Overview
Hinduism is the largest ethnic religion in the world. It is also the oldest religion and it's founding was before recorded history. There are different branches of Hinduism and depending on the person, they can be monotheistic or polytheistic. This is because there many Gods, but many Hindus only worship one deity and believe the others are manifestations of that deity. One example of this would be Brahman or the Absolute. Many Hindus believe that all other deities are just manifestations of Brahman. However, other Hindus treat each god as a separate being with their own personality and spheres of power.
Most Hindus believe in some key things though.
1. Karma - actions that one does in this life can affect what happens in the next (ie. good leads to good and bad brings bad)
2. Samsara - the belief that the world is in a cycle of birth and death
3. All living things have a soul.
4. The caste system - a system that groups people into 4 categories at birth that is supposed to reflect their past life
Hinduism is a very broad and encompassing religion with many different ways to practice the faith.
Most Hindus believe in some key things though.
1. Karma - actions that one does in this life can affect what happens in the next (ie. good leads to good and bad brings bad)
2. Samsara - the belief that the world is in a cycle of birth and death
3. All living things have a soul.
4. The caste system - a system that groups people into 4 categories at birth that is supposed to reflect their past life
Hinduism is a very broad and encompassing religion with many different ways to practice the faith.
Cosmogony
Hindus believe that the universe had no start and no end. Rather before this universe and world there was an infinite number of other universe and after this universe there will be an infinite number of universes. They believe in a cylindrical universe and many believe in the multiverse theory. The multiverse theory is the theory that there are alternative or parallel universes to ours. Other Hindus believe in an infinite universe, but believe different things on how creation began. Some describe it as the breaking of an egg (Chandogya Upanishad) and others and others believe that it was built by Brahman out of wood like a house. As Hindus believe there are many paths to Nirvana, there is little agreement on the creation of the universe and of Earth.
Some Helpful Urls
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/rs/environment/hinduismbeliefsrev1.shtml
http://veda.wikidot.com/hindu-cosmology
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Hindu_Cosmology.htm
http://veda.wikidot.com/hindu-cosmology
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Hindu_Cosmology.htm