Around the same time that the Israelites were serving the
kings of Egypt as a slave labor force, the winds of change were blowing across
the geographic area we know today as the Ukraine. For reasons that are unknown
to us today, a great dispersion of the nomadic Indo-European tribes known as
the Aryans was occurring causing them to migrate eastward. While many are known
to have remained in Turkey and Iran, a good many continued the trek until they
landed in India. While next to nothing of the Aryan civilization remains for
the archaeologist's spade, they have left for us their scriptures known as the
Vedas or book of wisdom or knowledge. These form the foundation for the
religion known as Hinduism, a religion that, while mostly concentrated in
India, is practiced by 13.3% of the world's population. As we consider this
great world religion, we will concentrate on its major belief systems, its
ordinary practice, and finally how it compares to Christianity, a religion it
predates by nearly 1500 years.
In the ancient Vedas a picture is painted of the Aryan tribes fighting their
way across the Indus and Ganges plains. Their religion consisted of the head of
the tribe offering animal sacrifice in much the same way as did the Jewish
patriarch Abraham. Once settled, the Aryans developed a regular priesthood that
moved from monotheism to henotheism and finally into polytheism: the worship of
many gods. However, Hinduism has continued to develop since the time of the
ancient Vedas until now. It has become not one religion but rather an entire
family of religions with a wide variety of beliefs and practices to choose
from. Hindu believers range from monotheists to polytheists to pantheists to
agnostics and atheists. Hinduism is, to say the least, very fluid by nature.
Despite the fact that Hinduism has no formal creeds or doctrines, there are
some major beliefs that are generally held and readily apparent the cultures
where it dominates. Two of their beliefs are ones that remain background most
of the time while three of them are often seen in the foreground of Hindu
thought.
In the background are monism and Dharma. Monism the the very essence of Hindu
philosophy. The self is related to ultimate reality or Brahman and with
everything and everyone else. Put another way, all is one and one is all.
Dharma is an eternal law which enables all things to function harmoniously.
Dharma regulates the life force within plants, animals, humans, and inanimate
objects. The law of Dharma also ensures the continuous life of everything even
if it is in another form. This reinforces the idea of reincarnation.
In the foreground of Hindu thinking is Karma, Maya, Samsara. Karma is an
eternal law of cause and effect. Karma will determine your present lot in life
but also your future life as well. Karma will bring good fortune on the person
who does good deeds and bad fortune on the person who does bad deeds. Since no
one is totally good or totally bad in their behavior, one can only hope that
there is more good than bad. Good or bad karma may not effect your present life
or the life after that either. But at some point you will receive the benefits
of either in determining your status in future lives. Technically, in the Hindu
conception of reincarnation you have no memory of your previous lives. This
means that you can't really learn from your previous mistakes and therefore
will probably never be able to ascend into a higher life form anyway.
Maya is the idea that all of reality is illusory. If something is good,
beautiful, tragic or evil, truly it is not. While it is an illusion it is to be
taken seriously even as a person takes their dreams seriously while they are asleep.
It may be a false reality but its the only one you are experiencing at the
moment. Maya is very closely related to karma. If a Hindu person walks by a
young man ravaged by disease or a woman being raped, they are only receiving
the karma that is due them. As the rainy season in Bangladesh dislocates and
kills thousands every year with flooding, it is no concern. It is all illusion.
Samsara is the endless cycle of change in the world. Everything is constantly
changing and in the process of becoming something different. This works
perfectly with the principles of karma, maya, and reincarnation. It also allows
the person living in the squalor of India to adapt more easily to the
precariousness of life.
Out of these general beliefs emerge some specific Hindu behaviors. One of these
that is particularly hard to understand outside the pale of Hinduism is the
caste system or the classing of people on a scale of worth, value, and
privilege. In the western world this would be called discrimination or racism because
we have, at least as a public ideal, the belief in the equality of persons
before God and each other. In the Hindu belief system, Brahman created
"Manu" the very first man. Out of him came the many different classes
of people, thus the caste system is one that is inspired by the force behind
all reality. Two other resulting behaviors of the Hindu belief system are
resignation and Ahimsa or compassion. Because Samsara means all is forever
changing and reincarnation means a person will have innumerable lives ahead,
life can be lived with an attitude of resignation. No privilege, problem,
sweetness or sorrow is really of final consequence to the Hindu. Part of this
resignation is the importance of playing your part in this life well. If you
have been born to a low caste or born to a high one and you do it well, it will
produce good karma and elevate you in a future life. As the law of Dharma
regulates the life force that is in all things, so Ahimsa is the next logical
belief. If everything is alive and has its harmonious place in this world, so
we must be compassionate to all things. Live and let live as the saying goes.
Like Buddhism's Nirvana, Hinduism also seeks a final escape from endless
reincarnation and embodied existence under the name of Moksha. The goal is to
be a spirit being no longer having to endure the pains of this life. It is the
responsibility of the Hindu to find his own pathway to Moksha. There are three
major pathways to Moksha; the first is the way of action or Karma Marga. This
entails rightly doing the rituals and requirements of your caste in every stage
of your life. Fulfill these and you are living in the way of action. The second
path is Jnana Marga-the way of knowledge. This requires a heavy commitment to
the disciplines of yogic meditation. As you meditate for long periods of time
you will slowly discover your true self. This will make it possible to attain
Moksha even in this life. Bhakti Marga or the way of devotion is the Hindu
pathway most well known to westerners because of the Hare Krishna movement. The
way of devotion entails finding one of the 3 million gods of Hinduism and
learning to worship, love, and bargain with it-him-her. This is usually done
with the help of a guru or spiritual teacher.
Hinduism is a highly individual religion. Because, of this worship and rituals
may be practiced at home or in a temple or sacred place with equal validity.
Before worship can begin the Hindu must go through purification rites. These
might entail ritual bathing and foot washing, perfuming, rinsing mouth,
dressing in special clothing, bell ringing, hymn singing, and burning of
incense. Once purification has been made then the adherent is to offer Puja or
worship. This would be showing respect to the god, making requests, offering
ritual food, presenting flowers and gifts at the alter, chanting, and reading
the Hindu scriptures. While images and statuary are used in Hindu worship they
do not believe they are the gods, but rather they are indwelt by the gods.
While there is a chasm between Christianity and Hinduism as religions, there
are at least some truths both would affirm albeit from differing trajectories.
The Hindu belief that reality is an illusion is one example. Certainly the
Christian worldview would affirm that while the physicality of the earth is
true, much of life as it is lived here is an illusion and vanity that is to be
avoided. While the Hindu seeks release from embodied existence and its miseries
through Moksha, there is also the desire and hope of Heaven for the Christian
where he will also escape once and for all the sin and death which afflict his
earthly existence and be with his God (Rev. 21). Finally there is the belief in
the law of Karma. Once again, in Christianity there is a law of cause and
effect. If a Christian lives a life of sin he bears consequences for it in this
life and possible loss of reward in the next. Conversely, while living
righteously is no guarantee of reward in this life (see Job) it is certainly
guaranteed in the next.
The differences between Christianity and Hinduism are radical. Hinduism sees
the physical realm as more or less one and the same as God. It considers the
cosmos of no importance in seeking God. Christian belief sees God as separate
from physical realm of earth and yet it is a reflection of His goodness and
glory. Though it is under a curse, it still speaks to man about His creator and
one day will be redeemed with man.
Christians worship one God whose name is Yahweh. He is infinite, personal,
holy, and loving. He is our creator and has made man for His pleasure and our
blessing. In Hinduism, God is impersonal and indefinable. Lesser gods are
worshipped and known but they are still have a God behind them that is
unknowable.
In Hinduism, Man is without self or self-worth. He is of equal value to a rock
or cow and of one essence with all of life created by an unknowable and
impersonal god or principle. Christianity teaches that Man is created in the
image of God and this one fact elevates him above the rest of creation. Though
he has fallen into sin, he is so valuable to God that God came in human flesh
and paid the penalty for man's sin making it possible to forgive and redeem
him.
Finally, sin and salvation in the Hindu conception are defined as not living in
accordance with your caste or ignorance and seeking a release from the endless
cycle of reincarnation. In Christian doctrine sin is an act of personal
rebellion against a perfect and holy God. Salvation is an escape from eternal
punishment to an eternal life as a gift from a loving God to all who call on
His son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
As Christian thinker and apologist C.S. Lewis once wrote: "If you are a
Christian, you are free to think that all these religions, even the queerest
ones, contain at least some hint of the truth." Hinduism is one religion
that fits such a description. While the culture it is tied to is exotic,
beautiful, and to be respected, Hinduism as a religion is not logically
consistent and has almost not historic basis. While some of its teachings might
have a hint of truth behind them, they are quickly overshadowed by an even
greater amount of error.
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