Hinduism and Christianity: Monotheistic Paths to One God. Essay

"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit." Kahlil Gibran

Buddhism and Hinduism-- the core area of both is Northern India and each spread through the Indian subcontinent, yet both did not seem to expand with the same radius. Buddhism flourished and spread across central and eastern Asia; whereas, Hinduism generally stayed close to home, in India. The question now becomes why.

In the Middle East, the top three monotheistic religions (worships one god) are Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Christianity is the religion that I was born into and believe in. It came to be in 0 AD and Islam came to be 622 AD (CE), Christianity and Islam have some similarities and differences. By the end of the essay, you will eventually understand the differences.

Dualistic Hindus try and understand divine reality through their many different gods. With that there is a focus put onto the one god Brahman which Brood describes as, “supreme, unitary reality, the ground of all Being.” (Brood et al., 2016). The monistic viewpoint of Brahman can best be described as the belief that all reality is ultimately one. Brahman is, “treated as a basic cosmic principle.” (Hopkins, 1971). According to Hopkins in the, “Atharva Veda, brahman is said to have the lowest and highest forms and to be ‘the womb of both the existent and the nonexistent.’ In 10.2 it is said that ‘by brahman the earth was disposed, as brahman the sky was set above, as brahman this atmosphere, the wide expanse, was set aloft and crosswise.’” (Hopkins, 1971). Brahman can most easily relate to the Christian, Islam, and Judaism God.Both Brahman and the God of Christianity, Islam,

When looking at Christianity and Hinduism there are many ways to look at each religion from a theological perspective. This is why the best way to look at the broad view of these religions would be to analyze each by comparing and contrasting what each religion is about. The first point to look at would be at how Hinduism and Christianity are very similar in how they view the world. This can be seen in how they both strive to achieve a state of higher being whether it be with the eternal state of Moksha or eternal life in heaven with God. They both also look to be more introspective of themselves in order to maintain a good relationship with their higher being. This can be seen with Christians trying their hardest to maintain their faithfulness to God (Letter to the Romans, Reader p. 200) or Hindus making sure to maintain their duties in their caste in order to climb the system (Bhagavad Gita, Reader p. 75). Another comparison would be that Christianity follows the “Golden Rule” which is better known in the Hindu religion as karma. This is an important cornerstone to both religions because it creates a system of justice for both religions to follow. To truly examine these two religions one must also look at the differences that each religion has to each other that make them each a unique belief. A main difference would be that Christianity focuses more on the short term while Hinduism focuses more on the long term. Another difference is the rewards that a Christian

Comparison between two different religions allows analysis of different aspects of the religions, as it relates to the other. In this paper, there will be a stark comparison of both Judaism and Hinduism, along with their fundamental beliefs and rituals. That will compare beliefs of God/ Gods, Goddesses etc., prayer/worship and analyze of life and death both culturally and spiritually. Along with both similarities and differences there will be the defining goal that ties all beliefs together and that is the oneness with their God.

Hinduism says that the Lord Brahma is creator of the universe, while the other two gods are part of the triumvirate. The worldview of the Hindu belief is that there are multiple gods. One god, Brahma created the universe, another, Vishnu is the sustainer of creation, and Shiva is the destroyer of life. In contrast, Christianity worldview is there is one triune God, God the Father, God the Son, God

Vishnu, to his worshipers, is all-powerful and supreme. He is believed to be to god from whose navel a lotus sprang giving birth to Brahma, the creator. Vishnu created the universe by separating the heavens and the earth and has rescued it on a number of occasions. As Hopfe and Woodward state “Vishnu is known as a god of love, benevolence, and forgiveness (Hinduism 94).” “ In some incarnations, he has come as a man.” (94). The third popular god is Brahma, the creator of the world.

There is still a debate within the religion if there is one god or multiple gods. The faith has been exceeding accommodation and inclusive because if the reincarnation capability. Prophets or other religious messengers become reincarnates from Vishnu or another god or goddess making them a part of the Hindu faith as well. It is often described to contain the belief in a trinity with Braham, Vishnu, and Shiva but just like humans cycle so do the cosmos as well. According to Smith, some would add the Mahadevi, the great goddess as a more accurate third part of the Trinity. Few Hindus celebrate Brahman, the creator therefore

Hinduism from a monotheistic perspective contains many into one, just as Christianity does in relation to God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Although, the difference is Christianity is defiantly categorizes as a monotheistic and Hinduism as a polytheistic. My answer to this is in a way there both polytheistic, both in there commonality of worshiping different forms of the same source. Yes there the same source but then again there not, there parts that make up one great thought of higher power. Monotheism is simply the belief in one God, taking this into context if we were to categorize Hinduism as a monotheistic religion we would need to redefine monotheism. People also worship different gods and goddesses which may depend on the geographical

Religion consists of different teachings and beliefs that have been around since the beginning of time. Polytheistic and monotheistic religions have influenced life in every civilization and culture. Religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have produced some of the most influential teachings and beliefs in human life. The people of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam celebrate their god and their religion in different ways. Through celebration and holidays the teachings of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are shared from generation to generation.

The world has many different belief systems including Christianity and Buddhism. Both are similar and different in many ways. These religions are used in different places around the world and influenced the lives of its followers and the society in which they are practiced. Christianity is more diverse and complicated in its beliefs and totally depends on faith. In contrast, Hinduism is a belief more based on the simplicity of culture and tradition.

The god Vishnu is the creator, and Shiva is the destroyer. One is not looked upon as better than the other. This shows the ultimate realism that the Hindu culture possesses. These are not the only gods in Hindu culture. There are many others and all have special skills and talents. The gods themselves also give birth to the idea of avatars, or the form of god when he or she comes to earth.

In contrast to majority of devout religions, Hinduism participates in the worship of many gods – thus making it a polytheistic religion consisting of a Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Brahma is the The Creator, and a member of the Hindu Trinity. Brahma intimately creates everything in the universe. In addition, Vishnu maintains the balance and harmony of the universe. Last but not least, Shiva perpetually destroys the universe: “it’s the necessary step to make renewal possible” (Hindu Gods and

Although, Hinduism might be regarded by some as a polytheistic religion in its most basic form Hinduism is based around one deity. The Brahma is the god that all of the other gods are derived from and each god is a manifestation of the one being. There are four other main deities, aside from Brahma,