The Comparison of Hinduism and Abrahamic Religions

When looking at Christianity and Hinduism there are many ways to look at each religion from a theological perspective. This is why the best way to look at the broad view of these religions would be to analyze each by comparing and contrasting what each religion is about. The first point to look at would be at how Hinduism and Christianity are very similar in how they view the world. This can be seen in how they both strive to achieve a state of higher being whether it be with the eternal state of Moksha or eternal life in heaven with God. They both also look to be more introspective of themselves in order to maintain a good relationship with their higher being. This can be seen with Christians trying their hardest to maintain their faithfulness to God (Letter to the Romans, Reader p. 200) or Hindus making sure to maintain their duties in their caste in order to climb the system (Bhagavad Gita, Reader p. 75). Another comparison would be that Christianity follows the “Golden Rule” which is better known in the Hindu religion as karma. This is an important cornerstone to both religions because it creates a system of justice for both religions to follow. To truly examine these two religions one must also look at the differences that each religion has to each other that make them each a unique belief. A main difference would be that Christianity focuses more on the short term while Hinduism focuses more on the long term. Another difference is the rewards that a Christian

“Hinduism is a collection of religious beliefs that developed slowly over a long period of time.” (World History Patterns of Interaction, 2005) Hinduism has been made up of so many different cultures and beliefs that unlike Christianity and Islam it is unable to be traced back. Hindus believe in karma and reincarnation. Karma is good and

Humans are accountable for actions and our lives are a result of our past actions. Humans are no more important than animals. Many Hindu believe in reincarnation or the rebirth of the soul in a new body. They may see an animal as someone reincarnated from a different life. When comparing Hinduism and Christianity, they both believe in love for everyone. They both also control behavior through either the ten commandments or through the eightfold path. When contrasting the two, Hindu’s worship multiple deities and Christians worship one God. Christians live one life on earth and when they die they either go to heaven or to hell. Hindus believe that their soul is born as an animal and by living the right way, they climb the ladder to a higher class throughout many

Different from other religions, Hinduism presses biology and the Divine are one (48, 51). This is expressed through the following and belief of Shiva and Shakti. Shiva, is an absolute cosmic being and the sheer life force. Shakti is the absolute power of the universe the whole of the cosmic their progeny (48). Hinduism has several variations that make this religion very complex to understand; to simplify this “way of life,” simply think Dharma; while it’s a broad term in Hinduism it is very important. Summed as the moral behavior of an individual and becomes known as, rita, when this behavior is in accordance with the cosmic order (49). By practicing dharma, one upholds the social order. In dharma, one is constantly reflecting and self-correcting in any areas of opportunity for improvement. So dharma can be viewed as the saying, you reap what you sow. This “leaping out” or “skimming to a different level,” leading us then to moksha, which is a final quest in the life path of Hinduism (49). According to the Laws of Manu, dharma and moksha, are just two of the four goals of life, listed here in order of

Buddhism and Hinduism both derive from India. The two religions are centered around the concepts of nature and awareness, but they also believe in extended variations of Heaven and Hell. Hinduism and Buddhism believe in karma which is the sum of a person’s actions throughout all their existences, which in turn determines their future. Another similarity between the two faiths is that they practice peace and nonviolence which ties into their compassion for nature. Common practices between Buddhism and Hinduism are meditation and focus on clearing the mind. Desire is the greatest source of misfortune among both religions. The two religions also share a plethora of likenesses that pertain to their beliefs. They believe in reincarnation, paths to enlightenment, and philosophy. They also take part in yoga and

Hinduism is a part of worldview Pantheism. They would state that we all are a part of the universe and no God created us. We are all gods in our own kind. They would say we are a part of atman. Ataman is a part of brahma “an impersonal force of existence that is without separation” (Halverson, 2014). We all will be reincarnated, and the life we live now will determine our next life. In other words, they highly believe in karma. “The effects of our actions, moreover, follow us not only in the present lifetime but from lifetime to lifetime” (Halverson, 2014). Nonetheless, we are all to be born, live, die, and then have a rebirth. Known as the samsara, a wheel of life (Halverson, 2014). A cycle of life that continues over and over. According

Buddhism and Hinduism share many similarities. One such similarity is Samsara, the perpetual cycle of rebirth, which is often characterized by suffering and sorrow. In both religions, this unending rotation is seen as dangerous, and, although many people attempt to gain good karma in order to achieve wealth or social prosperity in the next life, there are others who try to escape this cycle by reaching enlightenment. Although labelled differently, one of the main goals associated with both Buddhist nirvana and Hindu moksha involves freeing oneself from the cycle reincarnation and moving on to attain salvation. This paper will examine Hindu moksha and Buddhist nirvana by comparing the similarities and contrasting the differences of attaining

Judaism and Hinduism are two religion that have been very effective towards people for a number of years now. The two have resulted in many following them as a religion, and believing strongly in the teachings, beliefs and even adding it to their everyday lives. As to Judaism, originated with the ancient Hebrews (or Israelites), maintains that one all-powerful God (Yahweh) exists and has a special relationship with his followers, the Jews (Hutchinson 2018). Then on the other hand, Hinduism is a way of life rather than a body of beliefs (Johnson 2013). The two have very many similarities, such as both being found and practiced all across the world, sharing food at religious ceremonies as Jews celebrate the last supper, viewing themselves as

The Hinduism religion was brought to India by the Indo-European, Aryans. The Vedas is where we know of the Hinduism religion to originate from. The Judaism religion centers on the Torah and Talmud. Hinduism is polytheistic, while Judaism is monotheistic. God is

Both of the religions Hinduism and Judaism are similar but different in their own ways. Hinduism worships many gods and goddesses, whereas Judaism is a confirmedly monotheistic religion. In the Hinduism religion the bedrock is the belief that the Vedas is sacred and the caste system decribed in it. “Hinduism is a guide to life, and the goal of which is to reach union with Brahman, the unchanging ultimate reality”(75). The dharma or moral law that need to be followed. There are many gods that were worshiped and each person may worship a different god. Images of the gods in homes or temples were presented where each person can show devotion to their personal gods by singing hymns or offering flowers before the images. The Hindus believe in many things such as that the universe undergoes and endless cycle of creation, believe in karma, that the soul reincarnates, the belief that all life is sacred.

There are five major religion in the world; Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. Some that share common things, and others that were introduce from another culture. Two of these religions I will discuss their similarities and differences. Judaism and Hinduism, two of the world oldest religion to date. “The term “Hinduism” derives from a Persian word that refers to the Sindhu (or Indus) river in northwest India” [1]Arabs, Persians and Afghans first use the word “Hindu” to describe the people. That was in the 14 century. After that “Hinduism was adopted by British people, then turned into India. The religion was formed around 2000 B.C.E (the same time as Judaism), with Polytheistic deity (the opposite of Judaism which is

Hindus understand the nature of the universe through several ways. In Hinduism, the principle of karma plays a very large role in their beliefs of reincarnation and the caste system. Karma refers to one’s actions and the necessary effects of that action. Hindu’s believe in reincarnation, which means that one will be reborn in a new life when they die in their current life. When they are reincarnated, Hindus have the opportunity to change castes. The different castes range from the priests at the top to the untouchables at the bottom, and it is obviously better to be at the top of the caste system. Karma’s role is so significant because it determines if one moves up or down in the caste system in their next life. What one wants is what they will become. This cycle, also known as samsura, continues for eternity until one becomes enlightened. Another important belief of Hinduism is Brahman, or the ultimate source of all being. Brahman is considered to exceed all human conception, meaning that it is almost impossible to find. However, through Vipassana, seeing the world as it truly exists, one can transcend sense and intellectual perception by seeing through the

Although they bear some minor similarities the differences between Judaism and Hinduism are clear. Hinduism is a diverse body of religion, philosophy, and cultural practice native to and predominant in India which dates back to 3000 BCE.

Aryans were living in the Indus valley. Their religion was filled with many gods. The Aryans would express their beliefs in hymns and holy scriptures, known as vedas. Hindus had a belief about one supreme cosmic god therefore, that god’s name was Brahman. Hindus teach that, whenever you die, most will undergo reincarnation, which is the rebirth of a soul in a new body. They also believed in karma, the effect of a person’s actions. For Hindus, dharma is a person’s duty or what is right for him or her. Dharma also includes the rule of ahimsa, which is avoiding do harm to any living thing. The final goal is moksha, which is liberation from reincarnation.

Hinduism and Islam are two of the world’s great religions however, they differ in many regards including their beliefs in god, their ethical beliefs and the afterlife in fact, it would be quite difficult to find to two religions more different then Islam and Hinduism. One major difference is in their belief in god, Muslims are steadfastly monotheistic where Hindus are very much polytheistic. Another key difference is their views on the afterlife Hindus believe in reincarnation, whereas Muslims believe in a heaven and a hell with the faithful going to heaven and the evil going to hell. The two religions also differ in the their ethical beliefs where Hindus follow the Law of Manu and Muslims turn to the Quran for their ethical guidance (Hopfe & Woodward, 2012). While both Islam and Hinduism advocate for a better overall person amongst it believers, they have vastly different approaches to achieve this result