Similarities and Differences Between Christianity & Hinduism

Brahman and God have many similarities and differences. Brahman is the ultimate, infinite Godhead of Hinduism while God is the head of many different Western Religions such as Christianity. Both are infinite and limitless. They are also very different, Brahman is a human being divine “self”, which remains formless, while Christianity’s God is the creator of human beings who are devotees who follow God.

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

Hindus believe the earth was created by the Gods in the beginning of time, whereas Buddhists believe the earth was created with man’s desire to produce many beings from his body and from his thoughts created the earth and everything in it. Buddha was born into a Hindu family, just as Christ was born into a Jewish family. Hinduism accepts the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu and some people still argue that Buddhism is an offshoot of

Hinduism considers no specific moment of origin. They believe everything as timeless and always existing. The oldest religious text of Hinduism are the Vedas (Veda means knowledge) containing hymns to various deities of sun, moon, earth, sky, wind, and night. These deities were not considered the creators, although Brahman is considered the “all in one force” (Halverson). Brahman is “the womb of both the existent and the nonexistent” (Shattuck) and responsible for establishing the earth, sky and atmosphere the creator and primary cause of reality.

Scholars have traced the earliest origins of Hinduism to two distinct sources. The first being the Indus Valley civilisation. This civilisation dates back to the third millennium b.c.e. Postulates were made, indicating that certain features of Hinduism may have made their earliest foundations in the Indus Valley Civilisation. These include ritual purity and the worship of goddess deity for the purpose of fertility.

The question of origin- In order for us to completely understand Hinduism, we must first understand that this a philosophical system of beliefs. To give a definite origin of Hinduism would be very hard to address because there are no known origins. There are no beginning points or a name of a founder. Hinduism can be traced all the way back to around 1500 B.C in what we now call India and has a lot of different beliefs, philosophies and views that contradict each other. All Hindus believe in one God, a supreme being known as Brahma. Brahma is an entity believed to live in every single facet of reality and existence throughout the whole universe. Brahma is both impersonal and unknowable and is often believed to exist in three separate forms: Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the Preserver, and Shiva, the Destroyer.

Hinduism is an incredibly complex polytheistic religion, with its roots in the Indus River Valley Civilization over 8000 years ago and is still practiced today. Hinduism is typically practiced by the citizens of places such as India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. As indicated by its wide reaching influences, Hinduism does not have one single founder, but started a shift into its more modern form when Aryan invaders brought the Vedas into India around 1500 B.C.E. At its core Hinduism believes in entities called the Brahman, the source of everything in the universe, from these Brahman emerged over 330 million gods, all of which are different manifestations of the Brahman. The most important gods in Hinduism are Vishnu,

Hinduism advanced from Vedism, the religion of the early Aryan intruders. While it perceives multitudinous divine beings, they are generally viewed as differing signs of one extraordinary all inclusive soul. Hinduism has no standard, universal frame. It is, in actuality, what individuals who call themselves Hindus do in doing their Dharma, or religious commitments. This changes extensively starting with one locale and social gathering then onto the next.

Judaism was founded by a wealthy leader named Abraham (Hutchinson, 2017b). Yahweh (God) appeared to Abraham and told him that he would bless his people if they “obeyed and worshipped Him” (Hutchinson, 2017b). At this time, the Hebrew people were polytheistic, meaning they believed in many different gods. Over time, the Hebrews began to realize God would make a way for them every time they faced hardships. This made them monotheistic, and they began to follow only the supreme God (Hutchinson, 2017a). Hinduism was not founded by one specific person or people. Hindus have the option to worship one god, many gods, or even none at all (Levinson, 2017). To Hindus, it is more important to perform rituals and stay true to the old traditions that have been passed down from their ancestors (Levinson, 2017). There are gods that Hindus worship, but only worshipping and not keeping alive the old traditions means nothing.

Both of the religions Hinduism and Judaism are similar but different in their own ways. Hinduism worships many gods and goddesses, whereas Judaism is a confirmedly monotheistic religion. In the Hinduism religion the bedrock is the belief that the Vedas is sacred and the caste system decribed in it. “Hinduism is a guide to life, and the goal of which is to reach union with Brahman, the unchanging ultimate reality”(75). The dharma or moral law that need to be followed. There are many gods that were worshiped and each person may worship a different god. Images of the gods in homes or temples were presented where each person can show devotion to their personal gods by singing hymns or offering flowers before the images. The Hindus believe in many things such as that the universe undergoes and endless cycle of creation, believe in karma, that the soul reincarnates, the belief that all life is sacred.

There are many different religions in the world. Each religion has a vast array of beliefs and followers. There are aspects that most religions share in some way. Each group associated with these religions believe that they are worshiping and practicing the right thing in the right way. Every religion can be compared to find similarities and differences. Hinduism and Christianity are two religions seemingly very different. It is possible to explore the similarities and differences between Hinduism and Christianity on their belief in God or gods, if and what is after death, and their ethical beliefs.

Christian's view is " that everything that exists, including humans, is a result of God, the Creator God" (Weider & Gutierrez, 2011) . Hindu's believe that “everything has always been in existence and is a part of god” (Weider & Gutierrez, 2011). Basically, its God created everything versus everything has just been.

God created the world, a place free from suffering and pain where humankind could live in peace and harmony,however when man chose the way of Satan by eating the forbidden fruit, this was the beginning of sin in the world. God makes it clear to Adam and Eve the consequences of sinning, and from this moment on suffering was declared. Since dying on the cross, through the letter of St Paul to the Colossians, Christ expects us to bind our sufferings with his. As a result of sin, God allows us to suffer because he loves us and wants us to have free will and the choice whether to love/not love. With this freedom, mankind has broken laws which result in pain and suffering which act as an early warning system when we exercise wrong decisions. Catholics believe that suffering is a test of faith and this is exampled in the book of Job where God lets good people suffer: Job loosing everything he owned, the death of his childer etc. Job examples the reaction to our own suffering. Instead of asking why, the Church teaches us to endure through our suffering and remember that God loves us and no matter the situation will lead us back home. In Pope John Paul’s apostolic

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.

“If I were asked to define the Hindu creed, I should simply say: Search after truth through non-violent means. A man may not believe in God and still call himself a Hindu. Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after truth... Hinduism is the religion of truth. Truth is God.”