Augustus and His Success in Creating a Strong and Religious State

Christianity vs. Hinduism

Since man has existed, life’s meaning, mysteries, and origins have attracted and mystified him. In mankind’s search for answers, concerning life and death, and point of existence, they eventually developed gods and other deities, basing their faiths on them. Since all religions try to answer these questions, there are various similarities and differences based on the lifestyles and knowledge.

Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest and largest religions. It has no recorded beginning, and predates recorded history. Hinduism has no human founder, but currently has about 650,000,000 adherents. As a vast and profound religion, Hindus worship three main gods named Brahman, Vishnu, and Shiva. They are taught that all souls can reach an ultimate Moksha, which is spiritual knowledge and liberation from the reincarnation cycle. Vishnu and Shiva, along with 33 million other deities can be worshipped through prayer, or any other form of homage or meditation. Brahman, on the other hand, is usually not worshipped, because Brahman is said to not actually understood by mortals, until Moksha is reached. Brahman is said to be everything, and everything is a part of him. He took himself apart to create the people of the world, and when Moksha is reached we are again a part of him.

Christianity, on the other hand, was formed when mankind began to write down its history. It is believed to have been founded around 50 B.C. by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. However, Christianity is similar to Hinduism in the belief in a superhuman being, a universal god, and each with its respective number o followers. Christianity has an estimated 1 billion adherents. Both religions have an all-powerful, and all knowing Supreme Being. For Hinduism it is Brahman, who is never given gender, or form, and for Christianity there is god, who is also shapeless and without gender.

As in most religions, both Hinduism and Christianity have their own set of rituals and ceremonies. Christians practice most of these rituals in buildings called churches. The Church is the Major center for worship in the Christian faith. Hinduism has their main center for worship in a Monastery or Ashram. Both are religions Scripture. Hindus believe in the divinity of the Vedas, the world’s most ancient scripture. Christians put their faith in the Bible, which is separated into two main parts, the Old and New Testament. The Old Testament was taken from the Hebrew religion, and is the root of the Christian religion.