How all things seem connected.

Namaste and om shanti to all.

I would like to explain why a Swede like myself decided to join this forum. I come from a Norse pagan background, and have long been interested in hinduism, for reasons described in the bullet points below:

1) Indoeuropean languages are related to each other. Swedish, Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Persian and so on all belong to the same family of languages.

2) Just as there appears to have been a Proto-Indoeuropean language, there appears to have been a Proto-Indoeuropean religion. I look at the ancient Vedic deities described in the Rig Veda, and Indra certainly shares a lot of similarities with Thor (and Perun and Taranis and other lords of thunder). Apart from the Lord of Thunder, there are many other parallels. (for instance, these divine twins of Latvia mightgive you some pause).

3) I wasn't fully satisfied with the theology of the Eddas. No wonder, as they are very fragmentary documents, written long after Christianity had been established. The Aesir and Vanir are described as mortal, which certainly makes you wonder if there is an original divine spark somewhere, some power beyond the gods (which the sagas sometimes seem to hint at).

4) I came to believe in the concept of one God with infinite faces. As I understand it, this is one of the hallmarks of hinduism (perhaps smartism in particular) and a beautiful one too. I find it beautiful, in part, because it erodes all the territorialness that human nature would often want to follow with the worship of a God. Should the devotee of Thor call the devotee of Indra a heretic, or simply regard Indra as yet another face of God? The latter seems infinitely more peaceful and spiritually awakened.
It also seems that all "pagan" (I understand the term may be offensive, merely using it in the sense of non-abrahamic here) religions follow this evolution, where people have historically gone from worshipping rocks and trees, to anthropomorphic goddesses and gods, to the realisation of a supreme reality behind it all. The Hindus call this supreme reality Brahman, Plato and the ancient Greeks called it The One, and other religions certainly have their share of monistic and pantheistic thoughts, some more than others.

5) All this combined made me want to come to this forum to learn more about hinduism. :)

Hinduism definitely has a beauty in its quality of universality. God is infinite, and thusly has infinitely many finite forms! When we learn about more of Her forms, we learn how to become more closely connected with God. It is a beautiful thing.

Welcome to the forum!

Hope you enjoy your new discoveries,
Much Love to You!

Thank you for your kind welcome!