RDJ Hinduism - InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit

Hinduism

About Hinduism

Hinduism, also known as Sanatana Dharma, is the world’s oldest living religion. A specific date of Hinduism’s origin is unknown, with most scholarship pointing to Hinduism starting in the Indus Valley of India between 2300 B.C.E. and 1500 B.C.E. Many believers, though, have long considered Hindu wisdom to have existed since before recorded time began.

In relating to other religions, Hinduism asserts that it is not only harmful, but inherently flawed to insist that one’s own path towards God is the only true and meaningful path. Based on this firm pluralistic belief, Hinduism has never sanctioned proselytization.

There are about one dozen different Hindu Temples serving thousands of Hindu families in the Metro Detroit area. Let’s take a deeper look at the history, beliefs, and practices of these wonderful members of our community.

Hinduism is the world’s third-largest religion, with over 1.25 billion followers – about or 15% of the world’s population.

“The Hindu religion is the only one of the world’s great faiths dedicated to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths.” – Carl Sagan, Astronomer

Hindu belief is based on scripture and includes an extensive collection of ancient religious writings.