Wealth and pleasure are the first two teachings in Hinduism and they must be pursued with the dharma; the goal of Dharma is that they keep the welfare and of all others in mind as they attain their own personal goals. The highest goal or teaching in Hinduism is moksha which means liberation. Liberation is usually taught to a Hindu by a teacher, guru. In this religious belief the cause of human suffering is ignorance. Ignorance comes from desires and actions; such actions and desires create a multitude of consequences either later in life or in another life. This is where karma comes in to play, they believe if you do something wrong in this life you will be punished wither later in this life or in another life. They believe that one will have multiple births in order to achieve true liberation. Also, in order to attain liberation one must fully understand that the self is eternal and uncreated. (Rambachan, 2000).
Hindus experience a vast amount of criticism, mostly because they worship what one can say as false gods. They worship values where other religions worship actual figures or persons. Their beliefs are not based on what a book says they are based on virtues, being able to attain true freedom from worldly desires and actions.
Hindus have provided other groups with the sense of attaining true liberation from one’s self. Meaning, even though you may have all the worldly materials and needs, there will always be the need to search for more, if you are able to achieve true freedom you can understand the real meaning of happiness and self content.
Hindus are mocked by most because people think they worship cows. The truth is that they do not worship cows they view the cow as the symbol of life and a source of food, more like taboo. Hindus are often said to worship demons as opposed to searching for freedom or enlightenment. Many Hindu temples have been attacked my Muslims, because they are believed to be worshipping false gods and the devil. ("The Cow And Hinduism", 2007).
I have gained a new perspective and a great deal of understanding for Hinduism during my research. I, sad to say, was one that grew up thinking that they worshipped false gods and their beliefs were not right. After reading and being able to understand what it actually is that they worship and strive to attain in their spiritual and worldly lives, I respect what they stand for. There are some things I disagree with but the virtues they stand for are something that I can personally practice and learn from in my daily and spiritual life.
Polynesians practice Christianity with a bit of Native beliefs. Polynesian beliefs are mostly based on experience. Polynesians believe in life after death, so to them it is possible that an aborted fetus can become a demon, a loved one can become a god, or a neglected soul can become an aimless wondering ghost. They believe in life after death, therefore they must create a sense of attachment and at the same time detachment when a loved one passes. They will destroy clothing and belongings of the deceased and someone will reclaim the house for the living. One of the most important things in Polynesian culture is their ancestors and the recently dead. Hawaiian families conduct ceremonies to transform their deceased into animals that the family is related to; for example a fisherman would be part of the shark family. Polynesians do not believe in immortality they way they do life after death. They believe that in death the spirit of the deceased leaves the body through a tear duct and begins a tentative journey into the uplands for a time and then proceeds along a path of the spirits to the place on each island where the soul jumps off into the land of the dead. If a soul expert believes that someone should not have died, he