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Exploring Christianity
If Christians Have Strong Faith in Their God...
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<blockquote data-quote="sanjaya1984" data-source="post: 56614027" data-attributes="member: 270473"><p>I wouldn't say that I <em>fear</em> Christianity, per se. I do believe that it can have a harmful effect on my own culture if allowed to spread, but this is quite different from paranoia. As I've already mentioned, I take no issue with the free practice of Christianity in the world, so I think it is premature for you to say that I fear your religion. As I've said, what I disagree with is the spread of Christianity through missionary work. This is not a feeling that is alien to evangelicals. Here in America, evangelicals equally oppose the missionary activities of Christian groups like the Mormons. So perhaps you can relate to me better than you think, for I view evangelicals in muc the same way that evangelicals view Mormons.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>No...I don't think I agreed to that. It seems to me that anyone who prays is praying to God, since there is only one after all. I do agree that a person who prays may have a poor understanding of God, though. Personally I think that Christians do not possess a correct understanding of God, but it doesn't mean I think you are praying to a different God. You of course will disagree, but this is my view.</p><p> </p><p>Your next comments are perhaps best addressed point by point:</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Fair enough. I likewise will continue believing what God has taught me, though I only intend to teach it to other Hindus. We both believe that God has taught us something, but upon comparison these teachings differ. Clearly one of us is wrong.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Actually I do not think this. I do not think that Christianity is one theory among many equally valid ones. Just so we're clear: I don't think that all religions are equally valid. Like you, I believe that I am correct and you are incorrect. Really, the only difference between you and me in this matter is that I don't think you'll go to hell for being wrong.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>I intellectually comprehend what you're saying, I simply don't agree. I do not view all humans are virulently opposed to God. Some certainly are. But I leave apathy and misunderstanding as options.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>I likewise think that Christians are making up ideas about God, and refuse to listen to him. In Hinduism we're often taught that no one can learn God's truth unless he himself allows it, which is why this does not distress me. Obviously you and I are going to be on opposite ends of the fence here. But I'm not sure how you can convince me that your view is correct and mine is not. At this point most Christians would tell me that the Bible is historically accurate and Hinduism consists of mythology (i.e. "my god rose from the grave and yours didn't"). However I have found these arguments to be wanting. If you have a good reason as to why I should believe what you said above, I'm perfectly willing to listen.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Just so we're clear, I am a monotheist (like most Hindus). Hindu monotheism is not the result of any Christian or Muslim influence; the Vedas teach that there is one God with many different representations. Those representations are what you may know as the Hindu Gods. Perhaps a loose analogy can be drawn to your Trinity, whereby three beings are viewed as one God. This analogy isn't perfect, but it will probably suffice.</p><p> </p><p>As to your point: since I only believe in one God, the idea of other gods making war on the supreme God doesn't hold much relevance to me. Again, this isn't a problem of understanding on my part. It's simple disagreement.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Well, you're partially correct. I've read the Bible, but don't take any opinion on Jesus. To be honest, the Bible is just too small for me to get a good idea of what Jesus is saying. Indeed, most of the three synoptic gospels is just the same thing written by different authors. Jesus' statements could be interpreted in many ways, and without more text I can't make an intelligent determination of what he's saying. Hindu Scriptures tend to be much longer, and there is more information upon which to form a theology. With the Bible, there are too many apostolic letters, and not enough story about Jesus. It's sort of like me asking you to form an opinion on American politics after listening to a five minute news conference with Obama.</p><p> </p><p>Now as to explaining Jesus to people who have never heard what you have to say about him, in theory I wouldn't have any problem with this. The problem is that in reality, what you are talking about is solicitations for conversion. This is where I take issue.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Thanks for explaining. I'll try not to take us any further down this side tangent.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>I hope to be equally clear. I believe that Hindu sages and the authors of our Scriptures listen to God (specifically the one responsible for creating the universe), and convey his truths. I don't think the authors of the Bible are listening to any spirits, whether good or bad.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Are you saying you find it unfair that people who disagree with Christianity should voice such disagreement? That's sort of like saying that a judge should only listen to one side of a case before rendering a verdict. When judging any issue, one should listen to all legitimate points of view. This is wisdom on the part of the judge, not unfairness on the part of one of the contenders.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Now I'm even more confused. The average Rabbi hates Jesus and thinks that he is responsible for all the ill that has befallen Jews throughout the centuries, but he has a good heart in approaching the Lord? I'm sure I'm misunderstanding you somewhere.</p><p> </p><p>Anyway, since I don't agree with your claim that Hindus worship man-made gods, the rest of what you've said is of course not going to have much relevance to me.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>The Jews you refer to constitute an extremely small percentage of the Jewish population. Like Hinduism, Judaism is a religion with strong cultural ties, and conversion to Christianity is highly frowed upon. Those Jews who become Christians are eschewed by the rest of their community, and this discourages conversion in general. Alas, it's irrelevant, because any Jew who offers a prayer in the U.S. Congress will be a Jew with mainstream beliefs, i.e. he will reject Jesus as the Christ. If you want to clear this up, we could look up the names of some Jews who have prayed in the U.S. Congress and look them up. So I'm still not clear on why evangelicals have such a fascination with Jews.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Again, what you're saying isn't going to be too relevant to me, since I obviously don't regard Hinduism as paganism (and perhaps you could provide me with a definition of paganism, just so that we're on the same page), and I don't believe your statement that I commune with demons. On the contrary, I believe that I am worshiping the "One True God." So in fact I <em>do</em> believe in a similar monotheistic theology as you do, and my failure to believe in your Bible is not due to closed-mindedness on my part.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Ah, the threat of hell. Since I don't believe in an eternal hell, you'd have to convince me of its existence before you can threaten me with it. But as to the life of Jesus, I think I've been quite clear in saying that I have no opinion.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>I'll tell you what I'm afraid of when I stop beating my wife. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p> </p><p>As I said earlier, I do not fear your religion. But if we may be honest, you <em>are</em> requesting that I convert to Christianity, are you not? I know you think that Jesus is unique. I think that Hinduism is unique; in all the world you will not find another religion quite like it. Since only one of us can be correct, the uniqueness of Jesus doesn't validate Christianity. Now I have already told you what I would lose by converting to Christianity. And since I don't share many of your theological views, I thus see no reason to entertain your solicitation for conversion.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="sanjaya1984, post: 56614027, member: 270473"] I wouldn't say that I [I]fear[/I] Christianity, per se. I do believe that it can have a harmful effect on my own culture if allowed to spread, but this is quite different from paranoia. As I've already mentioned, I take no issue with the free practice of Christianity in the world, so I think it is premature for you to say that I fear your religion. As I've said, what I disagree with is the spread of Christianity through missionary work. This is not a feeling that is alien to evangelicals. Here in America, evangelicals equally oppose the missionary activities of Christian groups like the Mormons. So perhaps you can relate to me better than you think, for I view evangelicals in muc the same way that evangelicals view Mormons. No...I don't think I agreed to that. It seems to me that anyone who prays is praying to God, since there is only one after all. I do agree that a person who prays may have a poor understanding of God, though. Personally I think that Christians do not possess a correct understanding of God, but it doesn't mean I think you are praying to a different God. You of course will disagree, but this is my view. Your next comments are perhaps best addressed point by point: Fair enough. I likewise will continue believing what God has taught me, though I only intend to teach it to other Hindus. We both believe that God has taught us something, but upon comparison these teachings differ. Clearly one of us is wrong. Actually I do not think this. I do not think that Christianity is one theory among many equally valid ones. Just so we're clear: I don't think that all religions are equally valid. Like you, I believe that I am correct and you are incorrect. Really, the only difference between you and me in this matter is that I don't think you'll go to hell for being wrong. I intellectually comprehend what you're saying, I simply don't agree. I do not view all humans are virulently opposed to God. Some certainly are. But I leave apathy and misunderstanding as options. I likewise think that Christians are making up ideas about God, and refuse to listen to him. In Hinduism we're often taught that no one can learn God's truth unless he himself allows it, which is why this does not distress me. Obviously you and I are going to be on opposite ends of the fence here. But I'm not sure how you can convince me that your view is correct and mine is not. At this point most Christians would tell me that the Bible is historically accurate and Hinduism consists of mythology (i.e. "my god rose from the grave and yours didn't"). However I have found these arguments to be wanting. If you have a good reason as to why I should believe what you said above, I'm perfectly willing to listen. Just so we're clear, I am a monotheist (like most Hindus). Hindu monotheism is not the result of any Christian or Muslim influence; the Vedas teach that there is one God with many different representations. Those representations are what you may know as the Hindu Gods. Perhaps a loose analogy can be drawn to your Trinity, whereby three beings are viewed as one God. This analogy isn't perfect, but it will probably suffice. As to your point: since I only believe in one God, the idea of other gods making war on the supreme God doesn't hold much relevance to me. Again, this isn't a problem of understanding on my part. It's simple disagreement. Well, you're partially correct. I've read the Bible, but don't take any opinion on Jesus. To be honest, the Bible is just too small for me to get a good idea of what Jesus is saying. Indeed, most of the three synoptic gospels is just the same thing written by different authors. Jesus' statements could be interpreted in many ways, and without more text I can't make an intelligent determination of what he's saying. Hindu Scriptures tend to be much longer, and there is more information upon which to form a theology. With the Bible, there are too many apostolic letters, and not enough story about Jesus. It's sort of like me asking you to form an opinion on American politics after listening to a five minute news conference with Obama. Now as to explaining Jesus to people who have never heard what you have to say about him, in theory I wouldn't have any problem with this. The problem is that in reality, what you are talking about is solicitations for conversion. This is where I take issue. Thanks for explaining. I'll try not to take us any further down this side tangent. I hope to be equally clear. I believe that Hindu sages and the authors of our Scriptures listen to God (specifically the one responsible for creating the universe), and convey his truths. I don't think the authors of the Bible are listening to any spirits, whether good or bad. Are you saying you find it unfair that people who disagree with Christianity should voice such disagreement? That's sort of like saying that a judge should only listen to one side of a case before rendering a verdict. When judging any issue, one should listen to all legitimate points of view. This is wisdom on the part of the judge, not unfairness on the part of one of the contenders. Now I'm even more confused. The average Rabbi hates Jesus and thinks that he is responsible for all the ill that has befallen Jews throughout the centuries, but he has a good heart in approaching the Lord? I'm sure I'm misunderstanding you somewhere. Anyway, since I don't agree with your claim that Hindus worship man-made gods, the rest of what you've said is of course not going to have much relevance to me. The Jews you refer to constitute an extremely small percentage of the Jewish population. Like Hinduism, Judaism is a religion with strong cultural ties, and conversion to Christianity is highly frowed upon. Those Jews who become Christians are eschewed by the rest of their community, and this discourages conversion in general. Alas, it's irrelevant, because any Jew who offers a prayer in the U.S. Congress will be a Jew with mainstream beliefs, i.e. he will reject Jesus as the Christ. If you want to clear this up, we could look up the names of some Jews who have prayed in the U.S. Congress and look them up. So I'm still not clear on why evangelicals have such a fascination with Jews. Again, what you're saying isn't going to be too relevant to me, since I obviously don't regard Hinduism as paganism (and perhaps you could provide me with a definition of paganism, just so that we're on the same page), and I don't believe your statement that I commune with demons. On the contrary, I believe that I am worshiping the "One True God." So in fact I [I]do[/I] believe in a similar monotheistic theology as you do, and my failure to believe in your Bible is not due to closed-mindedness on my part. Ah, the threat of hell. Since I don't believe in an eternal hell, you'd have to convince me of its existence before you can threaten me with it. But as to the life of Jesus, I think I've been quite clear in saying that I have no opinion. I'll tell you what I'm afraid of when I stop beating my wife. :) As I said earlier, I do not fear your religion. But if we may be honest, you [I]are[/I] requesting that I convert to Christianity, are you not? I know you think that Jesus is unique. I think that Hinduism is unique; in all the world you will not find another religion quite like it. Since only one of us can be correct, the uniqueness of Jesus doesn't validate Christianity. Now I have already told you what I would lose by converting to Christianity. And since I don't share many of your theological views, I thus see no reason to entertain your solicitation for conversion. [/QUOTE]
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