Around the World: Lesson 3

Overview

Understanding Hinduism: A Christian Perspective

Hinduism is the oldest of the major world religions, with roots reaching back to the third millennium before Christ. Unlike our previous studies of Judaism and Islam—which share recognizable touchpoints with Christianity—Hinduism operates from radically different presuppositions. It functions less as a religion in the Western sense and more as an all-encompassing philosophy and worldview. It is simultaneously monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic (all reality is divine), and panentheistic (everything is in God). It is pluralistic and wholly inclusive: no one is excluded from Hinduism, even those who exclude themselves. This flexibility makes it appealing in our increasingly pluralistic culture, but it also makes faithful Christian witness challenging—because a Hindu neighbor may readily say "yes" to Jesus while not meaning the same "yes" we do.

Core Beliefs and Vocabulary

The Vedas are the inspired scriptures of Hinduism, with the Upanishads serving as commentaries compiled by disciples who sat at the feet of gurus. At the heart of Hindu belief is Brahman—not a personal God, but the impersonal soul of the universe, eternal and without past, present, or future. Every living and non-living thing possesses an atman (soul), and the goal of existence is to become one with Brahman. Within this framework sits a "Godhead" of Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), and Shiva (source of good and evil), each with goddess counterparts. Key concepts include karma (the moral law of cause and effect), samsara (the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth), and moksha (final liberation, or Nirvana—oneness with Brahman). Hindu life pursues four aims: kama (pleasure), artha (success), dharma (duty), and moksha. The path forward involves the way of works, the way of knowledge, and the way of devotion.

Where the Gospel Stands Apart

Christianity and Hinduism diverge at the most fundamental points. In Hinduism, the creator is not separate from creation; in Scripture, God is distinct from what He has made, even as His glory shines through it Romans 1:20. In Hinduism, sin is not really sin—it is faulty self-awareness, a failure to recognize one's own divinity. In Christianity, sin is real, and we are not gods. We are creatures in need of a Savior. Jesus is a karma killer: our standing before God is not earned through accumulated merit across lifetimes but given freely through Christ's death and resurrection. Where Hinduism offers an endless cycle and the hope that we might one day climb our way to the divine, the gospel proclaims something altogether different—God came down to us. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" John 1:14. Christ humbled Himself Philippians 2:6-8 so that we who are dead in sin might be made new 2 Corinthians 5:17—not reincarnated, but recreated.

The caste system, deeply embedded in traditional Hindu society, also stands in stark contrast to the gospel. In Christ, "there is neither Jew nor Greek… neither slave nor free… neither male nor female" Galatians 3:28. Jesus ate with outcasts and welcomed those whom religious systems pushed aside. Christian mission has historically broken caste walls precisely because God does not play by those rules.

Pastoral Application

A helpful bridge for conversation with a Hindu neighbor is this: while Hinduism's deepest aim is for the seeker to become one with God, the Christian gospel proclaims that God sought us and became one with us. He entered humanity, in mercy, to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. Be gentle in such conversations, ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you 1 Peter 3:15, but remain steadfast. The connecting points we find with other faiths are not doors to walk through into compromise. The appeal of "anything goes" spirituality—no real sin, another chance through reincarnation, the flattering notion that we ourselves are divine—has drawn many away. Yet our worship is no less authentic for being particular. We are living the faith. Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life John 14:6, and God demonstrated His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us Romans 5:8.

Transcript

So good morning, surprise, surprise. 3s

We have a lot to get to today. 5s

So before we begin, let us open in prayer. 8s

Lord, we thank You so much. 13s

We thank You for the Christian witness 15s

that You have given to us. 17s

We thank You that You have called us 19s

to be a people of faith, 21s

a faith that is enriched and grown by You and You alone. 23s

Lord, we ask that You would use this time together 28s

in study of another world religion 31s

that You would keep our hearts open 34s

to those who are lost and that You would guide us 36s

in sharing Your truth, Your love, 40s

and Your mercy with them. 42s

Lord, we lift this all to You 44s

in the name of Jesus Christ. 45s

Amen. 48s

Okay, so, 48s

had a couple of really great questions 51s

that I'll get to in just a second. 53s

But just a quick review that, 56s

not every Jewish person, not every Muslim person 59s

has the same experience, 63s

just as not every Christian has the same experience. 65s

So when we're talking about these other world religions, 68s

it's in a very generalized perspective. 71s

If you recall the past couple of weeks, 75s

we've been studying Judaism and Islam, 78s

and we see a lot of connecting points 80s

because there are a lot of the same people, 83s

a lot of the same undergirdings, we'll say, 84s

that sounds real, right, or right, not real. 90s

I mean, yes, anyway. 93s

But it doesn't mean that we are worshiping the same God 96s

or that we're all walking the same path 101s

or to the same father, just a different path. 104s

So now for the rest of these studies, 109s

we are going to kind of branch. 112s

Oh, before we branch though, 115s

I had a couple of really great questions. 117s

So one question was posed, 119s

was Martin Luther possibly when he wrote 124s

those very horrible things about the Jewish people, 128s

do you think that he was engaging in pill poll, 132s

that debate, that conversation? 134s

And I think, I don't know for sure, 137s

but my guess would be no, 142s

because there were anti-missionaries, 145s

Jewish anti-missionaries who were saying 149s

that Martin Luther was a liar, 152s

that the Christian faith is false 154s

and that Jesus is a false Messiah. 157s

And Martin Luther blessed his heart, 160s

as we would say in the South, 162s

was very quick to respond, 164s

and he wasn't shy about his choice of words. 167s

We hear him or we can not hear him, 171s

we can read him where he just takes apart the Pope 173s

or Zwingli or Erasmus, 177s

there are other times or other writings 180s

that he has in engagement with others, 182s

where he is just not nice. 185s

And so I think that when he wrote about 189s

the Jewish people in a negative manner, 194s

he was writing out of quick emotion and defensive emotion. 197s

And then the other question, and this one is the best, 203s

I, L-O-L-D, when I read this, it was so funny. 206s

So the question was brought by a dear woman, 210s

saint about Islam and paradise, 214s

and saying, okay, so these men get their virgins, 217s

but I'm a woman, and I don't want one, 223s

what's in it in paradise for me? 226s

And I really, oh my goodness, that's a great question. 230s

So it was very interesting because it looks like even within 236s

the Islamic realm, there are different answers. 242s

So I have a couple of them. 246s

So there's one that says actually the Quran makes 249s

no distinction in rewards between men and women, 253s

they shall not be dealt with unjustly. 256s

The main reason for the virgins is because in most cases, 259s

men pursue women and not vice versa. 262s

As for women who are married in this life, 265s

Allah Almighty will grant them some kind of beauty 267s

with which they will feel that they are better than the virgins, 269s

and so they will not love another, 273s

other than their own husbands, 275s

and they will not feel jealous of the virgins. 276s

If a woman, if women are unmarried, yeah. 280s

If women are unmarried during worldly life, 286s

Allah will marry them to the unmarried believers in paradise, 288s

or he may compensate them by making them feel content 292s

with their position. 294s

Woohoo! 296s

So then another response, this is interesting too. 300s

So this is a different response. 305s

This is one of the common misperceptions about Islam, 306s

similar to the one that says, 310s

any jihadi who dies is a shirt of six or eight virgins 311s

in the heaven, or men will have beautiful virgins 314s

in the heaven. 317s

The Quran repeatedly emphasizes that men and women 318s

are equal in terms of their obligations 321s

toward fulfilling the five pillars of the Islamic faith. 324s

Declaration of Oneness of God, offering five daily prayers, 327s

fasting in the month of Ramadan, 331s

paying the required charity and pilgrimage to Mecca. 332s

A woman with a higher level of God-consciousness 335s

would attain a higher place in the paradise, 339s

as opposed to a man with a lower level of the God-consciousness. 341s

In the heaven, pious women will be blessed 346s

with the company of pious mates and so would pious men. 348s

The notion that the virgins will be available for men 352s

only is grossly erroneous. 354s

This confusion is due to the inherent problem 357s

of translating words from Arabic into English. 360s

The word, which means virgins, 363s

occurs in many verses in the Quran 366s

and can be translated as comate or companion 368s

and is gender-neutral just like the word spouse. 371s

Referring to the bounties of the heaven 378s

and the reward for righteousness, men and women, 379s

verse 20 of chapter 52 says, 383s

they will recline on thrones of dignity arranged in ranks 386s

and in that paradise we shall mate with them 389s

with companions, pure, with beautiful eyes. 392s

So to answer the question. 395s

Okay, I don't know, I don't know. 401s

There are differing thoughts on what women get in paradise 405s

and I'm still glad we're Christian. 409s

So glad. 415s

Okay, so now we are going to shift into 416s

Eastern religion. 422s

So we had those pretty easy connecting points 424s

with Judaism, Islam and Christianity 429s

where we can find some similarities 432s

as far as connecting points, talking points 435s

which can lead to further discussion. 439s

Today we are going to switch into Hinduism 441s

just like Judaism as I was reading and researching 446s

whoa, unbelievable. 451s

And there is so much to learn. 454s

What's really interesting is that the next two class sessions 457s

that we have, we are going to look at religions 461s

that branched out of Hinduism. 466s

So we'll be looking at Buddhism and Sikhism. 469s

So you'll see a lot of connecting ties with those three 472s

and so the interesting part is how do we open conversation 476s

with our Hindu, Buddhist and Sikhist neighbor. 481s

So a couple of things about Hinduism, 487s

it predates all other major world religions. 489s

Scholars trace its history back to the third millennium 494s

before the Christian era and Hinduism and Christianity 498s

operate on very different pre-Sepositions. 502s

So when you argue the two religions against one another, 505s

it could be very counterproductive 510s

because they're not on the same pre-Seposition, 512s

on the same playing field. 517s

Christianity is considered a religion, 519s

Hinduism is more of a philosophy and a worldview. 522s

In Hinduism, religion serves philosophy, 526s

philosophy serves religion, they go hand in hand, 529s

and philosophy is an attempt at interpreting life 532s

while religion is a way of finding meaning 536s

or purpose within life. 539s

It's difficult to limit Hinduism 542s

to a common definition of religion 544s

because it fits in the boundaries of everything. 548s

Any definition of religion can fit in Hinduism 553s

and Hinduism can defy every definition of religion. 558s

So it's an all-encompassing worldview, 565s

all-encompassing religion. 568s

It's a view of life, it's a collection of ideas 571s

and aspirations, it's filled with dualities, 574s

it's monotheistic and polytheistic, pantheistic, 578s

which is that all reality is essentially divine 581s

and pantheistic, which is that everything is in God. 584s

It's anemonesistic where all objects, places, 589s

and creatures possess a distinct spiritual essence 592s

and it's traditional, it's modern. 596s

Other religions can borrow from it freely 600s

and it can take from other religions 603s

if those gods serve the worshipper, 606s

if they serve to help the person. 610s

It can be all things to all people 615s

without losing its identity 618s

because its polytheistic people can choose 622s

their favorite God or gods 624s

and invoke them according to what is needed. 625s

It retains its old gods as long as they're useful 630s

for the gods devotees, but it also welcomes new gods. 634s

It's pluralistic and wholly inclusive. 637s

No one is excluded from Hinduism 642s

and I really love this. 645s

No one's excluded even if people or communities 647s

exclude themselves from Hinduism, 651s

they are not excluded from Hinduism. 654s

Very interesting. 656s

There's something for everyone in Hinduism. 658s

If you are seeking it, wanting it, 661s

you have it in Hinduism, supposedly. 663s

Gods, goddesses, wisdom to ponder, 666s

principles to live by animals to love, 668s

nature to a door. 670s

It's fascinating and this is part of the difficulty 674s

in witnessing to our Hindu neighbor 678s

because we can come and share our faith and they say yes. 682s

But it's not the same yes, right? 689s

So there are some difficulties in finding 692s

connecting points when it's pantheistic, 696s

when it's pluralistic that anything and everything goes, 700s

whatever is right for you is the right way. 704s

It's the right path. 708s

It's the way to what we'll find out is Nirvana. 710s

So they do have scripture. 714s

There are various systems within Hinduism, 716s

but each system within Hinduism does agree on scripture, 719s

which are the Vedas. 725s

The Vedas. 731s

And there are a lot of words that are new in this. 733s

So just bear with me. 738s

They are the inspired and final rule of faith. 740s

Veda is derived from a word that means both vision and wisdom. 744s

So the Vedas are a collection of hymns of texts 749s

that are composed in the Sanskrit language. 754s

They're in epic style, which is a long narrative poem 757s

that is tells of heroic deeds. 761s

They are exploring the mysteries of God 765s

while at the same time giving very minute details 769s

of how to live life. 773s

There are wise sayings in it. 776s

So the Vedas contain wisdom. 779s

They contain vision, they contain wisdom. 783s

When they were compiled, 786s

there came this time of having it completed. 788s

And it's not clear on when exactly that was, 792s

but when the wise sayings ended, 797s

the Vedanta tradition developed 802s

and so this is, 805s

that means the end of the Vedas. 811s

So wisdom, writings, texts, hymns, 814s

and when these are completed, 819s

in comes this Vedanta era where it's the end. 821s

And out of this, and I've got to write this one down, 827s

this is really interesting. 830s

Out of this, there were seekers who sat, 831s

which it's shad as the word down, 842s

whoops, I'm switching my order here. 846s

And that's me. 850s

And they would, and then, Upa, okay. 853s

And that's me here. 857s

Okay, so you had seekers who sat down near the gurus 859s

to learn, and this then came out with the upi-shah, 864s

upi-panashads, upi-nishads. 872s

So it's bringing all these words together, 877s

upani-shads, and those are like the commentaries. 882s

So you've got the Vedas, you have the end of the Vedas, 888s

and then you have seekers who are going to the wise gurus 892s

to learn more, and those then, they compile the commentaries 896s

what those gurus taught about the Vedas. 901s

Does that make sense? 906s

Okay, so I have a yes and a no. 908s

That's okay. 910s

I read through this stuff several times, 912s

because it is a lot of back and forth and circular 915s

as you'll find. 920s

So we'll just continue to keep touching on all this stuff. 922s

So the disciples were seeking sages, 926s

the superior wisdom of the sages, 930s

and these are the commentaries. 933s

The Upani-shads are the commentaries. 936s

So we have Hindu core beliefs. 939s

One of the core beliefs in Hinduism 942s

is that a person is always, 946s

always seeking to become perfect, divine, 951s

becoming one with Brahman. 955s

And Brahman is, and I can't say, 959s

be God or a God, because Brahman is. 963s

So Brahman is the soul of the universe in Hinduism, 969s

and in personal God being. 975s

Brahman is eternal, infinite, unknowable, 979s

sexless, impersonal, without past, present, or future, 984s

which is interesting. 988s

This is what the Hindus believe is the soul of the universe 989s

without past, present, or future. 995s

Our God, God, the true God, is past, present, and future. 998s

Which is an interesting juxtaposition. 1006s

In Brahman, in Brahman are found pure being, 1011s

pure intelligence, and pure delight. 1016s

So in Christianity, the creator is separate from the creation 1019s

in Hinduism. 1024s

Brahman is creation. 1025s

It's all part of the creator, part of the one. 1028s

Everything in Hinduism has a soul. 1033s

And the soul is called an Atman, or Atman. 1036s

That's the soul. 1044s

Everything. 1046s

Living, non-living, objects, places. 1048s

Everything has an Atman. 1052s

Brahman is the Atman, is the soul of the universe. 1057s

Hindu tradition proposes that God has manifested 1063s

in both human and animal forms at various times 1066s

in cosmic history. 1070s

So you have Brahman as an it, just in the soul of the universe. 1072s

Part of what is within the universe, we do have God. 1078s

And in Hinduism, there is a Godhead. 1084s

So that possibly could be a connecting point 1088s

because we do have the Trinity. 1091s

But it may confuse matters. 1094s

So you have the Godhead, you have Brahma, 1098s

which is different than Brahman. 1105s

So Brahma is the creator. 1108s

You have Vishnu, which you may be familiar with that name. 1111s

Vishnu is the preserver and controller of human destiny. 1116s

Vishnu is the most popular among human gods 1119s

because every want is directed toward Vishnu. 1123s

And Vishnu can manifest in different ways. 1128s

So there are different manifestations of Vishnu 1132s

and with each God, there is a female counterpart, 1136s

a goddess. 1142s

So everything has its counterpart. 1144s

And then you have Shiva, which is the source of good and evil. 1147s

That is the Godhead. 1154s

Another core belief within Hinduism, 1158s

and I say core belief, it's core belief-ish. 1161s

It's the caste system. 1165s

One thing we do know about Hinduism about India 1167s

is that they have the caste system. 1171s

There are many who are working against it. 1174s

There are many in the Indian culture who say this is no longer, 1178s

but it's still in place to certain degrees. 1182s

It was part of the laws of Manu. 1186s

And in the caste system, it meant that everyone had a place 1190s

and there was a place for everyone. 1194s

So Christianity has really broken through that caste system 1198s

because in Christ, divisions are broken. 1203s

There is no Jew or Greek. 1207s

There is no man or woman. 1209s

There is no slave or master, right? 1211s

We're all free in Christ. 1213s

We are all equaled in Christ. 1218s

And God has lavished His love upon all of us in Christ. 1222s

So biblically, the fellowship and the community 1231s

is for all of Christ's people. 1236s

And it's symbolic of the fellowship and the community 1238s

that we will have eternally with God, 1243s

the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 1247s

Also, Jesus ate and drank with social outcasts. 1249s

He did not turn people away, 1256s

which in the caste system is hugely wrong. 1260s

And so the Christian missionaries that have been in India 1265s

and sharing Christianity, they've really broken through 1270s

that caste system because God doesn't play by those rules. 1275s

And God's people don't play by those rules 1283s

or shouldn't play by those rules. 1286s

Some key concepts in Hinduism, 1289s

we have karma. 1294s

How many, how many of you have said, 1296s

oh, I can't do that, that's gonna be bad karma. 1300s

That's the moral law of cause and effect. 1306s

It works to explain iniquities in life 1310s

because they are consequences of actions, 1312s

whether good or bad that were done in a previous life. 1316s

Jesus is a karma killer. 1320s

You cannot have karma and believe in Jesus. 1323s

You cannot believe in Jesus and still believe in karma 1328s

because our actions, good or bad, 1333s

don't determine God's love for us, right? 1337s

So if we do something that is just stupid, 1343s

Jesus does not hold that against us and say, 1349s

okay, watch out tomorrow, right? 1353s

Jesus is a karma killer. 1356s

You have samsara, which is the stream of existence. 1358s

It's the cycle of birth, death and then rebirth. 1361s

It's the souls and light, oh, no, no, no, sorry. 1366s

It's known as salvation and liberation 1369s

because it shows the way from suffering, evil and death. 1373s

So it's the cycle. 1376s

It's that non-stop cycle of being born, dying, 1378s

and then because of karma, because of your good or bad deeds, 1382s

you are reborn into another life situation. 1387s

And that cycle continues until mocha, 1392s

which is final liberation and release from that cycle, 1397s

from samsara, it's the souls enlightenment, 1401s

it's the release from the body and being unified with brahman. 1404s

So in mocha, you're finally at one with brahman. 1411s

And that is called Nirvana. 1418s

You have reached Nirvana. 1421s

Coming to an understanding of karma, samsara, and mocha 1423s

is helpful because it allows Christians 1427s

to have the conversation flow in the unique way 1431s

that God chose to come into a sinful world 1434s

and to engage in the person of Jesus Christ 1439s

to redeem people from sin and its consequence. 1442s

The Christian faith does not work within this cycle 1447s

and recycle of life, death and reincarnation. 1452s

And God is entering directly in to stop, right, 1457s

to the suffering, to answer to and to answer for the suffering. 1466s

However, sin is not the same or even really existent 1473s

in Hinduism. 1478s

So in Hinduism, humanity's chief error is a faulty thinking. 1481s

We think wrong and that is, that's the biggest error 1490s

for humanity. 1494s

It's a lack of self-awareness that humans are God beings. 1496s

Surprise, no. 1502s

Hinduism maintains that people have four basic aims 1505s

in life, karma, which is not karma. 1509s

There's a lot of similar. 1513s

So you have karma. 1515s

That's the consequential good, bad, bad good. 1517s

Then you have karma. 1522s

Karma is all about pleasure. 1527s

So the karma sutra is instruction in the art of love. 1531s

Natiashastra instructs on poetry and drama. 1536s

But the understanding is that karma is short lived. 1540s

It disappears. 1544s

And so it's ultimately not, it doesn't matter. 1545s

So it doesn't have any lasting value. 1549s

Then there's artha, which is power and substance, 1552s

material things, success, high social position. 1556s

And that can be attained very ruthlessly. 1561s

And so as one progresses in their spiritual enlightenment, 1565s

one realizes that being self-giving 1571s

is a nobler and a gentler way of living. 1576s

And so the artha, then like the karma, 1580s

they both are meaningless. 1586s

They don't have or hold any lasting value. 1590s

And so then we get into the next aim in life, 1594s

which is karma. 1600s

Okay, not engrig, but you. 1604s

Okay, so karma, 1608s

karma is duty-filled by a duty fulfilled 1609s

by observing religious and moral law 1614s

and it's involving seeking good of all over one's own good. 1617s

And then we have moxia again, which we already talked about. 1625s

It's that final liberation. 1629s

It's coming to Nirvana, right? 1631s

That full enlightenment, oneness with Brahman. 1634s

So these are these four aims. 1638s

And how then in Hinduism do we attain this ultimate goal? 1640s

Well, the first way is the way of works. 1646s

This is ritual, domestic ritual, it's practical, 1648s

it's understandable. 1652s

It's every woman has her role. 1654s

Every man has his role. 1657s

Every child has his or her role. 1659s

Very interesting. 1661s

We had friends in New Jersey and the man was Indian. 1663s

And his daughters were learning Hindu and I said, 1668s

oh, how do you say thank you? 1673s

And he stopped and he said, we don't have a word for that. 1676s

Because if my mother prepares a meal, that's her duty. 1681s

So we don't have thank you because everyone is fulfilling 1686s

their role, fulfilling their ritual. 1691s

There is due diligence and commitment to accomplishing 1695s

one's calling in life because that keeps the life cycle 1700s

moving in the right direction. 1704s

We don't want to be going backwards. 1707s

It's the shoots and ladders game, right? 1709s

Like you make one false move and you're starting over as a bug. 1712s

So you want to keep going and keep working 1716s

through or into your position, your call to the best of your 1720s

ability. 1725s

Progressing, let's see here, oh, we have the way of knowledge. 1729s

So we have the way of works, then we have the way of knowledge, 1732s

which is progressing spiritually and intuitively to the full 1735s

awareness of Brahman. 1739s

So you want to have oneness with Brahman, you want to be as 1741s

a tune spiritually and growing ever more in tune with Brahman. 1746s

And then you have the way of devotion. 1752s

And this is based on the passionate love that man has for deity. 1755s

And it allows for dialogue between mankind and deity. 1760s

It involves the body, the mind, and the spirit. 1766s

Everything comes under this way of devotion. 1770s

All natural happenings, that's the mountains, the valleys, 1773s

rivers, those are all part of this devotion, but so is flooding and 1778s

hurricanes and earthquakes. 1785s

All natural happenings are part of worship and they become worship. 1787s

And through them, God is coming down to earth to aid the person who 1793s

has called upon him or her or them. 1799s

So it's very interesting. 1802s

Nothing is left out of being able to be worshiped. 1807s

So I still don't have my mind wrapped around that because it does not make sense. 1813s

And I hope it does not make sense. 1820s

If it does make sense, see Pastor Eivler myself after service. 1822s

So Christians, as Christians, we don't worship nature. 1829s

We appreciate the glory of God that comes through and the creativity of our 1835s

creator. 1845s

That comes through it. 1846s

We appreciate it as a testimony of God's handiwork, but we do not worship nature 1847s

ourselves. 1854s

The beauty and glory of nature will fade away. 1856s

What is the only thing to stand? 1861s

God's word. 1866s

God's word alone will remain. 1868s

So we don't worship creation. 1871s

Huston Smith was a very influential figure in religious studies. 1874s

And he said he was raised Methodist by missionary parents. 1879s

And then he started learning about these other world religions. 1887s

And he was very drawn to them. 1893s

He still maintained his Christianity, but his Christianity was able to fit into his other beliefs. 1895s

So he said Hinduism satisfies every person who approaches it to quench their thirst for spirituality 1907s

through its vast literature, folklore, art forms, rights and rituals. 1915s

This is what makes Hinduism one of the oldest of the world's religions at the same time, 1921s

one of the most attractive religions of the 21st century. 1927s

There is something that is very appealing about an anything goes spirituality. 1932s

Again, if it is appealing to you, see Pastor Ible or myself after service. 1942s

There's something that's appealing about having a supposed authentic spiritual experience. 1952s

Again, there is nothing to say. 1961s

And I would very much argue that our worship service today, the entire service, 1965s

I was sitting there and just hearing the music wash over and the readings. 1972s

And it was just so beautiful. 1978s

It is an authentic spiritual experience that we have. 1981s

It's a grasses greener on the other side. 1989s

Surely this isn't authentic. 1992s

Yes, it is. 1994s

We are living an authentic real faith as Christians. 1996s

And what we know is that we are living the faith, the faith as Christians. 2002s

Christianity teaches the limitation of human beings. 2017s

Remember that Hinduism deals with sin very, very differently. 2021s

It's due, sin isn't sin. 2026s

It's error due to faulty self-awareness of our own Godness, God awareness. 2029s

So it's interesting though that the more exposed we are to Hinduism and to religion similar to this, 2037s

and the culture around us is more and more open to the idea of everything is all good. 2051s

Everything is the same. 2060s

It's just different in little ways, but it's really the same. 2062s

The more and more we get there, we also have a lot of Christians who are wondering if the whole idea of sin is outdated. 2065s

And maybe it's unwarranted. 2073s

Maybe we don't have sin anymore. 2075s

That's kind of an antiquated idea. 2077s

There is still sin. 2080s

There is still sin. 2082s

Sin is real. 2085s

In our sin, we repent. 2087s

And in our repentance, we are promised forgiveness. 2090s

We are made new through Jesus Christ, very different than reincarnation. 2094s

We are made new creations this side of heaven in faith by the love and the happening and the making of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection for us. 2104s

And so we are called into the new creation that we are in Christ and Christ alone. 2118s

And we're forgiven and we're given new life, not according to what we have done or haven't done. 2126s

We're not given new life according to any of our ideas, but we're given new life through what God has done for us. 2134s

It's His doing, not ours. 2146s

So, oh my goodness, this is awesome. 2150s

We're good on time. 2152s

So, Hinduism, just wrapping it up and then I'll take questions to study for next week. 2154s

Hinduism is the oldest of major world religions. 2161s

The next two weeks, we're going to see how Hinduism influenced Buddhism and Sikhism, how those really come directly out of Hinduism. 2165s

And I also, I do want to point out another good talking point that you can have with your Hindu brother or sister or neighbor, not brother or sister. 2176s

Hindu neighbor is that, you know, while the aim in Hinduism is to seek to be one with God, God sought and became one with us. 2188s

God, out of His mercy, entered into humanity, to do what we cannot do, to bring us to Him in the fulfillment of time. 2204s

To call us to Himself. 2218s

So, there's a lot of differences. 2221s

And I can see where it would be frustrating to witness to someone who is spiritual or, you know, part of the Hinduist. 2225s

This also leads into the New Age movement and, you know, it, a lot branches out of Hinduism. 2237s

But again, I want to encourage you as, as Christians that we have the only way and the only word of life. 2243s

And, and so be gentle, but remain steadfast. 2254s

The connecting points that we find are not to be used as doors for us to walk through, right? 2260s

And today in our reading, we have, you know, we talk about, or our gospel reading, we hear about being led astray. 2270s

And, and this is just one of those times where I'd like to highlight that Hinduism has led astray many of our Christian brothers and sisters because it's appealing. 2277s

There is no real sin. Everyone is responsible for his or her own deeds. 2289s

There is a cause and effect, which as humans we understand cause and effect. 2296s

And there's, there's another chance, re-incarnation. 2301s

And there's something very appealing about being told that we are gods ourselves, right? 2305s

And in Christianity, we have to come to the stark realization that we are not. 2312s

That we do sin. 2318s

And we have a savior who loves us, who died for us, and who will gather us in the fulfillment of time. 2321s