Published by Christians have been talking about God for almost two millennia now and Hindus for almost double that time span. Christianity has spread to become the largest religion on the planet, while Hinduism has largely remained in the Indian subcontinent. Are these two great religions talking about the same God?
Difficulties of Talking About God
Having a two way discussion with another person about God is fantastic but often rather difficult. This is not a conversation about football, cars, food or other topics where you can go and get personal experience of the subject. Religious beliefs and matters of faith are inner convictions. Religious and spiritual experiences are personal, though they may take place in communal settings.
Millions of believers zealously claim that their version of God is the real one and all other views are false and heretic. This makes conversation about God with them very tiresome.
Any discussion about God usually starts from a basic question – “Is there a God, the creator of the universe?” Then another question takes the conversation further– “Can Humans know about God’s nature and identity?” A further question brings up the similarities and differences in the belief systems as also personal characteristics of the persons – “What form of revelation God uses to communicate with humans?”
Differences Between Christianity and Hinduism as Types of Religions
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
Like Judaism or Islam, Christianity is a communal religion while Hinduism is a household religion. In communal religions, visibly belonging to a community is very important. Praying, attending services or religious ceremonies takes place among a community of faith. In household religions, you can have a shrine at home and never in your lifetime attend any religious happening outside. Though there are Hindu temples everywhere, they are not communal meeting places like churches or synagogues.
A Christian believes in God in three persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. But the Christian will deny being a polytheist by explaining that these three persons are in reality the same, the Holy Trinity. Now the Hindu also denies being a polytheist because he sees the myriads of gods as aspects and manifestations of a central Godhead, called the Brahman (not to be confused with a Brahmin).
When a Christian talks about God the Father, the Hindu would see Ishwara, which is similar to Elohim in Judaism (not the Mormon usage). This Ishwara is God with attributes, the ruler of the universe created by him. Ishwara has three attributes, the Trimurti: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the sustainer, and Shiva the dissolver. To a Hindu the creation of the world is an eternal cycle of Brahma creating the world, Vishnu sustaining it for a certain time and Shiva dissolving it.
When a Hindu talks about the divine, he uses names of deities like Shiva, Vishnu, Rama, Kali or Krishna. When he uses the term God, he means Brahman-Atman, similar to Ayn-Sof in Judaism, which is beyond all concepts and descriptions. A Hindu can see a parallel in the concept of the State. You just can’t interact directly with the state. You interact with its agents, like people working in ministries, departments, the police etc.
Divinity or Egoism?
A Hindu can say “AHAM BRAHMASHMI, meaning ‘I am God’ when he refers, not his ego but to the Atman in him. A Christian shudders, thinking that this is utter blasphemy and exclaims “Look what happened to Lucifer, with his huge ego!”
A Hindu believes that Ishwara or its aspects manifests periodically in human or even animal forms called Avatars. The Bhagavata Purana, said to be from 3000 B.C. lists 22 avatars: Varaha the boar and Matsya the fish in the holy company of Krishna, Rama and even Buddha. A Hindu would have no problem in seeing Jesus as one of the avatars. But to a Christian, Jesus is the only Son of God the Father and there is no room for other avatars. New saints can come up all the time.
Photos source: Wikimedia Commons
It is lofty and noble to expect an open mind from others when we have an open mind ourselves. The problem with having an open mind is that someone always tries to fill your mind with their own ideas. So, it is better to have a knowledgeable and alert open mind.
Clarifying the different terms and concepts can help avoid unnecessary conflicts when discussing faith and religions. If we are only ready to shift the focus from differences to ties that bind, we see the underlying humanity and common aims in all religions. Rather than preaching and arguing, we focus on living together. We see that we are all people walking along different paths to the same goal and the need for conflict disappears.
My muslim friends discuss on their beliefs and I bring some points where it coincides with my Hindu learning.
The above article gave rise to some rambling cogitations on my part. I suppose in the universe there are an almost multitude of different concepts of what God is. The Greek philosopher Xenophanes (570–480 BC) said that “the greatest god” resembles man “neither in form nor in mind. In that sense all earthly religions are to some extent anthropomorphic although their adherents would in some cases vehemently deny that is the case. The corollary of that is the exclusivity you find in certain religions. You are either one of us or not and if you are not you are excluded from God’s special favour. Anthropodenial is where you deny other species attributes common to humanity and one of those attributes is the possession of a soul. I wonder how many of those alien species elsewhere in this universe [If they exist at all] would deny humanity a soul for the same reasons as we deny animals a soul. It seems to me that Hinduism [Shintoism too] does not deny the existence of spirituality in animals and even in inanimate objects. Or am I mistaken? And if I am not is it because earlier civilizations were somehow closer to nature I wonder?
Further to my previous comment and taking these thoughts to their ultimate logical conclusion. Religious beliefs which deny other creatures any kind of spirituality sanction our own ruthless exploitation of nature because only we are special. Thus we no longer live in a relationship of respect for nature as man once did but have rationalized our exploitation of nature. Or is this too simplistic and extreme I wonder?
Lovely post. Clarifies many things. But of course, the main point is the motivation why people of different faiths want to discuss. If it is genuine, all differences can be lived with.
Thanks for expressing yourself but really the god of the Hindus and the God of the Bible are NOT the SAME! I didn’t say God of the Christians because really, the GOD mentioned in the Bible is not exclusive to only those born in Christian families…..HE is the GOD of all, of all who believe in HIM!
And No the Trinity is not like worshiping a Million other Gods! I totally accept that the concept is very difficult to understand, and I probably cannot explain it better because unless God puts it in your heart for you to understand it, you may never get it!
But really, think about it…..if man were able to understand the ways of God, would not man be JUST like GOD?
Who is God, if not greater and more mightier than man? Who is God, if not unfathomable or incomprehensible?
The Bible has enough mentioned about HIM, enough for our sustenance! And what is not revealed now, will be revealed when we see him Face to Face!
Does the god of the Hindus, give assurance of salvation? Is the god of the Hindus infinitely more different than man? Is the god of the Hindus blameless and without sin(I can’t help but Krishan and his women)?
The God of the Bible is living, active and boundless in love, holiness, mercy and forgiveness! HE is the ONLY one worthy of the title GOD!!
Please feel free to write to me at excaliburr@rediffmail.com if you disagree or would like to know more about the GOD of the Bible!!
In Christ,
Sasha Ryder!
Thanks for expressing yourself but really the god of the Hindus and the God of the Bible are NOT the SAME! I didn’t say God of the Christians because really, the GOD mentioned in the Bible is not exclusive to only those born in Christian families…..HE is the GOD of all, of all who believe in HIM! So you could be born in a Christian family and still not really be a Christian! The God of the BIble is not proclaimed by the first or last name you may or may not have….HE is proclaimed by the way you live……so if you live for Christ, then and ONLY then are you a Christian!
And No the Trinity is not like worshiping a Million other Gods! I totally accept that the concept is very difficult to understand, and I probably cannot explain it better because unless God puts it in your heart for you to understand it, you may never get it!
But really, think about it…..if man were able to understand the ways of God, would not man be JUST like GOD?
Who is God, if not greater and more mightier than man? Who is God, if not unfathomable or incomprehensible?
The Bible has enough mentioned about HIM, enough for our sustenance! And what is not revealed now, will be revealed when we see him Face to Face!
Does the gods of the Hindus, give assurance of salvation? Is the gods of the Hindus infinitely more different than man? Is the god of the Hindus blameless and without sin(I can’t help but think about Krishan and his women)? Don’t we women have higher standards for our men? then if we do have higher standards for men, are we saying our men(still sinful, sometimes painful, annoying etc) are better than Krishna who is believed to be god? Surely there has to be a difference between MAN and GOD?
The God of the Bible is living, active and boundless in love, mercy and forgiveness! And above all HE is Blameless, HOLY and without SIN. HE is like NO other MAN. HE is infinitely greater than Man! HE is the ONLY one worthy of the title GOD!!
Please feel free to write to me at excaliburr@rediffmail.com if you disagree or would like to know more about the GOD of the Bible!!
In Christ,
Sasha Ryder!
(pls delete my earlier comment, there were grammatical errors)
people have so many ideas of God or Spirit or whatever name you want to use and most of them think their own idea is the only right one. But really, we all believe what we are taught in our own culture as young impressionable children, or we meet some overwhelming religious leader who sways us to his or her way of thinking. In truth the spirit of creation lives in everyone of us. We don’t have the intelligence to even imagine what that is but it doesn’t matter. Our world and universe was created by we know not what and it is with us, and guides us if we are quiet and listen. No book that was ever written knows any more about it than the most ignorant among us.
Rana, well written. I appreciate your spirit and desire for common ground. I also like your comment on having a ‘knowledgeable and alert open mind.’
Your time frames are interesting. Fortunately, God has been around longer than the 2000-4000 years you mentioned and he is all over our interpretations, right or wrong. His existence is above and beyond all we can think, imagine, or feel.
Brian
Hi, Julia, I would suggest that genuine motivation, or devotion, is only one aspect of faith. Someone can be sincere in what they believe or devote themselves. But they can be sincerely wrong too. Have a nice day. Brian
Fascinating and enlightening article, well done!
All gods are basters
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God is fake. Not real. just another messed up religion made by man. If you want to chat and debate me..email me at bob@hotmail.com PEACE!! oH YEAH..by the way..ALL christians are hypocrite and liars!
Wow. What a mess. the article is horribly put together. A complete misconception and misrepresentation of either religious traditions regardless of the sectarian overtone.
Its best that you don’t see religions in opposition to each other. Ask any saintly person of any religious tradition and see that there is really no conflict. God consciousness is the same goal. You can even see religion as the science to achieving those realizations. Each tradition providing a different level of understanding and approach. Just like in grade school. If you are in 2nd grade you can’t expect to be able to understand any 5th grade material right away. You have to take up a discipline….Anyways..There’s alot of knowledge in all the scriptures of this planet. It would be a shame and waste of a human life to not take the time to uderstand them and develop love and appreciation for them.
Yoga and Meditation can make you experience but a debate is simply a waste of time to those who want to learn and be relieved from unconsciousness. I am more than the God that is inflated yet, I am the supreme and divine who interpreted God for myself.