Feb

15

Not all holy books are the same

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When studying other religions it is important to understand how those within the tradition approach their sacred text(s).  Different religious traditions have different understandings of revelation.   Because of this, believers in the various traditions read their texts differently.  We cannot assume that Muslims approach the Qur’an the same way as we approach the Bible or that Hindus approach the Gita as we approach the Gospels.

For example, in most Hindu and Buddhist traditions the historicity or authenticity of the stories about the Buddha or gods are not a matter of concern since the truths being taught is what matters.  Since Hindus and Buddhists believe that these truths are eternal, it does matter if the actual events described in the text ever happened or not. This would not be the case for the Bible or the Qur’an, which are understood to be historically rooted. If events recorded in the Bible or the Qur’an were shown to not have happened (if this were actually possible) this would be a problem for believers within the two traditions.

Moreover, in some traditions, like in Christianity and Islam, there is one authoritative text, but in other traditions, like Hinduism and Buddhism, there is not an authoritative text.  This is largely due to their understanding of revelation.  In Islam, God dictated the words of the Qur’an to Muhammad, albeit through the mediation of the angel Gabriel.  In Christianity, God inspired the biblical writers.  Thus, although the texts contain the personalities of the various writers, God directed what they wrote.  In contrast to the Muslim and Christian view, most Hindu and Buddhist traditions believe that their sacred texts were written by enlightened people who discovered the eternal truths of the cosmos.

Consequently, when studying other religions, especially their holy books, it is important to first investigate how insiders understand their own texts.

Jan

4

The Beauty of Christ

Filed Under Communicating with those of other faiths | Leave a Comment

A few days ago I finished a study on the Gospel of Mark and realized just how many times Mark notes that Jesus was surrounded by a crowd of people (18 different times from what I saw). Although many rejected Jesus during his three-year ministry, he always attracted crowds because of his teachings, miracles, and lifestyle. I think we can learn from this as we seek to communicate the Gospel to those of other faiths.

One of the most important things we can do is to point others, especially those in other religious traditions, to the life of Jesus. This would include not only encouraging them to read the Gospels, but also for us to fill our thoughts and words with Christ. As we live out a Christ-like life and point others to see the beauty of Christ in the Gospels, others will be drawn to Him.

This past summer I heard the testimony of a sister in Christ who left Hinduism after seeing Jesus’ moral superiority over the Hindu gods she had been worshiping. In a similar way, many Buddhists have been drawn to Christ because of his compassion and selflessness. Many Muslims have been drawn to Christ as they see his love and experience his forgiveness. Also, many animists have been drawn to Christ because of his power to cast out evil spirits and heal the sick. As during his three-year ministry, Jesus continues to draw people to himself.

For example, in China there are now between 50-89 million Christians and some estimate that by 2010 there will be 119.5 million Christians.  Moreover, in 1900 there were only 8.7 million Christians in Africa (8% of the pop.); however, in 2000 there were 346.5 million Christians in Africa (44% of the pop.).

May Christ continue to build up his Church by drawing all the nations to himself!

*Stats come from Disciples of all Nations by Lamin Sanneh.

Aug

14

Jesus and Krishna

Filed Under General religion, Hinduism | 1 Comment

This is an image of the Hindu god, Krishna. Actually, the god is Vishnu and Krishna is one of his avatars. An avatar is a manifestation of a god; literally it is a “down-coming.”

According to Vaishnavites (worshipers of Vishnu), Vishnu has had nine avatars and one is yet to come. He has appeared as a fish, tortoise, boar, man-lion, dwarf, warrior with an axe, Rama (epic hero from the Ramayana), Krishna (as seen in the Bhagavad-Gita), and the Buddha. Finally, he will come as Kalkin, a man riding on a white horse, who will take away all evil. Krishna is by far the most popular of Vishnu’s avatars. Interestingly, some Hindus believe that Jesus Christ is actually an avatar of Krishna.

Often, people incorrectly equate the Hindu doctrine of avatars with the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation. Although these doctrines appear similar on the surface (the divine is made manifest in human form), differences abound:

1. Vishnu has manifested himself multiple times while the Son of God took on flesh once for all.
2. Vishnu appeared in animal and human-animal forms.
3. In the incarnation, the Son of God took on the frailty of humanity while avatars retain their divine power.
4. Avatars are triumphant over evil, while Christ did suffer and die because of evil.
5. Avatars pass away after their job is done while the Son of God remains as a man.
6. Avatars come to restore the balance of good and evil, while Christ is understood to have defeated evil once for all.
7. The Son of God’s incarnation is rooted in history while Vishnu’s avatars are loosely connected with history.

These are just some of the differences between the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation and the Hindu doctrine of avatars. This is another example of how religions might seem similar on the surface but when looked at closely are much different than previously thought.