Hinduism is unique compared to other religions for a varied number of reasons. Hinduism is noted as the world’s oldest existing religion, dated as far back as the 2nd millennium BCE. Hinduism does not have one founder or core doctrine that can be referenced. The religion is an assembly of religious, philosophical and cultural ideas and practices that originated in the country of India.
The name Hinduism is new, compared to the age of the religion, British writers created the name in the beginning of the 19th century.
According to some, an individual is born into Hinduism. However, in today’s culture, one does not need to be of Indian decent to practice Hinduism. It is not exclusive to one nationality or race.
Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion. It has one billion adherents, which makes up 15 percent of the world’s population. Christianity is the world’s largest religion with 2 billion followers, and second largest with 1.3 billion followers is Islam. According to the Pew Research Center 0.7 percent of the United States population are Hindus.
It is important to be culturally competent when it comes to an individual’s faith and beliefs. If you are a colleague of, provide treatment to, or just interact with someone of the Hindu faith, it is imperative to have an understanding and respect for their religion.
With their cultural and religious beliefs, those of the Hindu faith can have varying views on matters such as food, holidays, general beliefs and more.
Due to the fact that Hinduism does not require followers to accept any one idea, the religion is much more cultural rather than creedal.
The Hinduism religion has a belief of reincarnation, meaning that after one dies they are reborn. A large belief of Hindu’s is that karma is a big influence on how positive, or negative, conditions are in an individual’s present life.
When it comes to the Hinduism diet there are varying beliefs. Due to a lack of scriptural documentation there are varied ideologies. Some Hindus are purely vegetarians, whereas others only eat non-vegetarian foods on Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays, Chathurthis, Ekadashis and celebrations of festivals.
When it comes to medication, Hindu patients may not be given medicine that has been derived from cows, pigs or other animals.
At your organization, it is recommended to provide education and training to your staff regarding the religious and cultural beliefs of the Hindu faith. That training can explain and aid in developing cultural competency in different ideologies that you, or your employees, may not have engaged with before.
CulturaLink can help you and the Hindu community by providing consulting, education and training. Not only will CulturaLink give an organization access to top-of-the-line instruction, but they also are equipped the knowledge on those of Hindu faith and what steps must be taken to provide a competent workplace, quality care in healthcare and how to generally be understanding and empathetic of someone who is a believer of Hinduism
Sources:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/ataglance/glance.shtml
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hinduism
https://hinduismfacts.org/hindu-customs-and-traditions/