Hinduism in 5 Minutes

Steven W. Ramey is a Professor in Religious Studies at the University of Alabama, where he also directs the Asian Studies Program. His specialty is in contemporary issues surrounding identifications in India, which he addresses in his book Hindu, Sufi, or Sikh (Palgrave 2008), where he analyzes specifically the practices and contested definitions of communities identified as Sindhi Hindus. He has extended this analysis to reflect on issues in the academic and public discourse surrounding the category religion and issues of identifications in the United States and other contexts.

Preface
Steven Ramey
General questions
Is Hinduism a religion or something else?
Prea Persaud, University of North Carolina
What are the primary ideas in Hinduism?
Brian K. Pennington, Elon University
What is the ultimate purpose or goal of Hinduism?
Varun Khanna, Swarthmoe College
Beginnings
What is the creation story in Hinduism?
Gil Ben-Herut, University of South Florida
Where and when did Hinduism originate?
Thomas B. Ellis, Appalachian State University
Where does the name Hinduism come from?
Will Sweetman, University of Otago
Where did the concept of caste begin?
Gil Ben-Herut
Development
Are there different denominations like Christianity?
Vincent Burgess, Cornell University
What are the regional differences in Hinduism across India?
Bhakti Mamtora, Wooster College
How does someone become a guru?
Antoinette E. DeNapoli, Texas Christian University
Does violent extremism exist in Hinduism?
Jimi Wilson, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Texts and Stories
How many ‘sacred texts’ does Hinduism have?
Steven Ramey
What are the Vedas?
Varun Khanna
What is the Bhagavad Gita?
Vincent Burgess
Gods and Goddesses
How many gods are in Hinduism?
Vasudha Narayanan, University of Florida
Which deities are most popular?
Vasudha Narayanan
What does each god represent?
Thomas B. Ellis
Personal practices
What are the daily practices that Hindus try to follow?
Bhakti Mamtora
What does someone have to believe to be a Hindu?
Richard S. Weiss, Victoria University of Wellington
Do Hindus still have arranged marriages?
Susan Prill, Juniata College
Why do Hindus not eat beef?
Will Sweetman

Rituals and Worship
Are there any ceremonies that Hindus hold very sacred?
Thomas B. Ellis
How is caste determined?
Maharshi Vyas, University of California
What does worship in Hinduism look like?
Katherine C. Zubko, University of North Carolina, Asheville
Hindus in relation to non-Hindus
How do Hindus live in Muslim countries like Pakistan, if any do?
Jürgen Schaflechner, Freie Universtät Berlin
What is the main difference between Hinduism and the more popular religions in America?
Michael J. Altman, University of Alabama
What do Hindus think about Christianity?
Collin Sibley, University of California
Current Issues
What are some values taught to children?
Varun Khanna
Do you have to be Indian to be a Hindu?
Collin Sibley
How do Hindus respond to environmental issues?
Vincent Burgess
Do men and women have equality in Hinduism?
Antoinette E. DeNapoli
What is the Hindu response to people who identify as LGBTQ?
Maharshi Vyas
Why does Hinduism seem to have spread less around the world than other major religions?
Prea Persaud