Book Club: How to Become a Hindu (Chapter Ten)

The well respected Himalayan Academy and their guru Subramuniyaswami put out a book several years ago called How To Become a Hindu. Over the next few weeks I’ll be reading the chapters and discussing each one individually. Today we’re looking at the tenth chapter: Nine Questions About Hinduism

(Book can also be downloaded free here: http://www.himalayanacademy.com/view/how-to-become-a-hindu)

This chapter is the FAQs of Hinduism, basically. The story goes that a group of teenagers sent in a request for official answers to questions their non-Hindu peers frequently asked and Subramuniyaswami decided to post his answers publicly and these questions and answers are not only in this book, but on their website, in their magazine, and generally spread around where ever they can think of.

They have some useful tips too about engaging in conversation with non-Hindus in regards to defensiveness and sincere questions, etc.

The questions are:

Why Does Hinduism Have So Many Gods?
Why Do Hindus Believe in Reincarnation?
What is Karma?
Why Do Hindus Regard the Cow as Sacred?
Are Hindus Idol Worshipers?
Are Hindus Forbidden to Eat Meat?
Do Hindus Have a Bible?
Why Do Many Hindus Wear a Dot Near the Middle of Their Forehead?
Are the Gods of Hinduism Really Married?

The best part of the answers is that they give a quick answer, a long detailed answer, and explanation for each one.

As with most things in the book, not every answer is completely true to all Hindus, but they are great answers and definitely useful for being able to explain your faith somewhat to others and to gain clarity on your own questions.