1/1/1998
1/1/1998
Hinduism
Rev. Brummel is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Edgerton, Minnesota.
Hinduism is of great importance due to the fact that approximately 700 million people, or 14% of the world’s population, adhere to this religion. Over 82% of India is committed to Hinduism, and more than one million adherents are found in North America.1 Hinduism has also spawned three other movements which have become world religions; Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. These facts prompt us to ask a few questions: What does it mean to be a Hindu? What does the Hindu believe?
In the Hindu religion, as in most other pagan religions, there is a great degree of latitude. There is a great divergence between the traditionalists and those who represent modern thought. Traditional Hindus would insist that only one who is a native of India can be a Hindu; a Hindu cannot be a foreigner, a Christian, a Muslim, or a member of any other religious community. According to the traditional Hindu, a Hindu is born, not made. An American may hold the very same beliefs as his Indian friend, but he remains an outsider. There is only one path by which, according to orthodox Hindus, one may enter into the Hindu fold—let him live a pious life, and then, after many transmigrations, his soul may at last be born into a Hindu family.2
The great goal of the Hindu is deliverance, emancipation, and liberty. From a negative point of view that goal is to be loosed from something felt to be undesirable—the cycle of rebirth and attachment to the material world. On the positive side the Hindu seeks a sense of calm and security, the power to be and to do. Most of the time, however, this salvation is spoken of in negative terms—doing away with the material, evil, and grief.
In order to understand Hinduism more fully we must examine three basic ideas: pantheism, karma, and reincarnation.
First, the Hindu believes that his soul must be identified with god. Each person is like a droplet of water out of the ocean of god, and the goal of life is to be reunited to god. The soul is everlasting, and the soul is the true self, the atman. The soul is united to god, and every religious practice of the Hindu is directed toward the realization of this oneness with god. To know oneself is to know god. To grasp the full meaning and significance of this oneness is to realize the essence of Hinduism. The old and oft-repeated Hindu phrase which expresses this is: “God and I are one.”
This notion of Hinduism goes far beyond the teaching of the Bible that God’s people are the children of God and that their lives are a reflection of God’s life within them. The Christian believes that he is an image bearer of God—the Hindu believes that he and his god are one.
Secondly, the idea of karma is central to Hinduism. Karma, loosely translated, means destiny or fate and has to do with both good and bad occurrences. To the Hindu, karma is an unchangeable law. A man is what he is with respect to his place in life because of his karma. The Hindu explains everything in life—suffering, blessings, sorrow, joy, high caste, low caste, pauper, priest, poor, rich with the words: “It is karma.” If one is poor or in a low caste, nothing can or may be done to change that situation. If something happens to an individual, it is karma. Everything in life is due to unchangeable karma. It is because of this conviction that Hindus refuse to help out the poor, or even someone in need. They would not dare to give to the poor, lest they violate the karma of that individual. Likewise, they would not stop and help someone in need, perhaps with a flat tire, because to do so would be to go against the karma of those people.
Karma not only applies to this present life, but also to the life to come, as is expressed in the third basic belief of Hinduism—reincarnation.
Thirdly, crucial to the Hindu religion is the matter of reincarnation. Reincarnation simply means that the soul of man, his atman, is in a constant revolution of births and rebirths. The Hindu believes not only that he will live forever, but also that he has already lived before. If a man dies, he will live again on the earth to reap the reward of his previous acts. This wheel of life explains the variety of personalities, the gap between rich and poor, good and bad, wise and foolish. It produces a solution to the question why some die young and why others live to be old. All of this is due to the fact that they were either good or bad in their previous life. It is their karma.
Reincarnation prepares the Hindu for eventual union with god in a state of immortal bliss. This union is the aim and purpose of life, and through birth after birth man is given the chance to merge eventually into the soul of god. The soul of man always exists and will always be present in the world until it is merged with god who is the soul of souls.3
The Hindu believes that god is one, but at the same time he confesses that there are many gods. All gods are representations of the one true god. The one true god is Brahma, who has the power to create. Representatives of Brahma include Krishna, the god with the power of preservation; Shiva, the god of destruction; Indra, the god of the firmament; Varuna, the all-seeing god; Agni, the god of fire; Soma, the personification of the juice of the soma plant. There are gods and goddesses galore. Certain animals are seen to be symbols of various gods. The god Krishna, for example, is worshiped through the cow. Feeding a cow is an act of worship, as is the use even of the cow’s urine in various purification rites. Although some Hindus eat meat, the majority of them are vegetarian, since reverence for the cow is extended to reverencing all the animals.
The book of Hinduism is the Bhagavad-Gita, a dialogue between the god Krishna, and Arjuna, a disciple. The theme of the book is to teach individuals how to recognize men who know the truth and are illumined. To the Bhagavad-Gita must also be added another book: The four collections of the holy Vedas and the Upanishads. The Vedas are full of knowledge and advice concerning creation and the life of man—following the form of the Psalms and Proverbs somewhat. The Upanishads are mystical writings consisting of 108 poems which search for meaning in life and the universe and explain the great ideas of identification, karma, and reincarnation.
The Hindu is on the road to hell. He denies that salvation is through the name of Jesus Christ, and his religion is self-seeking and meritorious and does not honor Jehovah as God alone.
Acupuncture, vegetarian diets, and alternative healing attempts are not as innocent as they may seem. Thousands of Hindus from India and other Hindu countries have emigrated to America bringing many concepts of their religion with them. Hinduism is rapidly influencing our culture, as is evident in many different ways, some conscious and some more unconsciously.
Many Americans view yoga simply as a discipline which strengthens the body and provides relaxation to the mind. Businesses are employing these techniques in an attempt to reduce their medical insurance costs and improve the health of their employees. In the context of Hinduism, yoga and meditation are the means by which a person strives for salvation. Salvation is achieved when the dualism of self and Brahma is overcome and all selfhood is lost. Movements such as transcendental meditation recommend yoga to reach this goal.
Rajan Rajbhandari from Nepal has exposed the strong Hindu beliefs which were present in The Star Wars Trilogy by George Lucas. He writes: “Of the trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back seems to portray Hinduism in the fullest sense.” He finds evidence of Hinduism in the concept of life being an illusion, the desire of identification with the Force, and religious cremation. Similar concepts are increasingly being found in children’s cartoons and video games, as well as through the filth portrayed on MTV.4
Once we have established an open communication with a Hindu, we must talk about the promise of forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. The Hindu religion has no concept of forgiveness. Evil deeds simply accumulate and add to one’s negative karma, thus making the prospect of escape to a higher life hopeless. The elect child of God in the bondage of Hinduism will be troubled by this lack of forgiveness and the hopeless nature of the religion. There is no hope of salvation or comfort to be found in an inherently meritorious religion such as Hinduism. The joy of the gospel is that Jesus Christ removes the burden of our sin and guilt. We do not need to pay our debt, and that debt is not transferred to our next life. Forgiveness, rest, peace, and joy are found in Jesus Christ alone.The fact that God is a personal God is also of highest importance. Sin hurts God! Sin is a violation of God’s holiness and righteousness. Brahma is impersonal. Sin merely increases one’s bad karma, it has no direct effect on Brahma. To “know” Brahma is to lose your identity as a distinct and separate individual. To know God is to enter into fellowship with Him as separate individual beings. The Hindu religion lacks the heart of true religion: Covenant fellowship with Jehovah which is made possible by Jesus Christ.
We must be aware of the fact that Hinduism is a very diverse religion. As is always the case, it is more important to listen than to speak when first trying to understand a Hindu. It is very difficult to reach Hindus because of the fact that the religion is so closely tied to their culture. Cultural pride and sensitivity to the impact on their family will keep many from considering the truths of the gospel. Christianity is often associated with materialism and the exploiting of others. Regardless of all of these barriers, we rejoice in the sovereign power of God. God knows the heart, and therefore will either harden or soften the individual. God is able to break down these barriers and cause His elect children to see true comfort and joy. We witness with the confidence that God will use our humble means to accomplish His will.
1 These facts are taken from The Compact Guide to World Religion, Dean C. Halverson, general editor (Bethany House: Minneapolis, 1996).
2 Less orthodox Hindus have received foreigners after certain ceremonies and a change of name.
3 Along with the Compact Guide to World Religions, another helpful source for understanding Hinduism is: Eerdman’s Handbook to the World’s Religions, (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 1993).
4 The article, “Star Wars and Hinduism,” was published in the HSC newsletter and is posted on the internet.
