Is Hinduism A Universalizing Religion?
Is Hinduism A Universalizing Religion? – Hinduism is the oldest religion of the glob, which is still practiced today. It has a wast history and millions of followers. Being over five thousands of years old, Hinduism beats all the other religions of the world. But Is Hinduism A Universalizing Religion? To answer this question, we have to know what a Universalizing Religion is.
Is Hinduism A Universalizing Religion? – What Is A Universalizing Religion?
One of the definitions says that a Universalizing Religion is a type of religion which tries to operate on a global scale. It appeals to every people all over the world. Instead of attracting only one group of people which live one place.
The most popular and the largest universalizing religion is Christianity. With almost two and a half billions of followers. Therefore, the other two largest universalizing religions are Islam with almost two billion followers and Buddhism with half a billion followers.
As you can see, Hinduism is not in the list of the universalizing religions. Therefore, the answer to the question Is Hinduism A Universalizing Religion? Is No. The answer is no because Hinduism is an Ethnic Religion.
Hinduism – The Largest Ethnic Religion
We can define ethnic religions as religions that focuses on groups of people living in a certain place. Most ethnic religions are thousands of years old, but with unclear origins. They are mostly sects or parts of indigenous religions. There are two huge exceptions here, Confucianism and Taoism. They both have clear origins and founders. The most popular ethnic religion is Hinduism. Mostly due to the fact that most followers live in the Indian Subcontinent. Yes, there are Hindus all over the world. But the biggest percentage still lives in the Indian Subcontinent.
The other largest ethnic religion are Taoism with followers between 12 and 173 millions of followers and Shinto with over 100 millions of followers.
In conclusion, the answer to the question Is Hinduism A Universalizing Religion? Is easy. The answer is no. Hinduism is not a universalizing religion. It belongs to the other category of religions, the ethnic religions.