Hinduism and Ethnicity

[Sand Dancer]

I really like Hinduism, but it seems that most of the folks who are Hindu are Asian. Is there a good percentage of Hindus that are not Asian? I am talking specifically in the US. I don't like being different, so if I ever wanted to become Hindu, I might feel like I would stick out like a sore thumb. Am I being paranoid?

 

[ManSinha]

Yes - you are to an extent being paranoid - forgive me for being blunt but you do not have to tattoo the fact that you lean towards Hinduism on your forehead. Personally - the more I do a comparative study - the more I am drawn to Vedanta and its sheer breadth of allowable beliefs. In most of the major cities at least in the US and UK, one has individuals of all hues and stripes profess to follow different theological paths. One can choose to study and even worship in the comparative solitude of one's own home / room / mind. The dominant "race" of those that identify with Hinduism will be from the subcontinent but that is changing as ideas spread. I am sure some of the others on here can validate (or refute) my thoughts.

 

[Vinayaka]

I really like Hinduism, but it seems that most of the folks who are Hindu are Asian. Is there a good percentage of Hindus that are not Asian? I am talking specifically in the US. I don't like being different, so if I ever wanted to become Hindu, I might feel like I would stick out like a sore thumb. Am I being paranoid?

Yes. About half the people on these forums that identify as Hindus are white. Are we complaining or noticing ethnicity? World wide there is a very low percentage though. My guess of about a billion Hindus, maybe 100 000 at most would be non-Asian.

 

[Sand Dancer]

Yes. About half the people on these forums that identify as Hindus are white. Are we complaining or noticing ethnicity? World wide there is a very low percentage though. My guess of about a billion Hindus, maybe 100 000 at most would be non-Asian.

Not complaining at all. Just not knowing much about it, I just wondered if it was a popular religion among non Asians. Good to know it is.

 

[Terese]

I'm Turkish and Hindu! Quite the oddball mix

For reference i was born and raised in Australia

 

[SalixIncendium]

I only know for sure the ethnicity of two Hindus here for sure, and that’s only because they mentioned it.

All of the Hindus I know are people, and for me, that’s what ultimately matters.

 

[Terry Sampson]

Out of curiosity: Who was/were the first Hindus?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Is there a good percentage of Hindus that are not Asian? I am talking specifically in the US. I don't like being different, so if I ever wanted to become Hindu, I might feel like I would stick out like a sore thumb. Am I being paranoid?

No (perhaps Hare-Krishnas, but that may or may not be your way). Considering oneself Hindu is a very personal thing. So whatever is the balance between your doubts and liking. Whether a person is an Asian or Non-Asian, he\she would dress and talk like anyone else. It is not required to have an outward mark announcing your Hinduism.

Out of curiosity: Who was/were the first Hindus?

People of India with their different beliefs. They chose to mix their beliefs, accept each other, rather than cut each others heads. And ended up with a thousand of Gods and Goddesses and a thousand of views. No problem, the more the merrier. Native religions, older than Indus Valley civilization. Always added, never subtracted.

 

[stvdv]

forgive me for being blunt but you do not have to tattoo the fact that you lean towards Hinduism on your forehead

That is good information I think. I was brought up as a Christian.

The first dream I got from my Master was clearly showing me "do not be like an exhibitionist"

I was not really a Christian; kind of dropped it long ago. But obviously this "Christian exhibitionism" (evangelism) was still alive in me; more than I was aware of.

 

[Vinayaka]

Not complaining at all. Just not knowing much about it, I just wondered if it was a popular religion among non Asians. Good to know it is.

Far more about belief and practice than ethnicity. That said, it's certainly not for everyone. What specifically interests you?

 

[SalixIncendium]

I really like Hinduism, but it seems that most of the folks who are Hindu are Asian. Is there a good percentage of Hindus that are not Asian? I am talking specifically in the US. I don't like being different, so if I ever wanted to become Hindu, I might feel like I would stick out like a sore thumb. Am I being paranoid?

After sleeping on your query, yes, I think you're being a bit paranoid.

I had trepidation with labeling myself a Hindu (and spoke about it here on the forum), though my worldview certainly qualifies as such, not because I felt I'd stick out like a sore thumb, but because I had concerns that it would be an affront to those where were culturally born into the religion. But with the help of some of our Hindu members here, I realized that my concerns were unwarranted and that being a Hindu is about one's philosophies and beliefs, not about one's ethnicity.

I've attended Vedanta society gatherings and even Puja, and those with which I attended, all of Indian descent, were more than welcoming and made me feel right at home.

 

[Vinayaka]

After sleeping on your query, yes, I think you're being a bit paranoid.

I had trepidation with labeling myself a Hindu (and spoke about it here on the forum), though my worldview certainly qualifies as such, not because I felt I'd stick out like a sore thumb, but because I had concerns that it would be an affront to those where were culturally born into the religion. But with the help of some of our Hindu members here, I realized that my concerns were unwarranted and that being a Hindu is about one's philosophies and beliefs, not about one's ethnicity.

I've attended Vedanta society gatherings and even Puja, and those with which I attended, all of Indian descent, were more than welcoming and made me feel right at home.

It's a funny thing, this ethnicity. We get a few Chinese, several Nepalis, and the entire spectrum of Indian ethnicity from the very darkest of Dravidians to the whitest of North Indians. Some North Indian folk could pass for white.

The thing that I've noticed, albeit I do have a small sample size, is that the Causcasian people often have a far harder time with the Indians than the Indians have with the Caucasians. It may just be my bias after 40 plus years, but you can read a great amount of discomfort in some white people surrounded by East Indian people. I think it goes back to their subconscious of unfamiliarity, or perhaps a racist upbringing.

 

[Sand Dancer]

Far more about belief and practice than ethnicity. That said, it's certainly not for everyone. What specifically interests you?

I really like Krishna and Kali as deities, and I like the religious festivals. The eastern mindset is, IMO, much more amenable than the western.

 

[Sand Dancer]

After sleeping on your query, yes, I think you're being a bit paranoid.

I had trepidation with labeling myself a Hindu (and spoke about it here on the forum), though my worldview certainly qualifies as such, not because I felt I'd stick out like a sore thumb, but because I had concerns that it would be an affront to those where were culturally born into the religion. But with the help of some of our Hindu members here, I realized that my concerns were unwarranted and that being a Hindu is about one's philosophies and beliefs, not about one's ethnicity.

I've attended Vedanta society gatherings and even Puja, and those with which I attended, all of Indian descent, were more than welcoming and made me feel right at home.

Yes, that is also a concern to me. I never thought that I would not be welcomed though.