Is hinduism pluralistic?

[wcrow]

I have read in several places that Hinduism is pluralistic - that all religions are in some way a "path to god" - even if most would say that hinduism presents the best or clearest picture. I have even heard that some have a picture of Jesus on thier altar or as an Ishta-deva. Is this true? Does hinduism in general see other religions as valid paths? Or others gods as valid representations of the divine?

[coolbodhi]

Read this post http://www.interfaith.org/forum/40377-post2.html

[sanjaya]

You're going to find a diversity of opinions here. A lot of Hindus believe that "all religions are equally valid." Others, as you say, view all religions as valid paths to God, with the provision that Hinduism is the best path. Personally I believe that other religions, particularly the Abrahamic ones, are just plain wrong. But since I also believe that God cares about your deeds and not your theology, religious accuracy isn't particlarly important. A Christian or a Muslim who lives an honest live and does good is far better, in my opinion, than an orthodox Hindu who does regular pujas and treats his fellow man poorly.

[sambya]

hinduism since the turn of the last century saw a major developement in one of its philosophies -- the idea that all religions are equally valid . however this thought was already present in hinduism as an expansion of the idea of advaita vedanta -- the universal nirguna brahman assuming form for devotees .

secondly hinduism being a overtly tolerant religion had this concept of swadharma where each being has his own code of conduct according to his position in the society . dharma or path was not considered universally applicable . likewise a mleccha also had his mleccha dharma . the buddhists who denounced vedas were also counted as a 'dharma' .

all these thoughts became more prominent in the last centuries and led to the solidification of the idea of universal religion .

however as sanjaya puts it , they also believe hinduism is the best path .

[Ramakrishna]

While I don't believe that all religions are equally true, since that just wouldn't make sense, I do believe that most religions have degrees of truth to them.

"Ekam Sat, Vipra Bahudha Vadanti" translates to "The Truth is one, but there are many paths". I believe that Hinduism is the only religion that is 100% true with a full grasp of the Truth, but other religions also have validity to them and they ultimately may lead to salvation.

The thing about Hinduism is that there is no one major figure who basically said "No one attains salvation but through me." In Hinduism, God is in many forms, and people everywhere strive to reach God. I believe that Christianity at it's core has a high degree of truth to it. If people live the way Christ lived and try their hardest to be like him, then God will be pleased. However, over the centuries Christianity has strayed from it's core, become more inclusive, and oftentimes seeks to convert people more than anything else.

Anyway, yes, Hinduism is a pluralistic religion because it believes that there are many paths to reach God. People everywhere seek God, and they follow many different paths. I believe that Hinduism is the best path to reach God, but I definitely do no rule out other paths.

[sanjaya]

While I don't believe that all religions are equally true, since that just wouldn't make sense, I do believe that most religions have degrees of truth to them.

I think this is a far better way to put it than the "all religions are equally valid" claim. Evangelical Christians (rightly) object to this, and say that all religions can't be true because they teach contradictory claims. It's far better, as you have said, to acknowledge that all religions have elements of truth. I hope this idea will replace Hindu universalism, which I think is self-destructive.

The thing about Hinduism is that there is no one major figure who basically said "No one attains salvation but through me." In Hinduism, God is in many forms, and people everywhere strive to reach God. I believe that Christianity at it's core has a high degree of truth to it. If people live the way Christ lived and try their hardest to be like him, then God will be pleased. However, over the centuries Christianity has strayed from it's core, become more inclusive, and oftentimes seeks to convert people more than anything else.

Heh, you seem to have quite a bit more faith in Christianity than I do. But then, what would Hinduism be without differences of opinion?

[wcrow]

Thankyou for all of your replies. I have enjoyed reading all of them.

It seems that many of you would say that hinduism provides the best path - do you agree that this view could be a product of your Karma, or bias toward your own religion?
Personally, I have always felt it eisier to say that the divine manifests itself to each society, even each person in different ways - and that it is wrong to say one view of god is better than another, even if you feel other aspects of other religions are wrong, for example ethics, or view of the afterlife. But I am not a hindu.

[sanjaya]

Thankyou for all of your replies. I have enjoyed reading all of them.

It seems that many of you would say that hinduism provides the best path - do you agree that this view could be a product of your Karma, or bias toward your own religion?
Personally, I have always felt it eisier to say that the divine manifests itself to each society, even each person in different ways - and that it is wrong to say one view of god is better than another, even if you feel other aspects of other religions are wrong, for example ethics, or view of the afterlife. But I am not a hindu.

As per my understanding of the Gita, it is true that one's karma is correlated with his spiritual awareness, so our view of Hinduism as the best path may be in part due to this. And I'm sure that most of us have a bias in favor of our Hindu religion. However, I believe that religion should not be exempt from scrutiny and critical examination (though unlike the atheists, I deny that critical examination will lead to a rejection of theism). So while biases may exist, we can overcome them through discussion with people who hold different viewpoints. Hinduism itself provides enough diversity of opinion to have these discussions, though I'm not entirely opposed to interfaith dialog as well.

It is a common view that to claim one view of God superior to another is elitism, and that exposing flaws in other religious views is wrong. But (and I mean no offense to you by my disagreement), this view ultimately cannot prevail. After all, if it's wrong to call other religious views wrong, then it is even wrong to say that exclusivist religions are wrong. If someone comes along and says that his religion is the only true faith, then we can't criticize that view without violating our own standard.

I do agree with you that God manifests himself differently to different societies. But much of organized religion is also the work of man, and so God's manifestation is obfuscated by man-made religious doctrines. I believe that by using logic and reason, we can slowly chip away these man-made dogmas. And some religious views will turn out to be more wrong than others.

But as you said, I have a bias, which is why I feel that I can gain by discussing my views with people who don't agree with me.

[ScottMalaysia]

I have read in several places that Hinduism is pluralistic - that all religions are in some way a "path to god" - even if most would say that hinduism presents the best or clearest picture. I have even heard that some have a picture of Jesus on thier altar or as an Ishta-deva. Is this true? Does hinduism in general see other religions as valid paths? Or others gods as valid representations of the divine?

Hinduism believes in One God who appears in different forms. The Bhagavad-Gita states: "Whatever and whichever way men approach Me, even so do I accept them; whatever paths they may choose finally lead to Me, O Arjuna!" (4:11) Hindu writer Ed Viswanathan states that Jesus Christ is an avatar of God. I accept the Virgin Mary as a form of the Holy Mother, and when my wife and I get our own place and I set up an altar, I'll be putting a statue of the Virgin Mary on it alongside the pictures of the Hindu Gods.

[quote=sanjaya;40112]I think this is a far better way to put it than the "all religions are equally valid" claim. Evangelical Christians (rightly) object to this, and say that all religions can't be true because they teach contradictory claims. It's far better, as you have said, to acknowledge that all religions have elements of truth. I hope this idea will replace Hindu universalism, which I think is self-destructive.

The essence of world religions is pretty much the same. Most world religions would agree on the following teachings:

1) God is one and love of God
2) Obedience to God's laws
3) Service to God
4) Return to the Kingdom of God
5) Sin no more and live a righteous life
6) Glory of the Holy Names of God
7) Approach a spiritual teacher

Islam does not agree with this last one, but most other world religions do:
8) Sacrifice and renunciation of material pleasure

So the essence of religion is the same throughout Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc. But the way they are taught is different because the audience for each religion was different. You don't teach complex calculus and algebra to elementary school students, do you? And you wouldn't teach PhD students in mathematics that 2 + 2 = 4. God has taught the people at each time what they needed to know for spiritual realisation. If you go to a doctor, he will give you what you personally need to get well. He won't give you a lecture on different kinds of medicine - he will give you what you need. Likewise, God wasn't going to tell the 7th century Arabs about His rasa-lila - they wouldn't have understood it and would most likely have acted out a perverse rasa-lila themselves. Instead he taught them to pray to Him five times a day and to stay away from alcohol. He didn't give them the full message because they weren't ready for it. Jesus Christ said "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." (John 16:12) He was acknowledging that He could have said much more about Himself and His spiritual pastimes, but that His disciples weren't ready for such knowledge.

I will finish off with a quote from the Bible.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16)

[proudhindu]

Hinduism believes in One God who appears in different forms

. ..

it is true but it doesnt teach God(s) are jealous like the abrahamic (and islamic) god.

The essence of world religions is pretty much the same. Most world religions would agree on the following teachings:

I guess you know it is not true.

I will finish off with a quote from the Bible.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16)

That statement of John(2 Timothy 3:16), "All Scripture refers to christian scriptures and Old testament.