The Worldview of Hinduism

Paper Summary:

The paper explores how Hinduism has experienced some fundamental changes over the millennia that have influenced the overall practice of its religious aspects. The paper reviews the literature to determine what exactly Hinduism is, what worldview is held by its practitioners and how these views have changed over the last 4,000 years.

Outline:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Discussion
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"While there are countless individual interpretations and beliefs that exist within the general framework of what is termed "Hinduism" in the West, the worldview of modern Hinduism is considered a framework in which to interpret humankind and the world in which it exists, evolving in a modern nation-state that has experienced technological, economical, and socio-political modernization as well as fundamental demographic changes that resulted in some reinterpretations of the underlying philosophical foundations during the mid-20th century (Ramstedt 251). As Hatcher (1999) notes, these changes were due in large part to the socio-political state in which many Indians found themselves during this period in their history."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Basham, A. L. "Hinduism." In The Concise Encyclopedia of Living Faiths, R. C. Zaehner (Ed.). Boston: Beacon Press, 1989.
• Beck, Richard. (2006). "Defensive versus Existential Religion: Is Religious Defensiveness Predictive of Worldview Defense?" Journal of Psychology and Theology 34(2): 142.
• Carmody. Denise Lardner and John Tully Carmody. Mysticism: Holiness East and West. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
• Findly, Ellison Banks. (2002). "Hinduism and Ecology: The Intersection of Earth, Sky, and Water." The Journal of the American Oriental Society 122(4): 925.
• Hatcher, Brian A. Eclecticism and Modern Hindu Discourse. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

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