Hinduism is referred to as Sanatana Dharma, or the eternal faith. Hinduism has no one founder. Hinduism evolved continuously over a period of 5,000 years and this is why Hinduism has a more transcendental and universal view of things. Hinduism is based on the practice of "Dharma-the code of duty". Anyone who practices Dharma and believes in "Karma-righteous actions", can call himself a Hindu. Hinduism remains the most tolerant of world religions. Hindus believe in one Supreme Being or One Reality. Hinduism has never tried to convert people, but always, opened its treasures to whoever desires to be a part of it. Hinduism never denigrates other religions as false or evil. Tolerance is its article of faith, that the whole world is one family. Hindu homes are decorated by pictures, or moorthi’s of Gods and Goddesses. However, when questioned about the multiplicity of idols, Hindus usually respond with “Bhagvan ek hai.” God is one; all Gods are expressions of the one omnipotent God. However, there is also an extreme faith in the power of these individual Gods, which they are tied to because of family history, their place of birth, or because of what the God represents. So Hinduism can be seen as monotheistic which recognizes one ultimate god. It can also be seen as Trinitarian because of the holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. It can be seen as polytheistic, since many gods are worshipped as most deities have incarnations of themselves! However, most accurately, it can be seen as henotheistic as it recognizes one single deity but also accepts multiple other gods and goddesses as manifestations and facets of that supreme god, e.g., Mother is one person, to you she is mother, to her parents she is a daughter and to her brother she is a sister, and to her husband she is a wife. Yet she is the same one person. Similarly, God is one, but is called by different names. Do Hindus believe in worshipping idols? Hindus believe that a marble statue is just a representation of the divine. If a boy puts a picture of Michael Jordan up on his wall, that poster gives him inspiration and reminds him of greatness. That is the purpose of idols. In addition, representations of the divine are believed to be filled with the deity's cosmic energy. All religions of the world have a common thread in spite of diverse traditions and cultures . The Vedic spiritualists never considered themselves to be the sole storehouse of human knowledge. They acknowledged the validity of the plural sources of knowledge. Here are the quotations from several religions, which basically mean the same. HINDUISM "THIS IS THE SUM OF DUTY: DO NOTHING TO OTHERS WHICH WOULD CAUSE YOU PAIN IF DONE TO YOU” CHRISTIANITY “DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.” BUDDHISM “DO NOT HURT OTHERS WITH THAT WHICH HURTS YOURSELF.” ISLAM “NO ONE OF YOU IS A (TRUE) BELIEVER UNTIL HE DESIRES FOR HIS BROTHER THAT WHICH HE DESIRES FOR HIMSELF.” JEWISH “WHAT IS HATEFUL TO YOU, DO NOT TO YOUR FELLOW MAN. THAT IS THE LAW: ALL THE REST IS COMMENTARY.” JAINISM “IN HAPPINESS AND SUFFERING, IN JOY AND GRIEF, WE SHOULD REGARD ALL CREATURES AS WE REGARD OUR OWN SELF.” SIKHISM “DON'T CREATE ENMITY WITH ANYONE AS GOD IS WITHIN ALL.”
