If Jesus is only a form of God, then why are Hindus wrong for worshipping many forms of God?

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Contarini said:
The authors of various books of the Bible clearly had different beliefs from each other as well.

Attempts to show the contrary are simply special pleading and have no validity from the point of view of serious historical inquiry.

Edwin
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No author of the Bible was a) an atheist b) a polytheist or c) a monist. The Bible does not contradict itself. Judeo-Christian tradition has never proposed any other God than the God of Abraham. Hinduism has no central doctrine and was produced over millenia by people who were a) atheists b) monists c) polytheists d) pantheists.

Besides the person of Jesus Christ, there is no Biblical disagreement about who God is and the fact that there’s only one of Him.
 
White_Tree said:
emanation (noun): Something that issues from a source

proceed (intr.v.): To come from a source; originate or issue

I ask you the same question I asked the other poster: What is the substantive difference that you are referring to here? How does a “person” of the Trinity differ from an aspect or emanation?
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Three is you want, not 100 million.
But even so, they are nor emanations, they are different.
 
Contarini said:
Not necessarily. There are many forms of polytheism. The form in which the various deities “emanate” from one reality is certainly closer to monotheism than are some other kinds of polytheism. Another form of “polytheism” would say that there is one supreme God and various lesser deities who aren’t the same kind of beings at all. (This isn’t necessarily incompatible with the “emanation” view, actually.) That can look pretty similar to the traditional Christian/Jewish/Islamic understanding of one God and many angels (in Zoroastrianism, for instance, the difference between a “god” and an “angel” seems pretty much nonexistent, if I understand it correctly), with the main difference being the kind of worship/veneration it’s appropriate to give to these lesser heavenly beings.

And, of course, Muslims and Jews see our doctrine of the Trinity as a kind of polytheism.

So the difference between polytheism and monotheism isn’t clear-cut. That doesn’t mean that there’s no difference, only that there are different ways of defining the difference and a lot of religious traditions can be defined as either depending on whether you draw the line.

I don’t think there’s any point arguing over whether Hinduism is polytheistic or monotheistic. Much more valuable is figuring out in what way it’s polytheistic and in what way it’s monotheistic.

And, of course, there are many varieties of “Hinduism”. . . .
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I think you have a problem with politheism. I do not have.
Clearly there are monotheists religions and clearly Hindhuism is politheist.
You may argue till the end of the world that Hindhuism is not politheist for that is something no one believes.
I think tthe beauty of Hindhuism is somewhere else not in being Monotheist, which is not.
 
prodigalson2011 said:
No author of the Bible was a) an atheist b) a polytheist or c) a monist.
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No author of the Bible condones worshiping other gods, certainly. In much of the OT, the ontological status of YHWH compared to other gods is a bit unclear, and some have argued that what we have is “henotheism.”

Edwin
 
Pfaffenhoffen said:
I think you have a problem with politheism.
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I would not describe myself as a polytheist, if that’s what you mean. I certainly see the beauty of a number of forms of polytheism, and I revel in the fact that Christianity is not “simple monotheism” of the kind professed by Islam.

Your attempt to mind-read me ignores my point, which is that polytheism can be defined in various ways.
I do not have.
Clearly there are monotheists religions and clearly Hindhuism is politheist.
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It is certainly polytheistic by some definitions, and it is certainly not monotheistic in the same way the “Abrahamic” religions are.

Edwin
 
Pfaffenhoffen said:
But even so, they are nor emanations, they are different.
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Different in what way? That is the original question I asked you.

By the strict, dictionary definition of what an “emanation” is, the Nicene Creed implies that emanations are exactly what they are.

If you are going to say that there is a difference, at least say what that difference is, apart from the number. The number of Gods is peripheral to this discussion. I’m asking about their origin and their substance.
 
I believe the person who started this thread was speaking along lines of John Paul II’s theology of the body. Jesus was the perfect man, the form-IMAGE of God. His smiles and looks of love showed God to man (literally). Every human is nontheless an image of God in their good moments. Hindu gods do not exist, but some of their art can show forms of God as well. I think that answers the question
 
Contarini said:
I would not describe myself as a polytheist, if that’s what you mean. I certainly see the beauty of a number of forms of polytheism, and I revel in the fact that Christianity is not “simple monotheism” of the kind professed by Islam.

Your attempt to mind-read me ignores my point, which is that polytheism can be defined in various ways.

It is certainly polytheistic by some definitions, and it is certainly not monotheistic in the same way the “Abrahamic” religions are.

Edwin
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Boy, we agree…
Of course poly is ply in many ways.
Polytheism can be defined in millions of ways…
 
Why is it wrong for Hindus to worship many forms of God?

Jesus is the answer. That is God’s word made flesh who dwelt among us, hence the name Immanuel or Emmanuel, which translates to “God with us.”

Instead of having many gods, we have one highly creative, loving and powerful God. And Jesus is special because not only will we be able to follow in his footsteps and be with him forever in “paradise”, but we are becoming more like him as time goes on, if we continue being obedient to the Father.
 
In the scriptures, Mary at one point is said to have been with child. Great with child even.
Luke 2:5

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Now,this is something that I want someone to comment on. It is Revelation 12:2.

Revelation 12:2
And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.​

To me, this seems to be implying that Mary was born stained with original sin just like the rest of us. I’ve heard things for sometime that Mary was born without sin. That cannot be true. Needed to accept salvation just like the rest of us.

Yes. That is what I believe.

If Mary was the kind of girl and woman that I believe she was, then she accepted salvation as soon as she could. The holy spirit was living inside of Mary in spades. That is a given, but was she forced into becoming born again?

Most likely not.

Mary’s faith was unparalleled.

youtube.com/watch?v=mN70R-3ao0U
 
siamusnomore said:
In the scriptures, Mary at one point is said to have been with child. Great with child even.
Luke 2:5

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Now,this is something that I want someone to comment on. It is Revelation 12:2.

Revelation 12:2
And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.​

To me, this seems to be implying that Mary was born stained with original sin just like the rest of us. I’ve heard things for sometime that Mary was born without sin. That cannot be true. Needed to accept salvation just like the rest of us.

Yes. That is what I believe.

If Mary was the kind of girl and woman that I believe she was, then she accepted salvation as soon as she could. The holy spirit was living inside of Mary in spades. That is a given, but was she forced into becoming born again?

Most likely not.

Mary’s faith was unparalleled.

youtube.com/watch?v=mN70R-3ao0U
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This is not a thread about Mary. There are threads about Mary elsewhere in the forums. This is about comparing Hinduism to Christianity.
 
Ben_Sinner said:
Everytime I get in a debate with a Hindu, they will throw the “Jesus was a human form of God. So why is it bad to pray to Shiva, Krishna, etc.??”

I’ve never really been able to give a good answer to this question

Can anybody come up with a good answer for this?
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You have to go back to the true meaning of the Trinity.

You can’t look at Jesus in the human form, You have to understand Jesus is ONE GOD.

We do not worship MANY gods we worship ONE GOD. Jesus is fully God Fully Man. Jesus is ONE in being WITH the Father.

When you look at the 3 person in the Trinity you are not seeing One without the other. God is God. ONE GOD.

The Father Son and Holy Spirit are not 3 Gods in 3 persons. The Father Son and Holy Spirit is 3 person in ONE GOD.

Not one is less or more then the other. All are fully equal, fully God.

When we worship the Father we cannot omit the Son, when we worship the Holy Spirit we cannot omit the Father and Son, etc.

Yes Jesus was GOd made Man human and Divine. You must remember that.
 
Ben_Sinner said:
Everytime I get in a debate with a Hindu, they will throw the “Jesus was a human form of God. So why is it bad to pray to Shiva, Krishna, etc.??”

I’ve never really been able to give a good answer to this question

Can anybody come up with a good answer for this?
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I don’t understand why you had to debate with a Hindu. They have their beliefs and we have ours. Where is the scope for debate?
 
Pitcharan said:
I don’t understand why you had to debate with a Hindu. They have their beliefs and we have ours. Where is the scope for debate?
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The Church urges its sons and daughters to enter with prudence and charity into discussions and colaboration with members of other religions.

We as Christians are taught while witnessing our own faith and acknowledge preserve and encourage the spiritual and moral truths found among non-Christians together with their social life and culture.

How can we ever witness our own faith and to bring others to Christ if we refuse to spead the good news to them.
 
rinnie said:
…How can we ever witness our own faith and to bring others to Christ if we refuse to spread the good news to them.
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Spreading the Good News is possible without debating each others’ beliefs.
 
Ben_Sinner said:
Everytime I get in a debate with a Hindu, they will throw the “Jesus was a human form of God. So why is it bad to pray to Shiva, Krishna, etc.??”

I’ve never really been able to give a good answer to this question

Can anybody come up with a good answer for this?[/QUO VADIS]

Because Jesus is not a form of God!!

Jesus Christ is God Incarnate. He is the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. True God and True Man.

Stick to your guns Ben, and keep it simple. Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

God the Father; God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Three distinct persons, one God. Jesus Christ is “one in being with the Father”. The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son.

God’s essence and existence coincide.
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Ben_Sinner said:
Everytime I get in a debate with a Hindu, they will throw the “Jesus was a human form of God. So why is it bad to pray to Shiva, Krishna, etc.??”

I’ve never really been able to give a good answer to this question

Can anybody come up with a good answer for this?
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The Bible clearly states that there are (false) gods
… and there is a warning…
1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

… but Jesus stated clearly and simply that he alone is the way, the truth and the life.
Isaiah 45:5
I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God.

When Jesus ministered on the Earth he clarified the fact that there are only (exclusively) three persons in the Godhead. He described their function and their relationship to one another.
He never mentioned Shiva or any other of the millions of Hindu gods as being part of the one true Godhead.
Those Hindu “gods” are, in fact,demons. They are part of the fallen angels that rebelled against God along with satan. They are deceiving spirits. They have devised a false religion. Tell your friends to try this… pray (specifically) in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who died for sin and the salvation of man (asking him to reveal himself and the truth) and see, for themselves, what God’s response is.

Jesus clearly demonstrated how to pray … and the one to whom we should direct prayer. He revealed who God is and who God is not. He called those that worshipped other gods heathens and said that praying to other gods was vain repetition.
 
Pitcharan said:
Spreading the Good News is possible without debating each others’ beliefs.
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How? Debating is showing where we differ in views. How can you spread the good news without showing where we differ in faith?

You can debate in a kind and loving way.:confused:
 
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