Comparing Hinduism to Christianity

[DivineNames]

Gary wrote:

"Permeational pantheism is the view popularized by the Star Wars movies of George Lucas, in which the Force (Tao) penetrates all things. This belief is found in Zen Buddhism. "

bb responds:

I know some western "Buddhists" who have told me personally that they believe this...

I will quote a Zen Buddhist-

"Mahayana Buddhism is also frequently and erroneously stamped as pantheistic, ignoring altogether a world of particulars. Some critics seem ready and simple minded enough to imagine that all doctrines that are not transcendentally or exclusively monotheistic are pantheistic..."

D.T. Suzuki, Mysticism: Christian and Buddhist

 

[bibleberean]

Let me quote Charles Manson.

Charles Manson: "If God is One, what is bad?"

Let me quote an ex-Buddhist

"True, some Buddhists purport to believe in a god, or in a realm of higher beings called devas. Others pray to statues of Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama). But as a whole, Buddhism is not a theistic religion. It has a law -- the law of karma -- but no lawgiver."

Quotes from:

http://www.christiananswers.net/q-aiia/aiia-monism.html

 

[DivineNames]

That Buddhism doesn't believe in the kind of God you find in theistic religion is obviously true, If you are suggesting that Buddhism is "pantheistic monism", then you need to produce some evidence.

 

[bibleberean]

That Buddhism doesn't believe in the kind of God you find in theistic religion is obviously true, . If you are suggesting that Buddhism is "pantheistic monism", then you need to produce some evidence.

I don't have to produce any more than I already have.

How do you like them apples? :D

 

[Soma-Sight]

With Protestants, it would be a waste of time to try.

lol...... :-D

 

[DivineNames]

I don't have to produce any more than I already have.

You haven't produced evidence. Just some Christian sites. :D

 

[Free]

Hinduism is anything but monotheistic. Hinduism teaches that there are many gods, which is polytheism, but is best described as henotheistic (many gods, but one which is essentially superior).

"henotheism is a term coined by Max Müller... While Hinduism is generally monistic or monotheistic admitting emanating deities, the early Rig Veda (undeveloped early Hinduism) was what Max Muller based his views of henotheism on. In the four Vedas, Muller believed that a striving towards One was being aimed at by the worship of different cosmic principles, such as ((Sanskrit) god of fire in ancient and traditional India; one of the three chief deities of the Vedas) Agni (fire), (Wind god) Vayu (wind), (Chief god of the Rig-Veda; god of rain and thunder) Indra (rain, thunder, the sky), etc. each of which was variously, by clearly different writers, hailed as supreme in different sections of the books. Indeed, however, what was confusing was an early idea of Rita, or supreme order, that bound all the gods. Other phrases such as Ekam Sat, Vipraha Bahudha Vadanti (Truth is One, though the sages know it as many) led to understandings that the Vedic people admitted to fundamental oneness. From this mix of monism, monotheism and naturalist polytheism Max Muller decided to name the early Vedic religion henotheistic.

This, however, is clearly only one possible interpretation of Vedic culture. Extremely advanced, indeed unprecedented and thitherto unduplicated ideas of pure monism are to be found even in the early Rig Veda Samhita, notwithstanding clearly monist and monotheist movements of Hinduism that developed with the advent of the Upanishads. One such example of early Vedic monism is the Nasadiya hymn of the Rig Veda: "That One breathed by itself without breath, other than it there has been nothing." To collectively term the Vedas henotheistic, and thus further leaning towards polytheism, rather than monotheism, is to ignore the clearly monist bent of the Vedas that were thoroughly developed as early as 1000 BCE in the first Aranyakas and Upanishads. However, to deny that a form of polytheism is also present may equally be to ignore aspects of the early Vedic texts. Whether the concept of "henotheism" adequately addresses these complexities or simply fudges them is a matter of debate."


"Indeed, the only period of Hinduism that ever approached henotheism was in the early Vedic period and even that is disputed by scholars, most notably the great Hindu mystic Aurobindo Ghosh."

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encycl ... theism.htm



So Hinduism is not best described as "henotheistic".

Because you have some article from an online encyclopedia? The very same article is also on wikipedia. Hinduism certainly is best described as henotheistic. To use the term monotheistic for Hinduism is very misleading, at best.

Perhaps you are confusing 'monotheisim' with 'monism' or 'pantheism'.

I don't think so. :D

Hinduism has a strong monotheistic tendency. You obviously find this difficult to accept.

It seems that you know very little of Hinduism or the meaning of monotheism. Even a quick survey of Hinduism shows that they most certainly do not believe in only one God - Shiva, Vishnu, Kali, and Krishna are four of possibly 3,300 gods mentioned in the Upanishads by Yajnavalkya. Monotheism means "one deity" or "one God". Hinduism does not teach that there is only one God.

It isn't difficult to accept simply because it isn't true.

 

[bibleberean]

I don't have to produce any more than I already have.

You haven't produced evidence. Just some Christian sites. :D

So? :D

 

[Free]

Please, elaborate.

With Protestants, it would be a waste of time to try.

Spoken like someone who really has nothing to say. You keep wanting evidence from everyone else, yet you do not, or cannot, give any yourself. :-?

 

[Soma-Sight]

Spoken like someone who really has nothing to say. You keep wanting evidence from everyone else, yet you do not, or cannot, give any yourself.

Well Free Divine Names has wrote a lot on this thread and do you HONESTLY think that anything he writes within reason will even matter to BB anyways?

I doubt it and it really is a waste of energy to argue with someone that already has their mind made up and views everything in absolutes.

 

[DivineNames]

Because you have some article from an online encyclopedia? The very same article is also on wikipedia. Hinduism certainly is best described as henotheistic. To use the term monotheistic for Hinduism is very misleading, at best.

The article explains the origin of the word and how it was used. If the argumentation is sound, Hinduism is not best described as henotheistic. If you want to argue against that, then feel free.

I am sure your aware that the many "gods" of Hinduism are believed to be manifestations of one God. The underlying philosophy is monist or monotheistic.

If you object to this, remember that you believe in a "Trinity" that is supposed to be one God. Would you like someone to tell you how many God's you believe in?

When I have spoken with Hindu's, they generally deny that Hinduism is "polytheistic", (which it is in a way), and say that it is "monotheistic", which is true for many Hindu's.

Perhaps it would be misleading to say that Hinduism is monotheistic, (without qualification). It would also be misleading to say that Hinduism is monist. It would certainly be misleading to say that Hinduism is polytheistic. And it would be just plain wrong to say that Hinduism is henotheistic.

What can we say?

It is accurate to say, as the article did, "Hinduism is generally monistic or monotheistic admitting emanating deities".

 

[Soma-Sight]

I agree DivineNames,

It is not that "cut and dry" in Hinduism just like some Christians deny the Trinity factor and say that the Bible is primarily "monotheistic".

 

[DivineNames]

Even a quick survey of Hinduism shows that they most certainly do not believe in only one God - Shiva, Vishnu, Kali, and Krishna are four of possibly 3,300 gods mentioned in the Upanishads by Yajnavalkya. Monotheism means "one deity" or "one God". Hinduism does not teach that there is only one God.

A quick survey of Hinduism shows that the "gods" are all considered to be manifestations of one God.

 

[Soma-Sight]

A quick survey of Hinduism shows that the "gods" are all considered to be manifestations of one God.

Exactly.

Are we so proud as to say that in all eternity God has not existed in MANY forms at his own pleasure? Of course this is pure speculation but if you have all eternity and would like to try out a "different form" how are we to say this is impossible and Biblically unsound?

God can and does whatever He wants! Of course I think both Hindus and Christians both believe in a "primary form" that God shares and is unique to Himself in that it does not change and cannot be destroyed or uncreated.

 

[DivineNames]

A quick survey of Hinduism shows that the "gods" are all considered to be manifestations of one God.

"Hinduism worships multiple forms of the one God." (OM, an American Hindu organization)

"According to the tenets of Hinduism, God is one as well as many." (HinduWebsite.com)

"Hindus believe in monotheistic polytheism, rather than polytheism." (The Hindu Universe)

"Even though Hinduism is mistakenly regarded by many as a religion having many gods namely, polytheism, yet truly speaking Hinduism is a monotheistic religion." (Sri Swami Chidanda)


http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/b ... theism.htm

 

[DivineNames]

Well Free Divine Names has wrote a lot on this thread and do you HONESTLY think that anything he writes within reason will even matter to BB anyways?

I doubt it and it really is a waste of energy to argue with someone that already has their mind made up and views everything in absolutes.

Thanks Some-Sight.

:D

 

[bibleberean]

Well, there is a true God and there is the "god" of this world.

Hindus worship the false god and Christians worship the true God...

1 Corinthians 8:5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)

1 Corinthians 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

The Hindu god and the Chrisitian God are not the same...

This is not my God. It is one of thousands of gods worshipped by Hindus.

Hindus believe that many gods flow from the same god Brahman.

However,

As Sri Ramakrishna says, "there can be as many spiritual paths as there are spiritual aspirants & similarly there can really be as many Gods as there are devotees to suit the moods, feelings, emotions & social background of the devotees.

In contrast Jesus states:

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

There is a huge difference to what the lost souls of India believe compared to what the bible declares about the one true God.

 

[DivineNames]

So? :D

Information provided about other religions by Christians is of variable quality.

 

[DivineNames]

Charles Manson: "If God is One, what is bad?"

The idea that pantheism destroys all moral values is possibly true, but this would only seem to be a problem where you have a strict identification of the world with God. With a view of God that is towards what would be considered pan-en-theism, I can't see that the problem exists.

 

[bibleberean]

"Kali is a ferocious form of the Divine Mother, who sent her Shakti, the Mother Gauri, to free the gods from the dominion of the demonic forces Shumbh and Nishumbh. Kali is the goddess of time and of the transformation that is death. Kali also is the Kundalini energy that paralyses the attachments produced by the solar and lunar currents (both demons)."


BB asks:

What does this evil devil goddess have in common with the one true God?

Nothing!

The Hindu religion is creepy!

Our God does not need to be rescued from demons.

The worhippers of Kali at one time offered human sacrifices to this divine witch...