THESE ARE THE BASIC BELIEFS OF HINDUS

Hinduism began in India around 2300 B.C. and remains prevalent on that subcontinent. As of 2018, about 94% of those who follow the Hindu faith live in India. It is third largest religion in the world, with fewer followers than only Christianity and Islam. As with all religions, there are multiple sects of Hinduism, each with some variations in their practices.

In the Hindu faith, god goes by many names and manifests in infinite ways.  Brahman is the recognized supreme God responsible for creating everything in the universe. Brahman has no gender and is all-knowing and all-present. They believe that Brahman manifests himself into small gods like Shiva and Vishnu. They also believe that divine essence known as "atman" dwells within each person. 

Hindus believe in reincarnation, with a constant cycle of being born, living and dying on the path to enlightenment. They believe their position in this present life was determined by their actions in a previous life.  If a person’s behavior before was evil, they might experience tremendous hardships in this life. Pain, disease, poverty or a disaster like a flood is deserved by that person because of their own evil actions, usually from a previous lifetime.

A Hindu's goal is to become free from the law of karma...to be free from continuous reincarnations. Only the soul matters which will one day be free of the cycle of rebirths and be at rest.