How Are Religion And Culture Connected

Religion and culture are very closely tied together. Religion is a very large part of culture. Culture can include religion, food, music, art, and many other things. Religion can also shape art and other recreational activities that contribute to culture. Examples of this can be seen in ancient civilizations like India. You can see how the main religion, Hinduism, shaped everyday life and culture. Other religions in India like Buddhism also contributed to shaping ancient India and some aspects of Indian culture today.

Hinduism shaped ancient India not only with religion and recreation but with academic studies as well. The most popular study of astrology in India today is Hindu astrology. Hindu beliefs largely consist of acceptance and peace. Hinduism also believed in karma. Today many people also believe in karma and follow similar practices. A part of Hindu belief is also in food. Many people are vegetarians and don’t eat pork or beef. A large part of culture is food and Hindu beliefs still stand today.

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There were more impactful religions in ancient India other than Hinduism.

Buddhism was another large religion in ancient India that derived from Hinduism. They are similar in some aspects as both Hinduism and Buddhism believe in reincarnation, karma, and doing certain actions in your life leads to a path of enlightenment. Buddhism unlike Hinduism does not believe in the caste system. The caste system shaped a large part of culture in ancient India, with the belief of reincarnation you could come back as a higher rank in the caste system if you led a good life.

Hinduism and Buddhism are some of the largest religions throughout the world. With their impact in ancient India they have lived to also impact life today. Religious practices for Hindu’s take place in the Mandir. Hindu’s also worship at home. They also will gift things to their Gods’. With religion being a large part of culture, it has become normal for worship and religious beliefs throughout India. In this way we have shown how are religion and culture connected.

Ancient Indian religion has remained for so long and has become so commonly practiced that it is a large part of Indian culture. Practices for Hinduism and Buddhism from ancient India have shaped India today as for what to eat, art, and of course practices and beliefs. So, religion builds culture through art, beliefs, practices, food, and other things. Culture and religion help each other to grow and ancient India is an example of the closeness of religion and culture.        

Works cited

1. Arvind Sharma, Hinduism as a Global Religion, (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011).
2. Gavin D. Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2016).
3. Wendy Doniger, The Hindus: An Alternative History, (New York: Penguin Books, 2009).
4. Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013).
5. Richard H. Robinson et al., Hinduism: New Essays in the History of Religions, (New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2018).
6. Charles Hirschkind, The Ethical Soundscape: Cassette Sermons and Islamic Counterpublics, (New York: Columbia University Press, 2006).
7. John M. Koller, The Indian Way: An Introduction to the Philosophies and Religions of India, (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007).
8. Jitendra Nath Banerjea, Philosophy of Hindu Sadhana, (New York: Cosimo Classics, 2010).
9. Robert E. Buswell Jr., The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2014).
10. Kajri Jain, Gods in the Bazaar: The Economies of Indian Calendar Art, (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2007).