(my interpretation) Hinduism vs Christianity denominations and theology

[GuyFromSingapore]

Christianity: Jesus was both fully human and fully God

Hinduism: Krishna was exclusively God, never human, neither partly nor fully. His human form was a mere appearance. An illusion. His power to appear as that which He truly is not.

Christianity: Jesus ascended into Heaven and will return

Hinduism: Krishna died. But the death is as much an illusion as His birth because God is eternal. One should not commemorate His death because one can worship Krishna/God anywhere and have complete access to Him.

My problem with Hare Krishnas/ISKCON: Krishna ascended into Heaven. I don't care. It's irrelevant to me. God has no form, so it doesn't matter where He is located. He access to all places and things and the entire universe belongs to Him.

His presence can be perceived here and now through worship. So one shouldn't care about any fairytale land called Heaven.

Heaven as per Vedas and Bhagavad Gita is just a place you go to as reward to feel pleasure for worshipping God intensely and regularly and doing good deeds.

I agree with this view.

The highest level of Heaven is just a place or a state of being where you feel unbroken infinite bliss of connection to God and never reincarnate again.

 

[GuyFromSingapore]

"church = fellowship of individual believers" I agree with Baptist point of view.

I think the embodiment of Hindus as a collective is the river Ganges. She is not a personification of God but of Hindus as a whole.

So one should do symbolic rituals pretending that it is water from Ganges to represent and affirm one's dedication to God.

 

[Deleted member 52298]

i think the embodiment of Hinduism is the river Ganges.

beautifully written op

taking into account this analogy, we can assume that hinduism is a river full of dogshit and waste where pajeets take showers without hesitation

truly a life changing revelation

 

[GuyFromSingapore]

"balance between scripture, tradition and reason" I disagree with Anglicanism.

Reason is used to decipher and interpret scripture. Therefore reason is superior to the scriptures themselves arguably. Sometimes worship transcends and overwhelms the mind i.e. "mysticism" but still the brain in the king of all organs and is what makes humans superior to other animals. Reason is one of the greatest gifts from God. And it's best and ultimate purpose is to connect to Him through philosophy.

Tradition is just the collection of wisdom passed down from Sages and Saints.

 

[GuyFromSingapore]

beautifully written op

taking into account this analogy, we can assume that hinduism is a river full of dogshit and waste where pajeets take showers without hesitation

truly a life changing revelation

I think the Indian government should start projects to clean the river and it makes it more sanitary.

 

[GuyFromSingapore]

Agree with and really like Methodist principle.

Feeling the presence of God, getting closer to Him is important.

"strive for spiritual perfection" totally.

 

[Deleted member 52298]

I think the Indian government should start projects to clean the river and it makes it more sanitary.

the indian government can be compared with any political environment from southamerica and africa in terms of corruption

also, i dont understand the patriotic feeling of most of indians when at least 90% of them eat roasted rat for breakfast and are willing to emmigrate to northamerica without hesitation

 

[GuyFromSingapore]

Totally against Lutheranism.

Mystical experience is more important than anything else.(except reason, to which it is equal)

 

[GuyFromSingapore]

the indian government can be compared with any political environment from southamerica and africa in terms of corruption

also, i dont understand the patriotic feeling of most of indians when at least 90% of them eat roasted rat for breakfast and are willing to emmigrate to northamerica without hesitation

The only thing I have in common with Indians from India, is my ethnicity and religion. I don't consider my nationality as Indian. Though I do see India as a "land of Hindus" rather than a "Hindu nation".

 

[Deleted member 21688]

"This [Qur'an] is notification for the people that they may be warned thereby and that they may know that He is but one God and that those of understanding will be reminded." ~ Holy Quran 14:52

 

[GuyFromSingapore]

Agree with Reformed on emphasis over Theology.

For me Puranas are important because they help us understand the nature of the attributes of God through deciphering the meaning of the "stories" of the Gods.

Disagree with Protestantism as a whole:

- don't care about salvation because (I believe that)God forgives sins through our worship of Him and good deeds

- don't care about faith, because there's no such thing as "faith" but direct experience through worship

- don't believe in "scripture alone". Because reason is superior to scripture itself.

One can attain God without scriptures. Scriptures are just aids to the spiritual path. The Sages revealed the scriptures from God ONLY because they attained the highest spiritual status through the acts of worship. And the verses they revealed may reflect their particular spiritual realization.

- "for the Glory of God" agree with this. One should strive to worship God for His pleasure.

 

[GuyFromSingapore]

"This [Qur'an] is notification for the people that they may be warned thereby and that they may know that He is but one God and that those of understanding will be reminded." ~ Holy Quran 14:52

Agree with this verse. Scriptures are just an aid/reminder. Not absolutely necessary. One can and should "create" his own prayers along with revealed scriptures and/or follow the prayers of great saints.

However the ultimate and best prayer book is the Vedas.

 

[GuyFromSingapore]

"the Bible has more authority than the Church" Protestantism.

My view: scripture and reason has the highest authority but scripture was revealed by Sages whose descendants are the Brahmins.

Not all Brahmins are spiritual. And not every word of a Brahmin is a revelation of God.

Brahmins and Gurus lead the practitioners(potentially, sometimes).

So the Vedas are the inheritance of Brahmins and Brahmins have the highest claim to the Vedas.

But I believe in Orthodox Jewish idea of "everyone has to write his own Torah".

Nothing anyone can say or do contradict the Vedas. So yeah Vedas hold higher authority than any individual or group of Hindus.