Salvation: A Comparison Between Christianity And Hinduism

INTRODUCTION
Salvation is a common belief for many religions despite the difference in their Supreme Being or Beings, which they seek deliverance from. In this research, a comparison between how salvation is viewed by Christians and Hindus will be examined so a conclusion can be formed.

What is Christianity? Christianity is God’s revelation of himself and purpose to mankind. And his revelation was designed to bridge the gap between a rebellious world and a caring God. Christianity is found in most parts of the world, with in the region of one hundred million followers and could be the world’s largest religion.
There are many branches of Christianity, namely Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant churches. There
They believe that the body dies and the soul continues its eternal journey. Hindus believe in re-incarnation that the soul is re-embodied according to the law of Karma.
The cycle of death and re-incarnation continues many times. Their ultimate goal is to attain moksha. Hindus cremate their dead, since they believe that this releases the soul to continue its journey.
Hindus believe that every thought and action has consequences. This is the law of Karma. The goal of Hindus is to achieve moksha that is, to be free from that cycle. To achieve moksha, it is important to follow the right path in life. The right path is called yoga. There are many forms namely: karma yoga is doing service for humanity; raj yoga is practicing self-control and meditation; bhakti yoga is the path of loving devotion; and jnana yoga is the path of knowledge and understanding through study and discipline.
Hindus practice the spiritual exercises of meditation and yoga as ways to help them centre their thoughts on God.

Hindu ways of
They are correct as well in suggesting that the ultimate to the human dilemma is spiritual in nature. However, there is little common ground between Christianity and Hinduism. We will now look at a few more important areas. First Hinduism lacks any understanding that God created the world for a good purpose. Also lacking is a conception of God as infinitely holy and righteous and as the one to whom we as humans are accountable for the way we conduct our lives. Another area of contrast between Hinduism and Christianity is the conception of human nature and of the source of our estrangement from God. According to Hindu teaching, man is divine at the core of his being. He is one with God. According to the biblical teaching, however, the source of our alienation from God, is not ignorance of our divinity, but our sinful rebellion against God and his purpose for our lives. This now leads us to our final point—the way of salvation. According to most Hindu teaching, salvation from the cycle of reincarnation is achieved by our own efforts—whether through good works, meditation, or devotion to a deity. According to the Bible, however, our spiritual need is for deliverance from God’s judgment on our sin and for restoration to a life under his direction and care. This salvation can be provided only by God’s gracious and undeserved action in our