Christ and Other Gods Part 3: Could Jesus Be a Hindu?

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” - Matthew 10:34-39.

Research from 2012 (the most recent statistic) says that “there are about 1 billion Hindus around the world, representing 15% of the global population,” while more than 99% of Hindus are in the Asia-pacific region (Pew Research Center). However, this does not mean the Hindu religion has not had great influence on the rest of the world or the Christian church. For example, Hinduism has been present in the United States since the early 18th century. Although their theology was rejected by many religious American circles at the time, many modern Hindus (also called neo-Vedantic) today “ identify their movements as spiritual, or even as secular and scientific. The result has been the proliferation of guru-led movements and organizations in the United States that are best referred to as Hindu-derived or Hindu-inspired” (Huffer). Currently, there are 450 Hindu temples in the US (Lucia). However, since Hinduism is a very all-embracing religion, there are many who have made connections between Hinduism and Christianity, claiming them to be “of the same vein” and both preaching about Christ. The Hindu blend into the secular world has only made this less noticeable for the church, specifically in the US. An Irish Hindu priest (who claims to share Chrisitian beliefs) says:

“As there is no Church of Hinduism, everyone holds their own spiritual and philosophical opinions. It is difficult then to understand someone's spirituality simply by looking at their religious trappings. So, in India it is more common to hear someone ask, ‘What is your sadhana (practice)?’ than, ‘What do you believe?’

Then when we ask how we can see spirituality in Hindus, the answer comes: by behaviour and practice. We can ask are we humble, are we tolerant and are we non-violent? Can we control our senses and our mind? Are we aware of others' suffering and are we willing to give up our comfort to help them? Looking at these criteria Jesus measures up as a Sadhu, a holy man. He preached a universal message, love of God and love of brother, which was beyond any sectarianism or selfishness. Jesus was one of those people who appealed from heart to heart, and that's what makes him such a good Hindu Saint.

In my particular tradition, and among other Hindus, He is seen as much more, as an Avatar, specifically a Shaktavesha Avatar or an empowered incarnation. This means that God has sent Him to us for a specific mission to fulfil God's will on earth” (Rishi Das).

This Hindu priest is certainly not the only one to believe that Christianity and Hinduism have the same core teachings. Afterall, according to him, we all believe the same things but simply “practice” different things, so it makes sense that Hinduism is typically very inclusive since it is more about practice than belief. If all spirituality really does flow from the same thread, the same character of God, who are we to say that Hinduism is opposing Christianity at all? Before addressing if Christ can be found in Hinduism, it is important to understand the basics and roots of what Hindus believe.

Hinduism: Core Beliefs

It is important to note that Hinduism - being so inclusive of different gods, practices, and religions - is also incredibly diverse. Even Hindus from the same geographical area might have drastically different beliefs, some believing in many gods and some only believing in one. According to a United Religions Initiative (URI) article on Hinduism, this religion started about 4000 years ago among the people known as Aryans in India. Many believe it to be the oldest religion in the world. Their philosophies, stories, parables, and teachings were passed orally before being documented in a collected text known as “Vedas” (pronounced VAY-diz). However, they do not view the Vedas as something created by the Aryans, rather they believe the teaching of the Vedas has always existed because it is from God. While the Vedas is one of the primary Hindu texts, it is certainly not the only one, and many Hindus adhere to different texts, though most still share certain beliefs considered central to Hinduism in the Vedas. The fundamental teachings are not numbered like the Buddhists’ four noble truths, but I will separate some of the Hindu core teachings in order to make them easier to understand:

1. Our human self is not limited within our minds and bodies.

2. This is because in our souls, we have the spirit (URI also used the word “spark”) of a divine God.

3. This spirit is also in everything around us. In fact, everything (you, trees, the wall of your house, air, the sky, etc.) at its core is this divine spirit and connected to God (this is a belief known as pantheism and is found in many other religions).

4. This divine spirit in yourself and the things around you can be experienced through practices that cleanse your mind and senses.

5. Yoga is the primary form of training for this, and is usually divided into 4 main forms (Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, and Raja). Hindus in the western world have put yoga under a secular title to include more people in their religious practice, though Americans usually think of it as a non-spiritual form of physical exercise.

Hinduism does believe in the concept of a God, who is named “Brahman”. The divine spirit of God that can be found within us is called “Atman”. However, God can be manifested in many different ways depending on context and relationship, including human form. The sects among Hindus is mostly a differentiation in which manifestation of God that they pray to and seek guidance from. Accordingly “one may interpret Hinduism as monotheistic (as there is one god), polytheistic (as there are many avatars of the one god), henotheistic (as one may choose to elevate any one of these avatars to supremacy), pantheistic (as the avatars might be interpreted as representing aspects of the natural world), or even atheistic as one might choose to replace the concept of Brahman with one's self in striving to be the best version of one's self” (Joshua J. Mark). So some Hindus believe that Brahman is the only god while the rest are divine manifestations, but there are many differing beliefs about the amount of gods and who are gods.

Hinduism sees morality as determined by reincarnation and karma. Their answer to the reason for suffering and pleasure in our world is a belief that our current life is determined by the actions in our previous life. According to their idea of karma, our bad actions determine if we will experience suffering or not, but good actions will take away our suffering. So you can control your destiny. When you die, you will be reincarnated to live again in a different life, but then suffering can be experienced again as karma comes around. We experience this suffering and injustice in the world because we are in the state called “Maya,” so we do not see the world as it is, which is full of complexities. However, Hindus desire Moksha, which is the state of spiritual freedom when by removing all desires, you see the world without all of the complexities and impurities because divinity is the only thing that truly exists. Moksha allows the cycle of rebirth/reincarnation to stop, so you can finally escape suffering and death as your atman unites as one with the spirit of Brahman (it is not a place like a form of heaven or paradise). If this is reminding you of some of the teachings of Buddhism from my previous article, it is because Buddhism came out of Hindu teachings.

Yoga might be the way one can reach a state of Moksha (awareness of the divine in all things), but dharma is the code of right and wrong behavior in society. A person’s behavior is determined by their caste or social status, which is divided into “Brahmins (priests and teachers) Kshatriyas (rulers and soldiers), Vaishyas (merchants) and Shudras (workers)” (United Religions Initiative). Whatever caste of life that you are born into, you must work hard to fulfill your duty and function in society accordingly, which will determine what your next life looks like, and if you do it right, you can be free from reincarnation (Joshua J. Mark).

The World History website explains that there are many deities (often referred to as gods or goddesses, and there are literally millions of them depending on who you talk to) in Hinduism, but what is called the Hindu “trinity” (known as “trimurti”) is made up of Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer). All three of them are simply different manifestations of the one Brahman, and they can also take on human form as “avatars”. Many have probably heard of Krishna, who was Vishnu in the form of an avatar so that he could come to earth, and he is often compared to Christ. Ultimately, the purpose of life according to Hinduism is to reach Moksha, which is achieved by serving Brahman and serving the world.

Christianity and Hinduism

After learning about the beliefs of Hinduism, perhaps there were some things that seemed similar to Christianity, at least, that was one of my thoughts while doing this research. A god manifested as a human being on earth? A sort of “trinity” with one god manifested in three persons? Living for the eternity ahead rather than temporary things on earth? But a closer look at the Christian doctrine in comparison will reveal that they are not as similar as many believe.

First, the concept of pantheism (that God is everything and everything is God) is different from the Christian teachings of the presence of God. Christianity teaches that God is a being who is separate from humanity and nature. According to an article on The Gospel Coalition website, the presence of God in relation to creation (humans, nature, material things, all things not God) is described in the theological terms “transcendence” and “immanence”. God is transcended above creation because He is sovereign and has complete authority over the world. His exalted being is separate from our own being; we are among His creation, but everything comes from Him as the Creator. However, Christianity is not any form of deism (that is, God made the world and has abandoned us) because God is also immanent. God’s Kingship and authority means that He is actively ruling over His people. He is present in all of creation not because He is creation but because creation is His. There is not a part of creation that He does not reign over, even in places where He is denied and rejected, it is only because God allows them to give into their fleshly desires (Romans 1:24). As our King, He sent His Son named Jesus, God in the flesh, to the world to dwell among us (think of how Immanuel means “God with us”). Jesus paying the price and cleansing us of our sin allows us to approach a completely holy and perfect God to have a personal relationship of adoption with Him. God is present with us in a very close and personal way as not only a sovereign King but a merciful Father, but this relationship is personal because He is a separate being from us. We are not learning how to have an adoptive relationship with ourselves, or some being that is a part of our own being. Understanding God’s transcendence and immanence helps us have a better understanding of why we sin (we are not holy as God is) and why sin is so devastating because it is rejecting the worthy King of the world, who rules whether we acknowledge Him or not.

Second, many see Hinduism and Christianity as essentially the same because we have different names for the trimurti. However, some questions can be raised about the Hindu trimurti. If God (Brahman) is manifested as the three deities, Brahma, Vishna, and Shiva, are they simply a different way of explaining God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? There are a few reasons why we can say no. First, they have different functions. Brahma, Vishna, and Shiva are used to explain the Hindu version of the balance in the cosmos. According to BBC, since Brahma creates, Shiva destroys (Hindus reason that there cannot be creation without destruction, taking out the old to make way for the new), and Vishna preserves and protects the life of mankind. This is different from the persons of the Holy Trinity in Christianity. God the Father grants salvation, God the Son achieves salvation, and the Holy Spirit applies salvation to those who trust in Christ. There are other similar ways of describing the roles of the persons of the trinity, but they all have the same meaning. The Holy Trinity works together in perfect harmony because God Himself is one, so they do not have completely independent roles (such as one destroying and another creating) because they all work from the same purpose: God being glorified (Isaiah 48:9-11). The Hindu trimurti claims that Brahman is the ultimate essence of everything, yet the manifestations of the trimurti are not equal. Some Hindus consider a person of their “trinity” as more important than others, such as Shiva over Brahma or vice versa. Also, Brahman can be manifested in some Hindu traditions into one of the millions of other “smaller” deities. With the Holy Trinity, all persons of the Trinity are equal, and though many consider the Holy Spirit as not really a person but a vague spirit/ghost, He is in fact God in the person of the very-present Holy Spirit (John 14:26).

But what about the Hindu gods that become people to dwell among us on earth with a message of hope, such as the story of Krishna? Can Jesus be found in Hinduism? The answer is no. The depicted saviors in Hinduism go to the earth to preach about a right way of living, telling people about kindness and peace to get rid of hate and violence. Christ did tell us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to show kindness and grace to all, yet He has a radically different message about peace compared to the world’s definition. Matthew 10:34-39 says, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”. Christ is not saying that He came so that there would be war and violence among us, rather He is saying that the radical nature of His message will cause division because of those who reject Him. He came to the earth to save all those who believe in Him, but only those who believe in Him, Jesus Christ Himself and no other, will receive His atonement for their sins and stand clean in the eyes of our holy God. This message does not sit well with the world because we are called to deny ourselves, our sinful pleasures that we call “good” and “right”, and our comfortable beliefs, to live for the only lasting treasure, the only source of true and eternal joy: Christ Himself (Matthew 16:24). Christ is called the Prince of Peace, but it is not peace with the flesh and sinful ways of the world (Isaiah 9:6). In fact, the scripture says that “if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17). So we are not living apart from the world as people of God for the mere sake of being different or to reach some stage of enlightenment. We live apart from the world because it is a world of sin, but we live for Christ because He is our God, He is perfect, and He is our savior from our flesh that longs to be with the world. His first command to us is not that we follow a set of rules, learn how to live in our society, or even get along with the people around us. No, He declares, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life” (John 5:24). Our greatest commandment, according to Christ, is that we love the Lord with everything we have (Matthew 22:37). Loving others is the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:38). First, we must believe in Christ alone and that He is the Son of God (as well as God Himself in the flesh). When we believe in Christ, His Spirit transforms our hearts from stone to flesh, and we become children of God, and we strive to obey the commandments of God because He is our Father and we love Him, desiring to please Him as children who love Him. We do not obey Him so that we can call ourselves holy or work our way to salvation. The message of Christ is completely different from Hinduism. The focus is not on what we can do, but on what Christ has already done for us. He is not a vague spirit that is in everything, but He is our God who reigns over the earth while dwelling with us in our hearts.

Conclusion: Our Sin and His Holiness Uproots the Core of Hinduism

The reality is that our God is a holy, perfect, completely righteous God. For Him to be part of the world, His creation that fell away in sin, would make Him a part of our own sinfulness and shame. He is like white, bleached linen sheets, and we are the dirty hand that will leave a dark mark if we touch them, making the sheets dirty. Our sin is filthy and it is fatal, and God’s perfection separates Him from us. But He is a kind and gracious God who has provided a way for us to be with Him - free of the sin that darkens us. He sent down Christ, holy God in the flesh of man yet perfect, so that He could dwell among us and wash us with His blood. Those who have trusted in Christ receive the gift of salvation that He gives us. Christ takes our dirty linen sheet and gives us His own, clean and pure. Because of Christ our sin is forgiven by God, and His Holy Spirit can dwell within us to guide us and prepare for the eternal life with our God that awaits.

Works Cited

Frame, John M. “Divine Transcendence and Immanence”. The Gospel Coalition, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/divine-transcendence-immanence/ . Accessed October 13, 2021.

“Hinduism: Basic Beliefs”. United Religions Initiative, https://www.uri.org/kids/world-religions/hindu-beliefs. Accessed October 13, 2021.

“Hindu Beliefs”. BBC,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zmvhsrd/revision/2. Accessed October 13, 2021.

“Hinduism: Beliefs”. BBC, 31 July 2003, https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/beliefs/intro_1.shtml. Accessed October 13, 2021.

“Hindus”. Pew Research Center, 18 Dec. 2012, https://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-hindu/. Accessed October 13, 2021.

Huffer, Amanda. “Hinduism without Religion: Amma’s Movement in America,” CrossCurrents, Special issue of Religion in Asia Today, vol 61, no. 3, 2011, pp. 374–398.

Lucia, Amanda. “Hinduism in America”. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion, Oxford University Press, 25 Jan. 2017. https://oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-436#acrefore-9780199340378-e-436-div1-4. Accessed October 13, 2021.

Mark, Joshua J. “Hinduism”. World History Encyclopedia, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, 8 June 2020, https://www.worldhistory.org/hinduism/. Accessed October 13, 2021.

Rishi Das, Shaunaka. “Saint in Hinduism”. BBC, 24 Mar. 2009, https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/beliefs/jesus_1.shtml. Accessed October 13, 2021.

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