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[Gregory]

From birth, it was predicted that Rabindranath R. Maharaj would become a great Hindu religious leader.  He came from a long line of Brahmin priests and extensively trained as a Yogi.  As a young person he experienced face-to-face communion with the Hindu gods and transport to worlds ruled by those gods.  The time came when he was worshiped as an avatar—an incarnation in human form of a Hindu god.  But, something changed his life and he became a servant of Christ. 

For the story of how his life was changed, read his autobiography:

Rabindranath R. Maharaj with Dave Hunt, DEATH OF A GURU, Holman & Company, 1977, 224 pages.

Reading it will inspire you.  You will thrill as you see the hand of God working in every way possible to bring to salvation one who was in Hindu thought already god incarnate.  You will see how one such became a witness for Christ.
 

[Johann]

Seems like I read this fascinating story many years ago. Worth reading.

[Gregory]

I like to read and I attempt, as much as I have time    I read widely.  I have mentioned these books here in the thought that they might be of interest to others.

As far as this book on the Hindu:  In reading it you will see elements of the Hindu religion that you would not likely get in other ways.

I am reminded of a devout Hindu woman who used to attend the Sabbath School class that I attend.  She came in an effort to convert the class members to Hinduism.  At point she gave her personal testimony as to how she made the final conversion to Hinduism.

She was standing in a large Temple in the Denver area, looking up to the face of the  figure of the Hindu god.  She called out to the god, stating her distress as to whether or not she should convert.   Immediately she heard in her mind a loud voice asking her what it would take to convince her to convert.  She answered that what she needed to convert was a knowledge of the past lives that she had lived. Immediately she was shown the lives that she had lived in the past before she was born into this life.   She converted.

I have read much on Hinduism.    I beleive that I was led to do so for a year prior to his woman attending our SS Class.  As a result, I was able to respond to comments that she made.  I believe that the Lord led me to do that.

It is personal stories like her experience and that told in the book that give a picture of Hinduism that one does not get from reading a typical book on Hinduism.

[Johann]

Have you made a comparison with Buddhism?

[Gregory]

Johann, I am uncertain s to your point of reference.  The Sikhs are thought to be a combination of Hinduism and Islam. Zen Buddhism is thought to be a combination of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.

Buddhism:  It arose in the mid-sixth century BCE, at the same time as Zoroasterism, Jainism, Confucianism and Taoism.  Also, this was the time of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel of the Old Testament.  NOTE:  I once knew an Adventist who took the position that the world was ripe, at this time, for a fulfillment of the ancient Old Testament prophecies relating to the nations comming to Isreal to be taugnt spiritual truth and that it wsa the failure of Isreal to fill lthis role that led to the development of these other religions.  An interesting thought.

Hinduism:  It developed out of the Sanskrit speaking Aryan tribes that invaded India n the 2nd Millennium BCE.  It is associated with the polytheistic religions closely related to Greece, Rome and Iran.  In its developent it formulated one creator god, called Brahman, who manifests himself in 360 million forms.  As such, it becam a kathenotheistic religion, rather than a monotheistic one.  A critical belief is that action is more important than belief.  As such, a person who properly verbalizes the name of the god Krishna, incarnates that god on earth regardless of personal belief.  Hinduism exists in many sects, one of which, Yoga, is often not considered to be the religion that it actually is.

It is of interest that devout Hindus might deny that Hinduism is a religion.  It does not meet the classicial defination of a religion.  It does not have an individual founder.  It has a vague relationshilp to authoritive scripture (The Reg Veda which dates to about 1,000 BCE.)  and it lacks a single set of isseus that define it.

As to its history:  It is believed to have some background prior to the Aryan invasions of India.  But, this period has little historical documentation.

The historical background that we have traces Hinduism to the Vedic Period which is dated from 5,000 BCE to about 1,500 BCE. 

Following the Vedic Period, about 1,000 BCE, Hinduism changed from a positive view of life to a pessimistic one in which the focus was on escape from the world, Karma developed and transmigration of the soul became a belief, with absorption into the world-soul of Brahaman became the spiritual goal.  Yoga, in its several sects developed at this time.

In modern times, the so-called Hindu Renaissance developed as a defense against Christian missions in India and Hinduism developed into a mission religion whch moved to the United States and other countries.
 

Well, enough.  I need to go to work.

[Gregory]

Back to the conversion of the Hindu avatar:

In Hindu theology, there are 360 million manifestations of the one god.  Each individual Hindu choses one of those manifestations to worship.

As Maharaj began his spiritual journey that led him to Christ he retained his Hindu understanding.  Therefore in his initial encounter with Christ/Jesus, he believed the Christ/Jesus to simply be an additional god that he could chose to  worship.  His prayers for rescue were made in the context of addressing this additional god.

In the 9th chapter of his book he tells how he is being attacked by a very large snake whom he understood to be the incarnation of the god Shiva.  He believed that death was at hand and that there was no other deliverance.  In his desperation he remembered that he had once  been told that Jesus was all powerful and could deliver him from harm.  So, he called out: "Jesus! Help me!"  Immediately the huge snake dropped its head to the ground and at a fast rate of speed wiggled away.

The God we  Christians worship is all powerful.  That God meets us on our level and seeks our salvation in meeting us where we are.

[Johann]

It is interesting that the Apostle Thomas went to India as a missionary, and yet we know so little about his missionary work there.

As for the accounts of evangelization by Thomas, Stephen Neill (who has done one of the most thorough and balanced investigations into the matter) has summed them up in these words: "Millions of Christians in South India are certain that the founder of their church was none other than the apostle Thomas himself. The historian cannot prove to them that they are mistaken in their belief. He may feel it right to warn them that historical research cannot pronounce on the matter with a confidence equal to that which they entertain by faith."

gnosis.org

[Johann]

Johann, I am uncertain s to your point of reference.  The Sikhs are thought to be a combination of Hinduism and Islam. Zen Buddhism is thought to be a combination of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.

Buddhism:  It arose in the mid-sixth century BCE, at the same time as Zoroasterism, Jainism, Confucianism and Taoism.  Also, this was the time of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel of the Old Testament.  NOTE:  I once knew an Adventist who took the position that the world was ripe, at this time, for a fulfillment of the ancient Old Testament prophecies relating to the nations comming to Isreal to be taugnt spiritual truth and that it wsa the failure of Isreal to fill lthis role that led to the development of these other religions.  An interesting thought.
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Back in 2009 Dalai Lahma visited Denmark where he had a lecture on Buddhism. In this lecture he warned Christian Danes against leaving their Christian ideals and become Buddhists. Seems like he indicated there is nothing for Christians to gain by turning over to Buddhism.