The other day I came across this photograph of a statue of Jesus at the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba in Puttaparthi. What do you think, is Jesus just one avatar amongst many? Should Jesus bow to Hindu philosophy or should Hindu philosophy bow to Jesus?
Curious Christian
Reflections on culture, nature, and spirituality from a Christian perspective
Hindu Jesus?
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8 responses to “Hindu Jesus?”
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Seeing that Jesus is the one and only true God in the flesh and Hindu philosophy is based on gods fabricated by men, I would have to say that hindu philosophy might bow to Jesus and beg that the truth be revealed.
Peace!
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@ matt,
it sure is a wonderful statue of lord jesus christ !
and by the way, where has the section of blogger in hinduism gone in your site ?LikeLike
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I’ll check it out.
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HI FRIENDS IAM A HINDU. I HAVE READ HINDU HOLY BOOKS ALONG WITH BIBLE AND KURAN.IN A HINDU BOOK WRITTEN MORE THAN 5000 YEARS AGO THERE IS MENTIONING OF JESUS AS THE SON OF GOD AND ALSO MOHAMMED AS EVIL FORCE. MOHAMMED IS CALLED MLECHA MEANING THE WORST.AND U GUYS DONT MAKE FUN OF HINDUISM FOR ITS WORSHIP IN LOT OF GODS. ACTUALLY A HINDU HAS ONLY ONE GOD. BUT EACH PERSON CAN PRAY HIM IN DIFFERENT FORMS. TRY TO UNDERSTAND THINGS BEFORE BLAMING A RELIGION. AND THE THINGS I TOLD ABOUT JESUS AND MOHAMMED IS TRUE
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Arun, where was I “blaming” a religion? What was I blaming it for? Last time I checked i was merely asking some probing questions to see where people stood on this. Maybe you should try to understand before blaming first?
As for this claim about 5000 year old scriptures containing references to Jesus and Mohammed. Please provide a citation.
I presume you mean the Vedas but according to sources such as http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/ “scholars have determined that the Rig Veda, the oldest of the four Vedas, was composed about 1500 B.C., and codified about 600 B.C. It is unknown when it was finally committed to writing, but this probably was at some point after 300 B.C.” Even if you allow for minimal distortion between oral composition and commitment to writing (which is being very generous indeed given the huge gap) that’s still only 3500 years so I am wondering where you get the extra 1500 years from? I would also like to read the specific passage for myself so please provide the reference or link. Sorry, but asserting it’s true doesn’t make it true, you’ll need to back up your statement.
I would also appreciate it if you’d engage with the original question. By your response I take it you would assert that the Vedas trumps the Gospels and that Jesus should be interpreted through the filter of Hindu teaching but that’s only a surmise and I doubt you would express it that way. How about actually joining the conversation?LikeLike
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lols.. its absolute rubbish to believe that bible and khoran are holy books came directly from god.. it just needs common sense to knw that they had lots of manual intervention.
regarding books related to hinduism, they were not written by a single person, transcended through generations accumulating the knowledge they have formed. and obviously thousands of them(not just one book) imparting knowledge in every field. hinduism is not a religion. its a way of life. remember..indian subcontinent is the mother of all civilizations. indian culture mother of all cultures. sanskrit mother of all languages. and remember its not just 3500 yrs history. dates back to 10000 yrs.
its not about bowing to someone. ridiculous to think like that. we see god in each and everything. problem occurs when we see god or the force as a seperate entity. god has manifested himself as the world and mind it, he didnt create it. and this is the real difference between hinduism and other semitic believes.
there are thousands of ways to salvation just l;ike thousands of rivers find their way to the mighty ocean.
it would be the biggest mistake that we would commit if we believe ours is the only faith which leads to salvation.LikeLike
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lols.. its absolute rubbish to believe that bible and khoran are holy books came directly from god.. it just needs common sense to knw that they had lots of manual intervention.
regarding books related to hinduism, they were not written by a single person, transcended through generations accumulating the knowledge they have formed. and obviously thousands of them(not just one book) imparting knowledge in every field. hinduism is not a religion. its a way of life. remember..indian subcontinent is the mother of all civilizations. indian culture mother of all cultures. sanskrit mother of all languages. and remember its not just 3500 yrs history. dates back to 10000 yrs.
its not about bowing to someone. ridiculous to think like that. we see god in each and everything. problem occurs when we see god or the force as a seperate entity. god has manifested himself as the world and mind it, he didnt create it. and this is the real difference between hinduism and other semitic believes.
there are thousands of ways to salvation just l;ike thousands of rivers find their way to the mighty ocean.
it would be the biggest mistake that we would commit if we believe ours is the only faith which leads to salvation.LikeLike
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Ok, there’s a bit to unpack there so let me break this down into a few smaller chunks.
Firstly, you’re sounding a bit hostile there. Please note that while dissenting opinions are welcome, I do like to keep things civil here as ultimately I am aiming for mutual understanding. That means asking questions before you presume to know the beliefs of others, and staying clear of language that implies others are stupid just because you disagree with them. Better to say, “I believe this…” than “You believe that…” Conversations tend to be more harmonious and loving that way. Does that make sense?
Now onto your specific comments.
Firstly you said, “…its absolute rubbish to believe that bible and khoran (sic) are holy books came directly from god…” Well, I haven’t said anything about that yet. As it turns out, no, I do not believe Christianity has a monopoly on truth. I acknowledge God can speak though people in other religions. In the Old Testament we have the example of Balaam after all. Nevertheless, I do believe that through the resurrection, Jesus has been revealed as the Son of God and ultimate representation of God’s being. Therefore, what is revealed through other gurus and prophets is necessarily incomplete next to what is revealed through and by Jesus. No doubt you disagree, but I would ask, are all events/texts/people equally revelatory, or are some more revelatory than others?
You also said, “…it just needs common sense to know that they had lots of manual intervention…” Well, I’d say that’s a matter of opinion, but what do you mean by “manual intervention”? Are you making the accusation that the texts have been maliciously altered? If so, I would dispute that, at least in terms of the Bible. The Dead Sea Scrolls have revealed that the text of the Old Testament has been preserved faithfully for millennia. Extant manuscripts of the New Testament paint a similar picture. Could you say the same for the Vedas?
You also said, “…hinduism is not a religion. its a way of life…” Well, Muslims have said the same of Islam and Christians have said the same of Christianity. I acknowledge that Hinduism is more intertwines with a specific culture than Christianity, but where talking of degrees here, not absolutes.
“…remember..indian subcontinent is the mother of all civilizations. indian culture mother of all cultures…” No I don’t remember that. I can’t help remembering that while the Indus river was a cradle of civilization, so was the Nile (Egyptian Civilization), the Tigris and Euphrates (Mesopotamian Civilization), the Huang He river (Chinese Civilization). I’m not sure where you’re getting your dates from but if its from an archaeologist or historian, rather than a Hindu apologist, I’d like to hear it. Can you cite where you’re getting this 10,000 yrs from?
I agree that that Hindu belief that God did NOT create the world is at the heart of the difference between Hindu and Semitic religions.
“…it would be the biggest mistake that we would commit if we believe ours is the only faith which leads to salvation…” Tell me, Christianity tells us that salvation involves transcending that which divides us. That includes caste systems. Are you willing to say that our path to salvation and your path to salvation are equally valid?
Speaking of which, do we mean the same thing by the word salvation? I suspect not. I hope for the resurrection, for the transformation of the world.
My friend Kay recently quoted Vinoth Ramachandra who said, “(Biblical) salvation lies not in an escape from this world but in the transformation of this world … You will not find hope for the world in any of the religious systems or philosophies of humankind … The Biblical vision is unique. That is why when some say there is salvation in other faiths too, I ask them – “What salvation are you talking about?” No faith holds out a promise of eternal salvation for the world – the ordinary world – that the cross and resurrection of Jesus do.”
Is the hope for the resurrection of the body the same as the hope for moska?LikeLike
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