HinduismHinduism is considered one of the oldest religions in the world. Hinduism predates recorded history. Hinduism is a unique religion in that there is no single founder, but it grew over a period of 4,000 years in the Indus River region, better known today as the subcontinent of India. Hinduism does not have a specific theological system, a single moral system, or a central religious center of organization. The word Hinduism “derives from a name applied by foreigners to people living in the Indus River region, and was introduced in the nineteenth century under British colonial rule as a census category” (Axia College, 2005). Today, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, after only Christianity and Islam, with 837 million followers. This is approximately 13% of the world's population (Religioustolerance.org, 2008). There are thousands of forms of Hindu worship developed in India, Nepal and among the Tamils ​​of Sri Lanka. There are an estimated 1.1 million Hindus in the United States. The preferred term today is Sanatana Dharma, translated as eternal or ageless religion (Axia College, 2005). Hinduism is sometimes considered henotheistic, meaning it “involves devotion to a single god while accepting the existence of others” (Reference.com, 2008). . Any such term is actually considered an overgeneralization. Hindus believe that a person's true self or soul, called Atman, is eternal. This Atman is ultimately indistinct from Brahman, the supreme spirit. The purpose of life is to realize that one's Atman is identical with Brahman, the supreme soul. “Whoever becomes fully aware of the Atman as the innermost core of one's self realizes an identity with Brahman and thereby achieves Moksha (liberation or freedom)” (Reference.com, 2008). Moksha is “liberation or freedom from the limitations of space, time and matter through the realization of the immortal absolute” (Axia College, 2005). This will take several incarnations, or lifetimes, to achieve. So Hindus believe in reincarnation and karma. Reincarnation is the soul leaving a dead body and being reborn in a new body again and again to continue working towards the ultimate goal of Moksha. Karma is the action and consequences of these actions in an incarnation. What you do in your life will have consequences in this life and for all lives to come.