An Indian poet
Hinduism
Hinduism covers a wide range of traditions and ideas and is a "way of life" which is hard to define. Some of the ideologies it suggests are Vegetarianism, Non-violence, Law of karma (whatever thoughts or energy you put out, you get back [what you reap is what you sow]), Belief in rebirth, Moksha (liberation/freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth/salvation) and Caste system which divides Hindus into four main categories - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras.
Hinduism is talking about 330 million Gods or God-like people. Probably, it was an attempt to express the infinity of the universe, to capture all its reality. God is one, but our limited knowledge makes us think that God is his works [like sun or fire or wind or the swift air or the sphere of stars or the mighty water or the luminaries of heaven]. In a philosophical way, Hinduism considers sages, rivers, rocks, animals, and every human being in general as divine and hence God. According to one thesis, the 330 million Gods are the approximate world population at the time when it was written.
In practice, people worship God in many forms such as nature (including trees, sun, idols, animals, etc.) and persons (Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, etc.). These persons are called Deities or Avatars. People also adore manmade statues or symbols as God.
The epics Ramayana and Mahabharata are Poetic stories or a glorified account of events that actually happened, written to create ethics for people. But characters in these literatures also became God.
Sometimes, brave warriors, intellects, beauties - in general extra ordinary - are "misadored" as GOD. When Mahendra Singh Dhoni was performing in an extra ordinary way in Cricket, his fans were planning to build a temple in his name. “We'll construct a huge temple of Dhoni in Ranchi and have a priest who will pray to him every day.” one of his supporter declared. There were also plans to build temple for Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time in Cricket. But fortunately, they themselves were against this, so, that didn't happen. But there are some other examples where temples are built for successful people, in some cases without their endorsement. According to some reports, there exist temples or places of worship for Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan (Successful actors), Mahatma Gandhi (pre-eminent leader of the Indian independence movement), Sonia Gandhi (Political leader), Kushboo, Namitha, Pooja Umashankar (Successful actresses), MGR, Karunanidhi (Successful politicians) and so on...Actually, none of them are God or Goddess, they are normal human beings like you and me. There is a chance that, some of the temples we see at the moment are built in this fashion in older times. They have nothing to do with God but are only tribute to successful individuals.
The Hindu scriptures are replete with metaphors, containing deeper philosophical truths, couched in symbolism, not obvious to ordinary individuals. Some of them, especially the Vedas, the Upanishads, are written in a coded or symbolic language. The symbolism, mysticism and the philosophy in the scriptures of Hinduism ended up in adoring nature (including trees, sun, idols, animals, etc.) and persons (Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, etc.) as God. Symbols and names used in the scriptures to detail the character of God, became God. Principles of God (which are detailed in the scriptures) that perform various functions in the universe, became God.
According to studies, some humans in the past misinterpreted the scriptures of Hinduism by spreading fake stories to consolidate power or to divide and rule. The story of deportation of the benevolent local king Mahabali from Kerala, the story of acquisition of the land from locals in Kerala, the story of the murder of benevolent king Mahishasura in Karnataka are some examples of this. Gods are “invented”. Even in modern India, some of the so-called "upper class" - a minority but cleverer, richer and better educated - are still using religion to get superiority over fellow Hindus by misusing caste.
Sometimes, local heroes or local traditions also ended up as God and worship.
Most scholars state that, there were neither Murti nor temples nor idol-facilitated worship in the Vedic era. Do not adore "anything other than God" as God! It is wrong to adore any individuals/persons/Gurus, murtis/statues/idols/deities as Avatars of God.
According to the scriptures of Hinduism,
"He is One only without a second (Ekam evadvitiyam)".
"Of Him there are neither parents nor lord (Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah)".
"There is no likeness of Him (Na tasya pratima asti)".
"His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye (Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam)".
“There is only one God, not the second; not at all, not at all, not in the least bit (Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste neh na naste kinchan)”.
Islam
The founder of Islam was against idol worship and polytheism. "God is one and single" that was his main message. Local authorities, who were encouraging polytheism in that region persecuted him. First, he voluntarily expatriated to avoid problems, but later he engaged in armed conflicts with his enemies. Nowadays, a minority in this religion, misinterprets the instructions delivered for those conflicts to endorse violence. Those instructions were meant only for that particular conflict as a defensive response to oppression.
According to its scriptures, "men and women are equal before God". Even in its early period, many women were professionals and property owners. The first wife of its founder was a very successful merchant, it is said that, her trade caravans equalled the caravans of all other traders when they are gathered for trade journeys. But in some places, in the name of this religion, women rights and education for girls are denied.
Its scripture says, ‘Seeking knowledge is a duty upon every man and woman’,
Some teachings of all religions including Islam were probably needed during the time when they were written, they reflect the conditions when they were formulated and practicing teachings which are inappropriate in the current society is irresponsible. Some of them may not fit into the present-day system. So a periodical reformation of its laws would be highly appreciable.
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