Literacy within Religion

Literacy within Religion

Hinduism has always been a topic of interest and misconception for many people. I will be researching the literacy within this subculture of religion. I will be visiting a Hindu temple in Dallas. I chose this site because of the many misconception the world has on this religion. I also have many family friends that participate in this religion and since I do not know much about it I would like to get to know what it actually is. I will be researching the beliefs and views Hinduism places on the world and how this culture lives compared to Christianity. I would like to understand what they think about a God or Gods and make the public understand that one religion isn’t any better then another religion just because of a disagreement of beliefs.

I aim to discover the common misconceptions of this religion and to expose what the true purpose is. Some questions to be answered will be, Is Hinduism considered a religion or a culture/ way of life, does it contain Monotheism or Polytheism, what is the difference between a God and Brahman, what is the structure of the temple, and what exactly is being worshiped. I might also ask how the religion is practiced outside the temple and in the individuals home, what holidays, if any, are celebrated and the meaning behind those special days, and I will also ask about the main rules that are followed in order to participate and become a member of this specific religion. I became interested in this religion/culture when a family friend was to be engaged. The parents, with out any argument from the couple, arranged the marriage. This is just one of the many customs that are practiced. I want to find out if this is something that falls under religion or is it a cultural aspect that is specific to certain families. I also want to find out the roll of men and women in this society. I want to see if the men are the dominant figures and if the women are more submissive. Because of these factors I became interested in the way people who practice Hinduism live. It made me question whether this is a way of life or a religion or maybe even both.

            I will be conducting a survey to ask the common people what they believe Hinduism is. I will ask who they think practices the religion and what they think is idolized.  I will ask for there honest opinions about the subject. I will then interview a person from the Hindu religion and ask them the true answers for the questions. Meanwhile I will be in the temple observing the services and the way the people in this culture respond and act in this setting. I will be getting the true view on Hinduism by actually being the outsider looking in on the service.

            My research site is a culture in its own. It will show the less common types of literacy’s in the community. The religions and cultures that are looked at as “wrong” by the Christian views need to be observed and explained to the community so every one can be literate in different ideals and values. The community needs to see that one religion isn’t right or wrong and there are many types of cultures that are not understood. Being literate in a subject that makes one uncomfortable is power in its own. Everyone should learn new things if they want to continue to grow with the different literacy’s in the community. It is important for me to explain Hinduism to the community because of the misconceptions people have. It is important to understand the things that are different because ignorance is just a way of judging something with out knowledge of the subject.