Following God Vs Hinduism

      Roughly eighty percent of India's population is Hindu, making it the third largest religion in the world. The origin of Hindu is unknown there are no accounts stating who created it or when. It was only in 1200 B.C that the first accounts of Hinduism were found, they spoke of sacrifices to gods that represented the forces of nature. The most popular one, being Brahman, can be depicted in three different forms; Brahman, being default, Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. But even more important are the Vedas which contain hymns, poems, philosophies, and are the base of the Hindu religion. There are also different types of Hinduism such as Monistic- Only Sankara's school exists , Pantheistic- Only one divine thing exists so that God is identical to the world, Panentheistic- The world is part of God, and Theistic- Only one God distinct from creation.
       Fast forward to modern times, the Hindu religion reflects on its culture through symbols, beauty marks, and rituals. The bindi for instance, is the iconic red dot seen on the foreheads of a majority of the Indian population. This little red dot represents becoming one with the universe and to worship ones intellect. Hindus pray at a minimum of two times a day to Brahman. Another popular god that has a popular role in the Hindu religion is Ganesha the elephant god, also known as the lord of obstacles. Ganesha removes obstacles from ones life or places obstacles in the lives of those who need to be tested. Originating from Ganesha is the popular 'Aum' meditation ritual (commonly heard as 'Om') is used to identify with and personify Ganesha himself. The Hindu's believe in the Chakra system which unites mind, body and spirit. Their sacred texts such as the Ganesha Purana mentions sacred temple sites, the thousands of names attributed to their god, and their worship systems.

Hindu Gods

     The six basic beliefs of this religion contain these elements: Truth is eternal, Brahman is the one true god, the Veda scripture are the ultimate authority, everyone should strive for dharma (to do the right thing), souls are immortal and the individual should reach moksha (liberation and freedom from the cycle of rebirth). The last mentioned core belief supports reincarnation as a theme and when someone has successfully accomplished right living they can reach a state of nirvana, a place of no suffering in Hindu philosophy. (Hebrews 9:27).
           While the Hindu religion seems benign and highlights striving towards positive attributes, it fails in comparison to following the God of the Bible. First, Brahman is depicted as the creator of the universe but is impersonal. Secondly, Ganesha is depicted through high symbolism and would fall under a graven image. The problem with these deities is their connection to humankind is nonexistent. The God of the Bible creates the universe but is involved with his creation ( Psalms 135:5-6, Psalms 22:28). He is also a real entity with shape and form, even though He is invisible to the physical eye. (Genesis 1:26, Genesis 18.)
            The fact the God of the Bible wants to be involved with his creation lies in the fact he was willing to die for them. The Hindu religion, in fact, all other religions do not have a deity that will die for them because they are either dead or just a statue. (2 Corinthians 5:15) The question arises why would a deity need to die for humankind? The answer lies in the human position of a fallen state, which in the Bible defines as sin. (Romans 4:25) This fallen state creates a need that we cannot satisfy on our own. God makes it very clear there is "no one righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:23). In order to obtain righteousness we must make God our source, this involves a relationship of submission and obedience and can encompass moral attributes. The difference between just being moral and righteousness is this: Man can make rules for being good but God is the only one that can name you righteous. ( 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 8:30). This specific molding of the human by God is vastly different than a broad set of rules set up by man.