06.20.23 Recap - Comparative Religions & Hinduism

Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics House rules/notes… 1. Online via Meetup/Zoom or In Person at St. John Neumann Catholic Church 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston, VA 20191 https://saintjn.org/ 2. Meetup is www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy Zoom Meeting Logon info is the same every week: Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081 Password: 406952 3. I will send out Meeting Recaps the same night as our sessions – these are unedited versions without pictures. An edited version with pictures will be posted on our website https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website/recaps before the next meeting. Taylor will notify everyone at that time. 4. Questions encouraged. If you have questions about anything, you can ask in the chat box, email the Meetup group, or me at ron@hallagan.net. 5. Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between religions and Christian denominations, and we agree to be respectful at all times. Specifically, Protestants are our friends and brothers in Christ; in fact, I personally owe part of my return to the faith to them! 6. No politics. It would be easy for us to self-destruct, but that’s not our goal. Our goal is to learn/understand/apply the Bible and our Catholic faith. 7. Catholic Prayer & Fellowship. Are you interested in praying with other Catholics during the week? Fellow member Jason Goldberg has started “Catholic Prayer, Fellowship, and Spirituality Meetup.” Sign up at: https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-fellowship-and-spirituality/. 8. “The Chosen” TV series. All of us seek a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is not always easy. It can help if we have seen and heard Him. The Chosen captures Jesus better than any show I have ever seen. Highly recommended. 9. RSVP Reminder: Please RSVP whether you are attending the meeting or just reading the Recaps afterwards. The more RSVPs, the more Meetup will give exposure to “Catholic Bible Study” – a good thing! Catholic Catacombs Website: https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website/recaps Bible Study Format: Each week of the month has a repeating topic, as noted below. Each meeting: 5 min greet, prayer, 10-15 min Catholic topic, 40-45 min main topic. Week 1: Gospel Week: Week 2: Bible Week (Gen àRev): We are in EXODUS, the 2nd book of Moses. Week 3: Survey Topics Voted on by Members:

Ö 1) Jesus’ Greatest Parables Ö 2) Hell, Purgatory, Heaven 3) Comparative Religions 4) Great Women in the Bible 5) Book of Revelation 6) Major Heresies and Church Councils Week 4: Member Questions: 1. “Self” Questions o What does it mean to be born again? Does this change the self? o What is happiness? o Are doubts bad? What are we supposed to do with our doubts? 2. God-Questions o “How do we know we are following Jesus? o Does the path get harder or easier the closer we get to God? o Is the peace of Christ different from peace of the world? o Why doesn’t God just show himself? o Jesus says in John 14:28, “The Father is greater than I.” What does this mean? I thought they were one. o In Genesis and somewhere else, it says that God changed his mind. In another place, it says God repented that he made humans. I thought God was unchangeable. Can you explain this? 3. Please provide an intro or overview of the OT books. 4. Is sex good or bad? 5. What’s the difference between Charity and Love? What are the highest forms of charity? 6. Can you provide a brief review of the origin/meaning of the (12) statements in the Creed? 7. How many Gospels have the story of Jesus’ calming the storm? They seem different. Are they the same story? 8. Why does God seem full of vengeance or violence in the OT? Is this a misinterpretation? Catholic Catacombs Website: https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website/recaps Major liturgical events in the Church Opening Prayer Dear Lord Thank you for your promise that where two or three of us are gathered in your name, You are there. This statement alone makes it astoundingly clear that you want us to study You/Your Word together! We welcome you tonight as we continue to learn about other religions and cultures so that we may be better equipped to discuss and explain the truth you have given to the world. And as You taught us to pray: Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily Bread; And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us all. Amen. We now move beyond the monotheism of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam and will discuss Pantheism, Hinduism and Buddhism. 1. First, do Christians believe other religions are all wrong? 2. Why have all humans sought higher powers, or "religion"? 3. What is the difference between religion and spirituality? 4. How are Hinduism and Buddhism alike? How are they different? 5. How many gods does Hinduism have? 6. Is Buddhism atheistic? Comparative Religions We have concluded Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity, and Islam (all available Catholic Catacombs website) and now move on to Buddhism and Hinduism. World Religions # members % Christianity 2.5 billion 34% Islam 1.6 billion 24% Hinduism 1.2 billion 15% Nonreligious 1.0 billion 14% Buddhism 600 million 7% Judaism 15 million .1% Mormons, SDA, JehWit, FM-2 15-20 million each .3%

World Religions Comments As move on from monotheism, it is important to understand that this involves a significant shift in thinking. Non-Judeo-Christian religions believe in everything thousands of gods (Hinduism) to no god (Buddhism’s claim). Q: How should we view them? As strangers and blasphemers? No, we should do what Christ teaches us: love them, pray for them, set an example, be understanding. Q: How else can we understand them as our human brothers and sisters? Recall that God breathed his spirit into humans in Gen 2:7. All humans. Q: What gifts came with this? A spiritual intellect, free will, and an immortal soul. This is what is meant when we say humans were made in God’s “image and likeness.” – Gen 1:26 This also tells us that whether humans are male, female, black, white, brown, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists (etc., etc.), we are all the same, made in God’s image and likeness. It means the human race is not a multiplicity of races, but one kind of being. We all seek meaning, purpose, perfection, truth, justice, goodness, peace, immortality, and to be perfectly loved – all the same – even though none of these things have ever existed on this earth, because these are God’s attributes, and we are all His offspring. We are simply children in seeking to be like our parent, the Trinity. It should also be no surprise, then, that all humans from the beginning of human history have sought answers in a higher power than us? It’s part of our spiritual genetics. Q: How, then, should we view this huge variety of religions of the world? They are all searching for this higher power, or at least seeking to possess the attributes of this higher power. One way of thinking about it is that we are all climbing the “Mountain of God,” whether we recognize it as such or not. This includes atheists, and the mountain of God may be material, or themselves.

Q: What’s the difference between one religion and another? How do we know Christianity is any different? The first thing to be clear about is that no human being can see very far up this Mountain of God because it is a spiritual mountain, and we are finite creatures. We can only know we want to move towards the attributes we seek to have. As we stated earlier, by ourselves we can’t know by ourselves the truth about God. In a sense, agnostics are correct when they say, “We can’t know God” because God is outside our finite grasp. To repeat, “WE” can’t know… alone. The only one way we can know more is if God enters into our reality – into His creation – and reveals Himself to us. This is what Judeo-Christianity is all about. From Gen 1 to Revelations 22, God reaches into our finite lives and reveals himself to us over and over again until He finally comes here in person to take us by the hand. Q: What does this mean for the other religions on the mountain? The first thing we it means is that we should not be surprised to see many good things in the other religions. They are seeking the same attributes of God so of course they should elicit things like peace, love, and happiness. However, because they are not revealed by God, they will only get so far up the mountain, and often take numerous additional turns and as they try to close the gap themselves. Secondly, we should not be surprised if we notice historical and allegorical similarities over time since they all originated from the same place and parents. Naturally, the story-telling will take on different traditions as they are passed down over centuries.

Q: What is the difference between “spiritual” and “religious”? The first thing people usually mean when they say “I’m spiritual but not religious” is they believe in a higher power – or God – but they don’t think they have to belong to a particular religion. I used to say this myself in the early stages of my return to Christianity. Spiritual: God breathed His spirit into the human race, so in fact we are all spiritual. The reason we seek perfection, truth, justice, perfect lives, and perfect happiness is because we are spiritual. Every other species of life is perfectly happy being what they are, or what they evolved to be; but not humans. We are the only ones who are never happy with who we are, or what we are, or where we are. We want to be more, better, different, SOMETHING/ANYTHING, just not us! That is not normal earthly species behavior – unless of course we have a spiritual nature. Therefore, on the one hand, saying ‘we are spiritual’ is just admitting we are human. On the other hand, there seems to be far more to our spirituality than a human can figure out in a lifetime. Religion developed over time as a result, right alongside the development of human cultures. What is Religion? Religion is all about spirituality, but it tends to include one or more of the following: 1. A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe. 2. It typically involves guidelines about what constitutes good moral conduct. 3. It often recognizes a higher spiritual power that informs us of these things. 4. It usually involves a set of common devotional activities, observances, or rituals. Thus, to say, “I’m spiritual not religious” is a) a statement of recognition that there is more to this world than matter, and b) a statement that somebody wants to do their own thing. Humans can’t help but want to advance their spiritual selves because that’s our highest nature and therefore our highest calling. But to want to go it alone is not much different that our first spiritually human parents who told God, “Don’t call me, I’ll call you.” As for climbing the mountain by ourselves (I’m spiritual but not religious), you’d you would advance much, much faster following any of the other major religions. They’ve had a lot smarter people than us spend multiple centuries deep diving the inner human soul and spirit. After my own trek from nothingness to somethingness to Christianity where I now understand the roadmap God came to deliver to us, I can unequivocally say that there is no way in a 100 billion years I would ever have figured that roadmap out on my own. And, even if by some miracle I had, I would need a relationship with God, his graces, his forgiveness, and be in community with the whole Body of Christ, to enter into the game. Polytheism and Pantheism (Poly = many)… Polytheism is the belief in multiple gods within the universe, or part of the universe. It can be astrology, nature, other people, our ourselves. Whatever we hold to have the highest value in our lives is a candidate for godship, for “worship” is simply “worth-ship.” (Pan = all)… Pantheism is any religious belief that identifies God – or spirituality – with the universe. It may be polytheistic or not (i.e., no gods identified or personified). The biggest difference between the pantheism of our ancestors and pantheism of modern times is simply less anthropomorphic imagery. Pantheism is as old as the human race because it is the easiest way for humans to give meaning to their lives without any conditions or accountability to anyone else. There is no threat from a “god” that is not personal, does not think, has no specific designs on you, or has no purpose. Pantheists have the freedom to generalize about whatever they desire god to be or serve whatever human aspirations they choose. You can see the attraction to that. In a somewhat sophisticated way, by identifying God with one’s own will, they have taken humanity’s tendency towards “anthropomorphism” full circle by making God us. There are two other important differences between pantheism and the Christian personal God. - In pantheism, God is thought to be equally everywhere. In this view, there is little distinction between good and evil since God would have to be in both. Since God is in all things, there is no separate good and evil, making them no more than a human construct, and therefore they can be discarded as archaic human thought. - The Christian God is quite different. God is rather like an Artist or Sculptor and the universe is his work of art. It's true that He is present in his whole work of art, since it is entirely His creation; however, God is not equal to them nor is He in all created things equally, nor is He limited to the material universe. While we’re at it…

Hinduism: We will cover Hinduism first because it came first and because Buddhism draws certain of its principles from Hinduism. The first thing we must understand is that the word Hinduism referred originally to the region of the Indus River in northwest India. It wasn’t until the 18th century that Westerners began to use the word Hindu to denote the philosophical and religious beliefs of the people in that region. In their own language, Indians refer to their religion as Sanatana Dharma. The word Dharma encompasses all order and coherence of all existence (all reality), and Sanatana derives from Sat, which means truth. Therefore, Sanatana Dharma refers to the religion of all eternal truth and reality. Hinduism is popular because, like Buddhism, it avoids conflict since it believes all religious traditions are different paths to the same end. However, this is a logical contradiction as two conflicting positions cannot in fact be the same path. For example, although Christianity and Hinduism share the goal of kindness, nonviolence, and morality (generally), Christ’s claim to be “the way, the truth, and the life; nobody comes to the Father except through me” requires a relationship with him, grace through the Holy Spirit, prayer to the one God, and our uplifting the poor (as opposed to Karma), none of which fits into the Hinduism box of pluralism and the plurality of gods. Whereas we know that God always was existed and humans are part of later creation, Hinduism sees the eternal reality (God) and the human self (Atman) as indistinguishably one. As is typical in Eastern mysticism, individuality is an illusion.

the Brahma (A), the Vishnu (U) and the Shiva (M) Origin: Tradition has its origins in India as early as 1500 BC (about the time of Moses) or earlier, although clearer evidence points to around 800 BC (+/-). Founder: None. Hinduism is a fusion of various beliefs and cultures that evolved over time in India. That is why a specific origin is difficult to ascertain. God(s): Three main gods (Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer), plus 330,000 intermediate gods. Brahma/Brahmanism is considered to be the origin of Hinduism and the orthodoxy of all Hindu traditions. Hinduism also accepts numerous divine beings from other religions, often considering them to be related, or lower manifestations, of their own impersonal ultimate god(s). Good vs. Evil: Karma (justice). Hindus believe that lust, anger, greed, and attachments are sins of desire to be resisted or fought. Most Hindus believe that people are the cause of moral evil and that they should act with kindness and non-violence to all living things. Those who deliberately hurt others or harm the Earth will face karmic consequences. Karma denotes a cycle of cause and effect: like causes produce like effects. For instance, right actions produce good results while wrong actions produce bad ones. The problem that Karma isn’t often completed in this lifetime is solved by reincarnation. Who you are and the conditions you are born into is directly related to your behavior in a previous life. One reason it was so dangerous for Christian missionaries in India and Japan in the 17-18th centuries was because Christians believe we should help the poor (justice); this caused great social unrest because the condition of the poor was a consequence of their own Karma (justice)! Hierarchy: Hinduism includes a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets, nor any binding holy book. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, or almost anything else. Principles:

all desire leads to suffering reincarnation karma (moral justice) kindness to all things

Desire. The non-Christian belief that all desire leads to suffering takes the view that our conscious life is a burden and not worth living, and true happiness is only attained in a state free from all desire, free from all conscious action. Reincarnation satisfies karma and enables humans to move closer to this freedom from self and this world.

The Banyan Tree – also called “The Tree of Life.” A symbol of immortality. In Hindu lore, the banyan tree is said to be a place where the gods and spirits of deceased ancestors love hanging out. Consequently, it emits large amounts of spiritual energy. Hindu women who hope to have children worship the banyan tree and married women present offerings to the tree of life to pray for their husbands and sons to have long lives.

Judgment: Yes, tied to Karma and Reincarnation. Virtues are weighed against vices and souls a) are sent to Svarga (temp heaven) or Nakara (temp hell) and then souls are reborn into higher or lower beings per their merits; and/or b) are divided into three classes: one class of souls qualify for liberation (Mukti-yogas), another subject to eternal rebirth/transmigration (Nitya-samsarins), and a third class that is eventually condemned to Nakara.

1) Mukti-yogas are those who have become receptive to spiritual values, and through repeated embodiments they evolve into better and better people, and finally through concentrated spiritual discipline and God's grace attain salvation.

2) Nitya-samsarins delight only in worldly values and feel no need for ethical and spiritual life. By reaping the fruits of their own actions, they pass through continuous births and deaths eternally.

3) Tamo-yogyas - evil cycle (see below)

Vedas: Four large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. They contain hymns about their mythology, their religious rituals and instructions, and spells against enemies, sorcerers, and diseases.

The Banyan Tree

Heaven: Svarga (temporary); Nirvana (permanent bliss, one with the universe or existence)

Method of attainment: meditation, detachment from the material world and desires, reincarnation to higher levels of detachment until Nirvana

Hell: Naraka - where sinners are tormented after death (28 hells); temporary (exception may be the Tamo-yogas who are so thoroughly evil they are considered devil's in human form. The leader of Hell: Yama, God of death.

Yoga: Many questions have been raised about whether Christians can practice yoga. This stems from the true meaning of yoga, which means path to Hindu salvation. It’s a different path. However, most people I know do not know this and are not practicing, nor seeking, such a path. If they are, then that’s different, they would be forsaking the path of Christ.

It is understandable that the Church would take an official position of warning against yoga because all souls seek a higher path and the promise of an easier path than Christianity may draw people to it. Christianity may be a tougher path, but it’s the only religion where God entered into creation to reveal it to us.

Even the most famous Hindu of our era, Mahatma Gandhi, asserted, “I believe there is no such thing as conversion from one faith to another,” insisting rather that “our inmost prayer should be that a Hindu should be a better Hindu, a Muslim a better Muslim, and a Christian a better Christian” (Autobiography, pp. 376-377).

Fortunately, Catholicism teaches all religions have hope. From Pope Benedicts encyclical letter, Spe Salvi:

Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience—those too may achieve eternal salvation (Lumen Gentium 16).

8pm… We will continue with Buddhism next month!

Closing Prayer

Father in Heaven,

We thank you for the blessing of exploring other religious beliefs together.

We especially thank our Easter religious brothers and sisters for their contribution to peace in the world

And we pray for their souls and for the Holy Spirit to walk with them.

Finally, we ask that your love and grace follow each of us as we return to our daily lives, refreshed and blessed by You.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.