posted on Jan, 2 2010 @ 09:53 PM
I am a Hindu myself. I will tell you why I am Hindu
* It is the only religion that is a philosophical system and encourages independent thinking. It would be safe to say Hinduism is the philosophers
religion.
* There is no one single scripture. Although the Vedas are considered the most sacred, Hindus are not required to read the Vedas. There are hundreds
of texts you can read in Hinduism, as per your preference. Almost all of these texts are goldmines of wisdom
* It is tolerant of divergent systems of thought. At most if a Hindu disagress with another religion or philosophy they will argue their points
rationally, but they are not expected to engage in violence and rarely would a Hindu do so.
* It is realistic. There is no evil counterpart of god, evil is seen as created by the ignorance of human beings. Just as a child can be ignorant and
do misdeeds, so too does the human. When they become more enlightened they will lose their "evil" tendencies
* It is fair and just. There is no eternal damnation. The kind of life experiences you have are based on your own previous choices, and you always
have the choice to make different choices to have better life experiences in the future.
* It is cosmic and scientific. Hinduism is about eternal laws and principles which govern the universe and living according to them to remain at
harmony with the universe.
* It is very colourful. Hinduism believes in one ultimate supreme being/god, but believes that this god has infinite forms. He is the radiant
one(Surya), the cosmic intelligence(Indra), the divine architect(Vishwakarma)m, the creator(Brahma), the preserver(Vishnu) the destroyer(Shiva). Each
personification of an attribute of god has their own mythology, temples, art, festivals. Hinduism is full of festivals.
* It is liberal. There are many ways to god, not just one. There is the way of philosophy and knowledge, the way of devotion, the way of selfless
service, the way of meditation. It accomodates every kind of personality.
* It is very fascinating. It is the oldest religion in the world. It has the largest body of mythology and the the oldest history. Nothing comes close
to the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
* It has the most impressive metaphysics of all systems of metaphysics in the world. The best descriptions of the various planes of reality, the best
descriptions of spiritual anatomy(subtle body, chakras) and tried and tested methods to work with them directly
* It has its own sciences. The science of grammar, the science of music, the science of architecture, the science of medicine and health, the science
of mind. These are even more advanced than their modern counterparts.
Islam is the complete opposite.
[edit on 2-1-2010 by Indigo_Child]