questions about christianity and hinduism

[trablano]

Hello,

I used to be a more or less strict christian for around 12 years now but I have become very disillusioned about my religion and cannot trust the bible anymore. I still have some faith in Jesus but I do not even know how to formulate it and how to rely on it. My life is very difficult, I suffer from schizophrenie and I am very poor.

So recently I have tried to look at other religions and came to hinduism. I've tried to look at this religion before but I didn't go too deep with it. But now it's like Krishna and the other gods are calling me. And I find the hindu religion very attractive because it has no hellfire punishments or someone like Satan whom the hebrew scriptures describe as something like a bad but still accepted servant of God. The whole hindu faith seems more positive and rational. And Krishna certainly seems very benevolent compared to Yahweh who frequently created chaotic and fierce wars for people who didn't even do much wrong.

So as you can see, I am close to becoming a hindu. I am very tired of christianity. I think Jesus was somehow a saint and a demigod whose father is also a benevolent deity. But they are separate from the biblical message which doesn't do God justice and which distorts christian religious history.

How can I now access Krishna as my divine friend? How do you see Jesus from a hindu perspective? And, most importantly, is there a hindu alternative to taking christian communion? Taking communion was something I enjoyed in church life and I would like to continue with it. That's why I also ask if it might be possible to combine hinduism with select pieces of christianity. I am culturally european and while I am getting a hold on hinduism now the language and names feel a bit foreign to me. So Jesus sometimes feels closer to me. As a last question, I think I am suffering from inward demons. How can this be remedied with a hindu method? I do not quite think it is a literal evil being in me but instead a cut off part of myself that turns against me and works against the wellbeing of my heart and soul.

Thank you for your time. May Krishna bless you!

 

[von bek]

Hopefully your post will get seen here by the right people. You may want to put this in the Dharmic or Hindu DIR. I am Hindu, but I'm a Shakta. You are asking about Krishna, you want to hear from Vaishnavas, there are several of those here. Good luck on your journey and may Maa Kali bless you!

 

[Jainarayan]

How can I now access Krishna as my divine friend? How do you see Jesus from a hindu perspective? And, most importantly, is there a hindu alternative to taking christian communion? Taking communion was something I enjoyed in church life and I would like to continue with it. That's why I also ask if it might be possible to combine hinduism with select pieces of christianity.

Begin by just talking to him. He already knows who you are and what your intentions are. Ask him to introduce himself to you. He is a friend as well as God. He is friendly, playful, a joker and prankster, but not malicious like Loki; his friends and family were drawn to him because of this. He's compassionate, doesn't judge or punish (Shishupala would beg to differ, but he had it coming).

I can't and won't speak for all Hindus, but for me Jesus is largely irrelevant. That doesn't mean dismissing or disrespecting, because he is someone else's God. But to me he is not God, but a saint, teacher, guru if you will, self-realized. He did say that he and God are one... very Advaitic if you ask me. Much of what he said echoes the Bhagavad Gita, which preceded him by at least several centuries. Personally, I think Jesus was influenced by the merchants, traders and travelers who traveled the Silk Road(s) between east and west. The Roman Empire had trade in Asia as far as China. A lot of ideas went back and forth.

There's nothing comparable to communion if you mean taking part of God, because we are part of God. We have prasadam, which is an offering of food and/or drink given to God that he blesses and we then consume. After an aarati (a ritual using the oil lamps offered to God with chanting by the priests) prasadam is distributed. Sometimes it's fruit, sometimes it's a liquid called teerta, sometimes it's both. Whatever it happens to be at a particular time, it's blessed by God.

Hinduism and Christianity are largely incompatible IF you hold with the idea of the Jehovah/Yahweh-type God. However, there is a version of Christianity among several more mystical ones, that focuses only on the teachings of Jesus. It's called Jesuism. Thomas Jefferson created the Jefferson Bible, which is a compilation of the "red letter" verses only... no miracles, no divinity, no resurrection, nothing but teachings. There is a book called The Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta, written by Swami Prabhavananda that you may find interesting. Swami does make a case for Jesus's teaching having great similarities to teachings of Hinduism.

As a last question, I think I am suffering from inward demons. How can this be remedied with a hindu method? I do not quite think it is a literal evil being in me but instead a cut off part of myself that turns against me and works against the wellbeing of my heart and soul.

Well, we all are to an extent. A number of the deities are known for fighting demons, usually metaphorical for our personal struggles. Mother Durga is a great warrior who kept her cool, and even laughed during her battles with demons; Lord Narasimha, the lion avatar of Lord Vishnu is a fierce protector of his devotees; no one gets any fiercer than Mother Kali when she is kicking evil's butt.

 

[Vinayaka]

Tough questions. Tough life decisions. Best wishes to you, and I hope it works out.

I'm a Saivite, but much of what you asked falls into general Hinduism. So I'll answer kind of randomly, as you had some large questions rolled into there.

As for communion, I'm not familiar with it in Christianity. In Hinduism you go to a temple, at the end of the puja, (standard temple ritual of beseeching the presence of God) offerings are given back to you, including flame, sacred forehead substances, and food, which you are to partake.

There are methods for working on inner demons, such as writing it all out and burning it, or doing prayaschitta (penance) while praying. Just sitting still can help, or just going to a temple to be in the presence of God,

The Hindu take on Jesus varies widely, from indifference to thinking he's a saint. it's left up to the individual to determine that, or how they want to proceed. For me, because I was raised atheist/agnostic, it's indifference. The concept of a saviour makes no sense to me.

In terms of similarity to Christianity, I would venture to say that Gaudiya Vaishnavism is the closest school, and even it isn't very close. Krishna can replace Christ, but there is no Christian equivalent for karma, or reincarnation.

Good luck. Please continue asking stuff.

 

[David T]

Hello,

I used to be a more or less strict christian for around 12 years now but I have become very disillusioned about my religion and cannot trust the bible anymore. I still have some faith in Jesus but I do not even know how to formulate it and how to rely on it. My life is very difficult, I suffer from schizophrenie and I am very poor.

So recently I have tried to look at other religions and came to hinduism. I've tried to look at this religion before but I didn't go too deep with it. But now it's like Krishna and the other gods are calling me. And I find the hindu religion very attractive because it has no hellfire punishments or someone like Satan whom the hebrew scriptures describe as something like a bad but still accepted servant of God. The whole hindu faith seems more positive and rational. And Krishna certainly seems very benevolent compared to Yahweh who frequently created chaotic and fierce wars for people who didn't even do much wrong.

So as you can see, I am close to becoming a hindu. I am very tired of christianity. I think Jesus was somehow a saint and a demigod whose father is also a benevolent deity. But they are separate from the biblical message which doesn't do God justice and which distorts christian religious history.

How can I now access Krishna as my divine friend? How do you see Jesus from a hindu perspective? And, most importantly, is there a hindu alternative to taking christian communion? Taking communion was something I enjoyed in church life and I would like to continue with it. That's why I also ask if it might be possible to combine hinduism with select pieces of christianity. I am culturally european and while I am getting a hold on hinduism now the language and names feel a bit foreign to me. So Jesus sometimes feels closer to me. As a last question, I think I am suffering from inward demons. How can this be remedied with a hindu method? I do not quite think it is a literal evil being in me but instead a cut off part of myself that turns against me and works against the wellbeing of my heart and soul.

Thank you for your time. May Krishna bless you!

Stop.with the religion thing and.learn.tI.get back.to nature and.settle.your life..thought disorders are genetic and.environmental.meaning culture related.

 

[Trackdayguy]

Hello,

I used to be a more or less strict christian for around 12 years now but I have become very disillusioned about my religion and cannot trust the bible anymore. I still have some faith in Jesus but I do not even know how to formulate it and how to rely on it. My life is very difficult, I suffer from schizophrenie and I am very poor.

So recently I have tried to look at other religions and came to hinduism. I've tried to look at this religion before but I didn't go too deep with it. But now it's like Krishna and the other gods are calling me. And I find the hindu religion very attractive because it has no hellfire punishments or someone like Satan whom the hebrew scriptures describe as something like a bad but still accepted servant of God. The whole hindu faith seems more positive and rational. And Krishna certainly seems very benevolent compared to Yahweh who frequently created chaotic and fierce wars for people who didn't even do much wrong.

So as you can see, I am close to becoming a hindu. I am very tired of christianity. I think Jesus was somehow a saint and a demigod whose father is also a benevolent deity. But they are separate from the biblical message which doesn't do God justice and which distorts christian religious history.

How can I now access Krishna as my divine friend? How do you see Jesus from a hindu perspective? And, most importantly, is there a hindu alternative to taking christian communion? Taking communion was something I enjoyed in church life and I would like to continue with it. That's why I also ask if it might be possible to combine hinduism with select pieces of christianity. I am culturally european and while I am getting a hold on hinduism now the language and names feel a bit foreign to me. So Jesus sometimes feels closer to me. As a last question, I think I am suffering from inward demons. How can this be remedied with a hindu method? I do not quite think it is a literal evil being in me but instead a cut off part of myself that turns against me and works against the wellbeing of my heart and soul.

Thank you for your time. May Krishna bless you!

HELL DOESN'T EXIST

I'm sorry to hear of your struggles, but from what I can gather from your comments, you coming from a place of shame &n guilt.

We dont shame you, neither does God blame. Religion will never fix it for you, as has been suggested by other members. You need to connect with nature and yourself

 

[InChrist]

I suggest the book...

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Guru-Remarkable-Story-Search/dp/0890814341

 

[Jainarayan]

I suggest the book...

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Guru-Remarkable-Story-Search/dp/0890814341

The o.p. is disillusioned w/ Christianity and asking questions about drawing closer to Krishna and Hinduism. Why in God's (in this case Krishna) name would you point him to a disillusioned Hindu and towards Christianity?

Oh wait... I think I know.

 

[von bek]

The o.p. is disillusioned w/ Christianity and asking questions about drawing closer to Krishna and Hinduism. Why in God's (in this case Krishna) name would you point him to a disillusioned Hindu and towards Christianity?

Oh wait... I think I know.

Yeah, another reason why this discussion is best suited for a DIR.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I suggest you work on your mental health first before diving into religion. You sound rather confused. My personal opinion is that you should stick to what is familiar, especially when you are struggling, otherwise you will just stress yourself out. You seem to be strongly attached to Jesus. As a Christian, I can only advise you to stick with Him and focus on Him. Pray to Him to guide you and lead you to the answers to ease your mind.

Hinduism is very "ethnic" and it's hard for a Westerner to practice unless they know a fair amount of information about Indian culture and there's a large enough Indian community nearby to where there would be temples close by. That's not always the case. There's language barriers to consider, as well. But it's up to you. God bless.

 

[InChrist]

The o.p. is disillusioned w/ Christianity and asking questions about drawing closer to Krishna and Hinduism. Why in God's (in this case Krishna) name would you point him to a disillusioned Hindu and towards Christianity?

Oh wait... I think I know.

The OP was... questions about christianity and hinduism.

 

[Vinayaka]

Yeah, another reason why this discussion is best suited for a DIR.

OP can change it if he wishes too. Gosh I'm glad this forum has DIRs.

 

[Jainarayan]

The OP was... questions about christianity and hinduism.

In which he said he’s hearing the call of the Gods, especially Krishna whom he’d like to interact with, and how to do that.

I would have thought the writings of true Hindu saints and teachers like... hmm... oh yes, Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Sivananda, and that obscure saint um ... um... oh yeah... Sri Ramakrishna would be suggested, not a failed yogi.

 

[Jainarayan]

Hinduism is very "ethnic" and it's hard for a Westerner to practice unless they know a fair amount of information about Indian culture

Bull****. More misinformation and misunderstanding about Hinduism.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Bull****.

That's nice. Nothing I said was misinformation or a misunderstanding. It's my impression of it. If yours differs, good for you.

 

[Vinayaka]

not a failed yogi.

I don't believe it ever was a failed yogi. Much more likely to be someone pretending to be a failed yogi, to make their evangelical point. Deception is okay in that paradigm whose purpose is to save souls. A very few vulnerable souls might get duped but not many.

 

[Jainarayan]

I don't believe it ever was a failed yogi. Much more likely to be someone pretending to be a failed yogi, to make their evangelical point. Deception is okay in that paradigm whose purpose is to save souls. A very few vulnerable souls might get duped but not many.

That’s a good point. They use these ploys. I think of the story of the school bus. There was a Catholic school bus full of children. When the bus broke down the nun told the children to pray to Ganesha to get the bus started while the driver tried to fix the problem.

When the bus still wouldn’t start because Ganesha is a “false god”, the nun told the children to ask Jesus to help. The nun signaled to the driver, who had already fixed the problem, to start the bus. Well, lo and behold! The “true God” showed his power over the “false god” and got the bus started.

So this underhanded tactic served to further undermine Hindu beliefs.

 

[Jainarayan]

That's nice. Nothing I said was misinformation or a misunderstanding. It's my impression of it. If yours differs, good for you.

Cool. Now, what’s your day to day and face to face experience with Indians and Hindus to form this impression?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Cool. Now, what’s your day to day and face to face experience with Indians and Hindus to form this impression?

The guy who works at the corner store. Hence, what I said. I have no idea why you think it's controversial.

 

[InChrist]

In which he said he’s hearing the call of the Gods, especially Krishna whom he’d like to interact with, and how to do that.

I would have thought the writings of true Hindu saints and teachers like... hmm... oh yes, Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Sivananda, and that obscure saint um ... um... oh yeah... Sri Ramakrishna would be suggested, not a failed yogi.

Yes, but he also said Jesus feels closer to him and he thinks he is suffering from demons, so the book is appropriate. Anyway, he can probably decide for himself what info he is interested in, or not.