Adick,
where did you see little children saying, "Lord I sin everyday".! Do you think it is the euivalent of saying "forgive me my tresspasses as I forgive those who resspass against me?". You keep writing nonsense like the "sum total of everything should be neutral".. , who said so? Does it mean if 50 percent says earth is round, the other 50 should be saying it is flat? Is in't there only one truth?
Are you sure your schools dictum was "truth is God?', what was it really in Indian language? you don't remember obviously, because you are not sticking to that principle.

Hinduism, before the coming of the British, was a religion of rituals, idol-worship, sacrifices (animal and human) and superstition. Priests and magicians exploited the illiterate and ignorant masses. According to Vivekananda there were three hundred and thirty millions of gods, which included demons and animals like snakes, rats, pigs etc., Worship of genital organs (linga) of assumed gods and goddesses was rampant in most vllages. Idolatry that we see today in most temples is a living specimen of what prevailed in the pre-British days. In the name of gods and goddesses and in the name of religion, caste oppression was unbearable. Women were treated as animals and this led to the horrible practice of sati, which included the death of even six-year old girls because of child marriage.
How did this Hinduism take the garb of ahimsa and vedanta?
Sanskrit was known at that time only to a microscopic minority of Brahmins. As a matter of fact only 2% Indians who were Brahmins knew the Vedas and the vast majority of Indians were worshipping demons and serpents. Non-Brahmins should not read or write Sanskrit. If a Shudra working in the farm of a Brahmin had accidentally overheard the recital of Sanskrit Gayatri Mantra, molted led would be poured into his ears for hearing the sacred Sanskrit prayer. Indian masses had never heard about the Vedas or the Gita. People have been brainwashed for centuries to believe that the Vedas were in the form of sound in Akasa (space). Rishis propagated the false idea that the Vedas are eternal in nature and the Vedic mantras exist as vibrations always and hence are not a creation of human agency. The false belief is that the mantras were intuited by the seers (rishis) and were compiled into four ??? Rig, Sama,Yajur and Atharve ??? by Vyasa. Another false belief is that the Vedas are known as Sruti because they were ???heard??? by the rishis in meditation. Who told this? The exploiting priestcraft. People were misled to believe that Sanskrit was the first language to tell about God, ignoring the historical fact that long before the invention of writing there were hieroglyphics, picture writing and symbols to tell about the Chaldean, Assyrian and Sumerian gods and goddesses.

Most of the prayers are for wealth, victory in wars, worldly happiness, including intoxicating soma and different forms of sex. But it was the interpretation by priests to the people who have not read the Vedas that gave them a sacred status. The primitive religious doctrines of the Upanishads were reduced to an elaborate system of philosophy by Badarayana, at a later stage, mostly influenced by Buddhism. In the same manner the Gita is a war literature like Hitler???s Mien Kampf, where Krishna urges Arjuna to kill his own relatives and teachers. And yet, interpretation by Sankara and others has given the Vedanta philosophy. Commentaries and twisted interpretation in the 19th century completely curtained off the mythological nature of these texts

this sounds nice, and theres no doubt that heaven and hell can also be states of mind, but its an attempt to psychologize the reality of certain spiritual phenomena...

Jesus is the name that saves...Jesus lived, still lives, and warned us about the powers of darkness and ultimately about the existence of Satan, who very much wants people to doubt his existence...one of the greatest deceptions that Satan works upon people today is convincing them that he doesnt exist, as is shown in this passage...convincing people that Satan doesnt exist is often one step away from convincing them that Jesus, the son of God, is a myth too....without Jesus, who will you call upon in your hour of need?...who will wipe away the tears?...who else can wipe away your sins in an instant?...even if what was written below were true and suffering is a result of spiritual immaturity, of suffering we have brought upon ourselves (something which we christians confess when we say that "i have sinned through my own fault, through my thoughts and through my words, through what i have done and through what i have failed to do...and i ask Blessed Mary and all the saints to pray for me to Lord our God"...even if this were true, would you rather go thru 1000 lifetimes of purification, 1000 lifetimes of needless sorrows and heartbreaks...or wouldnt you rather call upon the name of Jesus, receive his overflowing grace, and be saved for good?......the writer already concedes the existence of asuras, or demonic beings: who is he to say that there is not a prince of demons, as Jesus was the prince of peace, and the son of God???.....and whoever is posting this stuff, is trying to confuse either themselves or someone else into not believing that...and that could end up being extremely hurtful to somone's soul and to others....are you willing to accept responsibility for that?
for all those who have followed my other posts about my descent into madness through dabbling in new age beliefs, let me tell you that in my hour of need, all that my friend who had been such a proponent of hinduism, a former christian himself, could say to me is: "This, too, shall pass"....is that what you want to hear when you are suffering in an unbearable way, even if its b/c of bad things you yourself have done??...sure, its nice to hear that suffering is only temporary, but still...and then when i ended up in a mental crisis center, he showed up and instead of acting like a friend, all he could say to me is: why didnt you do this or why didnt you do that, with a smile he could barely conceal in seeing my downfall...and then had the nerve to say after that that in some sense i wanted to be in the situation i was in???...it all sounds almost too funny to be true, and thank God i can look back at those bad times and almost laugh at them myself... i have forgiven this person, but i dont want anyone else to be misled...these are the consolations that my "guru" had to offer: zilch!!!

pt. 2
...now since he is in trouble himself, i am the one who has to show empathy and im willing to do that, b/c Jesus has taught me how to show compassion to others, even when they havent been that way to me...true story: my "guru" had to confess that he felt true emotion for the first time in a long time after reading the Gospels, something which i had encouraged him to do...im not trying to pick on this friend of mine, i will listen to his sermons about meditation and other stuff until hes blue in the face, but i know now from my own experience how little i have done to merit God's grace, but that it was nonetheless given to me...this is not me against my friend or against Hindus, this is me against all those who are trying to deceive people into thinking that they can live life better without Jesus Christ, esp. for those who struggle immensely in their own lives and have had difficult pasts...these are the ones that Satan loves to attack, b/c he knows just how much they need Jesus, and if He can get them to believe in their own minds that Jesus never lived or all the stuff about Him is made up, then all he has to do is set up a situation which is overwhelmingly negative to push them into despair...and from that point, he is not far from taking their soul...this is how he works, separate or divide them from Jesus' presence, and then conquer...but Jesus has an immense love for those whom He knows need Him so badly, and unlike Satan who once he has left you isolated, will depart from you, Jesus will go to the ends of the earth to find you, to rescue you, and to keep you forever...i am not good like gentle Jesus, and i wrestle with my own problems, but i try, and i know where my salvation comes from, so even if im not worthy of His glory, i can at least point people towards Him, and He truly does save...

i realize that some of my posts dont have the same sophisitication that some of these other posts do, but im speaking from the heart, and not trying to sound like a church doctor...i truly do pray now to God for this, that some great light and some great mind in the Church step up and confront all the ways in which christians are being misled today....i dont want to create antagonism b/w faiths, but as Christians we cannot deny Christ or minimize His importance, or we are sawing off the branch that we are sitting upon...im praying for you now...

also, if i made it sound like evangelical christianity is bad, forgive me...everybody is different, and there is a style of christianity that suits people better...b/c of some unkind things said about catholicism, i stayed away for years, though this is the form of christianity which is most familiar to me...i have met some great people who are evangelicals, many of them are honest to a fault, and have just befriended a guy who was involved in evangelical ministry on college campuses, and he is a kind soul and great person...thank you God for bringing him into my life and showing me that the walls that divide us cannot stand against your love...i have been more than a little envious of the purity and integrity ive seen in evangelical circles...

MT123, forgive this guy, since he does not know what he is talking about. He is just cutting and pasting form some hippie center called Himalayan academy. Even when I would like to find reason in everything, I can tell you, there is some thing you may call Satan, or evil in this world. I have felt its presence at a time when I wanted to live the way I intended to, in a very selfish way. The farther you walk from the light of the Lord, you become more of a slave to this slanderer, the perverter. To keep saying that I am a sinner and need forgiveness, may keep us grounded to the faith, so we don't wander off. For people trying to disprove the living God, these things would n't matter anyway. So they will never understand what you are talking about and will never open their eyes till God open their eyes.
I myself, when I was studying in India, must have been in teens, used to partially believe in these "formless" god which is something like a "light", and that all religions will ultimately take us to that light. I used to be make fun of evangelistic Christians when I was in college. Only the last few years, I started reading more about the true history of Hinduism and found it is full of baseless ancient beliefs and contradicting philosophies mixed up to confuse less edcuated and benefit ist priestly class. Budhism is better in a humanistic way, but it denies a true knowledge of God. I am not saying that Christian Churches are perfect. There is nothing perfect in this world. Take everything with a critical eye. Try to walk in his light so the evil does not touch you. That is the best you can do.
I hope this discussion will benefit someone who is ready to jump into the New Ageism. Wise people learn from other people's experiences. Fools learn their lesson the hard way.

I comment you on something. Usually on web forums, when there is Christian- Hindu debate, Hindus jump from onething to another and finally jump into the "atheism" boat, claiming that Hinduism is actually some kind of Atheism. This is because they think there is more "trade value" for atheism in the west and there are many atheist stalwarts that you can quote from other sites. Good that atleast you believe in a God. Now just read up on the history of Hindu Gods such as Rama and Krishna. You may finally see what is the truth.

SUPERNATURAL BIRTH GIVES DIVINITY
MkAandhi has made a sarcastic reference to the virgin birth of Jesus. May I ask him a question? Which came firsr - the egg or chick? Virgin birth gives the status of super natural birth which qualifies Jesus to be a God. On the other hand, Hindu scriptures tell us about the sexual debauchery of Gods and goddesses. Brahma marries his own daughter Satarupa. Their son is Manu, the founder of the Pruthu dynasty. Hindu scriptures tell us about fathers marrying their daughters. Hiranyakaspu married his daughter Rohini; Vashistha married his daughter Shatrupa; Janhu married his daughter Jannhavi and God Surya married his daughter Usha. There are also instances of father and son having sexual intercourse with the same woman. Brahma is the father of Manu and Satarupa is his mother. But Manu had sex with his mother Satrupa and later married her. Both Brahma and Manu unashamedly had sex with Satarupa. With these skeletons in your cupboard, you have the cheek to attack immaculate matre dei, St. Mary. Conversely, Hindu scriptures tell us that Hindu goddess Lakshmi (Durga, Devi, Kali, Sana etc.,) ate meat and drank wine sitting totally naked (Bhairavi or Nayaki). Since I was converted from an orthodox Hindu family of priests, I know all the aspects of Hinduism, and you need not teach me.

Jon Foreman???Your Love is Strong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCXBHb2z6bI

(picture isnt great, but liked the version)

Heavenly Father
You always amaze me
Let your kingdom come
In my world and in my life
You give me the food I need
To live through the day
And forgive me as I forgive
The people that wronged me
Lead me far from temptation
Deliver me from the evil one

I look out the window
The birds are composing
Not a note is out of tune
Or out of place
I look at the meadow
And stare at the flowers
Better dressed than any girl
On her wedding day

So why do I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need

Chorus (3x):
Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong

The kingdom of the heavens
Is now advancing
Invade my heart
Invade this broken town
The kingdom of the heavens
Is buried treasure
Will you sell yourself
To buy the one you've found?

Two things you told me
That you are strong
And you love me
Yes, you love me

(Chorus 3x)

Our God in heaven
Hallowed be
Thy name above all names
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us wicked sinners
Lead us far away from our vices
And deliver us from these prisons

Forgive us wicked sinners
Lead us far away from our vices
And deliver us from these prisons

Thanks, mythoughts123, for this prayer.

Vedasforall, this is what I meant. Humans have been sinful ever since Adam. The Quran too keeps declaring that something or the other is 'haraam'. 'But it is weakness that is the source of all sin and makes men manifest what they are not in reality. Let them know what they are, let them think of it, and out of that thought will proceed work such that the world has never seen.' "To know God, is to be God" says Vedanta.

All religions teach morality -- be good and unselfish towards others. But do not give the reasoning behind it. Why should you be good? Each to his own is the morality of this world, atleast with many. This is the understanding as given in the Gita by Lord Krishna: He who sees God in all beings, himself in everyone, everyone in himself, does not destroy the Self by the Self.

Gautam Buddh: Do not believe in what you have heard, do not believe in doctrines because they have been handed down to you through generations, do not believe in anything because it is followed blindly by many; do not believe because some old sage makes a statement; do not believe in truths to which you have become attached by habit; do not believe merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Have deliberation and analyze, and when the result agrees with reason and conduces to the good of one and all, accept it and live up to it.

Every single Buddhist teaching can be found word for word in the Shrutis.

???Strength, strength is what the Upanishads speak to me from every page. This is the one great thing to remember, it has been the one great lesson I have been taught in my life. Strength, it says, strength O man, be not weak. Are there no human weaknesses? Asks man. There are, says the Upanishads, but would more weakness heal them? Would you try to wash dirt with dirt? Will sin cure sin, weakness cure weakness? ??? Ay, it is the only literature in the world where you find the word 'Abhih', fearless, used again and again. In no other scripture in the world is this adjective applied either to God or man ??? And the Upanishads are the great mine of strength. Therein lies the strength enough to invigorate the whole world. The whole world can be vivified, made strong, energized through them. They will call with trumpet voice upon the weak, the miserable, and the downtrodden of all races, all creeds, all sects, to stand on their feet and be free. Freedom - physical freedom, mental freedom, and spiritual freedom are the watchwords of the Upanishads.???

Despite all attempts to improperly represent Hindu Gods/Goddesses, it has always flourished. Why? Hinduism is not defined by their Gods like Abrahamic faiths. It is an amalgamation of various sects and schools of thought, using or not using pictures of Gods does not mean anything. If there is anything in this universe, it is universal in nature. We know the concept of "God in heaven" has materialism as an incentive. Book worshipping religions that have spread are fanatical, their success dependent upon rousing hatred for "non-believers", usually there is a prophet or God promising goodies for those who follow him and eternal doom for others. Certain men will just say they have exclusive communication from God, and nobody else has the right to the privileged communication. And people will actually buy this crap quite easily. So they write a book to gather human allegiance, and this fits neatly with men of base nature who find sanction to feel superior. Since Hinduism does not claim superiority of any one book over another, naturally the unselfishness is not of much profit to most men.

i am an adulterer, liar, cheater, abuser of myself, verbal abuser, hater, consumer of pornography, slanderer of the Christian faith, heretic, traitor to my country in thought, a son who dishonors his parents, a freeloader, and many more things that you dont want to know about me....and yet Jesus Christ through His Mother Mary has given me God's grace and set me free....in what other faith will you find God bestowing that much love on a despicable person like me?...a person like me would have to spend years meditating in Hinduism before receiving such blessings, if ever....God gives them to me in an instant every time i sorrowfully confess my sins and ask for forgiveness...nuff said!...Amen.

audiq7 is not correct in his claim that Hinduism has flourished. The Indus region was once occupied by Hindus. In Dhaka Hinduism flourished luxuriantly. The Kali temple was a famous temple. What happened to the Hinduism that flourished in the Indus region? Where is the Hindu colony in the Dhaka region which had millions of Kali adherents? Now these areas are known as Pakistan and Banfladesh. Hindus boast that no force on earth can wipe out Hinduism. Hindus boat that Hinduism has survived Muslim occupation. Then how did Pakistaqn and Bangladesh - which were once Hindu areas - become Muslim countries? The whole of India would have become a Muslim country, if the British had not won historic victory at the Battle of Plassey. But still, inside India today there is a large Muslim population, and India is the second biggest Muslim country, next to Indonesis. In the West, it is by showing a false face that the Westerners are lured. The real Hinduism is not shown. Westerners are exposed to lot of stress in their busy day to day life. Hindus explot this situation with the false promise that Yoga will give them peace and happiness. But many thousands after trying Yoga for a few months, throw it away in disgust. Many in the west out of curiosity show their interest in Hinduism, as they show their interest in Zen Buddhism, Wicca and other occult religions. But it is only a temporary phase. Even this temporary phase is being used by Hindu Gurus and Swamis to make millions and millions of dollars. Once they make money, they give up interest in spiritual matters. Deepak Chopra. Bikram Choudhary enjoy the material world and live like princes. But once the Westerners see the real face of Hinduism, that it has nothing to do with love or peace or non-violence, they will throw it away like a rubbish. All the Hindu scriptures - the Vedas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata- speak of violence, decit and duplicity. It was Vivekananda who first attempted to curtain off the Hinduism of Hindu scriptures and to borrow Christian ideals of love, peace and fellowship to sell Hinduism in the West. It is with this false face Hinduism is luring the West. Once the Europeans realize that Yoga has not given happiness to Indians themselves, and billions of Indians are wallowing in stress, anxiety, depression and misery, they will kick it out. How long intellectuals can be duped? Did not Maharish Mahesh Yogi attempt to rape Loone?

Mahesh Yogi attempted to rape Mia Farrow and Shirley MacLaine. Yoga teachers tell lies that Yoga will make one fly in the air.

In the 1970s, as the number of new people coming into TM dropped, the movement unveiled a "Siddhi" program (siddhis are special paranormal powers) based on the claims of the ancient yoga treatise The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The program claimed that students of this special course have successfully achieved the paranormal feat of levitation. Photographs of students show them hovering a few feet in the air, but critics (and former students) have stated that the "levitators" merely bounce in the air cross-legged and do not float. To date, no irrefutable evidence of levitation by the Maharishi's students has yet been produced, and several ex-students of the Siddhi program have successfully sued the organization'
Many in the West are duped. Although movie stars and millionaires get disappointed and disgusted with Yoga after a few months training, the Yoga fellows would have earned millions of dollars during the interval from these rich clients.

Why should you be good? Each to his own is the morality of this world, atleast with many. This is the understanding as given in the Gita by Lord Krishna:

Ofcourse there in no debating about that point. You scored one. !!