Hinduism is factually the world's oldest religion and thus, there is a number of misconceptions on it.
Probably one of the most famous misconceptions, even within Hindus, is that they are required to worship idols. The truth is Hindus are asked not to worship idols, but worship God in the form of idols. With so many idols and faces of the Almighty, people tend to easily get confused between God and idols. The purpose of worhsipping God through idols is to facilitate contemplation of the infinite with our finite capabilities. Reaching the infinite with finite capabilities is one of the paradoxes in Hinduism.
To digress slightly, most paradoxes make us think and the simple reason is that they contain the universal truth in them. Note "simple reason" and "universal truth", even that is a paradox I just thought of!
I read this online article (Hinduism, the world's oldest religion - a simple introduction to a complex religion) on misconceptions of Hinduism and noticed a quote of a great intellectual, Swami Vivekananda, "if a person wants to drink milk, he uses a cup as he cannot drink it directly. For the quivering and unsteady mind, there should be a visible form or a symbol, the idol, so that it becomes a foundation for his adoration. The idol form of God is akin to a vessel which enables a man to drink the milk. Through the instrumentality of an idol, a devotee comprehends divinity."
More interesting facts can be found through this website http://www.geocities.com/Athens/forum/9410/hindu1.html
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