Christ is risen! Xristos Anesti!
If you were trying to convert a Hindu, how would you do it?
If you say "God is merciful" a Hindu might be confused. Their version of God has reincarnation. You have as long as needed to get it right and become one with God. Our "version" of God gives you one chance and that's that.
If you say "Your God is bloodthirsty and lustful" a Hindu might be confused again. In the Old Testament, God required animal sacrifice. Ancient Hindu practices did as well, but nowadays in Hindu worship it is mostly grain and fruits. Our God commanded Israel to slaughter entire nations, to show no mercy, killing all women and children. The Old Testament shows drastic differences compared to our modern Christian beliefs.
If you say "The caste system is evil and smothering!" they would also look at you perplexed. Our Western mind is so set on the individual. Orthodoxy itself teaches that the freedom and liberation we Westerners so love on is really or love of our bondage to sin and death. This is a hard concept to grasp, just as the caste system is hard to grasp to our American mindset... the caste system holds all together, keeps the common good of the culture, etc.
A Hindu might also be confused about our opposition to many current scientific beliefs. Hinduism means the eternal religion. According to Hindus, it always has and always will exist. Hindus teach that there are many worlds, many universes before this, and many after this. Recently, science has discovered what Hindus have always known. This is just one universe. MANY billions or trillions of years from now, our own universe will be gone and a new one will eventually come. There have been universes before this. This is all in the ancient Hindu texts, which also describes civilizations already ancient by Ice Age times! Their Scriptures speak of times when the Earth was very frigid and icy... something again scientists have discovered.
Also, in the Hindu Scriptures, someone is given a vision of the future or some such and sees the sun expanding HUGE and the Earth becoming barren ash. This is what really happens after billions of years of a star's existence! Science just discovered this! But Hindus have always known it!
I could go on and on on that particular subject.
A Hindu might also be confused in regards to the many miracles found in all religions across the world. In Hinduism it is easy to explain... God works in all ways... all paths lead to Him/Her.
Admittedly, I have been reading up on Hinduism, and these are sort of my own questions and whatnot.
Love,
Justin
If you were trying to convert a Hindu, how would you do it?
If you say "God is merciful" a Hindu might be confused. Their version of God has reincarnation. You have as long as needed to get it right and become one with God. Our "version" of God gives you one chance and that's that.
If you say "Your God is bloodthirsty and lustful" a Hindu might be confused again. In the Old Testament, God required animal sacrifice. Ancient Hindu practices did as well, but nowadays in Hindu worship it is mostly grain and fruits. Our God commanded Israel to slaughter entire nations, to show no mercy, killing all women and children. The Old Testament shows drastic differences compared to our modern Christian beliefs.
If you say "The caste system is evil and smothering!" they would also look at you perplexed. Our Western mind is so set on the individual. Orthodoxy itself teaches that the freedom and liberation we Westerners so love on is really or love of our bondage to sin and death. This is a hard concept to grasp, just as the caste system is hard to grasp to our American mindset... the caste system holds all together, keeps the common good of the culture, etc.
A Hindu might also be confused about our opposition to many current scientific beliefs. Hinduism means the eternal religion. According to Hindus, it always has and always will exist. Hindus teach that there are many worlds, many universes before this, and many after this. Recently, science has discovered what Hindus have always known. This is just one universe. MANY billions or trillions of years from now, our own universe will be gone and a new one will eventually come. There have been universes before this. This is all in the ancient Hindu texts, which also describes civilizations already ancient by Ice Age times! Their Scriptures speak of times when the Earth was very frigid and icy... something again scientists have discovered.
Also, in the Hindu Scriptures, someone is given a vision of the future or some such and sees the sun expanding HUGE and the Earth becoming barren ash. This is what really happens after billions of years of a star's existence! Science just discovered this! But Hindus have always known it!
I could go on and on on that particular subject.
A Hindu might also be confused in regards to the many miracles found in all religions across the world. In Hinduism it is easy to explain... God works in all ways... all paths lead to Him/Her.
Admittedly, I have been reading up on Hinduism, and these are sort of my own questions and whatnot.
Love,
Justin