Logan Marx Summer Session 2 World Religion

Hindu Views in Christian Shoes

Hinduism originated in India and is one of the oldest and most complicated religions known today. It is full of spiritual ideas that seem different to those of Christian philosophy. Although most of the Hindu beliefs seem conflicting with Christianity, there are some common grounds regarding the view of God, the practices, and their beliefs. The Hindus beliefs and practices cannot be understood without some history of the religions origin. Hinduism can be traced back before 2000 B.C. making it the worlds oldest known religion (Hinduism Facts). The religion originated in the Himalayan mountains around the Indus River. The word Hindu and India are derived from the word Indus pertaining to the early Indus river societies. These ancient civilizations are said to be one of the most complex and technically developed civilizations in history (Molloy 76). The Hindus have goals in life they try to accomplish in every reincarnation. They are pleasure, economic security and power, and social and religious duty (Molloy 90). The Hindus have a straightforward belief of God as many other religions in the western world do. They believe that the divine is everywhere

Logan Marx Summer Session 2 World Religion

and in everything. The misunderstanding of many Christians comes from their view of how the Hindus pray to God. A Hindu individual often focuses their devotion to only one God out of many Molloy 95). The idea that there are many gods seems polytheistic to Christians, but the truth is that the Hindus worship many seemingly different forms of the same God (Molloy 95). The God whom the Hindus choose to worship doesnt matter. Even though there are many forms and figures related to the Gods, in the end there is only one true divine entity. The different views of the same God are the Hindus way to worship the incomprehensible. This way they are simplifying the divines attributes and making him into a physical image (Hinduism Today). There are differences between Hinduism and Christianity, especially due to the Hindus belief in reincarnation. The term samsara refers to the wheel of life, the circle of constant rebirth, and it suggests strongly that the everyday world is full of change as well as struggle and suffering (Molloy 85). Although Christians do not agree with the samsara there is some truth in the term karma. The word karma comes from a root that means to do and implies the belief of moral consequences that are carried along with every act (Molloy 85). The law of karma says that every action weighs how

Logan Marx Summer Session 2 World Religion

the soul will be born in the next reincarnation. While Christians do not believe in reincarnation, karma has importance in the religion. In Hinduism, having good karma and living a good life will help the soul be reborn into a higher level or stage of the caste system. The overall theme is that virtue brings reward, and bad deeds bring penalties (going down a level) (Molloy 85). The same theme has truth throughout the Christian religion as well. In Christianity, doers of good will find reward upon their arrival in heaven. The opposite is true for doers of evil. They find no reward (Molloy 364). Both religions have similar practices and beliefs that help provide answers to many of the same questions. When one truly searches deep and studies the different religions, it becomes apparent that there are many similarities in them all. Religion is just our way of interpreting the same evidence and signs, which gives way for variety.

Logan Marx Summer Session 2 World Religion

Bibliography
Hinduism Facts. Hinduism Knowledge. Wordpress, 2011. Web. 1 Aug. 2011. Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the Worlds Relgions- Fourth Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Publishers, 2008. Print. Hinduism Today. Hinduism Today. 2011. Web 2 Aug. 2011.