Hinduism 1 Hinduism William Andrew Mitchell IV Axia College of University of Phoenix HUM130 – Religions of the World Carol Greene February 3, 2008 Hinduism 2 Hinduism is a set of beliefs and traditions that have evolved over a long period of time. There are different sects of Hinduism, but all follow the ancient scriptures known as Vedas. Hinduism is built on a base of cultural and societal influences that have shaped the religion from its ancient beginnings to today. Rituals and castes are just a few of the cultural and societal influences that have made Hinduism vital to the region in which it originated. The life of a Hindu is full of rituals. In fact, the ancient scriptures, called Vedas, prescribed sixteen different rituals. These rituals begin at the time of conception and end with death; they include everything from braiding a pregnant woman’s hair to studying the Vedas to getting married (Fisher, 2005). The caste system of Hindu society restricts the occupations of a hereditary social class and the association of members with other castes. There are four major occupational groups, or castes, in Hinduism. These are the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and the Shudra. The Hinduism 3 Brahmins were the priests and philosophers who were considered to be specialists in the life of the spirit (Fisher, 2005). The Kshatriyas were the nobility of feudal India. The Kshatriyas main duty was to guard and preserve society (Fisher, 2005). The Vaishyas were the economic specialists and were mostly farmers and merchants. The Shudras were the manual laborers and artisans (Fisher, 2005). A lower class of castes, known as “outcastes”, were responsible for such jobs as removing human waste, sweeping the streets, and working with leather from the skins of dead cows. Because the work these people did made their clothing and bodies offensive, they became known as untouchables. Hinduism 4 References Fisher, M. P. (2005). Living Religions (6th ed.)....