Hinduism and Christianity

in that respect argon umpteen kn experience pietisms of the world and either of them hand their own uniqueness about them. Some populate be born into their ghostly faith and some atomic number 18 converts to their perspective morality. I get chosen Hinduism to comp are and contrast with my religion Christianity. I found Hinduism to be an enkindle religion to research be campaign of the myths about idol piety and the Hindu bug out of worship, the tabernacle. by dint of my research of hangences, material, an interview, a face to face visit, and common intimacy I will convey the history, provide an overview, and clarify some of the myths of Hinduism and Christianity.Both religions hold in some differences barely they also have some commonalities among them. Hinduism and Christianity are clearly incompatible religions however, they do posses some similarities between them such as, perfection the divine Trinity, The consecrate Book, and different denominations a t bottom the religion. Well developed introduction Hinduism is virtuoso of the oldest religions, originating over sise thousand age ago in India, of the world and wizard of which that does non have no one founder. The root word of Hinduism, Hindu, derived from the name of River Indus.This river flows by the northern region of India and in early times the river was c in on the whole(a)ed Sindhu. The Persians that migrated to India called the river the Hindu, the land Hindustan, its inhabitants Hindus. The religion soon followed and came to be know as Hinduism. Hinduism is twain mo nonheistic and he nonheistic or having belief in only one God. Hindus all believe in one Supreme God who created the universe. He is all-pervasive. He created some Gods, super advanced apparitional beings, to be His helpers (Kauais Hindu Monastery, 2007). at that place is a misconception that Hindus are worshipers of idol Gods this misconception happens from lack of intimacy and clearing. Hindu s worship the Supreme Being, God, exactly with different names. This was done due to the battalion of earlier India having different languages and cultures. They came to understand the one God in their own distinct way. So thither came to be three representations of God or brahmann and they are Brahma-the Creator, Vishnu- the Sustainer, and shivah or Shiva- the Destroyer. These Gods can be referred to as 3-in-1 or the Trinity and they all have a multitude of spiritual beings which are a reflexion of the one God.From these Gods arose four denominations or sects of Hinduism and they are Saivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, and Smartism. In Saivism the worshipers are called Saivites and God is Siva in Vaishnavism they are called Vaishnavites and Lord Vishu is God in Shaktism worshipers are called Shaktas and Goddess Shakti is Supreme and Smartism they are called Smartas and all deities are seen and worshiped as the one God. In Hinduism it is believed that when God created the universe t hat he divinely set in postal service order and constabularys to preside over His creation. Gods divine law in Hinduism is called dharma.Dharma is the inner spirit of man or God within the person. Dharma aides one to discern what is morally right and wrong, disciplines, instills good order, spiritual truth and growth, and salvation. Dharma is not only connected spiritually and unearthlyly but it is also associated with mans law as well. According to capital of Minnesota Hacker, the entire realm of civil law, criminal law, and state craft-royal law take shape part of dharma (Hacker, P. , 2006, p. 483). Now that we have divine law on that point mustiness(prenominal) be something to support the law, so do Hindus have a intelligence? Yes, they do have a Bible. Our Bible is called the Veda.The Veda, which kernel wisdom, is comprised of four old-fashioned and holy scriptures which all Hindus revere as the revealed word of God (Hacker, P. , 2006, p. 483). The Veda is the Hindu ho ly book and it is comprised of four books, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, which include over 100,000 verses (Hacker, P. , 2006, p. 483). Reincarnation is some otherwise belief of Hindus and the consideration carnate baseborns in the flesh and reincarnate means to reenter the flesh. Yes, we believe the soul is immortal and takes birth time and time again. Through this process, we have experiences, learn lessons, and evolve spiritually.Finally we graduated from physical birth (Kauais Hindu Monastery, 2007). The graduation from the physical birth is the result of maturing in love, wisdom, and knowledge of God with next dharma. Hindus also believe that e trulything in spirit is reincarnated, natures life cycle, not just the human soul. The term Karma is use quite often in the American society and it has come to mean that you are receiving that which you deserve. In most cases the American society jibe karma to be prejudicial meaning that you have done something bad or wrong and you are now receiving its results.However Hindus take the whole spectrum of karma positive and negative good and bad. The Hindus take the meaning and explanation of karma to be, the universal principle of cause and effect. Our actions, both good and bad, come back to us in the future, share us to learn from lifes lessons and become better people (Kauais Hindu Monastery, 2007). In Hinduism all living creatures are discovered as sacred with a special affection toward the terrify. So the question arises, do Hindus worship the cow? Hindus dont worship cows. We respect, honor and approve the cow.By honoring this gentle animal, who gives to a greater extent than she takes, we honor all creatures (Kauais Hindu Monastery, 2007). Cows are known for yielding milk, its meat and its hide and all of these things are apply to produce a multitude of e reallyday products that we have become to love, need, and enjoy. Hindus believe in non-violence in regards to all forms of life, in that locat ionfore, most Hindus are vegetarians. There arent laws that forbid the consumption of meat but through wisdom Hindus determine what they will put into their own body.However, Hindus teach vegetarianism as a way to live with a minimum of hurt to other beings. But in right aways world not all Hindus are vegetarians (Kauais Hindu Monastery, 2007). It is common to see Hindus wearing a red dot on the middle of their forehead and most people will identify Indians, native of India, with wearing the dot. The meaning of the wearing of the dot, is a religious symbol. It represents divine sight and shows that one is a Hindu. For women, it is also a beauty mark (Kauais Hindu Monastery, 2007).This dot is called a bindi and many, many years ago both men and women wore a bindi but today it is most common for women to faithfully wear them. Finally the Hindus have a set system which consists of different levels within the Indian society. Caste is the contractable divisions of Indian society based on occupation. The lowest class, deemed untouchables, suffer from distinction and mistreatment. It is illegal in India to discriminate against, abuse or insult anyone on the basis of caste (Kauais Hindu Monastery, 2007). The caste system is confounded down into four categories or varnas.The varnas are comprised of the worker, businessman, general, and priest. The beliefs and teachings of Hinduism are the belief in one God with different names thither is only one Supreme God or Brahman but He has many reflections. Hindus believe the divine law or dharma and the holy books of Veda are used to support the law. They also believe the soul is immortal and birth takes name many times otherwise known as reincarnation. Hindus are unfluctuating believers in karma and that your past words, deeds, or actions will return to you in the future.They regard all living creatures as sacred but they revere the cow as a symbol for all living creatures. Hindus are taught to be non-harming toward a ny living being. The teaching of vegetarianism is taught to minimize harm toward other beings. Although it is taught vegetarianism is not practiced by all Hindus. There is one distinct religious symbol that is worn on the forehead by some Hindus called a bindi, a red dot, and it is commonly worn by the Hindu women. There are four classes of people which are known as the caste system in the Indian Society.Hinduism is a very unique religion and it is very similar to other religions, however, without a clear apprehensiveness of Hinduism one might misinterpret and relay incorrect information about the religion. penetrating the beliefs and teachings with the reasoning behind them provides a clear understanding of Hinduism. The Hindu temple I chose to visit is in Riverdale, Georgia which is located approximately 15 miles south of downtown Atlanta. The temple is sculptured in design with a majestic appearance it is white in color and it situated atop of a hill. The temple permits entranc e to anyone as long as you die hard by the rules.One of the rules is to remove your shoes prior to entering the temple. This is not a religious practice but cultural, Indians do this because it is dirty outside and it is moderately inside, at that placefore shoes should be removed before entering a temple or home. Another rule is there are to be no loud noises because this is a time of worship. Inside the temple there are sanctums situated around the temple with the various deities inside them. The priest stands at the entrance of the sanctum of the main God Lord Vishnu and the worshipers base on balls around to the different deities submitting their prayers.There is no set order for mass worship but it is up to the individual as to what prayers they will submit and to what deity. subsequently touring and witnessing the worship taking place I am glad to aver that I was able to experience Hindu worship and to clear up any myths I may have had prior to my visit. While at the temp le I was given the opportunity to interview the President of the Temple, Mr. Ravi Sarma. He was very welcoming and pleased that I wanted to know more about his religion. Mr. Sarma grew up as a liberal Hindu not having any strict rules enforced.As an adult he transitioned to the orthodox side of Hinduism, which is very traditional and strict. It was from Mr. Sarma that I received a better understanding of the Gods in Hinduism after he explained that Hindus belief in one God but with different symbols or expressions. Mr. Sarma went in to detail about the Trinity of Hinduism and how it full treatment as a cycle or reincarnation. The Cycle of Hinduism begins life with Brahma the Creator, life is sustained through Vishnu the Sustainer, and Siva the Destroyer into whom everything goes the cycle because repeats itself.Even though most of the deities are in the feminine aspect referred to as Durgar God is neutral being neither male nor female. Mr. Sarma went over the following holidays Di wali-a festival of lights, Pongal / Sankranti- a harvest festival, Holi- a spring festival, Ugadi-New Years (comes in spring), and Navratri (Dasara)- a nine day fall festival. Speaking one-on-one with Mr. Sarma I gained a valid knowledge about Hinduism and it also brought a clearer understanding of the course text, references, and materials.My religious faith is that of Christianity, which began some two thousand years ago. The faith of Christianity is predicated upon the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Fisher, 2005, p. 284). In Hinduism the term The Trinity is used but is most commonly used in Christianity. Some Christians refer to the Father, the Son, and the sanctum temper as the Trinity. All of these names are known as God the one and only. God the Father is the creator of all things. God the Son is Jesus, the son of God and savior to all. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God and the comforter to all.There are two branches or denominations of Christian ity and they are romish Catholicism and Protestantism. The papist Catholic Church is the first perform of Christianity and the largest Christian denomination. Protestantism is the second major branch of Christianity, which, broke off from The Roman Catholic Church. My denomination Baptist falls within Protestantism. The term Baptist describes individuals belonging to a Baptist church. The name comes from the conviction that followers of Jesus Christ are commanded to be baptized or immersed in water as a everyday display of their faith.To live agelessly is believed that through baptism and according to scripture, If you confess with your emit that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raise Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 109). It does not stop here we must also be led by the Holy Spirit to do what is right. Therefore we have the Golden rule as it relates to karma is to treat others as you would want to be treated. The holy book that is used in Christ ianity is called the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is comprised of the Old and New Testament.The Old Testament consists of 39 books and the New Testament consists of 27 books. As with most religions there are different levels of leadership within Christianity to provide purpose, direction, and teachings such as a Bishop, Pastor, ministers, and deacons. Christianity is based upon the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Fisher, 2005, p. 284). The belief in the Holy Trinity, eternal life through baptism, treating all beings as you want to be treated, and the Holy Bible are beliefs of Christianity.There are also two major branches of Christianity, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, with Baptist being one within Protestantism. Within the various denominations there are different levels of leadership. In comparing Hinduism with Christianity I realized that there are some similar terms used but they mean something different for each religion. Both religions are monothe istic and they both have their own representation of the Holy Trinity. As Hindus believe in reincarnation Christians believe in eternal life of the soul. In Hinduism there are only four denominations where as in Christianity there are many.Lastly they both have a sacred book in Hinduism the Veda is used and in Christianity the Holy Bible is used. I found Hinduism to be a very interesting religion and I was surprised to find out there were some commonalities between Christianity and Hinduism. By Hinduism having some of the same similarities as Christianity and with the supporting from my interview helped me to better understand Hinduism. Hinduism and Christianity are distinctly different religions however, they do posses some similarities between them such as, God the Holy Trinity, The Holy Book, and different denominations within the religion.