Christianity vs Hinduism

Christianity versus Hinduism comparison chart
	Christianity	Hinduism

Use of statues and pictures	In Catholic & Orthodox Churches.	Common
Place of worship	Church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, home bible study, personal dwellings.	Temple (Mandir)
Belief of God	One God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity.	Many gods, but realize that they all come from Atman.
Founder	The Lord Jesus Christ.	Not credited to a particular founder.
Clergy	Priests, bishops, ministers, monks, and nuns.	No official clergy. Gurus, Yogis, Rishis, Brahmins, Pundits, priests, priestesses, monks, and nuns.
Place of origin	Roman province of Judea.	Indian Subcontinent
Literal Meaning	Follower Of Christ.	The followers of Vedas are called as Arya, noble person. Arya is not a dynasty, ethnicity or race. Anyone who follows the teachings of Vedas is considered Arya.
View of the Buddha	Christians believe that the Buddha was a false teacher, and do not adhere to anything he taught.	Some Hindu sects claim Buddha was an avatar of Vishnu. Others believe he was a holy man.
Marriage	A Holy Sacrament.	Man may marry one woman. However, kings in mythology often married more than one woman.
Practices	Prayer, sacraments (some branches), worship in church, reading of the Bible, acts of charity, communion.	Meditation, yoga, contemplation, yagna (communal worship), offerings in the temple.
Life after death	Eternity in Heaven or Hell, in some cases temporal Purgatory.	A constant cycle of reincarnation until enlightenment is reached.
Followers	Christian (followers of Christ)	Hindus.
Scriptures	The Holy Bible	Vedas, Upanishad, Puranas, Gita. Smrti and Sruti are oral scriptures.
Original Language(s)	Aramaic, Greek, and Latin.	Sanskrit
Population	Over two billion adherents worldwide.	1 Billion.
Means of salvation	Through Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection.	Reaching enlightenment by the Path of Knowledge, the Path of devotion, or the Path of Good Deeds.
Human Nature	Man has inherited "original sin" from Adam. Mankind then is inherently evil and is in need of forgiveness of sin. By knowing right and wrong Christians choose their actions. Humans are a fallen, broken race in need of salvation and repair by God.	Depends on sects.
Goal of religion	To love God and obey his commandments while creating a relationship with Jesus Christ and spreading the Gospel so that others may also be saved.	To break the cycle of birth, death and reincarnation, and attain salvation.
Geographical distribution and predominance	As the largest religion in the world, Christianity has adherents are all over the world. As a % of local population, Christians are in a majority in Europe, North and South America, and Australia and New Zealand.	Mainly in India, Nepal and Mauritius. Has significant population in Fiji, Bhutan, UAE, etc.
Confessing sins	Protestants confess straight to God, Catholic confess mortal sins to a Priest, and venial sins straight to God (Orthodox have similar practice) Anglicans confess to Priests but considered optional. God always forgives sins in Jesus.	Repentance for unintentional sins are prescribed, but intentional sins have to be repaid through karmic consequences.
Religious Law	Varies among denominations. Has existed among Catholics in the form of canon law.	Dharma shastras
Status of Vedas	N/A.	Vedas are generally regarded as sacred in Hinduism. Post-Vedic texts like the Gita are also revered.
Symbols	Cross, ichthys ("Jesus fish"), Mary and baby Jesus.	Om, Swastika, etc.
View of other Dharmic religions	N/A.	They believe that Buddhists, Jains, & Sikhs should reunite with Hinduism (which is the original Dharmic religion).
Religion which atheists may still be adherents of	No.	Charvakas and Sankyas are atheistic groups in Hinduism.
Holy days/Official Holidays	The Lord's Day; Advent, Christmas; New Year, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, every day is dedicated to a Saint.	Diwali, Holi, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc.
Second coming of Jesus	Affirmed.	N/A.
Goal of Philosophy	Objective reality. Worship of God who created life, the universe, and is eternal. Christianity has its own philosophy, found in the Bible. That philosophy is Salvation from sin, through the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.	Salvation, freedom from the cycle of birth and reincarnation.
Authority of Pope	Leader and overseer of the Catholic Church. his authority is completely rejected by Protestants, and is viewed by Orthodox as first among equals. Orthodox and Protestants reject Papal infallibility and Papal supremacy.	N/A.
Holy Days	Christmas (celebration of the birth of Jesus), Good Friday (death of Jesus), Sunday (day of rest), Easter (resurrection of Jesus), Lent (Catholicism), saints' feast days.	Diwali, Holi, Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc. There are many holy days in Hinduism which differ from region to region.
Place and Time of origin	Jerusalem, approx. 33 AD.	Indian Subcontinent, beginning with the Vedic civilization circa 3000 BC
Views on other religions	Christianity is the only True Faith.	Believe all religions have some truth in them.
Position of Mary	Mother Of Jesus. Revered in all denominations. Degree of reverence varies from denomination.	N/A.
Prophets	Prophets in the Bible are venerated.	No prophets, but Rishis could be considered equivalent in Vedic times. Avataras of Vedic God are different from human reincarnations, but could be considered equivalent to Christian idea of God in flesh.
Belief	The Ante-Nicene Creed sums up Christian belief in the Holy Trinity.	Diverse beliefs depending on sects.
Jesus	Son Of God. Second person of the Trinity. God the Son.	N/A.
Position of Abraham	Father of the faithful.	N/A.
Day of worship	Sunday (most denominations), Saturday (Seventh-Day Adventist, Seventh-Day Baptist)	Orthodox schools prescribe three prayer times a day: at dawn, noon and dusk.
No. of Gods and Godesses	1 God	Ultimatly monotheistic, however it believes in infinate representaitions of their god.
Abrahamic Lineage	Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.	N/A.
About	Christianity broadly consists of individuals who believe in the deity Jesus Christ. Its followers, called Christians, often believe Christ is "the Son" of the Holy Trinity and walked the earth as the incarnate form of God ("the Father").	Devotion to the various gods & goddesses of Hinduism.
Use of Statues	Varies by denomination. Not used in Protestant denominations; icons are used in Catholic & Orthodox denominations.	Allowed, but not compulsory
Virtue on which religion is based upon	Love and justice.	Follow righteousness.
Birth of Jesus	Virgin Birth, through God.	N/A.
God's role in salvation	Humans cannot save themselves or ascend on their own to a higher level. Only God is good and therefore only God is able to save a person. Jesus came down from Heaven to save mankind.	Beliefs vary by sect. Upanishads (scripture) say God chooses who gets salvation. Salvation is attained via good deeds and righteousness (following the "dharma" and avoiding sin)
Branches	Roman Catholics, independent Catholics, Protestants (Anglicans, Lutherans etc.), Orthodox (Greek orthodox, Russian orthodox).	Shaivism, Shakti, and Vaishnavism
Death of Jesus	Death by crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Will return.	N/A.
On Clothing	Conservative Christians dress modestly; women may wear long skirts or dresses; men may wear dress clothes that do not show the chest, legs, and arms. More moderate or liberal Christians generally reject such clothing restrictions.	Differ from region region.
Identity of Jesus	The Son Of God.	N/A.
Related Religions	Islam, Judaism, Baha'i faith	Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism
Promised Holy one.	Second Coming of Christ	Kalki, the 10'th avatar of Vishnu.
On Women	Equal to men. In some denominations, they may become nuns.	Mainly women are considered equal to men and there are many Goddesses in Hinduism.
Names of God	God, Gud, Gott, Deo, Dios. Jehovah, YHWH, Eli Elohim, (depending on language Christians are of every language and culture around the world)	Brahman and many other names in other languages
Status of Muhammad	N/A.	N/A.
Virtue(s) in which religion is based upon	Love and justice.	Follow dharma (righteouness), eternal law.
View of God	One Trinity God, Who Is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.	Monists believe only Brahman exists, Pantheists believe all things/entities are God, Monotheistic sects consider God as immanent and transcendent and different from others. The Nasadiya Sukta even explores creation-ex-nihilo.
Rites	Seven sacraments: Baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, matrimony (Catholic and Orthodox). Anglicans: Baptism and Eucharist. Other denominations: Baptism and communion.	Some Hindus believe in a "thread ceremony" for men.
Promised Holy One	Second Coming Of Christ.	Kalki, the 10th Avatar of Vishnu
Views on the afterlife	Eternity in Heaven or Hell; some believe in temporal suffering in Purgatory, before admittance into Heaven.	A constant cycle of reincarnation until enlightenment is reached after which moksha is attained.
Use of statues, images	some denominations regard It as forbidden and Idolatry. Anglicans and Lutherans allow pictures but forbid venerating them. Catholics encourage pictures and statues and venerate them. Orthodox encourage pictures and venerate them.	Common.
Status of Adam	The first man. Humanity is in a state of Original Sin, due to Adam's disobedience to God.	N/A.
imams identified as	N/A.	N/A.
Concept of God	One God, Who Is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.	God is in everything and everything is God.
sects	Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox.	Vaishnava, Shaivaya, & Shaktism.

Use of statues and pictures

In Catholic & Orthodox Churches.

Common

Place of worship

Church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, home bible study, personal dwellings.

Temple (Mandir)

Belief of God

One God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity.

Many gods, but realize that they all come from Atman.

Founder

The Lord Jesus Christ.

Not credited to a particular founder.

Clergy

Priests, bishops, ministers, monks, and nuns.

No official clergy. Gurus, Yogis, Rishis, Brahmins, Pundits, priests, priestesses, monks, and nuns.

Place of origin

Roman province of Judea.

Indian Subcontinent

Literal Meaning

Follower Of Christ.

The followers of Vedas are called as Arya, noble person. Arya is not a dynasty, ethnicity or race. Anyone who follows the teachings of Vedas is considered Arya.

View of the Buddha

Christians believe that the Buddha was a false teacher, and do not adhere to anything he taught.

Some Hindu sects claim Buddha was an avatar of Vishnu. Others believe he was a holy man.

Marriage

A Holy Sacrament.

Man may marry one woman. However, kings in mythology often married more than one woman.

Practices

Prayer, sacraments (some branches), worship in church, reading of the Bible, acts of charity, communion.

Meditation, yoga, contemplation, yagna (communal worship), offerings in the temple.

Life after death

Eternity in Heaven or Hell, in some cases temporal Purgatory.

A constant cycle of reincarnation until enlightenment is reached.

Followers

Christian (followers of Christ)

Hindus.

Scriptures

The Holy Bible

Vedas, Upanishad, Puranas, Gita. Smrti and Sruti are oral scriptures.

Original Language(s)

Aramaic, Greek, and Latin.

Sanskrit

Population

Over two billion adherents worldwide.

1 Billion.

Means of salvation

Through Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

Reaching enlightenment by the Path of Knowledge, the Path of devotion, or the Path of Good Deeds.

Human Nature

Man has inherited "original sin" from Adam. Mankind then is inherently evil and is in need of forgiveness of sin. By knowing right and wrong Christians choose their actions. Humans are a fallen, broken race in need of salvation and repair by God.

Depends on sects.

Goal of religion

To love God and obey his commandments while creating a relationship with Jesus Christ and spreading the Gospel so that others may also be saved.

To break the cycle of birth, death and reincarnation, and attain salvation.

Geographical distribution and predominance

As the largest religion in the world, Christianity has adherents are all over the world. As a % of local population, Christians are in a majority in Europe, North and South America, and Australia and New Zealand.

Mainly in India, Nepal and Mauritius. Has significant population in Fiji, Bhutan, UAE, etc.

Confessing sins

Protestants confess straight to God, Catholic confess mortal sins to a Priest, and venial sins straight to God (Orthodox have similar practice) Anglicans confess to Priests but considered optional. God always forgives sins in Jesus.

Repentance for unintentional sins are prescribed, but intentional sins have to be repaid through karmic consequences.

Religious Law

Varies among denominations. Has existed among Catholics in the form of canon law.

Dharma shastras

Status of Vedas

N/A.

Vedas are generally regarded as sacred in Hinduism. Post-Vedic texts like the Gita are also revered.

Symbols

Cross, ichthys ("Jesus fish"), Mary and baby Jesus.

Om, Swastika, etc.

View of other Dharmic religions

N/A.

They believe that Buddhists, Jains, & Sikhs should reunite with Hinduism (which is the original Dharmic religion).

Religion which atheists may still be adherents of

No.

Charvakas and Sankyas are atheistic groups in Hinduism.

Holy days/Official Holidays

The Lord's Day; Advent, Christmas; New Year, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, every day is dedicated to a Saint.

Diwali, Holi, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc.

Second coming of Jesus

Affirmed.

N/A.

Goal of Philosophy

Objective reality. Worship of God who created life, the universe, and is eternal. Christianity has its own philosophy, found in the Bible. That philosophy is Salvation from sin, through the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Salvation, freedom from the cycle of birth and reincarnation.

Authority of Pope

Leader and overseer of the Catholic Church. his authority is completely rejected by Protestants, and is viewed by Orthodox as first among equals. Orthodox and Protestants reject Papal infallibility and Papal supremacy.

N/A.

Holy Days

Christmas (celebration of the birth of Jesus), Good Friday (death of Jesus), Sunday (day of rest), Easter (resurrection of Jesus), Lent (Catholicism), saints' feast days.

Diwali, Holi, Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc. There are many holy days in Hinduism which differ from region to region.

Place and Time of origin

Jerusalem, approx. 33 AD.

Indian Subcontinent, beginning with the Vedic civilization circa 3000 BC

Views on other religions

Christianity is the only True Faith.

Believe all religions have some truth in them.

Position of Mary

Mother Of Jesus. Revered in all denominations. Degree of reverence varies from denomination.

N/A.

Prophets

Prophets in the Bible are venerated.

No prophets, but Rishis could be considered equivalent in Vedic times. Avataras of Vedic God are different from human reincarnations, but could be considered equivalent to Christian idea of God in flesh.

Belief

The Ante-Nicene Creed sums up Christian belief in the Holy Trinity.

Diverse beliefs depending on sects.

Jesus

Son Of God. Second person of the Trinity. God the Son.

N/A.

Position of Abraham

Father of the faithful.

N/A.

Day of worship

Sunday (most denominations), Saturday (Seventh-Day Adventist, Seventh-Day Baptist)

Orthodox schools prescribe three prayer times a day: at dawn, noon and dusk.

No. of Gods and Godesses

1 God

Ultimatly monotheistic, however it believes in infinate representaitions of their god.

Abrahamic Lineage

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

N/A.

About

Christianity broadly consists of individuals who believe in the deity Jesus Christ. Its followers, called Christians, often believe Christ is "the Son" of the Holy Trinity and walked the earth as the incarnate form of God ("the Father").

Devotion to the various gods & goddesses of Hinduism.

Use of Statues

Varies by denomination. Not used in Protestant denominations; icons are used in Catholic & Orthodox denominations.

Allowed, but not compulsory

Virtue on which religion is based upon

Love and justice.

Follow righteousness.

Birth of Jesus

Virgin Birth, through God.

N/A.

God's role in salvation

Humans cannot save themselves or ascend on their own to a higher level. Only God is good and therefore only God is able to save a person. Jesus came down from Heaven to save mankind.

Beliefs vary by sect. Upanishads (scripture) say God chooses who gets salvation. Salvation is attained via good deeds and righteousness (following the "dharma" and avoiding sin)

Branches

Roman Catholics, independent Catholics, Protestants (Anglicans, Lutherans etc.), Orthodox (Greek orthodox, Russian orthodox).

Shaivism, Shakti, and Vaishnavism

Death of Jesus

Death by crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Will return.

N/A.

On Clothing

Conservative Christians dress modestly; women may wear long skirts or dresses; men may wear dress clothes that do not show the chest, legs, and arms. More moderate or liberal Christians generally reject such clothing restrictions.

Differ from region region.

Identity of Jesus

The Son Of God.

N/A.

Related Religions

Islam, Judaism, Baha'i faith

Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism

Promised Holy one.

Second Coming of Christ

Kalki, the 10'th avatar of Vishnu.

On Women

Equal to men. In some denominations, they may become nuns.

Mainly women are considered equal to men and there are many Goddesses in Hinduism.

Names of God

God, Gud, Gott, Deo, Dios. Jehovah, YHWH, Eli Elohim, (depending on language Christians are of every language and culture around the world)

Brahman and many other names in other languages

Status of Muhammad

N/A.

Virtue(s) in which religion is based upon

Love and justice.

Follow dharma (righteouness), eternal law.

View of God

One Trinity God, Who Is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Monists believe only Brahman exists, Pantheists believe all things/entities are God, Monotheistic sects consider God as immanent and transcendent and different from others. The Nasadiya Sukta even explores creation-ex-nihilo.

Rites

Seven sacraments: Baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, matrimony (Catholic and Orthodox). Anglicans: Baptism and Eucharist. Other denominations: Baptism and communion.

Some Hindus believe in a "thread ceremony" for men.

Promised Holy One

Second Coming Of Christ.

Kalki, the 10th Avatar of Vishnu

Views on the afterlife

Eternity in Heaven or Hell; some believe in temporal suffering in Purgatory, before admittance into Heaven.

A constant cycle of reincarnation until enlightenment is reached after which moksha is attained.

Use of statues, images

some denominations regard It as forbidden and Idolatry. Anglicans and Lutherans allow pictures but forbid venerating them. Catholics encourage pictures and statues and venerate them. Orthodox encourage pictures and venerate them.

Common.

Status of Adam

The first man. Humanity is in a state of Original Sin, due to Adam's disobedience to God.

N/A.

imams identified as

N/A.

Concept of God

One God, Who Is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God is in everything and everything is God.

sects

Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox.

Vaishnava, Shaivaya, & Shaktism.