Hinduism is the religion of India, characterised by a belief in reincarnation and the need for enlightenment, and is related to Buddhism. However, unlike Buddhism, the religion incorporates millions of gods and places emphasis on the importance of acquiring wealth. Christians have found that teaching Hindus about their religion is difficult because the idea of following one God is alien to the Hindu way of thinking. In general, Hindus prefer to add an idol of Jesus ('Isha') to their collection of gods in preference to rejecting their own culture. In fact, Hindus make a good argument for not accepting the theology of the Church – they cannot accept a god who would damn all their ancestors to eternal hell because they had not heard of Jesus.

However, where people do not love their neighbour as themselves, the human condition leads to suffering which could be described as hell. The Hindu perception of poverty (discussed below) causes millions of people to suffer both physically and psychologically in a society that treats them as outcasts. Raising awareness of the benefits of loving your neighbour as yourself would give enormous benefit to the whole of humanity.

Hindus make another argument for rejecting the theology of the Church. They claim that God receives prayer however we conceive him, even if we invent a god for ourselves. Personally, I do not believe that Christian prayer is any more or less effective than Hindu prayer. There is circumstantial evidence for the occasional effectiveness of prayer from people's personal experiences. However, the unreliably positive results of prayer could be either coincidental or malicious spiritual interactions designed to encourage people to put effort into praying rather than helping others in a practical way.

The Hindu sacred texts are known as the Vedas – historically, Hindu tradition meant that the priests thought that they were so holy that only the top three classes of Indian society were allowed access to them. The Hindu Caste system still affects modern day India. It is a system of social class – opportunities in Indian society are dependent upon family origin. There are some people outside the Caste system; they are outcasts or 'untouchables'. The Caste system therefore creates a group of people of the type that Jesus came to teach about. The inequality in India is obvious; cities have shanty towns alongside modern high-tech buildings.

Here is a view of poverty from a Hindu sacred text:

Poverty is a state of sinfulness
From the Mahabharata, Santi Parva, Section VIII.
Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli.

Arjun said: It is seen that a poor man, even when he stands near, is accused falsely. Poverty is a state of sinfulness. It behoveth thee not to applaud poverty, therefore. The man that is fallen, grieves, as also he that is poor. I do not see the difference between a fallen man and a poor man. All kinds of meritorious acts flow from the possession of great wealth like a mountain. From wealth spring all religious acts, all pleasures, and heaven itself. Without wealth, a man cannot find the very means of sustaining his life. The acts of a person who, possessed of little intelligence, suffers himself to be divested of wealth, are all dried up like shallow streams in the summer season. He that has wealth has friends.

He that has wealth has kinsmen. He that has wealth is regarded as a true man in the world. He that has wealth is regarded as a learned man. If a person who has no wealth desires to achieve a particular purpose, he meets with failure.

The underlined text blames the poor for their poverty. This may be one reason why the suicide rate among indebted farmers is so high in India. The Indian economy is growing at 9% per year, the second fastest in the world. However, the prevailing view on poverty means that the Indian Government repossesses land belonging to subsistence farmers to make way for new businesses and industry. The increased wealth in India is at the expense of the poor.

Like Buddhism, Hinduism supports the idea of reincarnation. Hindus believe that people who have been evil in a previous life are reincarnated as an animal or an untouchable (chandala):

Chandogya Upanishad 5.10.7:
Those whose conduct here [on earth] has been good will quickly attain some good birth – birth as a brahmin, birth as a kshatriya, or birth as a vaisya. But those whose conduct here has been evil will quickly attain some evil birth – birth as a dog, birth as a pig or birth as a chandala.

People who are born as untouchables are blamed for evil acts in a previous life. The same is true of people who are born with disabilities. Women are also perceived to have a lower status than that of men, and this is highlighted in the Code of Manu, which is accepted by most Hindus as the most complete expression of Hindu sacred law:

Manu 5.151-154
Him to whom her father may give her, or her brother with the father's permission, she shall obey as long as she lives...Though destitute of virtue, or seeking pleasure elsewhere, or devoid of good qualities, a husband must be constantly worshipped as a god by a faithful wife.

Manu 5.148-149
In childhood a female must be subject to her father; in youth to her husband; when her lord [husband] is dead, to her sons. A woman must never be independent. She must not seek to separate from her father, husband or sons.

Devout male followers of Hinduism may follow the four stage path of Hindu Holy life. At first, emphasis is placed on the acquisition of wealth. Later, when he becomes old, he renounces his wealth and goes to live in the forest and may eventually becomes a wandering Hindu holy man.

Hindus suggest that there are four purposes to life:

1. Dharma: righteousness or morality.
   
2. Artha: prospering.
   
3. Kama: love and sensual pleasure.
   
4. Moksha: liberation from endless cycles of rebirth.

Hinduism has an ethical code:

Ahimsa: do not harm anyone.
Satya: do not lie.
Asteya: do not steal.
Brahmacharya: control of sexual energy; a stage of life for learning and purity.
Aparigraha: do not be greedy.
Saucha: cleanse yourself.
Santosha: be content.
Tapas: discipline yourself.
Svadhyaya: study.
Isvara Pranidhana: surrender to God.

In addition, Hindus are encouraged to respect their parents (a need to repay debts).

Hinduism traditionally involved the sacrifice of animals. This has now changed although sacrifice of herbs, grains etc. into fire is still practiced. 'Sacrifice' in the sense of loving your neighbour as yourself means using our time or resources to help someone else, so it is practical and useful.

Vedics (Hindu teachers) are known for their ability to cure diseases. Healing appears to be one form of spiritual interaction that seems to be beneficial, but also gives false credence to theologies that give rise to a large amount of suffering. Some followers of Pauline theology also claim the ability to heal.

There are many other superstitious beliefs in Hinduism. I believe that spiritual interactions can take a multitude of different forms in order to discourage people from loving their neighbour as themselves and to promote maximum human suffering. In the case of Hinduism, a highly evolved enlightenment-based religion appears to have been encouraged to hide an undercurrent of stigma that surrounds the poor, causing widespread poverty and suffering among the Indian people.