04-20-2007, 02:23 AM
From what I've gathered about Jesus, the more you believe in him the less tolerant you are of those who don't believe in him. This is the fundamental flaw in the religion. What the west has managed to carve out for itself, via secularism, is the concept of civic tolerance. But Christianity is incapable of tolerating rival religions. If the Church was to take the offical stance that Ramana Maharishi is equal to Jesus, it would in effect commit suicide. <span style='color:red'>The religion is built around one God and his only son and there is no room for other objects of worship. Notice the careful choice of the word "tolerance". This is the best they could come up with. They are not allowed to express "respect" for other religions. That would be sacrilege.</span>
The other basic flaw with Christianity is its assertion of "truth" claims. The Bible is the word of God and it is God's truth. Everything else is mythology. Challenging the bible is equal to challenging God's word. By contrast, Hinduism does not make any truth claims about the world so it is wrong to suggest that all fundamentalism is the same. For every assertion in a Hindu story, there is an opposite assertion as well. Which of these can one consider the fundamentals of the tradition?
The other basic flaw with Christianity is its assertion of "truth" claims. The Bible is the word of God and it is God's truth. Everything else is mythology. Challenging the bible is equal to challenging God's word. By contrast, Hinduism does not make any truth claims about the world so it is wrong to suggest that all fundamentalism is the same. For every assertion in a Hindu story, there is an opposite assertion as well. Which of these can one consider the fundamentals of the tradition?