Hinduism vs. Mormonism. There are so many differences between the Hindu culture and the Latter Day Saint

Transcription

1 1 Nicole Fortin June 29, 2012 Brother Rock Research Paper Hinduism vs. Mormonism There are so many differences between the Hindu culture and the Latter Day Saint culture. Every religion has some type of God or idol that they worship, Hinduism has many Gods while Mormonism has one. This essay will explore the differences and the similarities of each culture relating to Gods and Godhood. What is the definition of Hinduism? The word Hindu is a Persian geographical term for the people who had lived beyond the river Indus, but it is hard to define exactly what Hinduism is because there is such a wide variety of traditions that the Hindu are known for. Another reason why it is hard to define is because there is not just one founder of the religion but many and it does not have specific beliefs written down. Hindus know that they are Hindu and they know that they are not Christian or Muslim or Buddhist for a fact. There are so many different kinds of Hindus that the differences between the Hindus are as diverse as the differences between Hindus and Christians or Buddhists. To get an idea of how many people are of the Hindu religion, there are 900 million people in India and 700 million of those people are Hindus. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world and it is the oldest religion in history. Mormonism is just as complex as Hinduism but the differences are many. The name Mormon comes from The Book Mormon. The Book of Mormon was written by several prophets of God but Mormon, a prophet of God, abridged the book, so that is where the name

2 2 comes from. The actual name of this religion is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Even though this religion has scriptures and commandments written down the members of the church still have their own views on certain subjects and may not agree with each other. Statistics in the church say that there are 14,441,346 total memberships in the church all over the world. Mormonism was on the earth at the time of Christ but left the earth and didn t come back until the early 1800s. If someone were to look up Hindu Gods on the internet the list would be never ending. There are believed to be millions of Hindu Gods. There are so many because there is a God for each stage of life or problem. Hindu Gods are called Shiva and Parvati, but there are lots and people pray to the Gods very often. These Gods are important symbols when the people are faced with big problems, at the moment when they are having a problem they pray to the gods to help them get over that problem. They also have Transcendent Gods that are beyond the universe, which they believe can be worshipped in innumerable forms, for example, a handsome young man, a majestic king, a young girl, an old woman or even a featureless stone. The Gods can be in human form or animal form. With so many gods and goddesses it is possible for more than one god or goddess to be worshipped in the same family. Specific gods in Hinduism are called the Trimurti, Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer and Shiva the destroyer. There are many temples that are erected in honor of the Hindu Gods. The Gods are respected, no matter how the traditions are different from one country to the next the Gods are appreciated and cherished by the people. I can understand how the Hindus Gods are so important to the Hindus, it gives them something to believe in and something to depend on. I think that maybe the Hindus are more dedicated to their Gods and religion than most other religions. Events are held for these Gods that last multiple days. During these events they think that can purify their souls and

3 3 become closer to the Gods. Hindus do not only have ceremonies and praying but they also have books, and meditation. The Hindus love reading books about the Hindu Gods and trying to get a better understanding of them. Meditation is an important thing for them, they want to discover new things about the sense of life and also the key life principles that there are to guide them. The main parts of the circles of the Hindu Gods are the mother goddesses. They believe that the mother goddesses have massive powers over the creation of the whole universe. Many people that do not belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints often get confused about the godhead. There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi 11:27 that states, for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one. This does sound like Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are all one person, but this is not true, the scripture is saying that they are one in purpose. This reminds me of the Trimurti in the Hindu religion, three different beings that all have a specific purpose in the religion. The Mormons worship only one God and that is Heavenly Father. When they pray they pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ. When praying there is not a rehearsed prayer but it is what comes from the heart, thanks are given, and blessings are asked for. Unlike the Hindus there is only one form to the Mormons God and they don t believe that he comes to earth in different forms. The Mormons also do not have any idols or statues that they worship. Mormons have many temples throughout the world; they are built so that the members can have the blessings that come from doing the ordinances that are performed in the temples. Everything that the members of the Mormon Church do should be based around God. There are not certain days, besides Sunday, that they set aside for worship or celebration of their gods. Christmas and Easter

4 4 are big holidays for the Mormon culture because those are the days that they believe the Jesus Christ was born and resurrected. They try to remember the true meaning of those holidays. The Mormons and the Hindu are both really good examples of what religions should be like. They both have high standards and expectations and try to live up to those. Even though their ideas of their gods are different they have many things in common. They both have scriptures, temples, celebrations, some sort of godhead and they both pray to their gods.

5 5 An Introduction to Hinduism Hindus are sure of their identity as Hindu, in contrast to being Christian, Muslim, or Buddhist. The different kinds of Hindus will vary a great deal and differences are as great as differences between Hindus and Buddhists or Christians. (p. 5) India s population is 900 million people and 700 million are Hindus (p. 5) Hindu - Persian geographical term for the people who lived beyond the river Indus. (p.6) Transcendent gods beyond the universe that can be worshipped in innumerable forms. Handsome young man, majestic king, old woman, young girl, featureless stone. (10)