Reading about different religions is proving to be very informative. I know a little about the other religions, but further investigation has revealed more information about them which is interesting. It is a daunting task to try and look at other religions objectively when I am very strong in my Christian faith, so my views may not be totally objective. I will do the best I can, however….in my analyzation of each religion. First I will speak of Hinduism...
Notes about Hinduism:
Each person’s reality is different
If a person’s reality does not lead to happiness, it must be abandoned
God changes and adapts to circumstances
No absolute truth
Duhkha…bad space
Brahman…the Godhead, who we are to know intimately
The differential between expectations and outcomes will determine one’s amount of earthly suffering
Pleasure and Pain are very interconnected
Spiritual ignorance is the source of unhappiness
God responds to each individual based on his needs, personality, etc.
Each person may find the Truth in a different way…through study, experience, or logic.
All creation has a soul
Reincarnation and transmigration
Religion…to be experienced
Science…to be proven
For a religion to be reconciled with science it needs to fulfill three requirements:— 1. It must accept all proven scientific facts as true. 2. It must reject any view which is contradicted by science. 3. Its beliefs must be based on observation, logic and experience.
In studying Hinduism, I found many similarities to the Christian religion that I agree with. The biggest one is that they believe in a Godhead, who we are to know intimately. I agree that God responds to each individual based on his needs, personality, etc. He knows our circumstances and what leads us to believe or disbelieve. He knows what drives our actions, and His mercy is unfailing. I also agree that pleasure and pain are interconnected. To appreciate pleasure, one must recognize what pain is. To feel pain, one must have experienced pleasure. I also agree that spiritual ignorance is the source of unhappiness. The history of Hinduism shows that from the very beginning there has been a quest for intimacy with God. I agree with this as well.
I disagree that there is there is no such thing as absolute truth. For those who believe in science, there is absolute truth. In the spiritual realm, I believe there is also absolute truth. I do not believe, as the Hindus do…that God adapts and changes according to circumstances. I believe that God is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is like a rock, and a solid foundation on which to stand.
I do agree that every person has a reality that is based on his own experiences and circumstances. The Hindus believe that if a person’s reality does not lead to happiness it must be abandoned. I disagree with this in that I do not believe happiness on this earth is our ultimate goal. I believe sharing the love of God with others is our ultimate goal. Whereas that might make us spiritually happy, it does not necessarily mean that everything else in our lives is happy.
I believe that people may be led to the Truth in various ways, but I believe there is only one Truth. I believe, as the Hindus, that they may be led by personal experience, personal study, or logic.
I do not believe that all of creation has a soul. God set man apart, and created us in His image. We have the knowledge of right and wrong written upon our hearts. We have a conscience, unlike a tree or a rock. We do not merely exist. We were created to care for the other life on earth and to love God.
I do not believe in reincarnation or transmigration. This is where I cannot help but be biased in my belief. I believe God’s plan paved the way for us to have eternal life through his son Jesus Christ. I do not have to earn my way to Heaven or be born into other lives until I reach perfection. My perfection was born on the cross when Jesus died for me.
Christianity is not the oldest religion…true. That does not, however, make it wrong. All religions have in common the searching for something more. There is an innate sense that there is something greater than who we are. I believe that God put that desire in our hearts for intimacy with Him.
Christianity is the only religion where God came to earth in human form. Not only this, this human, Jesus Christ, took our sins so that we might have eternal life. Jesus said He was the Messiah. This makes him either a lunatic, a liar, or the Son of God. Enough people believed in Him to martyr themselves over the years. He did miracles, and had many witnesses to those miracles. Not only did he bring people back to life, He himself rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. From Heaven, He continues to heal and transform lives every day. The life of Jesus fulfills the prophecies that were foretold thousands of years before His birth...and it all came about as the prophecies said that it would.
As far as the method goes to reconcile religion with science…
-I believe scientific facts are true. (Saying “there is no God is not a fact because nobody can prove the non-existence of God) I also believe that Science and the existence of God do not contradict each other.
-Again…science cannot contradict something that cannot be proven…and there is no God DNA.
-My beliefs are based on:
-Observation (creation, miracles, and life transformations in the name of Jesus Christ)…
-Logic(Jesus Christ said he was the Messiah…and He also healed people, loved people, and brought people back to life. A lunatic or a liar would not logically be so loving as to do those things, yet lie about who he is. Therefore His claim must be true.)…
-Experience ( I have personally received Jesus into my heart…experienced His miracles firsthand, and experienced his restoration, peace, and love…and I have seen the changes in my life as a result).
