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Hinduism: Supreme God
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In Hinduism there is no sin against a Holy God. Acts of wrongdoing are not done against any God but are mainly a result of ignorance. These evils can be overcome by following the guidelines of one's caste and way of salvation. To the contrary, Christianity sees sin as a real act of rebellion against a perfect and Holy God. All acts of transgression are ultimately acts of rebellion against the laws of God.
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Perhaps the best word in Hinduism to represent the concept of God is Īshvara (literally, the Supreme Lord) [10]. In Advaita Vedānta philosophy, Īshvara is simply the form of Brahman manifested upon the human mind. According to Smārta views, the Supreme Being can be with attributes, Saguṇa Brahman, and ... be viewed with whatever attributes (e.g., a goddess) a devotee conceives. For the Hindus, Īshvara, who is one and only one, is full of innumerable auspicious qualities; He is omniscient, omnipotent, perfect, just, merciful, glorious, mysterious, and yet full of love. He is the Creator, the Ruler and the Destroyer of this universe. Some believe Him to be infinite and incorporeal.
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Hinduism has many gods and goddesses, some of whom were worshipped by early peoples who later came into contact with this faith. The aim of Hinduism is not the worship of any one of these deities, but rather the means with which the individual soul or Atman will become one with the Brahman, or the Universal Soul. Among the most commonly worshipped gods are:
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Along with the worship of the gods, Hinduism teaches transmigration of souls and obedience to caste customs. The two concepts are closely related. The theory is that when a man dies his soul goes to the particular heaven of his particular god, as a reward for devotion to that deity. Later the soul returns to earth and is rejoined to another body, by transmigration from one corporeal dwelling to another. This process goes on forever, and the soul is inexorably bound to the "wheel of existence" that turns around and around, from birth to death to birth to death, in unending repetition.
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Many denominations of Hinduism, such as Vaishnavism and Smartism, teach that from time to time God (usually seen as Vishnu) comes to Earth as a human being to help humans along in their struggle toward enlightenment and salvation (moksha). Such an incarnation of God is called an avatāra. In some respects, the Hindu concept of avatara is similar to the belief found in Christianity that God came to the earth in the human form of Jesus. However, whereas most Christians believe that God has assumed a human body on only one occasion, Hinduism teaches that there have been multiple avatars throughout history, and that there will be more in the future. Thus Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, says:
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The roots of Hinduism can be traced to around 1500 BC, but it was very different to the Hinduism of today. It was polytheistic and ritualistic and originally the rituals were generally performed at home. They gradually became more complex and a priestly class was created and trained in order to carry out the rituals. The priests ... became the means of access to the gods.
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