Hindu religion and culture is a very complex subject. The Hindu religion combines rich ethnic and traditional beliefs. We will take a closer look and try to understand Hindu religion and culture. The Hindu religion is the oldest of the five major religions of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism (Major World Religions, 2006). The Hindu religion began to develop around 4,000 years ago in India, but there was no founder or single belief system (Major World Religions, 2006). There are many diverse and varied gods in the Hindu religion. One of the most important beliefs is the theory of karma, which states that all human beings or animals have karma that determines which soul is for which body and the birth attribute of each soul. The ideal of the Hindu religion is that the soul can rise to the most sacred level through reincarnation. Reincarnation is when “a person is reborn again and again in countless bodies – perhaps in the form of an animal or another life form – but the self remains the same. Being born as a human being is a precious and rare opportunity for the soul to move toward its ultimate goal of liberation from rebirth and merging with absolute reality” (Fisher, 2005). In other words, if a person lives a good life, does good deeds and is of good faith, he will achieve good karma and his soul will elevate as a higher being. With good karma his soul will have much better chances in the life to come, but if he has done bad things in his life his soul will descend to a lower position in life, perhaps an animal or instinct dirty. Hinduism is primarily found in India but continues to grow throughout the world. Hindus are very peaceful and passive...... middle of paper ......d or cultures because of this experience. There are many ideologies in Hinduism that would help other human beings grow as people or help our society be more peaceful, regardless of their religion of origin. Being more lenient, more open and less violent as Hindus are could not harm anyone, but rather build more character and make life easier for everyone else in our society. Works Cited Fisher, MP (2005). Living Religions (6th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc. Hartman, R. (Speaker). (2006). Interview with T. Khanna. (cassette recording). Main religions of the world. (2006). The great religions of the world. Retrieved April 2, 2006, from Om Sakthi website: http://www.omsakthi.org/religions.htmlReligion Facts. (2006). Symbols of Hindu art and ritual. Accessed April 2, 2006, from Religion Facts website: http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/symbols.htm