Mary Ann Clarke, age 13, of Jamestown, N.Y., for her question:

WHAT IS THE WORLD'S OLDEST RELIGION?    

Hinduism, the major religion of India, is the world's oldest religion. The roots date back to prehistoric times. the literature and philosophy of Hinduism have influenced people throughout the world.Unlike such religions as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, Hinduism was not founded on the teachings of one man: The religion developed gradually over thousands of years, and many cultures, races and religions helped to shape it.Many groups or sects arose within Hinduism and each developed its own philosophy and form of worship.Like most religions of the world, Hinduism has basic beliefs about divinities, life after death and how its followers should conduct their lives.There is no single book, such as the Bible, that serves as a source of the doctrines of Hinduism. But there are many sacred writings which have contributed to its fundamental beliefs. The most important writings include the Vedas, the Puranas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad‑Gita and the Manu Smriti.Hinduism is polytheistic, which means that Hindus worship many gods. In prehistoric days, believers worshiped gods that represented powers in nature, such as rain and the sun. Now they believe that even though divinities appear in separate forms, these forms are part of one universal spirit called Brahman.Hindus believe that the three most important divinities that make up Brahman are Brahma, the creator of the universe; Vishnu, its preserver; and Shiva, its destroyer.According to Hindu doctrine, animals as well as human beings have souls. Hindus worship many animals as gods. Cows are the most sacred, but Hindus also worship monkeys, snakes and other animals.Hinduism teaches that the soul never dies. When the body dies, the soul is reincarnated or reborn. The soul may be reborn in either an animal or a human being, but Hindu doctrine is not clear on this point.The law of karma is closely related to reincarnation. It states that every action of a person, no matter how small it may be, influences how his soul will be born in his next reincarnation.If a person performs honorable deeds and lives a good life, his soul will be born into a higher state, perhaps into the body of a brahman. If a person performs evil deeds and leads a bad life, his soul will be born into a lower state, perhaps into the body of a worm.Hindus believe that a person's reincarnation continues until he achieves spiritual perfection. The soul then enters a new level of existence, called moksha, from which it never returns.