Evidence

Hinduism does not appear to emphasize evidence for their religion, being instead more of a collection of traditions and ideas for the people of India. There are many, many Gods (though one proper creator) with physical characteristics (e.g., an elephant head). For a serious truth-seeker, it offers little, but we can look more closely at some of the various beliefs within Hinduism to make this clearer.

No Evangelism

Hinduism does not claim to be a religion which is necessary for all. Therefore, believers do not greatly seek converts like Christians do.

Right off the bat, one thing we can conclude is that it would be wise, given that we all know we will die, to find out whether any other religion is true before settling on Hinduism, since if we only get one life to determine eternity, we need to make it count (no one knows whether he will be alive tomorrow), and no one should settle for a religion that is non-essential until he is sure all the others that claim to be important are wrong.

Many Paths to God

A point some Hindus make is: where was the knowledge of God before Moses or Jesus or Muhammad, etc.? Exclusive major religions always had a moment or moments where the message was revealed. Therefore, one of these exclusive religions cannot be the path.

The reason this point does not stand against several major religions is that they explain what was expected of men before the moments of revelation (at least, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity do, among others). Therefore, they are not invalid because they are exclusive.

One idea that unites much of Indian religion is that there are many paths to God; therefore, a simple way to refute this belief is to show that one exclusive way is true. For example, if Jesus really is the Son of God and confirmed his message by miracles, and if his message included that idolatry and the worship of other Gods lead to hell, then this Many Paths version of Hinduism is false.

The general pantheism of Hinduism also makes it logically invalid, if accepted to the fullest extent: Jesus cannot be a god.

Reincarnation & Karma

According to Hinduism Today, reincarnation is for the development of the soul until it reaches perfection and is one with God, but how can one’s soul be improved when at the beginning of a new life, whatever character one had is lost? Each baby starts out innocent, without desires built up by habits of virtue or vice, and without knowledge. There can be no process of gradual improvement of character when whatever development we supposedly had is lost upon entering a new life.

Say a man has chosen in his present life to be an exceptionally good person. What sense is there in saying that whatever suffering he caused by his actions in another life will come back on his head in this one, when to his knowledge, he has only been good?

If we still retained our memories and character from past lives, it would make sense for Karma to flow between lives, but what fairness is there in punishing a person who started with a blank slate and chose the right path? If he does not remember his past life - which even a devout Hindu must admit is the norm - and starts innocent as a child, then he might as well be a different person, though his soul may be the same.

The population of the Earth has changed drastically, so if a great cycle is going on, where did all the new souls come from?

Moksha

Why did God create individuals if he wants all to simply merge back into him and disappear? The only explanation I can see is that it is a story he wanted to see unfold.

Do you think you can go a single day without doing something wrong? How about an hour?

Hindu Gods

Hindus believe that reverence must be paid to the gods, even overtly cruel and evil ones, but why should people revere something which is evil?

This is part of a longer passage in which Krishna takes the clothes of bathing women, laughs at them with his friends, and then makes them come out of the water and put their hands on their heads to show their naked bodies to him:

The Supreme Lord said: 'If you are My servants, must you then not do what I told you and with your innocent smiles come out of the water to pick out your garments? I will not give them if you do not do so, and with the king being angry, what can he do about it?' Thereupon all the girls shivering of the cold came out of the water, covering their pubic area with their hands. The Supreme Lord seeing them defeated, put satisfied about the purity of their love their garments over His shoulder and said with a loving smile: 'Because you during the observance of a vow were bathing naked in the water, you have offended Varuna and the other gods. To atone for that sin you must pay your obeisances with your palms joined together over your heads and then take your garments back.' (Bhagavata Purana 10:22)

Caste System