Religious Debates 2: The Return

Fail, alright back on subject. Lets debate, hmm, well religion. Could someone explain to me what hindu is exactly, please.

Fuck no. Whenever I talk about Hindus I get all racist and bitchy. I'm gonna stay out of this one if you don't mind.

nrocha20 wrote:Fuck no. Whenever I talk about Hindus I get all racist and bitchy. I'm gonna stay out of this one if you don't mind.

Okay, I just don't know what it is about.

If you die you came back as a cow.

Alright, that's not really true, here's what Hinduism is about:
Hinduism refers to a religious mainstream which evolved organically and spread over a large territory marked by significant ethnic and cultural diversity. This mainstream evolved both by innovation from within, and by assimilation of external traditions or cults into the Hindu fold. The result is an enormous variety of religious traditions, ranging from innumerable small, unsophisticated cults to major religious movements with millions of adherents spread over the entire subcontinent. The identification of Hinduism as an independent religion separate from Buddhism or Jainism consequently hinges on the affirmation of its adherents that it is such.[36]

Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include (but are not restricted to), Dharma (ethics/duties), Samsāra (The continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth), Karma (action and subsequent reaction), Moksha (liberation from samsara), and the various Yogas (paths or practices). [37]
Concept of God
Main article: God in Hinduism

Hinduism is a diverse system of thought with beliefs spanning monotheism, polytheism,[38] panentheism, pantheism, monism, and atheism, and its concept of God is complex and depends upon each particular tradition and philosophy. It is sometimes referred to as henotheistic (i.e., involving devotion to a single god while accepting the existence of others), but any such term is an overgeneralization.[39]

Most Hindus believe that the spirit or soul — the true "self" of every person, called the ātman — is eternal.[40] According to the monistic/pantheistic theologies of Hinduism (such as Advaita Vedanta school), this Atman is ultimately indistinct from Brahman, the supreme spirit. Hence, these schools are called non-dualist.[41] The goal of life, according to the Advaita school, is to realize that one's ātman is identical to Brahman, the supreme soul.[42] The Upanishads state that whoever becomes fully aware of the ātman as the innermost core of one's own self realizes an identity with Brahman and thereby reaches moksha (liberation or freedom).[40][43]

Dualistic schools (see Dvaita and Bhakti) understand Brahman as a Supreme Being who possesses personality, and they worship him or her thus, as Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, or Shakti, depending upon the sect. The ātman is dependent on God, while moksha depends on love towards God and on God's grace.[44] When God is viewed as the supreme personal being (rather than as the infinite principle), God is called Ishvara ("The Lord"[45]), Bhagavan ("The Auspicious One"[45]) or Parameshwara ("The Supreme Lord"[45]).[41] However interpretations of Ishvara vary, ranging from non-belief in Ishvara by followers of Mimamsakas, to identifying Brahman and Ishvara as one, as in Advaita.[41] In the majority of traditions of Vaishnavism he is Vishnu, God, and the text of Vaishnava scriptures identify this Being as Krishna, sometimes referred to as svayam bhagavan. There are also schools like the Samkhya which have atheistic leanings.[46]
Devas and avatars
Krishna (left), the eighth incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu or svayam bhagavan, with his consort Radha, worshiped as Radha Krishna across a number of traditions - traditional painting from the 1700s.

The Hindu scriptures refer to celestial entities called Devas (or devī in feminine form; devatā used synonymously for Deva in Hindi), "the shining ones", which may be translated into English as "gods" or "heavenly beings".[47] The devas are an integral part of Hindu culture and are depicted in art, architecture and through icons, and mythological stories about them are related in the scriptures, particularly in Indian epic poetry and the Puranas. They are, however, often distinguished from Ishvara, a supreme personal god, with many Hindus worshiping Ishvara in a particular form as their iṣṭa devatā, or chosen ideal.[48][49] The choice is a matter of individual preference,[50] and of regional and family traditions.[50]

Hindu epics and the Puranas relate several episodes of the descent of God to Earth in corporeal form to restore dharma to society and to guide humans to moksha. Such an incarnation is called an avatar. The most prominent avatars are of Vishnu and include Rama (the protagonist in Ramayana) and Krishna (a central figure in the epic Mahabharata).
Karma and samsara
Main article: Karma in Hinduism

Karma translates literally as action, work, or deed,[51] and can be described as the "moral law of cause and effect".[52] According to the Upanishads an individual, known as the jiva-atma, develops sanskaras (impressions) from actions, whether physical or mental. The linga sharira, a body more subtle than the physical one but less subtle than the soul, retains impressions, carrying them over into the next life, establishing a unique trajectory for the individual.[53] Thus, the concept of a universal, neutral, and never-failing karma intrinsically relates to reincarnation as well as to one's personality, characteristics, and family. Karma binds together the notions of free will and destiny.

This cycle of action, reaction, birth, death and rebirth is a continuum called samsara. The notion of reincarnation and karma is a strong premise in Hindu thought. The Bhagavad Gita states that:
“ As a person puts on new clothes and discards old and torn clothes,

similarly an embodied soul enters new material bodies, leaving the old bodies.(B.G. 2:22)[54]
”

Samsara provides ephemeral pleasures, which lead people to desire rebirth so as to enjoy the pleasures of a perishable body. However, escaping the world of samsara through moksha is believed to ensure lasting happiness and peace.[55][56] It is thought that after several reincarnations, an atman eventually seeks unity with the cosmic spirit (Brahman/Paramatman).

The ultimate goal of life, referred to as moksha, nirvana or samadhi, is understood in several different ways: as the realization of one's union with God; as the realization of one's eternal relationship with God; realization of the unity of all existence; perfect unselfishness and knowledge of the Self; as the attainment of perfect mental peace; and as detachment from worldly desires. Such realization liberates one from samsara and ends the cycle of rebirth.[57][58]

The exact conceptualization of moksha differs among the various Hindu schools of thought. For example, Advaita Vedanta holds that after attaining moksha an atman no longer identifies itself with an individual but as identical with Brahman in all respects. The followers of Dvaita (dualistic) schools identify themselves as part of Brahman, and after attaining moksha expect to spend eternity in a loka (heaven),[59] in the company of their chosen form of Ishvara. Thus, it is said that the followers of dvaita wish to "taste sugar", while the followers of Advaita wish to "become sugar".[60]
Objectives of human life
Main article: Purusharthas

Classical Hindu thought accepts the following objectives of human life, known as the puruṣārthas: dharma "righteousness, ethikos;" artha "livelihood, wealth;" kāma "sensual pleasure;" mokṣa "liberation, freedom (from samsara)".


Yes, I just copy-pasted from Wikipedia, but I already knew all of this, so I feel NO GUILT!

I've heard some Indian religions are pretty darn bent on sacrifice...take the Aztecs, put in a locked room with random people. Expect blood and holes with bodies in them within the week.

Not to insult them, but it's kind of weird...

Yeah, and they ripped peoples hearts out, then smashed the STILL BEATING HEART into a FUCKING WOODEN BOWL, and used it to clean the faces of some fucking STATUES!

thats just epic.

I know, I do that every morning before breakfast.

Evilmidget wrote:I've heard some Indian religions are pretty darn bent on sacrifice...take the Aztecs, put in a locked room with random people. Expect blood and holes with bodies in them within the week.

Not to insult them, but it's kind of weird...

Depends on your defonition of WEIRD. To them, and even to the people being killed, that was just normal society. Way back when religion had so much focus, whats funny is that the Catholics saw them as Barbarians when they did stuff that could be classified as WORSE.

We catholics see protestents as wierd too.

riku1gundam wrote:We catholics see protestents as wierd too.

Weird is a good thing.

Fuck yes.

if you have ever seen the Discovery Channel series: taboo (i think thats it) the people go to different places in the world to see what is normal, they have some pretty "weird" stuff, but to the people practicing it its "normal" it depends on your perspective

darkmage94 wrote:if you have ever seen the Discovery Channel series: taboo (i think thats it) the people go to different places in the world to see what is normal, they have some pretty "weird" stuff, but to the people practicing it its "normal" it depends on your perspective

Normal is actually a figment of the imagination, there really is no such thing as "normal".

I have to agree with nrocha, which is a first.

I belong to a sex cult. And the Blue Oyster Cult. Oh and Scientology.

A sex cult, really, well, have fun getting STD's! And I guess that explains your username, penis mightier, jeez. Infraction points!

HAWKEYE44 wrote:A sex cult, really, well, have fun getting STD's! And I guess that explains your username, penis mightier, jeez. Infraction points!

HAWK I totally agree with you, I am retarded and actually was born with out any genitals.

Yea step off bitch!!

~Edited out for Religious retaliation.

~Edited out for insulting website authority.

Cults are Okay but religions suck a fat donkey boner.

Penis Mightier wrote:Cults are Okay but religions suck a fat donkey boner.

Quoted for truth bishes!!

Cults r not be gay!

They be teh sexorz

Which is the opposite of gay

Don't double post.

Penis Mightier wrote: religions suck a fat donkey boner.

I'm going in!

Okay, sorry about the infraction points, I'll get rid of them. Now, lets try to take this thread seriously.

HAWKEYE44 wrote:Okay, sorry about the infraction points, I'll get rid of them. Now, lets try to take this thread seriously.

Don't fall to be guided by their idiocy. He had an offensive username, anyways.
This guest had better shut up. He just insulted almost all of Earth's population. I need a genuine argument, either that or I edit for insulting context and retaliation. Whoops, just did.