hindu
perspective, the uncertainty of the religions’ founder adds
to the pull that the religion creates. The Sanatama Dharma
of Hinduism comes from antiquity in a perfect mystery… the
same as the truths of divine origin
• Have there ever been any
reform movements in the history of Hinduism?
Since the early 1800’s, numerous
reform movements have taken place to try to get most of the Hindu
population to reinterpret ancient traditions to fit the modern
lifestyle. The Brahmo Samaj, or Universal Society of God,
denounced the belief that widows must commit suicide, and helped
encourage the understanding that there was one god in the Hindu
faith. Before this organization came to being, the Sadharan
Brahmo, also known as the Universal Society of God, aimed at
creating a Hindu caste system and began searching for ways to
update the religion without converting to European ways of
thinking.
Reformers such as Ramakrishna
(1836-86) and his disciple, Vivekandanda (1869-1948),
offered new interpretations of both the bhakti and
Vendanta that they hoped would one day reach the world
beyond India, and capture its interest. Their twentieth century
successors, which included Shri Aurobindo and Mahatma
Gandhi, found quiet places where people could find devotional
sanctuary.
• How are Hindu religious
leaders given authority?
Hindu ministry is often a hereditary
place in the Hindu community; families of these priests trace there
origins far back in order to be sure of their placement. There are
spiritual teachers called gurus who help people of the
culture with their knowledge of the different aspects of Hinduism.
They are given the equivalent of a license to teach this way, but
many of them become well known through popular acclaim of their
teachings. Individual people become known when their holiness is
viewed by their peers, holiness being their special powers and
qualities. Seekers of the truth gather around these people in the
hopes of sharing knowledge and devotion.
• How is Marriage incorporated
in Hinduism?
In the older practices of this religion,
there were arranged marriages which are still continued by many
Hindu families today. After a wedding, there is an extended period
of gift giving and receiving, and celebrations. The actual
ceremonial wedding takes place in the early evening or at sunset,
at a location chosen by the family of the couple. It begins with
the family of the bride “giving” their daughter to the
family of the groom, and the ceremonies continue up to the point of
the betrothed couple taking the “Seven Steps” of
life.
• Does the idea of
inter-faith marriage concern the Hindu people?
Due to the large population of Hindus in
India, there is very little chance of a Hindu marrying a person of
another faith. Yet, even in other countries, due to the
faithfulness of Hindus to their religion, there are still very few
Hindus who would like to marry one outside their
faith.
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