Background

Hinduism

It is the third largest and the oldest religion of the World. No one is actually certain how old is Hinduism but it can be said with certainty that Indus valley civilization contributed some ideas to Hindu religion. The earliest known Hindu scriptures are the "Vedas". Vedas describe the religion of Aryans, who invaded India around 1500 B.C. The Vedic religion was not Hinduism although hindus consider Vedas as their scriptures. Of the Hindu "Trinity" Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Mahesh (Shiva) the destroyer only Vishnu's name appears in the oldest Vedas. The concept of Trinity dates back to 500 A.D. Around the same time, the importance of goddess began which appears in many forms of Shakti (Shiva's consort). However, Upanishads which were written several hundreds years later have characteristic Hindu ideas of unity of soul with Brahman, karma, reincarnation, and salvation (Moksha- escape from reincarnation). The notion of class and caste which was absent in Vedas starting appearing during this period. Hindus are mainly divided into three groups i) Shivites, who are devoted to Shiva, whom they consider as their creator and preserver of the universe ii) Vaishnavas, who assign the above roles to Vishnu and iii) Shaktas, who worship Shakti. These divisions of Hinduism are not very rigid as in other faiths and it is not strange for people of one belief to mix with others. The Hindus do not form congregations and mostly worship at home. They worship other God and Goddesses as well as these are considered as another reincarnation of main Hindu Gods. As a result, the major Gods and Goddesses are worshiped in many names and forms. Hindus have little missionary feeling because they believe that the proper way to become a Hindu is to born one. Hindu rituals cover all areas of a person's life. Hindu society has a high standard of conduct, with little immorality, crime, or violence.

Buddhism

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion of the world after Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Although it originated in India, it has stronghold in countries like Tibet, China, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia where missionaries from India carried its message. Buddhism was founded in India by prince Siddhartha Gautam, who was born about 550 B.C. in Northern India and lived till 485 B.C. Siddhartha lived in wealth and pleasantness but he found suffering and sickness among people in his kingdom. He left his home and wandered around to find the meaning of life. One day he sat under a bodhi tree and got the enlightenment. From that time on he was called as BUDDHA. Buddhism has many concepts akin to Hinduism like karma and reincarnation. Buddha suggested that life is full of sufferings and one must act in a way to escape from them. He laid down four basic principles (TRUTHS) to achieve that:

• All life is sorrow and suffering
• Human suffers due to desire or self-centeredness
• Overcome desire
• Desire can be ended by following the eight fold path: Right belief, Intention, Speech, Action, Work, Effort, Thinking, and Meditation

Jainism

Jainism was founded by Mahavira who was born about 580 B.C. in Northern India. It has 4 million followers in India. He preached atheism or the absence of god. Jainism also believes that one can achieve salvation (freedom from wheel of life i.e. rebirth). Jains use the word Karma to mean a substance that binds the soul to physical world. By causing sins you keep accumulating Karma whereas meditation and fasting burns the Karma. One can get freedom from rebirth (Salvation) only after burning the Karma accumulated in past lives. Mahavira laid down five ways to get rid of wheel of life:

• Do Not Destroy Life
• Speak the Truth
• Be Celibate
• Own Nothing
• Accept Nothing that is Not Freely Given

Sikhism

The Sikh religion emerged during the early 16th century in the state of Punjab in North India. The founder of this faith was Guru Nanak, who from his childhood was attracted to both Hindu and Muslim saints. Born a Hindu, but also inspired by the teachings of Islam, he began to preach the message of unity of both religions. According to him, the basic teachings of both faiths were essentially the same. Nanak attracted many followers and came to be known as a Guru or a teacher. His disciples came together to form a new religious tradition called Sikhism.

The Gurus who followed Nanak contributed to the consolidation and spread of Sikhism. The teachings of Guru Nanak were incorporated in the 'Guru Granth Sahib', the Holy Book of the Sikhs which became a symbol of God for Sikhs. The fifth Guru, Guru Arjun built the Golden Temple at Amritsar which became the holiest of Sikh shrines. The tenth Guru, Govind Singh imparted military training to the Sikhs to help them defend themselves. He also decided to terminate the succession of gurus and was thus the last of the Sikh Gurus.

Sikhism propounds monotheism, i.e. worship of one God. It also opposes the caste system and believes that all men are equal. However the ideas of karma and rebirth from Hinduism are accepted. Today, many Sikh practices are common to Hindus. Intermarriages between the two communities are also common. However the Sikh community has its own unmistakable identity. Though the Sikhs constitute less than 2 percent of the Indian population, they have become a distinct element in the configuration of the Indian religious tradition and the Indian society.

Islamic

Islam is the second largest religion of the world whose followers are called Muslims. The largest number of Muslims are in Asia and Africa and particularly in middle east and north Africa. The founder of Islam, Muhammad, was born about 570 A.D. in Mecca. His parents died when he was young and was raised by relatives. When Muhammed was about 40 years old, God began to speak to him. God told him to transmit His message to people of Arabia. In 622 A.D. the people of Mecca, where he was living with his family got so upset with his teachings that Muhammed and his followers had to flee. His escape to the city of Madina is known as HIJRA and this day is considered as the beginning of Islam. Eight years later (630 AD), Muhammed returned to Mecca and took over the city with a large number of his followers without any resistance. Muhammed called God as Allah and declared Mecca a holy city and Kaaba a shrine for Allah. God also dictated a book to Muhammed which was written down later and is known as KORAN. From then on the followers of Islam built a mighty Empire that stretched from Spain to India at its peak.

Christianity