Two of the world’s most prominent religions, Judaism and Hinduism, are ones that have profoundly impacted their believers and non-believers alike. These two religions have shaped their followers’ roles in the modern world and have allowed them to influence other cultures and religions. While their significance is vast, they differ greatly in their beliefs, religious practices and faith whether it is through one God or through many Gods.
HISTORY AND WORLD PREVALENCE The beginnings of the Hindu religion are difficult to pin down. There is no known founder of the religion, with its history predating the any written tradition. Hinduism has gradually developed over 4,000 years. There is …show more content…
It is the main religion of the people of India and Nepal. There are over 900 million followers of Hinduism worldwide. Part of the early foundations of the Hindu religion is the caste system which has remained largely unchanged since the earliest days of Hinduism. The caste system is made up of four groups, with a fifth being considered untouchable or unclean. One of the legends about the beginnings of the caste system is the legend of a man named Mahanuvu. It is taught that Mahanuvu saved humanity from a worldwide flood by leading them into a great ship. After the people departed the ship, they divided into four groups which later became the castes (Hutchinson, 2016 par 10). The caste system is still adhered to by most followers of Hinduism and affects the people living in India …show more content…
They are among the highest in the caste system. They also serve as teachers, advisers to the rulers and have even been kings. The Brahmins are considered ritually pure and are held to very high moral standards. The priests are responsible for performing the ritualistic cleansing of the altar for sacrifices. All of this is done to please the gods and maintain dharma, or morality and tradition (Kinnard, 2010). Jewish religious leaders are called Rabbis. They are responsible for overseeing rituals and ceremonies, teaching, and interpreting the Torah. In Hebrew, rabbi means teacher. The other leaders within the Hebrew faith are the cantors; they are the laypersons who are trained to chant during traditional cantillation. Over the course of known history, Hinduism and Judaism have impacted not only their followers and the regions of their foundations, but the world as a whole. The morals and values taught in the Torah are used as a moral standard worldwide. The teachings of Hindu meditation and yoga are practiced daily by people all over the globe. Although these two religions do not have many teachings or practices in common, they have both contributed to the growth and development of man throughout the ages. And they have both endured the test of