 |
Hinduism - 4000 to 2500 BCE* |
The origins of Hinduism can be traced to the Indus Valley civilization sometime between 4000 and 2500 BCE. Though believed by many to be a polytheistic religion, the basis of Hinduism is the belief in the unity of everything.
This totality is called Brahman.
The purpose of life is to realize that we are part of God and by
doing so we can leave this plane of existance and rejoin with God.
This enlightenment can only be achieved by going through cycles of
birth, life and death known as samsara. 
One's progress towards
enlightenment is measured by his karma. This is the accumulation of
all one's good and bad deeds and this determines the person's next
reincarnation. Selfless acts and thoughts as well as devotion to God
help one to be reborn at a higher level. Bad acts and thoughts will
cause one to be born at a lower level, as a person or even an animal.
Hindus
follow a strict caste system which determines the standing of each
person. The caste one is born into is the result of the karma from
their previous life. Only members of the highest caste, the brahmins,
may
perform the Hindu religious rituals and hold positions of
authority within the temples.
