The religions of the world teach a wide diversity of concepts about deity. Books have been published which list over 1,000 Gods or over 1,000 Goddesses who have been worshiped in various eras and locations. Think about that. They can't all be right. A better question is are any of them right? Technically we are all atheists about most and perhaps all of these gods that societies have believed in.
Emerson said, "The religion of one age is the literary entertainment of the next."
Some even arrogantly laugh at "other peoples god's", call them ignorant or perhaps even infidels. Some of these Gods seem silly or ridiculous to you, but maybe your simply unenlightened which is just a nicer way of saying ignorant.
In Hinduism the particular form of God worshiped as one's chosen ideal is a matter of individual preference, although regional and family traditions can play a large part in influencing this choice. Hindus may also take guidance about this choice from scriptures.
Although Hindus do worship deities other than their chosen deity from time to time, depending on the occasion and their personal inclinations, it is not expected that they will worship, or even know about, every form of God. Hindus generally choose one concept of God (popular choices include Krishna, Rama, Shiva, or Ganesh), and cultivate devotion to that chosen form, while at the same time respecting the chosen ideals of other people.
The exact nature of belief in regards to each deity varies between differing Hindu denominations and philosophies. Often these dieties are depicted in humanoid, or partially-humanoid forms.. In total, there are over 330,000 of these supernatural beings in various Hindu traditions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpkIKbfjE8o&feature=related
Let's learn a little bit about the Hindu god Ganesh. One of the best-known and most widely worshipped of Hindu deities. His image is found throughout India. Hindu sects worship him regardless of other affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.
Although he is known by many other attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify. Ganesha is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles
In Hinduism, the scriptures recommend that for the satisfaction of a particular material desire a person may worship a particular deity. The elephant-headed deva known as Ganesha is worshiped before commencing any important undertaking, as he represents God's aspect as the remover of obstacles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSRz6HDymys (Ganesh in action)
Evolution and Aardvarkian Linkage
The last common ancestor of all placental mammals - possibly a shrew-like creature - scurried over the planet hundreds of millions of years ago. It was probably nothing like the modern-day aardvark but had a similar set of chromosomes. The aardvark and it's jumbo cousin the elephant are more closely related than you might suspect and interestingly share a common ancestry with man. The aardvark, which feeds on ants and termites, is something of a genetic oddity. It looks nothing like an elephant but has been lumped in with jumbo when it comes to its genetic make-up. Many scientists think both are members of the group from which all placental mammals evolved. This includes man.The order of mammals - known as Afrotherians - arose in Africa at a time when the continent was isolated from the rest of land by the movement of the Earth's plates. Six animals - the aardvark, elephant, hyrax, manatee, elephant shrew and golden mole - belong to the group, on the basis of their genetic sequences. The last common ancestor of all placental mammals - including humans - very likely was a member of this group. The aardvark appears to be the closest match to this ancient relative in terms of how little its DNA has changed over time.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2676377.stm (click your way along the path of enlightenment)
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