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Searching for the Truth

How Christianity Compares to World Religions

Hinduism

Teacher: Tony Griffies

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Hinduism

Background

  • One of the largest world religions (400 million followers—mostly in India)
  • Foundation for Buddhism and the New Age Movement
  • Centers around belief in “Universal Spirit” reincarnation; life of duty and devotion.

A Universal Spirit

  • Brahman: the supreme god
  • Many “lesser gods” similar in power and function to “angels”
  • Brahman is viewed as an “impersonal” spirit
  • Jesus: teacher; not deity
  • No belief in Holy Spirit

Reincarnation

  • Goal of Hindus: cleansed of sin and return to Brahman
  • Karma: force in one’s life that determines the fate of one’s next existance
  • When you die, your soul passes into another body (i.e. person, cow, bug)

A Life of Duty

  • In order to develop “good” Karma, Hindus live a punishing life of duty
  • Salvation (moksha), takes lifetimes; gained through many personal works
  • Followers (yogi) inflict pain on themselves in search of mystical experiences

Idols

  • Most Hindu homes contain shrines for idol worship
  • Several different gods to worship (i.e. Brahman, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti)

Important Writings

  • The Vedas (aprox. 1000 B.C.) which contains Hindu law
  • The Great Epics: a collection of stories
  • The Puranas which contains mythology from the medieval period

Bible Focus

Ephesians 2: 4-10

  • What does God want from us? Explain
  • How is God’s grace superior to human efforts?
  • Will people gain anything from self-denial if they do not rely on Jesus to save them?  Why or why not?

    “God requires more of us than to simply serve him sincerely, or even radically.  John 4: 23-24 stresses that we must worship Him, not just in spirit, but in truth.  God has made it easy for us to be made right with Him—not through rituals or sacrifices, but through Jesus.”

  •  Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Would you like to study this topic further?

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