Religion Comparison Paper: Hinduism and Christianity

Introduction

Arguably, the primary concerns that possibly inspired the modern day religions can be textually traced to the beginnings of Christianity and Hinduism. Being two of the most common religions in the world, the two religions have developed varying philosophies on certain subjects which are comparable, hence yielding the differences and similarities of the two. In particular, the two religions play a major role in the definition of the modern day spirituality and religious beliefs. While Hinduism is the world's oldest religion, Christianity, on the other hand, is arguably the world's largest religion. Besides, both Christianity and Hinduism come from vastly different traditions which seem to be unique to each religion (Kreeft). This being said, the core intent of essay is to compare and contrast the two doctrines with reference to the beliefs and practices of each religion.

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Similarities

To begin with, there are several similarities between the Hindu and the Christian religion. In particular, a comparison between Hinduism and Christianity reveal some medieval practices which appear similar. For instance, both Christianity and Hinduism are known to be universal religions. The two religions promote the freedom of worship in approaching the one Supreme entity that they refer to, as God.

Besides, both Christianity and Hinduism teach and emphasize on virtues that enable their followers to coexist with each other. For instance, Christianity, which references to the Holy Bible emphasizes on virtues such as peace, character, reliability, respect, faith, and compassion among many others. This is also similar among the Hindus whose word for religion is dharma which is taken to mean duty for every human being, which they are expected to fulfill. More specifically, like Christianity, Hinduism emphasizes that the duties of each and every person are centered on the same virtues of honesty, compassion, and selflessness. Therefore, among the Hindus, when the responsibilities of a person are followed, the person is said to fulfill and have followed his Dharma (Kreeft).

The beliefs in the rituals performed by the two religions form another similarity between the two. For instance, in Christianity, Confirmation affirms that one has become a Christian. This is similar in Hinduism where one has to undergo a ritual known as Upanyana for them to be able to study Vedas, which confirms that a person has become a real Hindu.

Another commonality of the two religions is exemplified in the two religions' values, specifically, the liberal humanistic approach. In particular, the two religions consider this to be the most important feature of their practice. For example, Christians uphold the humanistic approach in the sense that they believe that one God created all humans and that being children of the same God, all humans are equal. Similarly, Hinduism believes in what is called, "Vasudev kutumbakam" a belief that the entire human race belongs to one big family. This being said, it is evident that both religions respect and treat every person with respect and goodwill. Besides, they both have great respect and liberalism for all other religions and philosophies (Brockington).

Differences

One of the most apparent differences between Christianity and Hinduism lies in each religion's supreme deity. The Christian belief in a deity is quite different from the Hindu belief. For instance, the main deities of the Hindu religion are known as Brahma and the two lieutenants, Vishnu and Shiva. According to them, Vishnu is the god of creation while Shiva, on the other hand, is the destroyer. For Hindus, there is the belief in a supreme God who manifests himself in several deities that have different responsibilities. On the contrary, Christianity primarily promotes the belief of just one supreme or an all-powerful God who manifests himself in the form of the Trinity, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

While performing rituals such as Upanyana, one that is performed to confirm an individual as a real Hindu, the Hindus only allow males. Besides, during cremation, only the males are allowed to access the cremation cite since according to their beliefs, females are considered to be emotionally weak for them to withstand their loved ones going through the cremation process. This is however different in Christianity since both males and females are given equal opportunities to perform any ritual, say Confirmation or even burials. Therefore, based on this context, Brockington contends that, despite having similar ideas behind conducting various rituals, the style of performing these rituals is considered completely different in both Christianity and Hinduism (Brockington).

Besides, unlike Christians, Hindus consider no apparent moment of origin. Essentially, they believe that everything that exists is timeless and that it will always exist. For instance, the oldest religious text of Hinduism is the Vedas which contain a variety of deities of the sun, moon, sky, wing, night, and the earth as a whole. However, the Hindus believe that none of these deities created the earth. On the contrary, in the Christian faith, there is the belief that the supreme God created the world and the living organs in it. Besides, Christians believe that the world will, one day, come to an end and believers will join God and Jesus in heaven.

Additionally, another significant difference between Christianity and Hinduism is substantiated by their goal of religion. More specifically, according to Christianity, the primary goal of their religion is to love God and obey his commands while creating a crucial relationship with Jesus Christ who mediates human beings and the Supreme God. On the other hand, Hindus believe that the main goal of their religion is to break the cycle of birth, death, and reincarnation and as a result, attain salvation. Similarly, the Christian belief is that man inherited sin from the fall of man, in the original sin committed by Adam and Eve. In this regard, Christianity holds the belief that mankind is inherently evil and in need of forgiveness and redemption from their own sins which alienates them from God. However, this is different among the Hindus since they believe that sin is solely dependent on sects.

Also, while Christians believe in life after death which is described as eternity in heaven or suffering in hell, Hindus believe in an endless or a continuous cycle of reincarnation until enlightenment is reached. Other than the difference perceived in their interpretation of life after death, the confession of sins is another difference. For instance, Christians, who are divided into Protestants and Catholics, sins are to be confessed straight to God by the Protestants and the Catholics confess mortal sins to a Priest and venial sins straight to God who is deemed to be always ready to forgive. Among the Hindu, however, repentance or the confession for intentional sins is believed to be repaid through karmic consequences, while the unintentional sins are prescribed.

The modern day today is characterized by numerous world problems which range from wars and conflicts to environmental related issues. More specifically, religions have increasingly become the cause stated for problems such as wars and peace has always been the hoped-for end. Based on the beliefs and the practices of both Christianity and Hinduism, individuals or followers within each religion often have varying views as well as religious affiliations that are closely related to the solutions to some of these problems. In my opinion, when compared to Hinduism, Christianity offers the best approach to modern day world problems such as climate and environmental issues. For instance, with reference to the issue of environmental conservation, Christianity stipulates that human beings should consider it their responsibility to take care of the environment and all the creations in the world as a whole. The Christian religion teaches this in the Book of Genesis which states that God gave human beings the divine edict to have dominion over the earth, protect the creations in it and most importantly, increase in number.

In a similar regard, modern-day Christians, especially Western Christianity are evidently alarmed by climate changes, and for this reason, their teachings and practices express the strongest intentions to adopt suitable behaviors that aid in conserving the environment. For instance, Protestants from the Anglican Church, for instance, have increasingly demonstrated pro-environmental trends, stewardship ethic, as well as harmony values. In this regard, the modern western church advocates for the conservation of the environment to mitigate the adverse effects that result from climatic changes. For instance, the modern church includes the declaration in the Five Marks of Mission which concern the safeguarding of the ecological integrity as well as the sustenance and the renewal of the earth (Hope and Jones). This, in essence, is considered an initiative which that is aimed at reducing the amount of carbon emission into the atmosphere.

Besides, unlike in Hinduism, where the most significant emphasis is on truth through non-violent means and also the peaceful coexistence of individuals in the world, the Christian teachings and beliefs emphasize on broader issues, especially those faced in the modern day today. For instance, economic un-stainability and uncertainties primarily characterize the contemporary world. However, Christians through the Biblical teachings are encouraged to work hard and not to fear these uncertainties owing to the assurance that they have in Christ. According to Eastman a majority of people have increasingly misunderstood the economic instability issue. While others may claim that the beliefs held by Christians, may in one way or the other trivialize the contemporary difficulties that occur due to market turmoil, through the teachings of the Bible as well as the Christian faith, humans are encouraged to be hopeful and to naturally take charge and control of the unpredictability hence, prevent the adverse outcome (Eastman).

Conclusion

In conclusion, a comparison between these two religions gave an implication that, despite being similar in various ways, Hinduism and Christianity vary to a great extent. Particularly the differences in the two doctrines, Christianity and Hinduism are exemplified in the motives behind performing the rituals. In a similar regard, the divergent and convergent views in Hinduism and Christianity stem from the beliefs in the existence of a supreme deity as well as the knowledge of the after-life.

Works Cited

Brockington, James L. Hinduism and Christianity. 1st ed., St. Martin's Press, 1992.

Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. 3rd ed., Oxford University Press, 1999.

Hope, Aimie L., and Christopher R. Jones. "The impact of religious faith on attitudes to environmental issues and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies: A mixed methods study." Technology in Society, vol. 38, 2014, pp. 48-59.

Kreeft, Peter. "Comparing Christianity and Hinduism." Catholic Education Resource Center, May 1987, www.catholiceducation.org/en/religion-and-philosophy/apologetics/comparing-christianity-amp-hinduism.html. Accessed 30 Apr. 2018.