I'm a Hindu that believes in Jesus

[Unveiled Artist]

LOL, that all just sounds like way too much thinking. You have to work out all the contradictions to move on. It's easier IMHO, to stick to one path.

Yeah. That's why I don't like eclecticism. It is too much work. Buddhism is the laws of life. I can't refute that. That's like saying reality doesn't exist. However, if I tried to practice it and practice paganism and...and...and... I'd be turning in circles.

I guess what he can do is keep the morals of jesus and practice hinduism. Or practice Christianity and keep the morals of Hinduism.

I don't know?

 

[SomeRandom]

It's a free world, and people are free to do whatever they wish. I just find it odd. I love my Christian brothers and sisters, but we don't generally discuss religion either. Just as they don't believe in Ganesha, karma, reincarnation, moksha, I personally don't believe in Jesus, heaven, hell, a dualistic God.

I've seen first hand a lot of the cross pollination you refer to, and sad to say, it's been in divorces, arguments how to raise children, disharmony in families, and more. Not everyone is mature enough to handle and sort out all the conflicts that inevitably come up.

That can be true of anyone regardless of religious affiliations or lack thereof. It's true of mixed race marriages even. That doesn't mean it can't work though.

 

[Vinayaka]

Yeah. That's why I don't like eclecticism. It is too much work. Buddhism is the laws of life. I can't refute that. That's like saying reality doesn't exist. However, if I tried to practice it and practice paganism and...and...and... I'd be turning in circles.

I guess what he can do is keep the morals of jesus and practice hinduism. Or practice Christianity and keep the morals of Hinduism.

I don't know?

I could be wrong, but in my experience the people I know who do this don't really delve into it all that much. They aren't really that interested. The Hindus I know who have a Jesus statue or a Mary on their altar just see it as another of many. (Maybe one Hindu in 10 that I've met even does this) They also will have one or both Sai Babas, a Buddha, maybe a Mahavira, etc. and it's all treated just like one happy group of Gods, like having several varieties of roses in the garden, instead of just a couple. I've gone as far as to ask them a question or two, and they don't know much philosophy on either side, just the simplistic, 'all same, all same'. they've picked up somewhere. Only when you start actually delving into it is their confusion.

 

[Vinayaka]

That can be true of anyone regardless of religious affiliations or lack thereof. It's true of mixed race marriages even. That doesn't mean it can't work though.

For sure. I have seen it work too. But it's a tougher road. One young couple I know lost the support of one side of parents completely, and they're still chugging along.

 

[SomeRandom]

For sure. I have seen it work too. But it's a tougher road. One young couple I know lost the support of one side of parents completely, and they're still chugging along.

Exactly. Life is complicated, Life is messy. I don't see why religion is any different.

 

[LuisDantas]

Yeah. That's why I don't like eclecticism. It is too much work. Buddhism is the laws of life. I can't refute that. That's like saying reality doesn't exist. However, if I tried to practice it and practice paganism and...and...and... I'd be turning in circles.

I guess what he can do is keep the morals of jesus and practice hinduism. Or practice Christianity and keep the morals of Hinduism.

I don't know?

Would it be too radical of me to suggest that maybe proper religious practice starts with learning from scriptures and other sources but ultimately takes whatever shape we decide to take personal responsibility for?

We owe gratitude to the teachings that we take to heart, but ultimately it is the fact that we take them to heart - and accept the duty to care for them and express them on our own terms - that validates them, for better or worse.

I know that many people disagree. But that is how I view it.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I could be wrong, but in my experience the people I know who do this don't really delve into it all that much. They aren't really that interested. The Hindus I know who have a Jesus statue or a Mary on their altar just see it as another of many. (Maybe one Hindu in 10 that I've met even does this) They also will have one or both Sai Babas, a Buddha, maybe a Mahavira, etc. and it's all treated just like one happy group of Gods, like having several varieties of roses in the garden, instead of just a couple. I've gone as far as to ask them a question or two, and they don't know much philosophy on either side, just the simplistic, 'all same, all same'. they've picked up somewhere. Only when you start actually delving into it is their confusion.

That makes sense. I guess if one feels comfortable. From a pagan (not all pagans) perspective, the actual statues et cetera are the objects of reverence rather than symbols. Like in santeria, the actual Orisha Yemaya (spirit/lbw of the water/our birth) is in the statue so to give offerings to the statue itself is giving offerings to Yemaya. The statue is made and consecrated. and Expensive!

So, I don't use Buddha statues for that purpose because it's like the Eucharist, in a sense, giving offerings, flowers, and such. I saw that at a Veitnamese Buddhist Temple once. Huge gold Buddha statue with flowers, incenses, et cetera. If the OP had my train of thought, it is definitely wrong according to all Christian sects. If, like you and others say more universal, morals, or maybe meaning with statues to represent them, I don't see a problem objectively. Not my think personally.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Would it be too radical of me to suggest that maybe proper religious practice starts with learning from scriptures and other sources but ultimately takes whatever shape we decide to take personal responsibility for?

We owe gratitude to the teachings that we take to heart, but ultimately it is the fact that we take them to heart - and accept the duty to care for them and express them on our own terms - that validates them, for better or worse.

I know that many people disagree. But that is how I view it.

Nothing wrong with that. I learn from the Lotus, Pali, and Gosho all the time. Education and inspirational purposes, we can use many scriptures. I don't use the Bible, it makes me feel icky but even reading the Hindu scriptures is refreshing.

If multiple scriptures calls to the OP, that's cool. I never had that experience. When in Catholicism, I never had a wish to learn other scriptures or religious teachings because I felt this was all I need to make me whole. Now, it's like the whole world is my bible; so, it can be overwhelming too.

 

[LuisDantas]

For sure. I have seen it work too. But it's a tougher road. One young couple I know lost the support of one side of parents completely, and they're still chugging along.

If I may chime in, I want to propose that people show a range of degrees of dedication to their religions. That translates more or less directly into religious compability being a greater or lesser concern depending on the exact people involved.

Some, of course, will simply not care very much or have the good fortune of having fairly compatible beliefs to begin with.

For many others it is a significant part of their life and perhaps of their dealings with family and friends, so there is a point to seeking, at the very least, a common vocabulary and a common set of experiences that can be discussed among them as necessary. Not only between the spouses, but also among them and their families.

That does not necessarily translate into actual convergence of beliefs, but there is a clear significant correlation. Spouses are supposed to agree or at least understand each other fairly often, after all. And in my personal opinion marriage is far more of a family event than most people acknowledge.

A marriage may succeed without a certain amount of trust and support from both families, but it is a major disadvantage. And trust demands common understanding, which is certainly easier if there is a common religious vocabulary to work with. People are not likely to have good will with that what they do not understand, after all.

 

[Vinayaka]

Exactly. Life is complicated, Life is messy. I don't see why religion is any different.

In my particular sampradaya, and by narrowing things down personally, I actually find life incredibly simple. A well-defined path, a direct personal relationship with God, excellent teachers, and a consistency most people would die for. If other souls want to complicate things, fine, but I'm too old for that.

 

[SomeRandom]

In my particular sampradaya, and by narrowing things down personally, I actually find life incredibly simple. A well-defined path, a direct personal relationship with God, excellent teachers, and a consistency most people would die for. If other souls want to complicate things, fine, but I'm too old for that.

It's not over complicating things. It's taking complications as they come towards you.

 

[Vinayaka]

It's not over complicating things. It's taking complications as they come towards you.

Not many complications come my way, and I do see people who seem to want to make things more complicated than necessary. As the yoga teacher said last week, 'You have about 60 000 thoughts per day, and about 60 000 of those are unnecessary.; Maybe I'm just a simple guy.

 

[SomeRandom]

Not many complications come my way, and I do see people who seem to want to make things more complicated than necessary. As the yoga teacher said last week, 'You have about 60 000 thoughts per day, and about 60 000 of those are unnecessary.; Maybe I'm just a simple guy.

Maybe your existence is supposed to be simple. But even Dharma is not always a clear path. Just look at Ravana's brothers.

 

[Vinayaka]

Not familiar with the story, not part of my sampradaya, so I wouldn't know. People don't have to read stories, (or go to movies, or answer their phone, or be on forums)

 

[SomeRandom]

Not familiar with the story, not part of my sampradaya, so I wouldn't know. People don't have to read stories, (or go to movies, or answer their phone, or be on forums)

No they don't. But stories are a powerful tool to learn from all the same.

 

[Vinayaka]

No they don't. But stories are a powerful tool to learn from all the same.

Maybe. Maybe not. The wrong kind of story will give you bad dreams or cause confusion. So it depends on the story. To be very honest, I did read condensed versions of both epics back when I was about 18, and I simply cannot remember much about either one of them. Must not have impressed me much.

 

[SomeRandom]

Maybe. Maybe not. The wrong kind of story will give you bad dreams or cause confusion. So it depends on the story. To be very honest, I did read condensed versions of both epics back when I was about 18, and I simply cannot remember much about either one of them. Must not have impressed me much.

Condensed versions of the epics is like reading baby's first Shakespeare. So.....watered down.
Ahh but the wrong kind of stories are the most interesting. And can teach you more than the "right" ones. It's easier for me to see things in a literary context, so to speak. I don't know why.

 

[Vinayaka]

Condensed versions of the epics is like reading baby's first Shakespeare. So.....watered down.
Ahh but the wrong kind of stories are the most interesting. And can teach you more than the "right" ones. It's easier for me to see things in a literary context, so to speak. I don't know why.

I've never been a reader, and I've been my own censor for a very long time now. I don't like nightmares or unnecessary thinking. For information to get along with others like the stories and articles in Hinduism Today, sure, or the necessary parts of the news, fine.

 

[LuisDantas]

Complication is very much a part of the Karma that many of us inherit, @Vinayaka .

It is ours to learn to deal with it.

 

[Spiderman]

Jesus is one of your thousands of gods