At a time when our great nation is bombarded with a seemingly endless war, unthinkable crimes towards children and ever-increasing unemployment rates it is natural for one to seek religion for answers as well as faith. There are many different religions other than Christianity and Hinduism to include Taoism, Judaism, Confucius, Buddhism and Islam. Regardless of which aspect one chooses to indulge, the premise is the same: to provide comfort and peace in ones everyday life. Two of the religions have many similarities as well as stark contrasts; both will be explored.
The parallels will be examined first. Both Christianity and Hinduism share a commonality in the concept of heaven and an afterlife. Spiritual perfection is found in Christianity’s Heaven and Hinduism’s moksha. Cleansing of the soul is also mentioned in both Hinduism and Christianity, with a profound focus on water. Christianity speaks of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to comprise God, while Hinduism has three primary Gods which many believe act as on in Brahman. Christianity places a strong emphasis on such values as peace, respect, honesty, character, reliability, compassion and faith. Hinduism, too, holds honesty, compassion and selflessness as strong virtues within its teachings, as Dharma (religion) is the duty of every human being that must be fulfilled. Both Hinduism and Christianity share an acceptance of other religions, with the land of Hinduism, India, having more religions than most other parts of the world. Another likeness between the two is the liberal approach. In Christianity, it is said that all are sons and daughters of one God. In Hinduism, the belief is in “vasudhaiv kutumbaham” which is all mankind is like a family.
The differences in the two sects will be outlined next. One of the main distinctions between the two religions
