Hinduism Versus Christianity - Similarities & Differences.?

Question

Which one is more open minded with the fact that it tolerates different religious beliefs?

I wish to share your views besides having some idea from these pages :

http://www.epinions.com/content_2950078596
and
http://www.gospelway.com/religiousgroups/hinduism.php

Answer 1

one thing needs to be pointed out. hinduism and christianity were founded in different times in very differnt places thousands of miles apart from eachother.
on the contrary, christianity, judaism, islam all evolved in the same place during the same time. so these comparing these three will be very easy.
but comparing hinduism with christianity is like comparing apples and oranges. but since they are both religions followed by the masses they can be compared, if not very effeciently.

differences:

christians have one god jesus, and that too its not clear whether he himself is god or a representative of god. there are differences and fights between people who believe in baby jesus, jesus or mary. the fights between catholics and protestant is a constant source of terror in some parts especially northern ireland.
but hindus have many of them, and they all get along pretty well together. you can see shiva,vishnu in the same temple and there is no quarrel about that. although there are some people who claim superiority over the others.

hindus have assoaciated medicine with religion for a long time, so they have herbs and flowers for worshipping of god. this is a good practice that temples grow medicinal herbs in their vicinity, this increases awareness among people.
there is no such concept in christianity, atleast not in today's practices.

may be because christianity had a lot of competitors such as judaism and islam, it condemns people who believe in other religions to hell and promises heaven only to those who believe in christianity.
buddhism,jainism etc, evolved only after hinduism so its possible that hinduism had no competition when it evolved. so may be thats why it does not threaten people with hell in case they choose some other religious path.
(a thing to note is not just christianity, but also judaism, islam and some new religions that evolved from these three make the same threat of hell.)

there is no concept of " SATAN " in hinduism. whereas it can be found in all three religions mentioned above.

christianity is a highly diluted religion, because its teachings have evolved over time and is still evolving. if you take a simple event like the crucifiction of jesus, you can find many conflicting accounts of the same event, which proves that they were written by many people over many years of time.

the christians have only one holy book, the bible. but hindus have many such as the ramayana, mahabharatha, bhagvat gita etc.

the bible makes it clear that the christians have to go to the church regularly. but in hinduism no such rule is imposed.

jesus says that he will forgive everyone's sins. (the thought of one person forgiving a sin done by the second person to a third person is rather ridiculous. what right has this first person have to forgive the sinner ? because he is not the party who was affected by the sin. this is at once ridiculous and hippocratic. ) hinduism says that one shall be punished for their sins.

in hinduism all life forms are considered sacred and created by god. thats why you find a mouse as ganesh's vahana and say squirells and monkeys helped build the adam's bridge, and cows are worshipped.
there is no such concept in christainity.

there should be many other differences,these are the ones i can think of now. moving on to similarities :

both allow idol worship. unlike islam or judaism.

the promise of heaven for good deeds is common to both.

on the negative side, both religions portray women as second class citizens and treat them as properties of husbands or fathers.

both ( all religions ) speak of miracles in the presence of devout belief in god.

as far as tolerence is concerned, hinduism seems to be the more tolerant of the two, may be for the following reason.
as i said christianity had competitors such as judaism and islam, when it was still a new religion. and so it must have been very important for its survival to keep the people from joining other religions. so it makes all the threats about hell and everlasting torture for the people who convert to other religions.
but no such threat is found in hinduism mainly because it had no competitors or simply because it seems very immoral to make such threats against innocent people.
its interesting to note that christianity is a religion borne out of conflict and bloodshed. people were tortured, killed, burnt for following other faiths.
so naturally you cant expect it to be tolerant. so i believe hinduism is the tolerant religion of the two.

Answer 2

Hinduism has one god, Brahman. Brahman is eternal, birth-less, genderless, formless and impersonal. However under the influence of Maya (Illusion / This material universe), one sees god in their own way. Some see Christ, some see Shiva, some see Zeus, and some see Allah... Truth is one, but there are different paths to this ultimate truth. Hinduism is not one religion, there are hundreds of religions within Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma / Eternal Law). Most believe in reincarnation and/or the practice of yoga and/or karma and/or sacred rituals. Generally, Lord Krishna is said to be the universal self (brahman) taking birth as a human, while we are the individual self (atman) taking birth as humans. In the Advaita Tradition of Hinduism, everything is Brahman. There is not one thing that exists or doesn't exist that is not Brahman. Brahman is the universal soul, self. Maya / Illusion is but a characteristic of Brahman. The universes are Brahman, life is brahman, and anything else is also Brahman. Aliens are accepted in ALL forms of Hinduism. The purpose of life is to constantly being born again, until one becomes enlightened and achieve moksha. The only way to do this is to give up all worldly attachments and either be knowledgeable about Brahman, or give yourself up to a personal form of Brahman. Christianity is a monotheistic tradition, with a strict personal god. They believe in Christ as their ONLY saviour. Chrisitianity has the father, the son, and the soul. These are all one personal monotheistic, eternal, birth-less, male god. This god lives in a place OUTSIDE of the universe in a place called heaven / Kingdom of God. This god is constantly in a fight with evil / Satan. Satan is a fallen angel, and his kingdom is Hell, which is inside the earth. Christianity says its the only way to god. There are multiple traditions of Christianity, but they all generally accept that Christ is their saviour, Christ died for their sins, and Christ will resurrect them from the ground and send them to heaven where they have eternal bliss. PS. Don't listen to some of the answers above... Very superficial...

Answer 3

" Shiva, an evil God (a destructor.) While Christianity would never claim God or any part of the trinity to be tyrannical and evil, he (the Christian god) gives everlasting punishment for non-believers."
______________________________________________
Leave alone similarities or differences--the basic information given about Lord -God Siva (not Shiva) is totally wrong-mis/Dis information.The very word Siva(see sir.Monier-Williams Dictionary) means benevolent--Sivam menas benevolence. -it only reflects the gargantuan,humongous IGNORANCE of the Author of the Sanskrit language.If the word meant "destructor,tyrannical or evil, What does the following vrese means?

Sivam,Sivakaram,Shaantham,Sivaatmaanam,Sivotthamam,Siva maarga Pranethaaram ,Pranothosmi Sadha Sivam"--

One may verify any sanskrit dictionary and if my translation is wrong ,one may point out publically in this forum ----.

Sivam=Benevolence--Shiva karam(Mangala kaari) doer of Benevolence=benevolent-Shaantham= peaceful/ serene/composed/poised/--Siva Aathmanam=making all the souls who pray Him,benevolent.Siva Utthamam=Among the benevolent Souls the Supreme one--Siva Maarga Pranethaaram=in showing the path of benevolence, the Prime Lord/God --Pranathosmi=My salutations to ---Sadha Sivam= the Lord who remains always / ever benevolent.

P.S.:-Siva AAthmanam, Siva Utthamam, Siva Maarga--Shaantham=peaceful etc --all are missing in the main post.

Answer 4

Hinduism, the world’s oldest religion, has no beginning--it precedes recorded history. It has no human founder. It is a mystical religion, leading the devotee to personally experience the Truth within, finally reaching the pinnacle of consciousness where man and God are one. Hinduism has four main denominations--Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism and Smartism.

Hindu-Christian Point-Counterpoint

Hinduism:

1.Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality.
2.Hindus believe in the divinity of the four Vedas, the world's most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God's word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion.
3.Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution.
4.Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.
5.Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny.
6.Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments and personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods.
7.Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry, meditation and surrender in God.
8.Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, noninjury, in thought, word and deed.
9.Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God's Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.

Christianity:

1.Christians believe that the bible is the uniquely inspired and fully trustworthy word of God. It is the final authority for Christians in matters of belief and practice, and though it was written long ago, it continues to speak to believers today.
2.Christians believe in one God in three persons. He is distinct from his creation, yet intimately involved with it as its sustainer and redeemer.
3.Christians believe that the world was created once by the divine will, was corrupted by sin, yet under God's providence moves toward final perfection.
4.Christians believe that, through God's grace and favor, lost sinners are rescued from the guilt, power and eternal consequences of their evil thoughts, words and deeds.
5.Christians believe that it is appointed for human beings to die once and after that face judgment. In Adam's sin, the human race was spiritually alienated from God, and that those who are called by God and respond to his grace will have eternal life. Those who persist in rebellion will be lost eternally.
6.Christians believe that spirit beings inhabit the universe, some good and some evil, but worship is due to God alone.
7.Christians believe that God has given us a clear revelation of Himself in Jesus and the sacred Scriptures. He has empowered by his Spirit prophets, apostles, evangelists, and pastors who are teachers charged to guide us into faith and holiness in accordance with his Word.
8.Christians believe that life is to be highly esteemed but that it must be subordinated in the service of Biblical love and justice.
9.Christians believe that Jesus is God incarnate and, therefore, the only sure path to salvation. Many religions may offer ethical and spiritual insights, but only Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Hinduism is unique among the world's religions. I boldly proclaim it the oldest religion in the world. To begin with, it is mankind's oldest spiritual declaration, the very fountainhead of faith on the planet. Hinduism's venerable age has seasoned it to maturity. It is the only religion, to my knowledge, which is not founded in a single historic event or prophet, but which itself precedes recorded history. Hinduism has been called the "cradle of spirituality," and the "mother of all religions," partially because it has influenced virtually every major religion and partly because it can absorb all other religions, honor and embrace their scriptures, their saints, their philosophy. This is possible because Hinduism looks compassionately on all genuine spiritual effort and knows unmistakably that all souls are evolving toward union with the Divine, and all are destined, without exception, to achieve spiritual enlightenment and liberation in this or a future life.

Please visit http://www.himalayanacademy.com/