Indian Religion - Referat

Hallöchen,

Ich muss morgen in Englisch ein Referat über "Indian Religion" halten und habe dafür eine Folie mit Stichpunkten zu den verschiedenen Religionen vorbereitet.

Könnte sich das vielleicht mal jemand schnell durchlesen? Mich interessiert ob ihr anHand dieser Stichpunkte versteht worum es geht, Rechtschreib- und Grammatikfehler dürfen natürlich trotzdem verbessert werden :)
Vielen Dank im Voraus.

Hinduism

- cannot be traced to a specific founder nor does it have a "holy book"
- The Rig Veda, Upanishads and the Bhagwad Gita: sacred text of the Hindus
- Not one particular deity, numerous gods and goddesses:
- the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - creator, preserver and destroyer
- Brahma has four heads corresponding to the four directions of the compass, creator of life and the entire universe
- Vishnu is the preserver who guides the cycle of birth and rebirth, saves the world from evil forces.

- Shiva, usually seen with a coiled cobra around his neck, destroys all evil
- festivals and ceremonies associated not only with gods and goddesses, also with the sun, moon, planets, rivers, oceans, trees and animals
- amazing popular appeal and make the Indian tradition rich and colorful.

Sikhism

- founder: Guru Nanak
- began to preach the message of unity of Hinduism and Islam
- attracted many followers and came to be known as a Guru or a teacher
- His disciples came together to form a new religious tradition called Sikhism
- Holy Book: Guru Granth Sahib, a symbol of God for Sikhs.
- Sikhism propounds monotheism (worship of one God)
- opposes the caste system and believes that all men are equal

Buddhism

- offshoot of Hinduism, became popular all over Asia
- teachings of Gautam Buddha, the founder, have illumined the lives of millions of people in Japan, China and Southeast Asia
- strong lines of similarity between Buddhism and the basic teachings of Hinduism
- law of impermanence: everything is subject to change
- law of causation: nothing occurs due to pure chance
- rests upon four Noble Truths:
1. suffering is universal
2. it is caused by desire and yearning
3. suffering can be prevented and overcome
4. eradication of desires can lead to removal of suffering

Jainism

- Jainism rose against the corruption in the interpretation of Hinduism prevalent
- philosophy of Jainism: renunciation of worldly desires and self-conquest leads to perfect wisdom
- followers of this faith accept the popular gods of Hinduism but they are placed lower than the jinas
- purification of the soul by means of right conduct, right faith and right knowledge
- non-violence (Jain monks)
- finds wide acceptance because of its philosophy of sympathy for all living beings.

Christianity

- came to India by way of St. Thomas, who founded the first church in Kerala
- most Christians in India are Catholic (> 60 percent)
- Catholic and Protestant missionaries preached Christian doctrines in India and made important contributions to social improvement and education
- much of the modern influences can be attributed to Christianity
- helped in setting up schools and colleges all over India
- spread the message of faith and goodwill in the country
- influenced a number of intellectuals and thinkers in India