Origins of Hinduism

1. Origins of Hinduism

2. Hinduism is so old that no one really knows how it began.

3. It is thought that it was formed by the Aryan people who came from the north of India and invaded the Indus River Valley region.

4. It is believed that the “Rig Veda”, the earliest Hindu scripture,was composed possibly even before God called Abraham. The Rig Veda is the oldest of the Vedas. All the other Vedas are based upon it and consist to a large degree of various hymns from it. It consists of a thousand such hymns of different seers, each hymn averaging around ten verses.

5. Hindus believe in thousands of different gods but their most important ones are: Shiva – the Destroyer Brahma – the Creator Vishnu – the Preserver They will often look quite different than these images show.

6. All of these gods are part of the WORLD SOUL, as is everything else – plants, animals, and people too. These are only a few of the many, many Hindu gods.

7. Hindus believe that while we live on earth, we are separated from the WORLD SOUL and their goal in life is to be reunited to the WORLD SOUL. This happens through REINCARNATION, the belief that people are reborn into several new bodies until they are finally good enough to enter the WORLD SOUL.

8. This process of reincarnation is controlled by what is called - KARMA. KARMA is NOT a Christian belief, so a true Christian does NOT believe in KARMA.

9. The Swastika also comes from Hinduism but it was not a bad sign; rather it was a good luck sign of peace. Hitler took it from the Hindu to use it as propaganda because he was trying to achieve world peace…but in a horribly evil way.

10. Unlike Christianity which says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1, Hindus are not free. They still live in the bondage of hoping they are good enough and even having to still do sacrifices today.

11. With the Hindu concept of Reincarnation, the Aryan people also brought the CASTE SYSTEM to the India region. It is still very much observed today in India. Reincarnation means there is no reason to care for the poor.

12. But the True God says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1: 27This concept is strictly Judeo-Christian and was radical thinking for Hindus.

13. Hinduism and Christianity are NOT variations of the same thing. The teaching of Hinduism goes completely against the very NATURE and PLAN of God.

14. Origins of Buddhism

15. Around 500 BC a man named Siddhartha Gautama from India began to question the Hindu beliefs and the caste system idea that only the priests of the Brahma Caste were ready to join the WORLD SOUL.

16. Mr. Gautama was born into the Kshatriya or Warrior caste. But though he was rich, he was bothered by the poverty. At the age of 29 he left all his riches behind and lived in seclusion for 6 years.

17. While meditating, he was “enlightened” and so he changed his name to Buddha, meaning “The Enlightened One”.

18. Buddha developed a new view of life in which he stated that if people do good and ignore their desires, they will achieve PEACE and HAPPINESS in a state of NIRVANA. All this is described in THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS and THE EIGHTFOLD PATH.

19. Buddhism spread first to China and then all around Asia where it has taken on a variety of forms.

20. Today Buddhism is very popular among western cultures as well. This is probably because it teaches that there is no such thing as a God who has ownership of your life. All you have to do is try your best to be good and do lots of meditation. Plus Buddhism is all about YOU.

21. Christianity is however all about Christ. And Christ does not say that the concept of desire is bad, but rather that our desires are too small. God asks us not to settle for the tiny pleasures that do not satisfy: luxury, fame, sex, power, money, i-pods, i-pads, i-phones… but to instead desire the FULLEST pleasures that do satisfy: love, service, divine recognition, and the eternal rewards - all of which we will receive in the NEW PARADISE.

22. Origins of Islam

23. The city of Mecca sits in the western mountains of Arabia facing the Red Sea. It was a busy city through which passed the major trade routes. In the year 570 AD, this city became the birthplace of Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

24. Muhammad grew up during a time in which Arabs worshipped many gods. Some Arabs were already Jewish or Christian. Muhammad spent a lot of time thinking about the different ways people worshipped God.

25. At the age of 40, Muhammad began having visions from who he believed was the angel Gabriel, sent from Allah, the same God of the Jews and Christians.

26. He believed that he was chosen by Allah to be the messenger to the world in order to get Jews and Christians and all people to stop being hypocritical in their religion and instead SUBMIT to Allah. In fact, ISLAM means “submission to Allah”. Those who do not submit are called “Infidels”.

27. Muhammad tried to bring his message to the people in Mecca.

28. However, every year thousands of people came to Mecca to worship at the Kaaba, a shrine that housed their idols and the famous BLACK STONE, a sacred meteorite that they believed was sent by the gods.

29. Fearing this new religion would take away their power and wealth, the government and business leaders opposed him and finally chased him and his followers out of Mecca in 622 AD. Today Muslims honor this event called Hegira.

30. Muhammad stayed in Medina where he gathered many more followers. After 8 years, he marched on Mecca with a force of 10,000 soldiers. This was part of the Islamic concept of JIHAD which literally means “Struggle” and today has often been misused by many Extremist Muslims as “Terrorism”

31. Fearing him and his army, the people of Mecca welcomed him and gave him control of the city. Muhammad quickly used his power to spread his new religion. He removed the idols from the Kaabaand made it sacred to the Muslims. He also kept the Black Stone, claiming it was from Gabriel.

32. Two years later he died but his religion grew in power and spread, often by force around the world.

33. Today Muslims follow the Qur’an or Koran, the sacred book of Islamic teaching as well as the Hadith which are other sacred books used to help Muslims understand the Qur’an.

34. Though Muslims do believe that Jesus lived and even honour Him as a great prophet, they do NOT believe that He is God. They also believe that it is blasphemy to believe in a Triune God. Neither do they believe that we are forgiven through the death and resurrection of Jesus. They believe that people get to Heaven by obeying the 5 Pillars of Islam.

35. He says: However God makes it clear to us that no matter how much we observe rituals, we cannot save ourselves.

36. Christianity is NOT just another religion. Every other religion is about RITUALS. But God says, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,  and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” – Hosea 6: 6. Also at the end of His WORD God says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” – Revelation 3: 20 These are words of RELATIONSHIP. The GOOD NEWS of God is that He desires Relationship, NOT Ritual.