"Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion - it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ," shares Billy Graham. Subsequently, Dalai Lama states, "Conversion is not my intention. Changing religion is not easy. You may develop some kind of confusion or difficulties." These quotes show that conversion is not something that happens immediately not is it an easy decision. In this writing, it will show various aspect of conversion and how Hinduism looks at Christian proselytism.
Consequently, Arvind Sharma's thoughts on conversion reflect upon the conversation that Gandhi had with C.F. Andrews, where he analyzes their conversation. Sharma state:
If we analyze this conversation carefully, we will detect two grounds for Hindu opposition to Christian proselytization, one doctrinal and the other procedural. The first objection is that no change of religion is required even if one accepted the truth of Christianity, because of the pervasive acceptance of the doctrine within modern Hinduism that all religions are valid. The second is that the procedures adopted for propagating Christianity are not considered acceptable. The procedure, according to modern Hindus, is morally dubious-for at least two reasons. The desire to convert
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However, Sharma continues to share that from the Hindu perspective that if a Hindu convert, then it is not an authentic religion. Sharma writes, "From the Hindu point of view, if conversion is to have any basis, it has to be spiritual. Thus, if one is convinced that one's salvation lies only through Christianity, then the modern Hindu may reluctantly concede it as a ground for conversion, but the use of material allurement to change one's spiritual alignment is considered unworthy of an authentic religion." This thinking seems to go inline to think that Jesus is an
According to document A, “Hinduism was (and is) polytheistic - Hindus believe in many gods…..In this kind of Hinduism, people believed in reincarnation - that people could be reborn into other bodies after they died.” The excerpt shows that the daily life would be affected since Hindus will worship more gods and believe in reincarnation. Moreover, Hindus believed in Karma as well as Dharma. Karma was the good or bad actions that had an effect on the soul in later reincarnations. Dharma was the spiritual duties that one must follow. Now it is evident that beliefs were influenced by religion.
From the text excerpt in Document A, “Hinduism was (and is) a polytheistic religion - Hindus believed in many gods. --- In this kind of Hinduism, people believed in reincarnation - that people could be reborn into other bodies after they died.” This evidence shows that because of religion, Hindus have belief in many gods, and believe in reincarnation. Without a religion, they would not believe in an all-mighty ruler, or in reincarnation. Hindus also believed in karma, which means the good and bad actions that have an effect on the soul, and dharma, or spiritual duties one must follow. As you can see, beliefs were greatly influenced by religion.
The Question of Origin: Hinduism believes everything has been in existence and is a part of numerous gods. In (Foundation of Indian Psychology Vol.2 Pg.116) the text Hinduism is a treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different people in different times of life. Over the centuries the Hindus beliefs are not literally interpreted by the scriptures and there ethics are derived from them.
The first understanding of India arrived in America through commercial and missionary activity. The finding of America itself was a mistake, as explorers were searching for a shorter route to India. At the time India was known for its great wealth, kingdoms and exotic mysteries (Charles Lippy & Peter Williams). Based on religious perspective India was thought to have an “ancient wisdom”, which rest upon a philosophy with the oldest religious scriptures. Prior to the twentieth century Americans knew little about Hinduism, therefore conceived it as inferior, pagan, and probably idolatrous (Charles Lippy & Peter Williams). Sadly this will not be the first of or last time America will have made quick and inaccurate decision on a diverse world religion. Even though Hinduism may have had difficulty establishing itself earlier in America, it has grown exponentially over the years.
The origins of Hinduism can be traced back to the Vedic traditions of the Indus Valley Civilization (Mittal and Thursby 23) where as Buddhism can be seen as originating from Hinduism, and yet they are seen as two completely different religions. Why? These religions do share some of the same practices, however there are also vast differences. The caste system is a major social institution of Hinduism, but Buddhism rejects the caste system. Buddhism opposes the idea of a soul, while Hinduism perceives the soul as being one with Brahman. Moksha and Nirvana are both the release from saṃsāra, but the pathways to attaining release are dissimilar.
In this light, another contrast between the conversions is that only Gotama's conversion endorses the definition of conversion established by William James. He advocates that a conversion results in a person that is '... ... middle of paper ... ... well-educated and studied philosophy ; however, it was not the same religion that Gotama converted into.
In this term paper I will be comparing and contrasting Buddhism and Hinduism. Comparing both Hinduism belief, sacred text and overall view of how the world SHOULD be. Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the most influential and complex religions around the world. Both religions have similar philosophies and originated in India before 500 B.C. Both are among the top five major religions being practiced in today’s world. Hinduism ranks as the third most popular organized religion and is much older than Buddhism. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, or Lord Buddha, who considered himself a Hindu before being called to his path and attaining enlightenment, and therefore given this fact, it follows that Buddhism share many similarities and some very distinct differences in certain doctrinal sacred texts, ideals, practices, and beliefs of Hinduism.
The conversion experience deals with a transformation from an ‘old life’ to a ‘new’ one. This produces a change of conduct in the converts, who now consciously try not to return to their ‘old life’ represented by their pre-conversion years (Adeboye, 2003 ; 2004).
Siddhartha Gautama experimented with a number of methods to find the cause of suffering, which led him to what he called the Middle Way – a path between “licentiousness and extreme mortification” (Bloom). Once he achieved enlightenment, he turned into ‘the Buddha – the enlightened or awakened one’. Christianity is one of the largest and most prevalent religions in the world and is largely based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians trust that Jesus was sent by God to save humanity. Therefore, the faith of the followers of the Christian belief is primarily based on the preaching of Jesus and later the spreading of those by his disciples.
In conclusion, it is important to realize that it was not one single factor which was responsible for the spread of Christianity, all these figures came together to give the perfect platform for a new religion to develop, " Never before in the history of the race had conditions been so ready for the adoption of a new faith by the majority of the peoples of so large an area" (K.S Latourette).
Thank you for being patient and I apologize for not turning it in the day I was to. Enjoy your trip.
“If I were asked to define the Hindu creed, I should simply say: Search after truth through non-violent means. A man may not believe in God and still call himself a Hindu. Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after truth... Hinduism is the religion of truth. Truth is God.”
Hinduism is often viewed as a particularly tolerant religion. The lack of a single omniscient God, absence of a prophet, and the open worship of what may look like many Gods may tell a tale of open worship, individuality within religion, and a peaceful, tolerant way of life. Without further examining what Hinduism entails, this may seem like the perfect religion. When the impression of superiority is looked at with a little skepticism, the pretty picture is marred by the deep scratches of discrimination, sexism, and elitism.
Hinduism is a very complicated religion from an outsiders prospective. When I think about it I never have really given any thought to what Hinduism is, so what is this religion, what do they believe in, what are the social and cultural influences and what is the desire for liberation from earthly existence?
Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion and was originated in the Indian subcontinent. Is rare that a big religion like Hinduism don’t have a single founder, religious organization, specific theological system and don’t even a system of morality, but it is a religion that has evolved over thousands of years. Hinduism has a diverse body of cultural and philosophical practices. Hinduism consists of belief and tradition. The most recognized belief and traditions of the Hinduism are Karma, Dharma, Samsara and Moshka. Hindu people don’t believe in violence, but they do believe in prayers, honesty, truth, austerity, celibacy and penance. The Hindu scriptures are collectively referred to as the Shashtras. The Hindu scriptures were initially passed on orally from generation to generation until finally ancient scholars wrote them down; mainly in the Sanskrit language that was the prevailing language of the time. Some of the Hindu scriptures are the Shruti and Smritis. The Shruti primarily refers to the Vedas which represent eternal truths revealed to ancient sages but some other Hindu individuals associated the Vedas with a God or a powerful person. The Smritis are all of the other text different than the Shruti. The most know of the Smritis are the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Although the Hindus worship a large pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, they believe in the one Supreme Power that manifests itself in various forms.