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Originally Posted by A smart ass named luke
Ok then so you say that Hinduism is therefore the truest religion as it is also the oldest.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zechariah Smyth
Hindoo isn't a religion, it's an excuse to smoke marihuana and lounge around in a muumuu.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by A smart ass named luke
religion
rɪˈlɪdʒ(ə)n/Submit
noun
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
"ideas about the relationship between science and religion"
synonyms: faith, belief, divinity, worship, creed, teaching, doctrine, theology; More
a particular system of faith and worship.
plural noun: religions
"the world's great religions"
a pursuit or interest followed with great devotion.
"consumerism is the new religion"
does Hinduism have gods: yes
so its a religion.
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Dear Not-So-Smart-Person:
You should try citing stuff sometimes. Plagiarizing may be fun, but giving credit is ethical.
Anyway, I will have to agree with Mr. Smyth on this one. There as many definitions of religion as there are scholars studying religions, and some scholars today argue that the whole idea of "religion" is an artificial construct built around Christianity, and therefore it fits Christianity and religions which are related to it, but not so much other belief systems.
I don't want to bore everybody with academic details, but I recommend this article:
Asad, Talal. "The construction of religion as an anthropological category." Genealogies of religion: discipline and reasons of power in Christianity and Islam (1993): 27-54.
BTW, this is what a proper citation looks like. If this text was available online, I would also provide a link, but it isn't available.