Essay:Western Misappropriation of Hinduism

A few things before I start, I am fallible so please correct me if I say something that is wrong (either by editing this essay or by telling me in the talk page), I am a follower of the Shakta tradition of Hinduism which means I am biased since I know more about my denomination than the others, I am a convert, and this will be added to and edited for an indefinite amount of time. Also if you want to add something, please tell me what you think should be added in the talk page.

Hinduism is Pagan
If you categorize religions from an Abrahamic perspective ie., all religions besides Christianity, Islam, and Judaism (I'm excluding the Baha'i faith because people who have this perspective probably don't even know about it in the first place) are Pagan, then yes, Hinduism is Pagan. If you categorize religion from a more secular perspective (comparative theology), then no, it is not Pagan. Hinduism and religions under the umbrella terms of Pagan and Neopagan are similar in many ways but there are some differences that make categorizing Hinduism as Paganism inaccurate.

The first difference is Paganism is considered dead. While Pagan revivals are definitely a thing, the term Paganism is mostly used to refer to the religions followed by the peoples of Europe and (sometimes) Arabia before their conversion to an Abrahamic religion. There are people who claim to be part of a Pagan survival group but those folk more often than not are just trying to sell you something. Hinduism on the other hand is the oldest still practiced religion.

The second difference is philosophy. Pagan and Neopagan philosophy is very different from Hindu philosophy. From my interactions with Neopagans (specifically of the reconstructionist variety) I have seen a large difference between the philosophies of Hinduism and the philosophies of Neopagan religions. Hindu philosophy is about the Karmic cycle of reincarnation and how to escape it (Moksha), there are many ways to do this such as meditation (Yoga), Mantra chanting (Bhakti), and fulfilling your natural duty (Dharma) The closest thing to this that I've encountered is a concept in Celtic recon that is about reincarnation and the escape from it but this is a debated topic in Celtic recon circles. Hellenic recon is more focused on rituals which they call praxis. Norse recon has an afterlife that does not have a form of reincarnation, to my knowledge at least. Hindu philosophy is closer to the philosophies of other Indian religions (Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism) which are often called Dharmic religions due to their shared belief in the concept of Dharma. They all believe in reincarnation and the Karmic cycle though they differ on whether or not the Karmic cycle can even be escaped from.