The Challenge of Hinduism's Diverse Beliefs and Practices

“He will rule from sea to sea.” Psalm 72:8
1: Christ shall have dominion over land and sea,
earth’s remotest regions shall His empire be;
they that wilds inhabit shall their worship bring,
kings shall render tribute, nations serve our King.
Christ shall have dominion, over land and sea
earth’s remotest regions shall His empire be
Christ Shall Have Dominion

2: When the needy seek Him, He will mercy show;
yea, the weak and helpless shall his pity know;
He will surely save them from oppression’s might,
For their lives are precious in his Holy sight.

3: Ever and forever shall His Name endure,
Long as suns continue it shall stand secure;
And in Him forever all men shall be blest,
And all nations hail Him King of Kings confessed.

4: Unto God Almighty, joyful Zion sings,
He alone is glorious, doing wondrous things;
Evermore, ye people, bless His glorious Name,
His eternal glory through the earth proclaim.

Hinduism is the
world’s third
largest religion
and the dominant
religion of India
and Nepal. In the
year 2000, there
were 820 million
Hindus
(13,7% of the world’s
population).

Understanding Hinduism
Hinduism is actually a collection of religions,
incorporating Animism and philosophy, one god
and many gods, vegetarianism and sacrificing.

Hinduism is a pluralistic network of religious
beliefs and systems, ranging from the
philosophical (self-realisation),
to village Hinduism (idolatry, occultism, animism).
to Vedic (rituals and good works),

Hinduism absorbs elements of any religion it encounters and is
widely perceived as a religion of tolerance. Its global influence is
significant through the New Age Movement and the Hare-Krishna
Movement. Many concepts of Hinduism have become part of 21st
century post-modern culture –
yoga,
guru’s,
Karma,
reincarnation
and
transcendental
meditation.

The Hindu concept of
god is pantheistic.
Their theology is
syncretistic. Hinduism,
as a conglomeration of
ideas, beliefs,
convictions and
practices, varies from
people to people and
from region to region.
However, Hinduism can
be understood under
six broad categories:

Philosophic Hinduism
Philosophic Hinduism is
dominated by the
authority of the Vedas
and the Upanishads
(Sruti). (This word means
hearing). The Upanishads
are commentaries on the
Vedas and are known as
Vedanta which are the
oldest writings considered
sacred by the Hindus.

Concerning
their
understanding
of
ultimate
reality,
there
are three
popular schools
of thought:
Advaita
– non-dualism;
Dvaita
– dualism and
Visishtadvaita
– modified
dualism.

Philosophic Hinduism
teaches from the ancient
Vedas that there is a spark
of divinity in man,
hence to call man a sinner
is blasphemous.
There therefore appears to
be no need for a Saviour.
Vedas

However this is not quite so, as the vedas clearly teach sacrifice
as a form of relief from the guilt of sin. In fact it is recorded that
ultimately Prajapathi the lord of progeny will come in the fulness
of time and give his own body as the complete sacrifice for sin.

Religious Hinduism
Religious Hinduism places
strong belief in avatars
(incarnations of gods).
Hindus are at liberty to choose their own god
from amongst a pantheon of over 330 million
gods. They teach that salvation may be
obtained in one of three ways: the way of
knowledge (gnanamarga); the way of devotion
(bhaktimarga) and the way of good deeds
(karmamarga).
bhaktimarga

Popular Hinduism
Popular Hinduism is
influenced by ancestral
tradition, worship of
animals, temple cults,
magic and exorcism. They are generally
indifferent to the authority of the Vedas and
are only concerned about a god who protects
them, blesses them and makes them
prosperous. The majority of Hindus adhere
to this form.

Mystic Hinduism
Those who claim to have
supernatural gifts of
healing, ability to perform
miracles, to read the inner
thoughts of people and to
prophesy the future are in
some cases seen as Avatars
(incarnations of gods).
Many followers are drawn
to these mysterious and
apparently spiritual gurus.
Avatars from the past.

Tribal Hinduism
Tribal Hinduism
Tribal Hinduism is
much influenced by
animism, spiritism,
the occult,
necromancy and
animal worship.
The fear of the
unknown exercises
instinctive dread
over these
followers’ minds.

Secular Hinduism
An increasing number of Hindus are secular, nominal in their
beliefs and indifferent to religious practices. Even the few
religious customs that they follow are motivated by materialistic
tendencies.

Hindu History
The word Hindu
was originally
used by the
Persians, to refer
to the inhabitants
of the Indus River Valley.
Hinduism, as it is known today, can be traced
back to about 1500 BC, when the Aryans
invaded India.

The original
religion of the
Indus River
Valley peoples
ranged from
nature worship
to monotheism.
Those who were
nature worshippers, worshiped the wind, rain,
sky, rivers, the sun and fire. The monotheistic
groups worshiped Siva in the form of the
Lingum (a phallic symbol).

In some areas the female
goddess or female
creative power was
worshipped. This is called
Sakti and she is venerated
in the form of a snake.
The goddess Kali is an
earthly manifestation of
this female component of
the godhead.

The Aryans introduced Brahmanism – the
oppressive class system, which preserves a
privileged position for the Aryan masters.

The Aryan
speech was
later
transformed
into what is
known as
Sanskrit.

The Hindu writings consist of
two basic sources:
Sruti – which are the
written authority
from
“holy men” called
Rishis, and
Smriti – the
compilation of
traditions and folk
tales, including epics
and myths.
Rishis

The oldest writings
are known as the
Vedas (which means
to know).
The Upanishads,
known as Vedanta are
commentaries on the
Vedas and are
regarded as occult
secrets.
Page from the Upanishads

The Ramayana is one of
the large epics of
Hinduism.
It deals with the
adventures of Rama, and
covers the marriage of
Rama and Sita, the
kidnapping of Sita by
Ravana, the demon king
of lanka. Hanuman, the
monkey god, came to
their assistance and
Ravana was killed.
Rama & Sita

Another large epic is the Mahabharata (which
means great story of the Bharatas). It describes
the war between two families. Central to the
Mahabharata is the Bhagavad Gita (meaning
gods’ song). This contains the dialogue between
Arjuna and Krishna on salvation. This can be
regarded as the “gospel” of Hinduism.
KrishnaArjuna

The Hindu Pantheon of gods
Indra
is understood as the
king of all the gods,
the sky or heaven.

Varuna –
the sky god
– regarded
as the
supreme
being.

Brahma
– the creator god.
Brahma is usually
depicted as sitting on
the open lotus flower.

Vishnu – is connected by some
sort of external umbilical cord
from its navel to Brahma.
Vishnu is seen as the second
part of a triad.
He is the preserver and is
pictured together with Lakshmi
(his consort, a female goddess),
reclining on a bed consisting of a
coil of a seven-headed snake.
His incarnations are identified
with the twelve signs of the
Zodiac.

Siva
– the destroyer.
Siva is also known
as the god of yoga.
Hindus believe he
sits high on the
Himalayan
Mountains at the
fountain head of
the Ganges River.
Hindus think of
Siva as the source
of the Ganges.

That is why a sprout of
water is seen shooting up
from the top of his hair,
and this is identified as the
goddess Gangamai, visible
in the form of a snake.
Siva is also known as
Natarajah, the lord of the
dance.
Siva is a hermaphrodite.
His consort is Parvathi and
he rides on the bull,
Nandi.

Ganesha
– the elephant-
headed god,
is a son of Siva.

Kali – is the most well-
known and also the most
feared. Kali demands
blood sacrifice. She is
depicted with many arms,
with swords in her hands,
dripping with blood. She
has a necklace of men’s
heads and hands around
her. She is dressed
immodestly, and stands
on the body of a dead
man. She also holds a
man’s head by the hair in
one hand.

Lakshmi – the goddess
of good luck or
prosperity. Lakshmi is
worshipped in Hindu
homes by the lightning
of a small brass lamp in
the form of a throne.
Some authorities
estimate that there are
over 330 million gods or
idols in Hinduism.

Key teachings of
Hinduism
Basic to Hinduism is
their belief in:

Karma
Underlying all Hindu behaviour, religious activity
and thought is their doctrine of Karma.
According to Hindu thought, all of life is
controlled by this law, the law of works. Your
behaviour in a past life determines your fate in
the present life, and your deeds in the present
life determine your future reincarnation.

Samsara
The endless cycle of birth and
rebirth is called Samsara (the
wheel of Samsara) –
reincarnation. When you have
built up bad Karma, you move
down the ladder, but if you have
developed good Karma, you move
up the ladder. It takes many lives
to go through the whole process
for Karma to be worked out,
through reincarnation or
transmigration of the soul.

Moksha
A Hindu works for
the day when he will
finally be able to
break out of this
cycle of
reincarnation,
having completed
his Karma, to
escape into freedom
called Moksha. This
is a release from the
everlasting cycle of
rebirth.

Dharma
Dharma means righteousness.
By living a good life and doing his
duty, Hindus believe that they can
work out their own salvation. Dharma wheel

Yoga
Yoga means to be yoked
or union. It is seen as
the pathway to freedom
or Moksha.

Hindus are very religious
people. However, their
religion is one of polytheism,
pantheism and syncretism.
Hindus believe that all
religions lead to God. They,
therefore, reject the need to
change from one religion to
another. Hindus also reject
the concept of sin.
Vivekananda said: ”It is a sin
to call anyone a sinner.”
Polytheism, Pantheism and Syncretism

Although the concept of
salvation exists within Hinduism,
it is generally understood as
liberation from the cycle of
rebirth, not forgiveness for
one’s own personal guilt.
Although the
reason why one is caught up in the eternal cycle
of birth and rebirth is because of "bad works".
The Hindu doctrine of salvation is radically
different from the Christian viewpoint. Similarly,
when a Christian speaks of being born again, a
Hindu is thinking of reincarnation.

Bizarre Ethics
When Nepal’s crown
prince killed nine
other members of
the royal family,
including his
parents, in 2001,
Hindus justified it
by Karma.

For example, Professor Mukunda
Raj Aryal (a Brahman) was quoted
in the Washington Post as
explaining:
“The members of the royal family
brought only short lives into their
most recent incarnations based on
actions in a previous existence.”
The crown prince should be
honoured for having “acted well”
the villainous part he was assigned
by his Karma.
Murderer
Prince

Literally millions of Hindus
live as beggars, seeing this as
their Karma. One healthy 32-
year old beggar was quoted
as saying:
“I blame my own Karma.
If god didn’t give me
poverty, then we wouldn’t
have to beg in the first
place.” Begging is seen
as punishment for being
mean to other beggars in
a previous life.
Indian beggar 1902

Many of the beggars in
India beg for about six
months of the year and
then spend the rest of
the year drinking a
potent local brew and
maintaining
themselves in a
drunken stupor for the
next half of the year.

Worshipping a monkey to death
Some time ago there were
reports of 4000 Hindu devotees
attending the funeral of a
monkey in Southern India. The
monkey had strayed into a
temple dedicated to the monkey
god, Hanuman, in
Timmaganipalli Village. The
villagers surrounded the monkey
and refused to allow it to leave
the temple. Hundreds visited the
monkey each day, seeking its
blessings and garlanding it with
flowers.

The monkey finally died of starvation and exhaustion.
The distraught villagers explained that when they saw
the monkey sitting on Hanuman’s idol, they thought it
was a reincarnation of the ancient god. India is dotted
with tens of thousands of Hanuman temples, and every
Tuesday is reserved for the worship of Hanuman.

Violent Militancy
Although India gained
its independence partly
through the work of
Mahatma Gandhi,
India’s current leaders
do not hold to its
pacifism, either
internationally or
domestically. India is
involved in a nuclear
arms race and regularly
threatens war against
its Muslim neighbour,
Pakistan.

Domestically, there has been
a rise of Hindu extremists
engaging in hate campaigns
against Christians. Anti-
conversion legislation and
legal restrictions on Christian
activities have been strongly
demanded. Some states in
India have enacted such
anti-Christian legislation and
condone a rising wave of
violence and even murder of
Christian workers.

Human Rights Watch have
reported on
“the killings of priests, the
raping of nuns and the
physical destruction of
Christian institutions,
schools, churches, colleges
and cemeteries.
Thousands of Christians
have also been forced to
convert back to Hinduism.”

In 1999 there was also
the highly publicised
burning to death of
Australian missionary,
Graham Staines and his
two sons, in Eastern
India.
Many Hindu leaders
justified these murders
by saying that
missionaries who preach
“that the only way to
salvation is through
Christ” deserve to be
punished.

Hindu Christians
and foreign
missionaries have
come under
increasing attack
from Hindu mobs
wielding clubs
and swords.

Hinduism alternates between
pacifism and violent
militancy.
The Hindu principle of
Ahimsa means that Hindus
are not to harm any
creatures, even insects.
Ahimsa

Some Hindus, because of Buddhist influence may even wear a
cloth over their mouths to prevent their swallowing and therefore
killing small flying insects. But on the other hand, Hindus can
justify the murder of Christians and missionaries.
Ahimsa

Superstition and Witchcraft
Rev. Greg Denysschen, the head of
Jivannadi Mission, has noted: “Many
Hindu people are very jealous and
revengeful people. Their deep-
seated superstition also makes them
open targets for demonic activity.
Because of jealousy, people have
killed other people by means of
black magic. When they see
somebody prospering and
progressing in life, they cannot
stand to see that and so they go out
of their way to cast a spell on the
one they are jealous of …

“Some Hindus will also attempt to use magic to
enhance their business, cast a spell to win over a girl or
women by means of love magic, discover treasures
hidden away somewhere, using some form of magical
divination, win court cases by casting spells on the
magistrates or public prosecutors and defend
themselves against their enemies by protection magic.”

Rev. Greg Denysschen also observes that: “the Hindu guru
movement is the missionary enterprise of Hinduism … Hindu
gurus are active propagators of Hindu philosophy. They gather a
number of disciples around them, impressing these seekers with
their occult and psychic abilities. A guru must have disciples, so
they actively canvass as many as they can reach. Offering shorter
paths to self-realisation, they are regarded as masters, absolutely
necessary to lead the disciple to enlightenment.”

The Caste System
Every Hindu is born into
a group called a caste.
A person cannot do
anything to change their
caste. At the top of the
caste system is the
priestly caste (the
Brahmans);

then the warrior / ruler caste
(Kshatriyas); and the farmers,
craftsmen and trades people
(Vaishyas). These are the
forward castes.

The lower castes,
including the
physical workers
and labourers
(Sudras) and
untouchables
(Harijans).
These five
groupings break
down into over
2000 specific
castes in practice.
Harijans

Caste is the Hindus strongest social security. Conversion to
Christianity destroys this. When a Hindu converts to Christ, it will
lead to his being excommunicated from the community, probably
even from his own family, elimination of marriage prospects and
often also physical assault and persecution as well

Although in India the constitution “guarantees”
equality and bans discrimination, the caste
system is vital for over 80% of the population.

Over 70% of all Christians in India (25 million) are of the
lower classes and tribal communities.
Therefore, the average Hindu associates the Christian
Gospel with the underclasses of their society.

Evangelising Hindus
It is not necessary to defend the existence of God to
Hindus, although with their pantheistic concept of god, it
is essential that we clarify and redefine whom we mean
by God.

The Hindus have a great respect for sacred
writings, including the Bible. Hindus will listen
attentively to an exposition of Scripture.

Hindus also have a
great respect for the
person of Christ, the
quality of Christ’s
relationship with
people, His teachings,
(particularly the
Sermon on the
Mount) and His
unique and vicarious
sacrifice of Himself
and suffering, all have
a strong appeal to the
Hindu.

As Christian
communicators,
we need to
build on this
basic respect
for Christ with
an
understanding
of what Christ
taught and who
He is
- The Word
made flesh.

The Hindu doctrine of Karma is a barrier in terms of
defining salvation. However, it can also be used as a
bridge to communicate the Gospel to Hindus.

The Bible does teach that what we sow is what we reap.
What we do now affects our eternity. However: “It is
appointed unto man once to die and after that the
Judgement.” Hebrew 9:27

The Hindu must be told
of our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ, who
by His vicarious
suffering and
death upon the
cross, triumphed
over sin and has
taken upon
Himself, the
penalty for all our
sins. Hindus need
to understand the
Atonement.

It is important that we be loving and compassionate in our
communications with Hindus. That we present our Gospel
message in such a way that it answers the problems, questions
and needs understood by the Hindu. We need to demonstrate
love and respect for the listener and his questions. There must be
no condescending attitude in our Evangelism.

The Hindu quest for
peace (Shanti) is so
overwhelming that he
is willing to exert
extreme effort in a
relentless search to
find this.

We need to recognise that Hindus consider a willingness
to wait, to mortify his body and desires, a willingness to
suffer pain and to fast as essential qualities in any
spiritual leader.
Christian leaders with these kinds of spiritual
qualifications will find Hindus receptive to their message.

The Gospel in India
There are over 300 000 churches in India. There
are well over 25 million Christians in India
(comprising over 2,4% of India’s total population).

There are over 100 000 full-time Christian workers in
India, half of these pastoring local churches. There is
on average, only one pastor for every six congregations.
There are over 1000 Protestant, Independent and
Anglican missionaries in 184 agencies, in India.

In addition,
there are over
44 000 Indian
missionaries
and
evangelists in
440 agencies,
of which 60%
are working
cross-culturally
in India.

There has been a dynamic growth
of Indian mission agencies and
church-based mission initiatives in
India. Hindus are coming to Christ
in unprecedented numbers.

“The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore
pray the Lord of the Harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.”
Matthew 9:37-38

Some Practical Guidelines
Do remember, in interacting with Hindus, that the eating
of meat is offensive to some of them. So too is the
social mingling of unrelated boys and girls.

Christianity is frequently
presented to Hindus as a
foreign (i.e. Western)
religion.
There is also the
prevalent impression that
only “untouchables”
embrace Christianity.
Many Hindus live under
the constant fear of
evoking the wrath of
Kula Devata (the family
god) if they accept the
gods of other religions.

There is also the fear of the loss of property, loss
of privileges and of position in their society, if
they convert to Christianity.

In India, there is also the loss of economic privileges
from the government. Those students who convert to
Christianity can lose state financial aid for their studies.

No people group can be
reached for Christ by
merely academic means.
We cannot, and must not,
place our confidence
merely in correct words
and statements, or
strategies, but only upon
the living Lord Jesus
Christ. Only the Holy
Spirit can regenerate lost
souls. The people we win
on the street must first be
won on our knees in
prayer.

“And pray in the
Spirit on all
occasions with all
kinds of prayers
and requests… be
alert and always
keep on praying
for all the saints”
Ephesians 6:18

“If you abide in Me and My Words abide
in you then you will ask whatever you
want of Me and it shall be given to you.”
John 15:7

“Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are
already ripe for harvest!” John 4:35

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord
saying,
‘whom shall I send?’
and who will go for Us?
And I said ‘here am I,
send me!’ “
Isaiah 6:8

Frontline Fellowship
PO Box 74
Newlands
7725
Cape Town
South Africa
E-mail: admin@frontline.org.za
Web: www.frontline.org.za

The Challenge of Hinduism's Diverse Beliefs and Practices

The Challenge of Hinduism's Diverse Beliefs and Practices

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