Writing Resources
Hinduism is one of the main religions in the world which by traditional estimates came into being around 3000 BCE or by some recent estimates as early as between 3500 and 5000 BCE Over the course of history Hinduism has influenced many other religions and in its turn it has been influenced by them becoming a syncretic religion Having a great variety of beliefs and practices the Hindu religion has been able to survive centuries of foreign invasions internal turmoil encounters with Islam and Christianity urbanization modernization as well as series of political and social reforms and it is currently the third leading religion after Christianity and Islam when ranked by the number of followers Unlike Christianity Islam and various branches of Buddhism Hindus do not propagate their faith even though they do accept new members after their full assimilation and because of that Hinduism is largely confined to its birth place India where it is the dominant religion and where about 82 of the population follow its teachings Hinduism pervades daily life and culture of India to such extent that it is both a religion and the way of life of its followers One of the main features of Hinduism is its diversity of forms that have various expressions which are all given equal validity and due to this diversity the religion encourages reflection and places a greater emphasis on its followers deeds while allowing freedom of thought According to Hinduism each person is the atman or God within living in this person s body
