Hinduism

Back after a long hiatus. This time I thought I would like to share my thoughts on Hinduism.
Hinduism is defined in Wikipedia as
"Hinduism does not have a "unified system of belief encoded in declaration of faith or a creed", but is rather an umbrella term comprising the plurality of religious phenomena originating and based on the Vedic Traditions."
Why did I choose to talk on this now of all? Well, the reason being that whenever we speak of Hinduism, the first thought that crosses their mind are the castes and untouchability. But Hinduism is more than that and I want to try to dispel this lopsided notion.
I guess you would have already heard that Hinduism is not really a religion but it is a way of life.
It is one religion where in a person can be an Aethist and yet be a Hindu. Criticism and debate is part of the religion from possibly the iron age. The concept of worshiping a God that we have visualized, which practically implies that God does not have a form, is very much Hinduism. Everyone is entitled to practice the religion as it fits their style.
It is one religion that has learned to evolve with times such as the abolishment of Sati and Polygamy (possibly even Polyandry) as early as the 19-20th Century. Ofcourse there are people who will call this a social reform rather than a religious reform but that is the beauty. This is because the laws of Hinduism are there to govern the life in a community, soceity. That is how the caste system came into being, to demarcate the roles for each of the 4 pillars of a soceity which are leadership, knowledge, entrepreneurs and the labour force. To draw parallels to todays soceity is legislative, judiciary and law & order as one, academecians, corporates and the all important labour force.
The laws governing Hinduism are written in something called Smritis and they also state that these laws are to change as time evolves. The laws are something that have infact evolved over time themselves.
The scholars incorporated religious rituals which are infact activities to instill discipline, cleanliness,respect and a lot more.
Ofcourse, I do agree that the religion did degenerate over a few centuries, but it is now back in revival with untouchability abolished by law and almost eliminated in most places in India. There is still a long way to go but it is coming back in all its glory. The reason is that the people of India are longing for a identity and Hinduism gives them one. Infact this is not only for Hindus but also people of other religions who reside in the Indian Subcontinent.
This is just a start and there are a lot more interesting facts about Hinduism which I shall write going forward as I find more about it.