Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva and the Christian Trinity of God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. In comparing Trinity and Trimurti, religious scholar, Anuradha Veeravali (Indian Philosophies, Encyclopedia of Religion) draws parallels between Brahma and God, Vishnu and the Holy Spirit, and Shiva and Jesus, but persists in the common idea that Christianity is a monotheistic faith while Hinduism is polytheistic. However, Bede Griffiths, a Christian priest living in India, has dared to challenge this firm notion of polytheism, offering comparisons between the Christian Trinity and a different Hindu Triad- Brahman /Atman/Purusha - to conclude that both faiths ultimately share a belief in the One Supreme power. Scrutinizing both comparisons- that between the Trimurti and Trinity and the one between the ‘other’ Triad and Trinity- we can establish that Hinduism, like Christianity, can be considered as a monotheistic faith.
Anuradha Veeravali argues that like the Christian concept of the Trinity of the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit, a Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva also exists within Hinduism. Outlining the main functions of the three deities that make up the Hindu Trinity, the author parallels their roles with their counterparts in the Christian Trinity. Explaining this stand further, the author says that Brahma is analogous to God (in the Christian concept) as he, too, is regarded as the creator; Vishnu is the all pervading (Holy) Spirit, and Shiva’s like Jesus in Christianity and Mohammad in Islam: Shiva’s function, in her words, is to ‘destroy the duality of unity and plurality. Thus he is the beginning and the end, the first and the last, marking at once the destruction of plurality and the realiza...
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...monotheistic religion. The creation of the world and the comparison of the Brahman with the Word clearly point towards a belief in the Brahman as the One Supreme power of creation. The analogies present between the fundamental concepts of Brahman, Atman and Purusha and the Trinity in Christianity lead us to believe that both these religions follow different paths to the same Universal Truth.
Works Cited
• Triads- Geoffrey Parrinder (Encyclopedia of Religion)
• Indian Philosophies- Anuradha Veeravali (Encyclopedia of Religion)
• The Great Triad- René Guénon, Henry D. Fohr, S. D. Fohr
• Bede Griffiths: An Introduction to His Interspiritual Thought- Wayne Teasdale
• A Survey of Hinduism- Klaus K. Klostermaier
• The Upanishads
• The Bible
• Britannica- http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/45474/avatar
• Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panini
Both Islam and Christianity are coinciding in that they are monotheistic, meaning they only believe in on...
Many people believe Hinduism to be a polytheistic religion. This is due to the fact that there is so many gods that they can worship in. But in all actuality it is really a monotheistic religion that spawns off of one god to form many different gods or ideas to worship. The entire religion of Hinduism is based off of Brahman. Brahman is the idea that all reality is a unity. I will explain the concept of Brahman and four others and hopefully make Hinduism easier to comprehend.
Hinduism and Christianity are two religions that have been around for thousands of years. Both of these religions have developed many philosophies on different aspects that can be compared to show their similarities and differences. The Hindu and Christian religion agree on many things. Based on humanity, our society follows some of the rules also because of the religion and laws. From the holy literature, there have been many different concepts that have been pledged but they all are supposed to lead you to the same effects such as a happy, healthy life, contribution to the world around us humans, and some kind of freedom after death. Some of the main subjects that can be reflected upon after learning of the history and fundamentals of these religions are the paths to enlightenment and/or salvation, the style of treating women through religions aspects, and the afterlife. This paper will give an analytic comparison of these two religions relating to the topics.
In our world today, many people are either born and raised into a religion or eventually grow into becoming part of one. Two different types of religions are: monotheism and polytheism. Monotheism is the doctrine or belief that there is only one god. Well-known Monotheistic religions are: Judaism, Christianity, and Islamic. Polytheism is the belief in or worship of more than one god. Most religions throughout history have been noted to have been Polytheistic.
With no known founder, Hinduism was developed thousands of years ago, according to Mary Fisher, author of Living Religions (Fisher, 72). While Hindus often deem their religion as eternal, or “Santana dharma,” Hinduism is not a uniform, or orderly system (Fisher, 72). For example, Hindus may take different stances on God or liberation while still following their respective religion, according to Mary Fisher (Fisher, 85). However, Hinduism incorporates fundamental beliefs such as reincarnation and karma, similar to Jainism. According to Fisher, Hindus may focus on devotion to a single God, or multiple Gods, unlike the views of Sikhism (Fisher, 98). In fact, some Hindus focus heavily on the practice of meditation, similar the ways of many Buddhists (Fisher, 100). Unlike Sikhism, which bars images or representations of God, Hinduism promotes images or figures of God in many rituals (Fisher, 98). Ultimately, Hinduism centers on the fulfilment of social aspects and stages of life.
Hinduism is both a monotheistic and a polytheistic religion, on some accounts, even atheistic. This all depends on how the practice is interpreted and exercised. Because it is the oldest religion, its specifics often get confused due to the followings of its old scripture.Hinduism is similar to Christianity with them each having around a billion followers. Also, they both seek a sort of salvation, and though Hindus do not have a set clergy, they both have priests. In contrast, worshipping for Hindus include meditation, unlike that of Christians, who engage in prayer. Christians worship but one God, yet with Hindus that is blurry margins. Salvation for Hindus is known as constantly worshipping until enlightenment, and reincarnation continues until
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are all part of the triumvirate which is the upkeep of the world. Brahma is the first triumvirate, Vishnu being the second and Shiva being the
Hinduism and Christianity are two religions that have been around for thousands of years. These religions have developed philosophies on certain subjects that can be compared in order to show their similarities and differences. Some of the main subjects that can be reflected upon are the paths to enlightenment or salvation, the religions' treatment of women, and the concept of the afterlife. This paper will give an analytic comparison of these religions through the discussion of these topics.
They wrote the Vedas, which sparked the creation of many religions throughout the world, starting with Hinduism and then Buddhism. The students of the Vedas concluded from the questions “who am I?” and “who are we?” that we are not individuals, but are part of the One, the cosmos as a whole. The Upanishads described that the true self or soul was not one's individual self, which was an illusion and less real than the all embracing self, Atman (the universal consciousness). Atman was one ith Brahman (the reality of the universe as a whole). Hindus, like Greeks and Romans, were polytheistic, but believed the different gods to be manifestations of the same god, in turn a manifestation of Brahman, the One. Siddhartha Gautama later founded his version of the Vedic religion, Buddhism, he taught that the universe as a whole was also an illusion and that all life is suffering. He also taught that suffering could be eliminated by way of the Four Noble Truths, essentially minimizing the reality of our needs and desires, eliminating much of the suffering of the human
The conception of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam is monotheism, the belief in the existence of a single indivisible God. The three of religions maintains that there is only one God, who is active in and concerned about the world. These religions are also patriarchal, male-dominated, which has resulted in God being described as “He.” However, how Christians, Judaism and Islam conceptualize God in their respective theologies is actually quite different. In Christianity, God is the supreme creator and ruler of the universe. Christians believe God is infinite, omnipotent, all-powerful, perfect, personal, eternal, unchanging, holy, all-knowing, and all-loving. Their idea of God is shown in the belief of the Trinity. God is one, but with three aspects: God is Father, the creator, ruler, and sustainer of all life, and divine judge; God is the Son, who is Jesus, God made incarnate and savior of humanity; and the Holy Spirit, who is God working in the world. Both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus, however, the major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ. In Christian scriptures, God never claimed divinity while the emphasis in the Islamic theology of God is “absolute unity;” God is sublimely one. Muslims think that by believing in the Trinity, Christians believe in three Gods. For them, God is One God. Judaism views the existence of God as a necessary prerequisite for the existence of the universe, and the existence of the universe is sufficient proof of the existence of God.
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one God. There are three of the most influential monotheistic religions in world history today known as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These three religions share both vast similarities and differences. One significant similarity they share is the belief in one deity. The belief of one God gave many people guidance and purpose in their lives. For this reason, these three religions gained many followers and believers who had faith in God. Through faithfulness in God, many were promised eternal paradise. In the following paragraphs, I will explain the similarities and differences between the rituals, holy scripts, and salvation that these religions shared.
Christianity and Islam are the two largest religions in the world. Both share with Judaism a belief in one god who creates the world and cares about human beings behavior and beliefs. Christians and Muslims has continues to grow lager and bigger. Islam and Christianity believe that there is only one god, he is the creator of the universe. Christians also believe in trinity, meaning that god has three forms: (father, son, Holy Ghost and spirits). Even today there are some Christians who still accept the trinity.
In addition, what makes Hinduism even more complex, is that fact that it is also “viewed as a monotheistic religion, because it recognizes only one supreme God: the panentheistic principle of Brahman that all reality is a unity. The entire universe is seen as one divine entity who is simultaneously at one with the universe and who transcends it as well. [Still others] view Hinduism as Trinitarian because Brahman is simultaneously visualized as a triad - - one God with three persons” (Robinson, 1995):
Human beings have always been curious about the meaning and purpose of life. Religions try to answer the curiosity people have about there being a higher source, typically identifying this greater domination as God. Some beliefs teach that there is only one G-d this is defined as a monotheistic religion. Some examples of monotheistic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Although each sect has a different perspective on teachings and beliefs they have one common thread; the belief in a singular deity.
In the Hindu religion there are three main gods, apart of the triumvirate, and those are: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The god Shiva is important in this triumvirate because he is the destroyer of the world. Shiva is the destroyer, but he also has many other complex roles and many of those roles tend to contradict each other. The god Shiva has many names and is the god of various aspects of life including yoga and dance. Shiva has gained a large following in the Hindu religion and those that follow him are called Shaivas.