What Is Hinduism?

What is Hinduism? How should it be explained to someone who knows nothing about it?

Hinduism is an extremely diversified religion. Hinduism is a western term for the religious beliefs and practices of the vast majority of people in India. One of the oldest living religions in the world, Hinduism is unique among the world religions in that it had no single founder but grew over a period of 4,000 years in secularism with the religious and cultural movements of the Indian subcontinent. Different Hindu groups worship different gods, have different traditions, and different set of sacred texts. Hinduism is composed of innumerable sects and has no well-defined organization. Its two most general features are the caste systems and acceptance of the Veda as the most sacred scriptures.

What views of women are engendered by Hinduism? Explain.

According to Hinduism, there are negative and positive aspects on women. During the Vedic times, women were relatively free and honored members of Indian society, by participating equally in important spiritual rituals. By the nineteenth century, social changes occurred and women had become servants of the husband's family. A woman's role was usually linked to that of her husband, who takes the position of her god and teacher. Men and women were thought to complement each other, although the ideal of liberation had traditionally been intended for the male. Hindu texts extol the virtues of womanhood and of the essential role women have in nurturing future generations.