Similarities and Differences of Hindu Practices with my Worldview

As a person who was born and raised in the United States, with a liberal worldview,
there are many aspects of Hindu practices and beliefs that are aligned with my worldview.
There are also other aspects of the ancient religion that are completely different from my
worldview. Perhaps the most prominent aspect of Hinduism that is closest to my worldview
is its flexibility and open-mindedness. Unlike Abrahamic religions, Hinduism lacks rigidity
and too many rules about almost everything in life which attracts severe punishment in the
afterlife if broken. For instance, one can believe in one God, multiple gods or not believe in
any god at all and still be considered a good Hindu. One can also pursue earthly pleasures and
material wealth without being vilified or deemed to be irreligious. Due to its flexibility and
open-mindedness, the religion allows its adherents to live a full life without feeling any guilt
abut their actions or desires that they fulfill.

Another aspect of Hinduism that is aligned with my worldview is belief in Karma.
Karma is belief that good actions have beneficial effects and bad deeds have harmful effects
to the doer. I am also a strong believe in the belief that good deeds are always rewarded and
bad deeds attract punishment of some sort regardless of how long it takes for the punishment
to be executed. I believe that such worldview encourages people to avoid doing bad deeds not
out of fear of formal punishment from the authorities, which often does not happen, but from
fear of something bad happening to them even the bad deed was done to a weaker person or
was not seen by those who could potentially punish the doer.

While the beliefs ana practices described above are aligned with my worldview, there
are other aspects of Hinduism that are completely different from my worldview. In particular,
the Hindu caste system is a practice that I am thoroughly opposed to. Under the caste system,

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everyone is born into a caste that they remain throughout their lives. In most instances, one
cannot even marry from a different case. One’s caste also determines how one is treated by
other members of the society. As a strong believer in the equality of all human beings, I find
the kind of social stratifications created by the caste system to be completely unacceptable.