Christianity and Hinduism - Essay Example

Introduction People always wanted to know about their origin. However, the questions “what do we spring from” and “what the afterlife looks like” remains unanswered. There is no definite answer to them. Nevertheless, this problem is being studies by the great number of sciences. Actually in anthropology there is such definition as anthropogenesis that means the process of separating human’s and animals’ world. Other aspects of humans’ origin are studies by philosophy, theology, history, paleontology. Thus, there are many different theories which try to explain the appearance of humans on the Earth. The given paper will compare the answers for the abovementioned questions given by two religions: Christianity and Hinduism. Christianity is one of the oldest religions in the world. It dates backs thousands of years. The beginning f the Christianity is the 1st century A.D. in the Roman Empire. Christianity is also monotheistic religions. It focuses on the teaching and life of Jesus Christ. Nowadays Christianity is the largest religion in the world. Their early history is of one origin. Christianity is subdivided into Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism. Christian views are still considered to be the most widespread in the world. These are views about the one God in the Universe, which are represented in three forms: God the father, God the son and God the holy spirit. The God created the Earth and people, he was working for six days and had rest on the seventh. Adam and Eve were the first people and they lost the heaven. Christians tend to believe that their religion explains the origin of the world in a best way. Thus, many people have been sharing the Christian views. Christians believe that every person has a soul, which is much more important than a body. After death a soul appears either in paradise or in hell depending on what life he held and how many sins he has. Speaking about the theory of reincarnation, which is fully accepted in Hinduism, it is necessary to state that in Christianity it remains controversial (What was the Protestant Reformation?). Many modern scientists reject the existence of theory of reincarnation in Christianity, because of the absence of the information about it in the Bible. However, there is a very interesting fact: many Christians prefer to believe in reincarnation. They like this theory as it gives a chance to see dead friends and relatives in the next life. This testifies that Christian views are rather flexible and democratic as everybody believes in what he wants to believe and finds his own answers to the initial questions (Webber). In contrast to Hinduism, Christian beliefs have many variations. There are many interesting modern subgroups in Christianity. The Amish are an American Protestant group that consists of 200,000 members who are rooted in the European Anabaptists originated from the USA and escaped from a centennial persecution. Their life style tradition is very weird and these old-fashioned subgroups have an interesting "lifestyle choice." Another movement is the Christadelphian. This subgroup is a non-Trinitarian, millennial Christian group and they are connected with understanding of the Bible and Christianity. This group is interested in faith and practice of the early Christian Church. The name of this group is translated from Greek as "brothers (and sisters) in Christ". The Church of Scotland has also a unique and individual character. It is one of the branches of the Protestant Christian Church. This subgroup was established in 400 CE. John Knox and others are often associated with this subgroup. Actually, each of these subgroups of church has their own principles and religious laws. They are different by their national peculiarities and common Christian traditions (What did Paul know about Jesus?). The principles of Hinduism are often criticized for the lack of an exact system of beliefs and ideas. Paganism and metaphysics are believed to be the basis of Hinduism. People, who believe in this religion, are pacified and calm people. They do not look like Westerners. Still, this is not an unquestionable advantage of Hinduism. Hindus follow different rituals and they have to oblige to the principles of Hinduism from birth to death. Therefore, there are special traditions and customs of Hinduism, which are relevant to the Easterners and are reflected in the social structure of the country. Essential aspects of Hinduism are focused on idol worshipping, karma, dharma and moksha. Indians believe that our life represents a circulation of life and death. They believe in reincarnation. Moksha is the release from the circulation of life and death. Karma is something that determines the destiny of the soul in the next life. If the soul is sinful, it will get not the form of a man, but a form of an animal. The crucial principles of Hinduism are friendship, non-violence, fortitude, generosity. Consequently, there is a special social structure in India. Caste is a special social institution; it is an endogamous hereditary group. It is often associated with the Indian society. Caste is often considered as a static social organization and it is gradually disappearing. The members of Indian castes have equal opportunities with all other members of the Indian society to work and to study (Stephens 40). Previously, caste strengthened the Indian society. It was relevant during the period of feudalism. Currently, the principle of division of labor is irrelevant. Thus, a basic principle of caste is worn out. Modern politics in India support the idea that the result of caste existence as a social class, the modern income gap still exists: “Despite efforts to end caste discrimination through international and domestic measures, more than 165 million people in India alone still suffer discrimination and various types of degrading treatment because of their caste.” (Queen 24). The incidents of social isolation, economic oppression, political or social processes halt may be referred to the existence of caste system in India. Moreover, negative factors of Indian empire in comparison with Roman Empire can be also referred to the existence of caste relations and Hinduism and Buddhism. The principle of honesty prevented Indian government from espionage, which was widely practiced by the Roman Empire. The absence of death sentence released actions of criminals. In accordance with the Epic of Gilgamesh it is clear that for the Indian people it is of crucial importance to follow their own principles of honesty, patience and tolerance and keep their living from birth to death following principles of Buddhism and Hinduism. Conclusion Religion of Indians is a focal point of their existence. Social structure and the way of life of Indians are dictated by the principles of Hinduism and Buddhism. They differ from other people. They have their own zest while all the Christians are different and many of them do not live according to the rules of the God. Being the most widespread and democratic, religion Christianity still has many views, which are similar to the views of Hinduism, especially those connected with reincarnation. As far as we can see, even in the modern Indian society caste principles are preventive factors from a complete integration in the globalized society. It is more appropriate to reshape these rules in order to keep up with the rest of the world’s globalized society. Works cited 1. Queen, Christopher S. "Dr. Ambedkar and Untouchability: Fighting the Indian Caste System." Buddhist-Christian Studies, 2008: 168+. The author tells about the disadvantages of cat system in India. 2. Stephens, Robert J. "Sites of Conflict in the Indian Secular State: Secularism, Caste and Religious Conversion." Journal of Church and State 49.2, 2007: 251. The author discuses many problems of Indian society caused by old religious beliefs. 3. Webber, Robert E, Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year, WEI Publishing, 2004. The book tells about the development of ancient Christian religion in the modern world. 4. What did Paul know about Jesus? (n.d.). www.bowness.demon.co.uk Web. June 1, 2014. The article is about the life of Jesus told by Paul. 5. What was the Protestant Reformation? (n.d.). www.gotquestions.org Web. June 1, 2014. The article tells about the Protestantism as a branch of Christianity. Read More