(October 24, 2021 at 11:52 pm)Ferrocyanide Wrote:(October 23, 2021 at 4:49 pm)zebo-the-fat Wrote: The soft toys parents hope connect kids to their faith
Over the last few years a handful of small UK and US businesses have popped-up selling religious soft toys aimed at parents of children aged under 10.
Hindu-origin parents are the business brains behind many of the brands, hoping to maximise sales in the run up to Diwali, the festival of lights which is on 4 November this year.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-5892...gn=KARANGA
Catch 'em young before they learn to think!
I've wondered whether indians still believe in the hindu gods. I don't know much about their religion but when you have a picture or a statue of a god, one that has an elephant head, another that has many arms, another guy who is blue skinned, it removes the mystery.
Where did those drawings come from?
Someone should do a poll on indians who have moved to western countries.
The imageless jewish god at least has that mystery. The christian heaven is a mystery.
The soul and spirit.... again a mystery. What is it? How does it work? What does it look like?
You seem to be suggesting that Hindus who move to other countries lose their faith. Why on earth should they, any more than say Christian moving to country in which Christianity is not the biggest religion? On the face of it, your position seems to be a very bigoted one
I strongly suggest you do some reading. Below perhaps a starting point
"Hinduism (/ˈhɪnduɪzəm/)[1] is an Indian religion and dharma, or way of life.[note 1][note 2] It is the world's third-largest religion, with over 1.2 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global population, known as Hindus.[2][web 1][web 2] The word Hindu is an exonym,[3][4][note 3] and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world,[note 4] many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्म, lit. ''the Eternal Dharma''), which refers to the idea that its origins lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts.[5][6][7][8][note 5][excessive citations] Another, though less fitting,[9] self-designation is Vaidika dharma,[10][11][12][13] the 'dharma related to the Vedas.'[web 3]
Hinduism is a diverse system of thought marked by a range of philosophies and shared concepts, rituals, cosmological systems, pilgrimage sites, and shared textual sources that discuss theology, metaphysics, mythology, Vedic yajna, yoga, agamic rituals, and temple building, among other topics.[14] Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include the four Puruṣārthas, the proper goals or aims of human life; namely, dharma (ethics/duties), artha (prosperity/work), kama (desires/passions) and moksha (liberation/freedom from the passions and the cycle of death and rebirth),[15][16] as well as karma (action, intent and consequences) and saṃsāra (cycle of death and rebirth).[17][18] Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties, such as honesty, refraining from injuring living beings (Ahiṃsā), patience, forbearance, self-restraint, virtue, and compassion, among others.[web 4][19] Hindu practices include rituals such as puja (worship) and recitations, japa, meditation (dhyāna), family-oriented rites of passage, annual festivals, and occasional pilgrimages. Along with the practice of various yogas, some Hindus leave their social world and material possessions and engage in lifelong Sannyasa (monasticism) in order to achieve moksha.[20]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism
There are a total of 15 million gods in Hinduism, but most people focus on one or a few. The god with the elephant's head is Ganesha and is one of the most widely worshipped gods in the Hindu pantheism.
"Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश, IAST: [i]Gaṇeśa[/i], also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon.[4] His image is found throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia (Java and Bali), Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Bangladesh and in countries with large ethnic Indian populations including Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, and Trinidad and Tobago.[5] Hindu denominations worship him regardless of affiliations.[6] Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists.[7]
Although Ganesha has many attributes, he is readily identified by his elephant head.[8] He is widely revered, more specifically, as the remover of obstacles and thought to bring good luck;[9][10] the patron of arts and sciences; and the deva of intellect and wisdom.[11] As the god of beginnings, he is honored at the start of rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as a patron of letters and learning during writing sessions.[2][12] Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha
To answer your question, yes Hinduism is very much alive and has over a billion followers..
