Q: Hindu AND Christian?

I have a friend who says she's Hindu and Christian. I want to share the gospel with her & be able to tell her that it's not really "right" to have 2 different faiths but I don't know how to do so without offending her. 

Great Question!  The question is, "What is the right religion?"

 Fast food restaurants entice us by allowing us to order our food exactly the way we want it. Some coffee shops boast over a hundred different flavors and varieties of coffee. Even when buying houses and cars, we can look for one with all the options and features we desire. We no longer live in just a chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry world. Choice is king! You can find about anything you want according to your own personal likes and needs.



So how about a religion that is just right for you? How about a religion that is guilt-free, makes no demands, and is not encumbered with a lot of bothersome do's and don'ts? It is out there, just as I have described. But is religion something to be chosen like a favorite flavor of ice cream?



There are a lot of voices vying for our attention, so why should anyone consider Jesus above, say, Brahma, Muhammad or Confucius, Buddha, or Joseph Smith? After all, don't all roads lead to Heaven? Aren't all religions basically the same? The truth is that all religions do not lead to Heaven, just as all roads do not lead to Toronto.



Jesus alone speaks with the authority of God because Jesus alone conquered death.  Jesus, by His own power, walked away from the tomb three days after dying on a cruel Roman cross.  Anyone with power over death deserves our attention and deserves to be heard. Jesus claims to be the only way to salvation (John 14:6). He is not a way; He is not one of many ways. Jesus is the way.



Sharing the true gospel with others can be difficult, and it can become even more difficult when it involves your friend. The Bible tells us that some people will be offended at the gospel (Luke 12:51-53). However, we are commanded to share the true gospel and there is no excuse for not doing so (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15). 

One of the first things we can do is to pray for them. Pray that God would change their hearts and open their eyes (2 Corinthians 4:4) to the truth of Jesus and the gospel. Pray that God would convince them of His love for them and their need for salvation through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Pray for wisdom as to how you can minister to them (James 1:5). In addition to praying, we must also live godly Christian lives in front of them, so they can see the change God has made in our own lives (1 Peter 3:1-2). As Saint Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” 

So, pray for an opportunity to talk, share and explain the gospel with your friend.  When the doors do open to share your faith and beliefs, remember to do so with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).  Trust that their heart has been prepared by God to receive His truth.  Know also that the Holy Spirit will be with you!  Ultimately, we must leave the salvation of our friends to God. It is God's power and grace that saves people, not our efforts. What we can do is pray for them, witness to them, and live the Christian life in front of them.

As you approach your friend carefully and humbly in prayer the following link may help you:

I am a Hindu, why should I consider becoming a Christian? http://www.gotquestions.org/Hindu-Christian.html

HOPE THIS WAS HELPFUL!  THANKS FOR ASKING!

[Answered by Ray Lee, Summer Intern]

Q: Christianity and Hinduism?

Since many others have written extensively on this subject, I will point you to a few good resources:

1. A side-by-side comparison of Christianity and Hinduism

2. What is Hinduism? The following is an excerpt:

It is readily seen that Hinduism is in opposition to biblical Christianity on almost every count of its belief system. Christianity has one God who is both personal and knowable (Deuteronomy 6:5; 1 Corinthians 8:6); has one set of Scriptures; teaches that God created the earth and all who live upon it (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 11:3); believes that man is created in God's image and lives only once (Genesis 1:27; Hebrews 9:27-28); and teaches that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone (John 3:16; 6:44; 14:6; Acts 4:12). Hinduism as a religious system fails because it fails to recognize Jesus as the uniquely incarnated God-Man and Savior, the one solely sufficient source of salvation for humanity.

3. Why should a Hindu consider becoming a Christian?

Here the article cites 5 primary differences between these two religions:

a. The historical reliability of the religion: "Christianity has historically rooted characters and events within its schema which are identifiable through forensic sciences like archeology and textual criticism. Hinduism certainly has a history, but its theology, mythology, and history are so often blurred together that it becomes difficult to identify where one stops and the other begins"
b. The key historical figure/founder of the religion: "Many people in history have been wise teachers or have started religious movements. Hinduism has its share of wise teachers and earthly leaders. But Jesus stands out. His spiritual teachings are confirmed with a test that only divine power could pass, death and bodily resurrection—a fact which he prophesied and fulfilled in Himself (Matthew 16:21; 20:18-19; Mark 8:31; 1 Luke 9:22; John 20-21; 1 Corinthians 15)."

c. The reliability of the Scriptures of the religion: "In several tests the Bible surpasses the Hindu Vedas, and all other books of antiquity for that matter. One could even say that the history of the Bible is so compelling that to doubt the Bible is to doubt history itself, since it is the most historically verifiable book of all antiquity. The only book more historically verifiable than the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible) is the New Testament."

d. Monotheism versus pantheism and polytheism.

e. The solution to sin: "[I]n Christianity we can know that we are saved. We do not have to rely on some fleeting experience, nor do we rely on our own good works or fervent meditation, nor do we put our faith in a false god whom we are trying to "believe into existence." We have a living and true God, a historically anchored faith, an abiding and testable revelation of God (Scripture), a theologically satisfying basis for ethical living, and a guaranteed home in heaven with God."

4. Read "Jesus Among Other Gods" by Ravi Zacharias - who grew up as a Hindu, but became a Christian.

Hope this helps!

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: What's the difference between Christianity and other religions? People say it's "different" but I don't understand.

I've touched on this question in a previous post. The fundamental difference between Christianity and other religions is that Christianity is based upon the person and work of Jesus Christ - the only true God and savior. It is through Christ alone that a person can be saved and have a relationship with God. Let me explain. When we talk about Christianity being "different," what we really mean is that it is the exclusive (and therefore TRUE) way to God. However...

We are not saying there are no truth in other religions. Every culture & religion has some expression of God’s truth. To claim that there is no other name but Jesus doesn’t mean other religions don’t have truth; it is however to claim that those truths are to be examined in light of Jesus Christ who claims to the Truth (John 14:6). C.S. Lewis once wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” Lewis isn’t saying you can’t see other truths, but that by Jesus (who is THE Truth), we can truly understand other truths.

We are not saying we cannot learn from other religions. Christians can learn a great deal from the rest of the world. The intensity of which a Hindu seeks God can make us look like hypocrites. The discipline a Muslim can make us look very lazy. The missionary commitment of a Mormon puts us to shame.

We are not saying that Christianity is the one true religion. Christianity is not the savior; Christ is.

Christianity is claiming that Jesus Christ in the one and only savior who can deliver us from our sins. HE is the issue here. Your friends may say, “Christians are hypocrites” – but that’s not the issue. Yes, there are bad Christians (who don’t love as Jesus loved), but there are also those who follow Jesus and love and would be considered “good Christians.” In the same way, we can say there are bad and good Buddhists, or Mormons, or Muslims. This is not the issue. Christians are not claiming that following their religion gets them to heaven or saves them; Christians are claiming that Jesus does. So Jesus is really the issue; who do you think Jesus is? Why do think this way? On what basis do you believe or not believe who he says he is?

Additionally, we are saying:

Christianity is not the only religion that claims exclusivity. Your friend is wrong to say that Christianity is narrow-minded, while other religions are open-minded. All religions teach different things and therefore are exclusive by nature. Imagine a person says this: “All Chinese look alike.” What would you say about this person? Two things: (1) This person is obviously not Chinese (2) He lacks interest in Chinese people because he never looks at them very hard. It’s the same thing with religion. Let's take a look at some examples...

Muslims radically claim exclusivity - not just theologically but linguistically. They believe that the sole and sufficient miracle of Islam is the Koran. They also believe that it is only recognizable in Arabic and that any translation makes it unsacred.

Hinduism is uncompromising on 3 issues: The law of karma (law of moral cause and effect); the authority of their scriptures (Vedas) and reincarnation.

Buddhism doesn’t believe in a personal God at all

New Age followers believe they are God

Baha’ism claims cosmic embrace of all religions, which means they are excluding exclusivists!

What I’m trying to say is that every faith system is exclusive, because every time you assert something a true; you mean something contrary is false. Truth excludes its opposite. Even those that deny the exclusive nature of truth are actually making a truth claim. That's what your friends have done. By stating that Christianity is narrow-minded, and implying they are open-minded, they have made an exclusive truth claim!

Christianity is actually the most inclusive of all faith systems. Other religions assume our ability to secure God's favor & love by doing the right things. What is the implication here? You can be a "good person" if you follow certain rules. Listen to what Dr. Tim Keller says (read this carefully!):

"The universal religion of humankind is: We develop a good record and give it to God, and then he owes us. The gospel is: God develops a good record and gives it to us, then we owe him (Rom. 1:17). In short, to say a good person, not just Christians, can find God is to say good works are enough to find God. So the apparently inclusive approach is really quite exclusive. It says, 'The good people can find God, and the bad people do not.' The gospel says, 'The people who know they aren't good can find God, and the people who think they are good do not.' So both approaches are exclusive, but the gospel's is the more inclusive exclusivity. It says joyfully, 'It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. It doesn't matter if you've been at the gates of hell. You can be welcomed and embraced fully and instantly through Christ.' "

I would also encourage you to read the following article. Here, the authors point out four things that make Christianity different and unique compared to all other religions:

1. All other religions exhort man to reach up to God and grasp hold of Him through their own efforts. Christianity is the only religion where God reaches down to man.
2. Other religions are systems of do’s and don’ts to appease God; whereas Christianity is a relationship with God.
3. Christianity looks to the Bible as the singular source of Truth.
4. Christianity is based upon truly the most unique event in all of human history—the Resurrection.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Christianity....religion or a personal relationship with Christ? or Both?

Christianity is a relationship with the true and living God through the person of Jesus Christ by whom we are forgiven of our sins. Without Jesus, a person is separate from God and cannot no relationship with Him. Ephesians 2:12-15 says:

...remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

So fundamentally, Christianity is a relationship with God. Is Christianity also considered a religion? It depends on how you define religion. If you define religion the way Wikipedia has defined it, a religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a supernatural agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs, then yes. Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, so it is a faith system or a religion according to this definition. However it is NOT a religion if we define religion as a set of rules one must follow to gain salvation or to earn God's favor. In fact, Christianity stands apart from all other belief systems because it teaches salvation by GRACE. All other systems tell us we must do certain good things in order to be in God's presence. Christianity tells us we are not made right before God by our efforts, sincerity, or works.  Instead, we are made right before God by faith in what Christ did on the cross.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Reference: "What is Christianity" by M. Slick

Q: What happens to people of other religions when they die? Do they automatically go to hell?

I answered this question already in this previous post. Please read it carefully. By "other religions", I assume you mean non-Christians or those have not received forgiveness of their sin by trusting in Jesus. The answer is YES: They will be separated from God in hell. I know this seems intolerant. And harsh. Yet, please consider what I wrote in this post about "being good enough." Also read the second half of this previous post which deals with the "exclusivity of Christianity." At the end of this post, this is what I wrote:

"Christianity is actually the most inclusive of all faith systems. Other religions assume our ability to secure God's favor & love by doing the right things. What is the implication here? You can be a "good person" if you follow certain rules. Listen to what Dr. Tim Keller says (read this carefully!):

'The universal religion of humankind is: We develop a good record and give it to God, and then he owes us. The gospel is: God develops a good record and gives it to us, then we owe him (Rom. 1:17). In short, to say a good person, not just Christians, can find God is to say good works are enough to find God. So the apparently inclusive approach is really quite exclusive. It says, 'The good people can find God, and the bad people do not.' The gospel says, 'The people who know they aren't good can find God, and the people who think they are good do not.' So both approaches are exclusive, but the gospel's is the more inclusive exclusivity. It says joyfully, 'It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. It doesn't matter if you've been at the gates of hell. You can be welcomed and embraced fully and instantly through Christ.' "

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Good people with good hearts?

What happens to non-believers when they die? How about if they're generally "good people" (as in they have good hearts)?

Let me answer the 2nd question first. Since the dawn of time, human beings have tried to justify their lives (and earn their way to heaven/God) in one of three ways:

1. They assume they are living a good enough life to please God when they finally meet Him.

2. They work very hard at some social cause because they think that they are good people and need to overcome the evil deeds of bad people

3. They work very hard at keeping the rules of a particular religion in order to justify themselves as a good person in the sight of God*

While each of these "good people go to heaven" options seem reasonable, this theory does not make sense and is full of problems (read this post from last week for a full explanation, "Why isn't being good enough sufficient?").

Scripture tells that the biggest problem of all is that there are no "good people" out there. All human beings are sinful (Romans 3), meaning we are all bad people. In the Gospel of Luke (18:19), Jesus actually states that the only person who is good (perfect, pure, sinless) is God himself. Human beings are imperfect, impure and sinful. And the reason is because we do not have "good hearts." In fact, all of our sin comes from the very core of our being, or what the Bible calls the "heart" (Mark 7:21-23). Out of the sinful heart comes sinful thoughts, words, deeds and intentions.

This leads us to your second question: What happens to non-believers after they die? Simply put: They are condemned before God for their sin. They are subsequently sent AWAY from Him, which is a frightening thought because God is the source of all beauty, goodness and love. So when unbelievers are removed from His presence forever, they enter into a place absent of all beauty, goodness and love. Scripture calls this place Hades or Hell. Now this sounds harsh, but consider what C.S. Lewis said: "Hell is the greatest monument to human freedom. All in hell choose it." Lewis is saying that those who reject God's salvation in Christ freely do so. They choose NOT to be with God, so God respects that choice.

Friend, God is giving you a choice today. I implore you to choose God by choosing to trust in Jesus for you salvation and NOT your own works/heart/deeds/goodness. Christianity is different from all other religions because it says that we can't do anything to earn our salvation. The standards are too high; and we are too weak and sinful. The only way to be saved, therefore, is by trusting the only "good person" that ever lived: Jesus. Jesus lived the perfect life we could not live. He died the death that we should have died. In doing so, Jesus takes away the sin of those who trust in Him and grants them access to God, i.e. salvation.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

*Mark Driscoll, Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2009), 159-160.

Homosexuality and the Exclusivity of Christianity?

My friends and I were having a big conversation/debate about religion. Two of them are Jewish but not really practicing. They had issues trying to accept some things with Christianity.

The first problem was regarding gay marriage and homosexuality. My friends think that Christianity should change as society changes. They think that the whole idea of marriage being man and woman is too traditional and narrow-minded and that we should change our views to suit today's culture.

Then we got into the whole debate about whether you can be gay + christian. Since they don't believe that being gay is sinful, it was difficult to explain how a gay person can confess and become a Christian. Christianity comes off as being very narrow-minded. In their word, we are a bit "superior self-righteous power." One of them said that Christianity is the only religion that won't accept the good aspects of other religions, which are open-minded. They also asked that if someone does not believe in Jesus, etc would they go to heaven? They see Christianity as saying, "You have to live this way and believe what Christians believe, or you are unworthy and will not get into heaven" and "If you are gay, you must convert and repent and become straight and become a Christian."

How can i rephrase my beliefs so that my friends don't picture Christianity as a holier-than-thou, exclusive club that seeks to alienate people who don't believe the same thing? How can i help give my friends a more positive view of Christianity, without denying our attitude toward homosexuality and the fact that there really is only one way to heaven?

Hello. It would seem your friends have two primary concerns (the first is built upon the second):

1. Homosexuality

2. The exclusivity of Christianity as the one true way to God

So let's break it down:

1. Homosexuality

Since your friends are Jewish, they should appreciate and understand this next point: Long before the New Testament was written, the Old Testament condemned the act of homosexuality as immoral and unnatural (Lev. 18:22). So the stance Christians take is not something that the early church "made up." The New Testament affirms the Old Testament.

Your friends make the claim that religion should evolve with the times. I see several flaws in this argument. First, it assumes that something newer is superior to something older. This is known as "chronological snobbery" and it's false. If this were true, then we can argue for allowing any form of evil to be normative in society. For instance, if one day, a group of people start arguing that marrying your own sister should be lawful and moral, by this line of thought, who is to say they are wrong? The second flaw is that the biblical stance on marriage has been the universal understanding in every human civilization in world history. Listen to what this article from Got Questions says:

The Bible alone, however, does not have to be used to demonstrate this understanding of marriage. The biblical viewpoint of marriage has been the universal understanding of marriage in every human civilization in world history. History argues against gay marriage. Modern secular psychology recognizes that men and women are psychologically and emotionally designed to complement one another. In regard to the family, psychologists contend that a union between a man and woman in which both spouses serve as good gender role models is the best environment in which to raise well-adjusted children. Psychology argues against gay marriage. In nature/physicality, clearly, men and women were designed to “fit” together sexually. With the “natural” purpose of sexual intercourse being procreation, clearly only a sexual relationship between a man and a woman can fulfill this purpose. Nature argues against gay marriage.

2. Now, let's talk about your friend's primary concern: The exclusivity of Christianity. There's a few points here:

A. The Bible does not describe homosexuality as a “greater” sin than any other. All sin is offensive to God. Homosexuality is just one of the many things listed in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that will keep a person from the kingdom of God. According to the Bible, God’s forgiveness is just as available to a homosexual as it is to an adulterer, idol worshipper, murderer, thief, etc. God also promises the strength for victory over sin, including homosexuality, to all those who will believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 4:13).*

*This is an excerpt from this article.

B. We are not saying there are no truth in other religions. Every culture & religion has some expression of God’s truth. To claim that there is no other name but Jesus doesn’t mean other religions don’t have truth; it is however to claim that those truths are to be examined in light of Jesus Christ who claims to the Truth (John 14:6). C.S. Lewis once wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” Lewis isn’t saying you can’t see other truths, but that by Jesus (who is THE Truth), we can truly understand other truths.

C. We are not saying we cannot learn from other religions. Christians can learn a great deal from the rest of the world. The intensity of which a Hindu seeks God can make us look like hypocrites. The discipline a Muslim can make us look very lazy. The missionary commitment of a Mormon puts us to shame.

D. We are not saying that Christianity is the one true religion. Christianity is not the savior; Christ is.

Christianity is claiming that Jesus Christ in the one and only savior who can deliver us from our sins. HE is the issue here. Your friends may say, “Christians are hypocrites” – but that’s not the issue. Yes, there are bad Christians (who don’t love as Jesus loved), but there are also those who follow Jesus and love and would be considered “good Christians.” In the same way, we can say there are bad and good Buddhists, or Mormons, or Muslims. This is not the issue. Christians are not claiming that following their religion gets them to heaven or saves them; Christians are claiming that Jesus does. So Jesus is really the issue; who do you think Jesus is? Why do think this way? On what basis do you believe or not believe who he says he is?

E. Christianity is not the only religion that claims exclusivity. Your friend is wrong to say that Christianity is narrow-minded, while other religions are open-minded. All religions teach different things and therefore are exclusive by nature. Imagine a person says this: “All Chinese look alike.” What would you say about this person? Two things: (1) This person is obviously not Chinese (2) He lacks interest in Chinese people because he never looks at them very hard. It’s the same thing with religion. Let's take a look at some examples...

Muslims radically claim exclusivity - not just theologically but linguistically. They believe that the sole and sufficient miracle of Islam is the Koran. They also believe that it is only recognizable in Arabic and that any translation makes it unsacred.

Hinduism is uncompromising on 3 issues: The law of karma (law of moral cause and effect); the authority of their scriptures (Vedas) and reincarnation.

Buddhism doesn’t believe in a personal God at all

New Age followers believe they are God

Baha’ism claims cosmic embrace of all religions, which means they are excluding exclusivists!

What I’m trying to say is that every faith system is exclusive, because every time you assert something a true; you mean something contrary is false. Truth excludes its opposite. Even those that deny the exclusive nature of truth are actually making a truth claim. That's what your friends have done. By stating that Christianity is narrow-minded, and implying they are open-minded, they have made an exclusive truth claim!

F. Christianity is actually the most inclusive of all faith systems. Other religions assume our ability to secure God's favor & love by doing the right things. What is the implication here? You can be a "good person" if you follow certain rules. Listen to what Dr. Tim Keller says (read this carefully!):

"The universal religion of humankind is: We develop a good record and give it to God, and then he owes us. The gospel is: God develops a good record and gives it to us, then we owe him (Rom. 1:17). In short, to say a good person, not just Christians, can find God is to say good works are enough to find God. So the apparently inclusive approach is really quite exclusive. It says, 'The good people can find God, and the bad people do not.' The gospel says, 'The people who know they aren't good can find God, and the people who think they are good do not.' So both approaches are exclusive, but the gospel's is the more inclusive exclusivity. It says joyfully, 'It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. It doesn't matter if you've been at the gates of hell. You can be welcomed and embraced fully and instantly through Christ.' "

So friend, take heart. Read as much as you can (I've put some further recommended resources below) about this topic; pray that God would grant you wisdom, patience and courage and talk to your friends again. I've encountered many people that share your friends' viewpoint. There's hope because the gospel has the power the save (Romans 1:16-17).

[Answered by Pastor HM]

http://www.everystudent.com/features/connecting.html

www.reasonablefaith.org - Dr. William Lane Craig's website

The Reason for God, by Timothy Keller (Listen to Keller's talk about exclusivity)

Vintage Jesus, by Mark Driscoll

Evidence That Demands A Verdict, by Josh McDowell

The Case for Faith, by Lee Strobel

Jesus Among Other Gods, by Ravi Zacharias

Q: Are all religions the same? Is Chrisitanity the same as other religions?

A: In a one word answer: No. They are not all the same and Christianity certainly differs in many ways.

First, there is the aspect of Jesus offering eternal life by forgiving our sins and granting us salvation through His life. No other religion offers this. They advise you to do good deeds in order to work your way into heaven. God does not ask us to do anything in return, only to believe that Jesus is the Christ.

To read further and understand this concept from far wiser words, please go to this site and read from John Piper.


[Answered by KJT]