Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world. The sacred writings of this religion have been dated back to 1400-1500 B.C. Hinduism is polytheistic, and within this religion, there are many strict rules placed upon the people.
Those who adhere to Hinduism are known as Hindus. Although this religion was started in India and mainly worshiped in India, it has also spread to many other places across the world. As Christians, it is important to know what Hindus believe and what they teach.
Hindu Beliefs
Hindus don’t believe in Jesus as being God. Rather, Hindus believe there are many “gods.” Within the belief system of Hinduism, there are millions of “gods.” The favorite “god” of Hinduism is Ganesha. Ganesha looks like an elephant and is worshiped by most Hindus.
The other favorite “gods” of Hinduism are Vishnu, known as the preserver, and Shiva, known as the destroyer. Brahma is also a “god” within this faith system. As one can see, there are a myriad of “gods” in this religion.
The “gods” Hindus worship are not gods at all. Rather, Hindus worship demons. It is not surprising for demons to masquerade as other beings (2 Corinthians 12:14).
It is dangerous for individuals to become involved in this religion because if one doesn’t worship the demon as the demon sees fit, the demon will hurt the Hindu.
Many Hindus even openly acknowledge they are worshiping demons; however, they refuse to stop because they know they will get hurt or injured by the demons.
As the Bible tells us, there is only one God, and He is the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Christianity is different from Hinduism in many ways, yet in this one way, Christianity believes in monotheism instead of polytheism.
In a way, Hinduism has tried to set up a false Trinity in the form of Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma. This is not the true Trinity, as the true Trinity consists of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Eternal life is only found in placing faith in Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Despite salvation being found in grace by faith alone, Hindus do not believe this. Instead, they have a completely different concept of salvation.
Hinduism and Salvation
The Hindu understanding of salvation consists of what the individual does in their life. There are three different ways to salvation for the Hindu according to Hinduism.
The three different views of salvation are that the individual can obtain salvation by either the way of works, knowledge, or devotion.
The way of salvation through works is known as karma marga, which is the way to salvation through obeying one’s religious obligations to the “gods.”
The second way of salvation is by knowledge, and the third way of obtaining salvation is known as bhakti, which is described as devoting oneself to a deity through public and private worship.
The idea of salvation in Hinduism is to break away from the endless cycles of rebirths and reincarnations so that they can have peace. It can be concluded that in Hinduism, the way of salvation is being engulfed in the Brahman.
In other words, this means becoming one with the Brahman and ceasing to have a being. Thus, the Hindu’s idea of salvation is that they will become one more drop into the never-ending ocean where they will be freed from physical life and rebirths.
Hindus believe salvation is becoming liberated and disconnected from the material world by not being harnessed to a physical body for endless cycles of reincarnations.
They believe in transmigration in their system of thought as well, which is the idea that when a person dies, the body transmigrates, but the soul does not transmigrate because it is eternal.
Hinduism teaches that all life is a series of endless bouts of suffering, and the whole goal of a person’s life is to be freed from this suffering.
This is where the Sankhya system comes in, as this belief teaches that the liberation of the soul from a state of bondage should be the goal of every human. One of the practices that Hinduism teaches that can lead to salvation is the yoga system.
The system of yoga is actually negative as it teaches that the only way to true happiness and to get away from endless reincarnations is death.
They believe death is the only way to become fully detached and to be released from the world. However, yoga is supposed to help liberate the Hindus and help them in their process of ultimate release.
The Caste System
The Hinduism religion teaches that the Hindu caste system is highly important for social life and society. They break down the caste into four classes, also known as castes.
Hindus believe that the caste system is built upon the essential ontology of the universe, which is given to them in their sacred book, Institutes of Vishnu.
The four different castes are Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and the Shudras. The light-skinned Hindus are higher in social rank, whereas the darker-skinned are lower in the social rank and normally stay poor throughout their lives.
A person cannot leave their caste rank as each person remains in the caste that they were born in. You cannot move up in castes or in society like Westerners can move up in social rank.
The Brahmins are the highest caste, and it consists of priests and teachers. They are normally seen as intellectuals, academics, and smart. Brahmins are believed to have come from Brahma's head. The second highest caste of the Kshatriyas consists of high rulers and warriors.
The third caste is Vaishyas and this caste consists of traders. The bottom caste is the Shudras, they are the poor labor workers. These individuals normally remain in poverty for the entirety of their lives, and those in charge blame it on their sins of past lives.
As mentioned, the Brahmins come from the Brahma’s head; however, it is important to note the Kshatriyas come from the Brahma’s arms, the Vaishyas come from the Brahma’s thighs, and the Shudras are said to come from the Brahma’s feet.
The caste system is clearly established on the groups of the color of their skin since the light-colored people are at the top, whereas the dark-skinned people have to face a life ordained to consist of poverty and labor just because of the color of their skin.
This is incorrect teaching and causes many to be forced to remain in poverty throughout their lives.
Sharing the Gospel with Hindus
This is one of many reasons why it is important for Christians to share the gospel with Hindus. Salvation is not found in anything we do or in being devoted to a false deity. Rather, salvation is found in placing faith in Jesus alone.
We don’t have to work at salvation — it is given to us through the free gift of trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. In the same way, there are not many gods, but One, and this God is revealed to us in the Bible. He is never hurtful, mean, or damaging to us.
He loves us unconditionally, and He desires all people to know Him. Lastly, the caste system is wrong and damaging to all people involved. It causes some to be rich and privileged, whereas others are left to die in poverty because of their darker skin.
As believers, we have the important responsibility to go to Hindus, share the gospel, disciple them, of then place faith in Christ. There are thousands upon thousands of Hindus who need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.
For further reading:
What Do Hare Krishnas Believe?
What Should Christians Know about Hinduism? 5 Essential Factors
What Does the Bible Say about Reincarnation?
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