Hawthorny wrote:
Very interesting information, I must admit I am naive in the Hindu faith. All I know about is the half elephant/octopus Ganesh deity because I saw it on the simpsons. Now that I think about it, all I know about that religion Apu from the simpsons taught me. Is it true Hindu's started the Quick-E Mart? Joking aside, how to they keep their membership so high if there is no recruiting?
Is the caste system still heavily pushed in India though? IMO that is a pretty big interference in peoples lives via religion.
You forgot the episode where they did a cross section of the earth and past the crust, magma etc, there was a giant Shiva sitting in the core, in what looked like a control room, pushing a bunch of buttons with his multiple arms.

As for membership being high....2 reasons. 1) Breed them and brainwash them ( do you know what the population of India is? Not the mention the reach of the Indian diaspora globally. They're everywhere. ). 2) Flexibility. Nobody stops being a Hindu because you don't have to. Don't want to be a vegetarian? Eat meat. Love the taste of Cow? No worries, you can give it up next lifetime. There is a facet of hinduism that meets whatever your level of commitment is. Don't even want to pray? Just do good works instead. Work is literally Worship. Your faith, your call.
The caste system is an Indian socio economic thing not really a Hindu thing. Same for burning widows. Husbands family don't want the financial burden of looking after her so they toss her on the fire too.
The one thing all religions have in common is that the scriptures were written by men, who twisted things and made things up to suit their own purposes. God didn't write anything. Men did and said that it's what God told them. Maybe God did, but do you really know for sure?