Transcript Hinduism Pt.2

Session 2 – Hinduism Pt.2
In this second session we will continue our
study on the topic of Hinduism
We will spend some time contrasting the
Hindu teachings and the teachings found
in the Bible
We will spend time looking at the common
objections that Hindus have to Christianity
and how to respond to them
We will also go over some tips to help you
when witnessing to someone of the Hindu
faith, what to keep in mind and emphasize
when talking to them
Much of the information in
this session is taken from
“The Compact Guide to World
Religion” which is a great
resource on the topic
Contrasting Hindu and Christian Doctrines
Hinduism on God: God is impersonal
Christianity on God: God is personal
Hinduism on Humanity: Hinduism teaches
that mankind is an extension of “god” in
their pantheistic teaching
Christianity on Humanity: Christianity says
we are different beings from God, but made
in His image
What is the problem with humanity?
Hinduism: Ignorance
Christianity: Moral Rebellion and Sin
What is the solution to the problem?
Hinduism: Liberating ones self from this
illusion and ignorance
Christianity: Forgiveness of sins and
reconciliation with the personal holy God
Karma vs. Sin (the same or different?)
They are similar in some respects
They both involve moral issues
Both affirm the
existence of a cause
and effect relationship
between the actions
we take and the
results they produce
in our life
Here are two Bible verses that show us our
actions effect our lives
Proverbs 11:18: “The wicked earns
deceptive wages, but one who sows
righteousness gets a sure reward.”
Proverbs 22:8:
“Whoever sows injustice will reap
calamity and the rod of his fury will fail.”
There are also key differences though
In Hinduism your Karma will not affect your
relationship with “god” (Brahman)
We are all an extension of Brahman (that’s
our relationship) and that doesn’t change
depending on if you have good or bad
Karma, it will always be the same
That’s not the case when we look at sin –
The Bible says that sin does affect our
relationship with God, and that it can
alienate us from Him
Isaiah 59:2: “but your iniquities have made a
separation between you and your God, and
your sins have hidden his face from you so
that he does not hear.”
When we look at the law of Karma, it makes
morality a law of nature and does not allow
for the possibility of forgiveness. The
consequences must come about and
there is nothing that you (or Brahman)
can do about it
The Bible give a very different picture and
God offers us forgiveness from our sins
1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Isaiah 43:25-26: "I, even I, am he who blots
out your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more. Review
the past for me, let us argue the matter
together; state the case for your innocence
Hindu Objections to Christianity
1. The Cultural Barriers
There are several cultural barriers that
make it hard for a Hindu to consider the
teachings of Christianity
An Indian scholar Radhakrishnan once said:
“Hinduism is more a culture than a creed”
Hinduism is very tied into Indian culture
which makes it hard to become Christian
There is also a cultural/religious pride
among educated Hindus that make it hard
for them to consider other religions
Another cultural problem is the association
in the minds of many Hindus that
Christianity has with materialistic civilization
Finally, Indian families are generally very
close, and the actions of one member
affects the rest of the family (and
converting would have a negative affect)
2. “There are many Paths to God”
The most commonly
cited objection about
Christianity from a
Hindu is the idea that
only Christianity holds
the truth to eternal life
and only the God of the
Bible is the true God
This is a common objection from others too
Hindus believe there are many paths to God,
and each person should choose the path
that is best suited for him or her
When deal with this issue you need to keep
emphasizing that God is personal, because
the way you know an impersonal god is very
different from the way that you would know
a personal God who revealed himself
It makes a world of difference if you
believe God is personal or impersonal
If God is personal, sin (or Karma) is not a
matter of ignorance of what’s right and
wrong, but is now a matter of moral
rejection and disobedience which destroys
our relationship with that personal God
If our problem is a broken relationship with
a personal God, and not ignorance of the
impersonal, than it’s more understandable
why there is only one way
You could also emphasize the verses that
show that Christ is inclusive in who he
reaches out to
Matthew 11:28:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus commends the faith of a Roman
centurion, the kindness of the Samaritan,
the repentance of the tax collector etc.
Christ associates with the social outcast
(Luke 19:1-10) and the sinner (Luke 15:1-7)
The gospel message is not just for one
people group, but the whole world
Rev 7:9: After this I looked, and behold, a
great multitude that no one could number,
from every nation, from all tribes and peoples
and languages, standing before the throne
and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes,
with palm branches in their hands,
At the same time you cannot deny the
exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the means of
saving us from our sins
Acts 4:12: “And there is salvation in no one
else, for there is no other name under
heaven given among men by which we
must be saved.”
Explain why Jesus is the only way that we
can be saved! He was the only one born of a
virgin, lived a sinless life, and died for us
3. “Jesus is not unique”
Hindus see their gods and avatars
(incarnations) as personal manifestations of
the impersonal Brahman
When they look at Jesus,
they may be willing to
incorporate him into
their beliefs as one of
these avatars, but they
struggle to see Him as
unique from the others
A quote by Gandhi gives us an idea of the
typical Hindu thinking on this subject
“I . . . Do not take as literally
true the text that Jesus is the
only begotten son of God.
God cannot be the exclusive
Father and I cannot ascribe
exclusive divinity to Jesus.
He is as divine as Krishna
or Rama or Mohammad
or Zoroaster.”
Are Jesus and Vishnu (and his Incarnations)
the same or different?
Vishnu had atleast ten incarnations (some
claim more) in both human and animal form
Jesus had one incarnation in human form
The stories of the avatars of Vishnu are
primarily mythical in nature, their historical
nature is not essential.
The historicity of the life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus is very important to the
Christian faith. If Christ didn’t actually do
those things, our faith is in vain
The purpose of Vishnu’s incarnation was
“for destruction of evil-doers” (according to
the Bhagavad-Gita)
The Bible says Jesus came to “seek and to
save what was lost” (Luke 19:10)
The avatars of Vishnu direct people to a way
they can attain enlightenment over a period
of many lifetimes: “But striving zealously,
with sins cleansed, the disciplined man,
perfected through many rebirths, then
(finally) goes to the highest goal”
(Bhagavad-Gita)
Jesus points to himself as the source of
eternal life that can be received
immediately by those who turn to him
Vishnu has incarnations (in the form of
avatars) periodically as the need arises,
after the avatar dies they are absorbed back
into Brahman. Hinduism makes no claims
that any avatars bodily rise from the dead
Jesus is completely different, His
incarnation is a unique event, His sacrifice
was “once for all” he died and rose from the
dead (bodily) and His individual identity
remains with Him
4. “I must pay for my own Karmic debt”
Hindus are greatly influenced by the law of
Karma, and they believe that an individual
should have to pay the consequences
for what they have done in this life
(and in past lives)
They usually have problems with the idea
of subsitutionary atonement, where Christ
takes our penalty on himself and we are
forgiven not by our works, but a free gift
Again, we can agree to a point with the
Hindu, if we do things wrong we will still
reap some consequences and “pay for our
actions” in this lifetime, we may loose
friends, have shame from what we did,
get put in jail, etc.
Galatians 6:7: “Do not be deceived: God is
not mocked, for whatever one sows, that
will he also reap.”
There are consequences for our actions
All the sin we commit is against God, not an
impersonal force or universal law
Psalm 51:4: “Against you, you only, have I
sinned and done what is evil in your sight”
If God is who we have sinned against, he
can choose to forgive us of these sins
And its not as if the sins disappear and no
one pays for them, Jesus paid the full price
on the cross for our sins
Suggestions for evangelism
1. Offer Jesus’ Forgiveness
Remember that most
Hindus don’t believe
their Karma (sin) can
be forgiven, they have
to pay for it in this
lifetime and the next
Sometimes just showing them what the
Bible offers goes a long way
Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all who
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from
me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, let us
reason together, says the LORD: though your
sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as
snow; though they are red like crimson, they
shall become like wool.
2. Keep God’s personal in Mind at all times
Always emphasize the person of God,
emphasize his love and his justice etc.
Life is not a hopeless attempt to please an
impersonal universe and reach the point
where you no longer exist
What does the Bible say about God?
Psalm 25:8, "Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way."
Psalm 86:5, "For You, Lord, are good, and
ready to forgive, and abundant in
lovingkindness to all who call upon You."
Psalm 86:15, "But Thou, O Lord, art a God
merciful and gracious, slow to anger and
abundant in lovingkindness and truth."
“The highest expression of human emotions
and personality is love and compassion. An
impersonal universe never loved or cared
about anyone.” –Ron Carlson
3. Ask and listen to what they believe
All Hindus do not fit into the same box, so
don’t assume you know exactly what they
believe. There are some across the board
beliefs, but many minor differences exist
This is true with all belief systems, if we are
not willing to listen to them when they
speak, they will notice, and they will loose
interest in the conversation
4. Focus on Jesus
Gandhi said “I shall say to the Hindus that
your lives will be incomplete unless you
reverently study the teachings of Jesus”
(Hingorani, 23)
Encourage them to read
through the gospels (John
is a good place to start) and
see who Jesus is and what
he said and did
“The history of mankind will probably show
that no people has ever risen above its
religion, and man’s spiritual history will
positively demonstrate that no religion has
ever been greater than its idea of God.”
- A.W. Tozer
“Hinduism has never been able to raise the
level of nature to the level of humanity. It
always ends up in the devaluation of men
and women to the lowest level of nature.”
–Ron Carlson
Many are caught in a hopeless teaching of
Karma and reincarnation, our job is to be
ready to share the good news of Jesus
Christ with all people
It doesn’t matter where you were born, it
doesn’t matter what you’ve done, it
doesn’t matter what cast you belong to,
the message of Salvation is open to all who
will repent and accept what Christ has
done for them on the cross
From here we will look at one of the largest
world religions that branched out from the
teachings of Hinduism: Buddhism
We will then look at practices that are
common between many Eastern faiths (and
the new age movement here in America)
like Yoga and Transcendental meditation
We will then finish with the last two
sessions covering minor Eastern religions
Memory Verse
Galatians 6:7: “Do not be deceived: God is
not mocked, for whatever one sows, that
will he also reap.”