Thursday, April 09, 2009

World religions: Hinduism

Basic beliefs

[1] Idolatry, plurality of gods, monism: Hinduism recognizes 330 million gods with the primary ones being Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Everything is part of an impersonal, pantheistic reality called Brahma.

[2] Extra-biblical revelation: Vedas, Bhagavad-Gita and Upanishads

[3] Karma: every thought and action results in certain consequences borne by the actor or thinker. As a person gains more good karma, he is successively reincarnated into higher life forms, culminating to “moksha” (nirvana or enlightenment). Nirvana is the state of blissful rest. Moksha reunites a person to Brahma, and can be achieved by taking one of three paths: (a) the path of works; (b) the path of knowledge; or (c) the path of devotion.

[4] Jesus Christ is one of many Hindu “avatars,” an incarnation of the Hindu god, Vishnu.

[5] Yoga; vegetarianism (based on the Hindu doctrine of nonviolence to all life, called “ahimsa”); cows are sacred; caste system

What the Bible says

[1] There is one and only one living and true God, the God of the Bible ((Isaiah 46:9; Jeremiah 10:10).

[2] God is personal; He transcends and is distinct from His creation (Genesis 1:1; Jeremiah 23:23).

[3] The Bible is the only source of divine revelation today and is sufficient for all of life (Proverbs 30:6; Luke 16:31; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3; Jude 3 and Revelation 22:18-19).

[4] Salvation is by grace alone (basis) through faith alone (means) in Christ alone (object), and not by works (John 1:29; 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:20; 10:2-3; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; 1 John 1:7; 2:2).

[5] Resurrection, not reincarnation, takes place after physical death (Daniel 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation 20:4, 11-15). Each person has only one life, and that final judgment comes after this earthly life (John 5:28-29; Hebrews 9:27). This judgment is based on one’s works during his or her one lifetime. These works do not save a person but show whether he is truly a believer or an unbeliever (Psalm 28:4, 62:12, Proverbs 24:12, Matthew 7:15-23, 12:33-37;16:27, Romans 2:6-10, 6:22; Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10, 2 Timothy 4:14, Titus 2:14; Revelation 2:23, 22:12).

[6] Jesus is the unique, only begotten Son of God (John 1:14, 18, 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9). He is the only incarnation of God (Colossians 2:9).

Further study (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

[1] Hinduism, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[2] Hinduism, from Handbook of Today’s Religions (McDowell and Stewart)

[3] Hinduism, by Rick Rood, Leadership University

[4] Materials by Kenneth Boa Th.M.; Ph.D; D.Phil.

[5] Knowing God and Prayer (Part I), by Greg Herrick Th.M., Ph.D

[6] Materials by Hampton Keathley IV, Th.M.
[7] A Short Look at Six World Religions, by Sue Bohlin (Probe Ministries)

[8] Yoga and Christianity: Are They Compatible? by Michael Gleghorn (Probe Ministries); available in Spanish

[9] Hinduism, from The Evidence Bible

[10] Please surf to Sermon / Preaching resources. Sermons are also available from South McGehee Baptist Church, McGehee, Arizona; Central Baptist Church, Lowesville; First Baptist Church, Mountain View, Missouri; Swift Creek Baptist Church; Word of Life Baptist Church, Pottsville, Philadelphia; Palm Springs Baptist Church, California; South Woods Baptist Church; Grove Baptist Church, Ulster; Dudley Baptist Church, United Kingdom; Independent Fundamental Baptist Sermons, Fundamental Christian Radio Broadcasts, Off-Site Audio Page and The Christian Radio Tuner

Notes: (1) This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials. (2) This lesson is part of the projected 300 plus lessons. From time to time, the lessons will be updated, revised, combined, formatted, and edited to comply with the VOA Simplified English word list. Later on, these lessons will be categorized, numbered sequentially, and made available as PDF downloads.

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