Hinduism Vs. Christianity the Evolution Essay

Actions and morality are considered of secondary importance to the initial act of faith that functions as the basis for these (Miller, 2009).

Christian morality functions on the basis of faith. Like Hindus, Christians honor their connection to the divine by means of actions, but they do not see actions as a pathway to bliss; this is the role of faith. In other words, Christians live morally laudable lives because they are faithful rather than in the hope of gaining anything from this. As such, there is a fundamental separation between actions and their consequences; actions are based upon the connection with the divine, rather than the other way around. Actions, in other words, are the result of faith. Faith paves the way to moral action, rather than action being a vehicle towards bliss (Miller, 2009).

While both Hinduism and Christianity are therefore focused upon morality as divinely inspired and connected, the bases and sequences of these are fundamentally different.

When asked about this, Jonathan responded that he is inspired by his faith to engage in actions that he regards as morally laudable. If he is kind to others or helps them in some way, for example, he does this as a way to exercise his faith and honor God, rather than hoping to get anything out of it.

Jonathan also disagrees wholeheartedly with the "many paths" idea, believing that his faith is the only way to obtain salvation.He believes that "non-believers" will never be able to reside in Heaven with God, and that they are doomed forever, regardless of how moral their actions were. For him, there is therefore a separation between actions and their eternal consequences. A person can be morally excellent throughout his or her life, but without the appropriate level and manifestation of faith, this is ultimately useless.

Conclusion

As seen above, there are fundamental differences between the ways in which Christians and Hindus view the afterlife and morality. Christianity believes in one physical life followed by a non-corporeal life in heaven, which ends at the end of time, when the body is reconciled with the soul. For Hindus, the soul reincarnates many times, at the end of which there is a non-corporeal absorption of the soul into the Absolute Reality, or God. The views of morality in both religions reflect their concept of eternity, divinity, and the relationship of humanity to both. It is interesting to make these sorts of comparisons to better understand the tenets of both religions.

References

Facts for Faith (2002). "Do all Religions Lead to God?" Facts for Faith 52-8. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 27 Nov. 2011.

Fisher, M. (2011) Living Religions, 8th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

Miller, L. (2009).….....