Essay Example on Hinduism: World's Oldest Religion, Free From Fanaticism

Introduction

Hinduism is a Universal Religion and the world's third-largest divinity that has its roots in present-day India. It is regarded as the oldest of all living religions in the world. Unlike Mohammedanism and Christianity that owe their origin to prophets, Hinduism is not associated with any seer. The dates of the two religions are fixed, but the origin of Hinduism has no specific timeline. Another feature of Hinduism is that it is free from fanaticism, and it is not born of the teachings of famous prophets in the history of the world. In Asian countries, the believers of this religion have termed it as Vaidika-Dharma and Sanatana-Dharma. The later means eternal religion, while the former means the divinity of the Vedas. In this perspective, Vedas refers to the foundational scriptures of the Hindus. Historically, Hinduism has been described as the "religion of freedom" because it accommodates divergent views about the final emancipation. The teachings of this faith assert that Hinduism is not the only way through which final emancipation can occur. Also, it never restraints upon the freedom of human reason. The believers of Hinduism have freedom of thoughts and, more importantly, allows its believers to practice the widest freedom in matters of worship ad faith. Hindu religious traditions allow absolute freedom to heart and human reason in concerns about the goal of life, the form of worship, Creation, soul, and questions about the nature of God. While this faith is seen as a religion of freedom, it has critical restrictions that negatively impact people's health and quality of life. Hinduism also prohibits organ donation and bar menstruating women from entering the temple beside the caste system that perpetuates social injustices and sexual violence. Therefore, Hinduism is a life-denying tradition because it limits menstruating women's freedom of worship, and it prohibits organ donation, which is necessary to save or improve lives.

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Hinduism Reinforce Destructive Caste System

The caste system has strict rules that limit people from developing their lives and improving their standards of living. Under this system, people are categorized into hierarchies, depending on their occupation. The four categories, in this regard, are Shudras, Vaishyas, Kshatriyas, and Brahmins. The "purity" and "pollution" are two critical elements that the Hindus use to classify believers into the four broad categories. People that fall under the "higher" ranks are considered "purer" than their counterparts in the lower hierarchy. Members of this caste enjoy more privileges, status, and honor in their respective societies. As individuals go down the rank, the level of their "pollution" increases, and that of "purity decreases."

Hinduism value the caste system, implying that it is a religion that promotes social inequalities among its believers. The reason is that the caste system does not provide equal opportunities for the Hindu people to improve their lives. Nonetheless, there is a community of people at the lowest level of the society that cannot fall in any of the four castes. People in this group are associated with jobs like latrine-cleaning and manual scavenging, to mention a few.

Since Hinduism reinforces the caste system, believers in the four strata of the caste system are not allowed to interact with people that do menial jobs like scavenging. Individuals outside the caste are prohibited from physically contacting or even interacting with people in higher classes. People outside the caste are called the "untouchables." So, any interaction between Hindus in more upper castes and the "untouchables" is seen as a "defilement." In other words, Hinduism categorizes people outside the caste system as outcasts. Today, the untouchables are referred to as Scheduled Castes or the Dalits.

Hinduism promotes the social welfare of disadvantaged people, especially those outside the caste system. Nonetheless, the fact that this religion buttress barbaric, rigid caste system implies that it does not allow the "untouchables" to improve their lives. This point, therefore, supports an argument that the world's oldest religion is life-denying faith. Historically, Hinduism has conserved some people's power and privileges over others. Religion, social injustice, and poverty are of great importance in many religions, cultures, and societies across the globe. The three aspects play critical roles in people's interpretation and understanding of why the world is ordered the way it is and who they are. Social justice, in particular, means giving people equitable opportunities and treating them humanely. It is worth noting that Hinduism does not foster social injustice since it is against its teachings. This religion, however, has reinforced a strict social hierarchy to the disadvantage of the less privileged in the society. So, this phenomenon suggests that Hinduism is life-denying in that its traditions strengthen a system that does not give economically-disadvantaged people a chance to improve their lives.

Hinduism reinforces a system that socially discards people that live a miserable life, implying that it denies others an opportunity for growth, be it education, economic, and health. Research in a population that profess Hinduism shows that a significant proportion of the Dalits are women who live a miserable life. These people have been discarded for a long time, and for this reason, are compelled to live a vulnerable life in economic, education, and health, among other domains. There is evidence that the Hindu Caste system recognizes the four hierarchies based on people's occupation or the nature of their everyday work.

A study of ethnic groups that practice Hinduism indicated that there was a high level of discrimination and significant social injustices in the caste system of community called Newar. The study further shows that while the government outlawed discrimination within the Hindu caste system in 1963, the practice of untouchable Dalits still exists. The practice was widespread across Nepal, especially in communities that exercise Hinduism. The study, therefore, provides adequate evidence that Hinduism, through its caste system, is life-denying.

Caste System, Inter-Marriages and Violence Against Women

The social barriers that define Hinduism restrict intermarriages between men and women of different castes. This way, religion is life-denying, considering that it prohibits its believers from choosing marriage partners that can best work together in improving their lives. The caste system, a 2,000-year-old traditional practice, is one of the most critical defining features of Hinduism. This system has strict restrictions on marriage, especially among women. The Human Rights Watch has raised concerns that the system is discriminatory, and it denies women a right to choose marriage partners of their choice. Interestingly, a study by the Human Rights Watch indicates that members of higher castes can intermarry, but it places social barriers to their counterparts in the lower hierarchy. This phenomenon suggests that the traditional practice that defines Hinduism is not only unfair, but it also promotes social injustices.

The Human Rights Watch has condemned severe punitive violence and social ostracism that the Hindus perpetrate people of different castes that intermarry. In the recent past, Indians that practiced Hinduism faith lynched a lower caste woman from intermarrying with a higher caste man as hundreds of spectators looked on. The Human Rights Watch has also documented several instances where religious people in the Hindu Community-led large-scale attacks against Dalits and even people of lower caste for engaging in civil marriages.

Notable religious leaders have denounced Hinduism, citing that its traditions perpetuate social injustices against less privileged believers. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a respected spiritual leader and an advocate of the rights of Dalits, denounced Hinduism in recent years. The reason is that Hinduism fosters spiritual rituals about "untouchables." Ambedkar also said that Hinduism had promoted social injustices in contemporary South East Asia communities. It was a momentous decision for Ambedkar to denounce Hinduism because its practices had led to the death of several believers. The fact that many people died because of the Hindu Caste system implies that it is a life-denying tradition in the contemporary world.

Gender Inequality in Hinduism

The religion of the Hindus has the highest level of gender inequality than Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism, among other significant religions of the world. Research shows that the doctrine of the Hindu people prohibits women's independence in economic issues and, therefore, the cause of considerable gender inequalities. This aspect suggests that, unlike Christianity, Hinduism tends not to recognize the essence of gender equality. The situation exists despite substantial strides in bridging the gap between men and women across the world.

In a study involving selected 50 world states, there is evidence that the status and even the position of women in the world of Hinduism is still problematic. While federal policies of Hindu states have partially contributed to gender inequality, the religion itself does not emphasize equality between men and women. Based on the Gender Inequality Index (GII) of measuring religious affiliation and equality between men and women, there is evidence that Hinduism lags compared to other religions. Christians are the leading religion in terms of women empowerment and promoting gender equality, followed by Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus, respectively. The findings from the study, which measured the gender inequality across religions show that Hinduism disadvantage women. Hence, it is a life-denying religion.

Menstruation and Hinduism Worship

Hinduism sees menstruating women as polluted or impure. Since religion affects everyday life, this practice, deny women a right to participate in religious practice that enhances their life. The traditions of Hindus in other parts of the world promote a misconception that menstruation is a curse. However, Hindus believe that impurity lasts only during the period of menstruation. For a long time, the Hindus have preserved a tradition that prohibits its women believers from going to temples and interacting with priests. Also, menstruating women cannot participate in religious ceremonies such as weddings. The past research on Hinduism practices showed that the Hindus believe menses attract ghosts. This belief explains why the Hindus are against menstruating women going to the temple. Besides Hindus, the Orthodox Jews and Muslims still abide by taboos that bar menstruating women from participating in religious practices, including going to the place of worship. From this point, it is apparent that Hinduism hold practices that make the life of women challenging, especially when participating in religious practices. For this reason, it is true to say that it is a life-denying tradition.

From Hinduism religious teaching and contemporary point of view, however, menstruation is seen as a natural phenomenon that every woman should go through, nothing more or less. While this point of view exists, Hindus do not follow. The reason, according to notable scholars in the field of religion and theology, is that Buddhism has a significant influence on Hinduism. Many temples in Asian countries such as Thailand follow still follow the rule that prohibits Hindu women from circumambulating around the Stupas.

Hinduism Belief About Tissue and Organ Donation

Hinduism does not support modern medical practices of human tissue and organ transplantation. This tradition does not promote medical practices aimed at improving and saving a life when a perso...