
A central idea to many Hindus is that everything is one with God,
rather than a separate creation. The self is said to be an illusion;
but an illusion happens only to a thinking creature, and if we are not
real, Brahman is somehow deceiving himself. The God of all things
could not deceive himself, so if there is any deception, it must be
happening to truly separate beings.


Brahman


Caste is no longer paid much attention by some Indians, but to others, it is still a huge part of their identity. Traditional Brahmins, for example, believe it is unacceptable to pay respect to a low-born person. And regardless of current practices, the Hindu scriptures clearly teach that some people are born worthy of very little dignity and are paying dues for evil deeds in past lives, even though we don't remember them or have any proof of them personally. Take this selection of scriptures (note that the feet are seen as the worst part of the body):

> “From His face (or the mouth) came the brahmanas. From His two arms came the rajanya (the kshatriyas). From His two thighs came the vaishyas. From His two feet came the shudras.”
>
> _Rig Veda 10.90.12_

> “A hundred year old Kshatriya must treat a ten year old Brahmin boy as his father.”
>
> _Manu 11-135_

> “The Brahmin should never invite persons of other varnas for food. In case, the latter begs the Brahmin for food, the Brahmin may give them some left-over. Even these left-over must be served not by the Brahmin but by his servants outside the house.”
>
> _Manu II2_

> “Now if he [a Śūdra] listens intentionally to (a recitation of) the Veda, his ears shall be filled with (molten) tin or lac.
>
> “If he recites (Vedic texts), his tongue shall be cut out.
>
> “If he remembers them, his body shall be split in twain.”
>
> _Gautama Dharmasutra_

Something that undermines the view that people are born in this caste or that because of their past deeds is that, as far as I am aware, there is not a pattern of the higher castes being better people and the lower castes being worse people morally. If good people are really born high-caste, then most high-caste people would be good. Instead, you will find bad people in great numbers everywhere, and a few good people born in various castes. Further, the majority of people are not born in India and therefore have nothing to do with any caste system. What was their karma?

Perhaps after seeing these scriptures, it will be apparent that Hinduism is a false religion, since it demands such evil when it is practiced as intended. If so, it is worth nothing how the caste view contrasts greatly with the Christian belief that all people are created in the image of God and should be treated with love. It is also said many times in the Christian scriptures that it is far better to be poor or a servant but righteous than to be rich and evil.

## Objections

For those who would blame caste on the British, in [Caste Wasn't a British Construct – and Anyone Who Studies History Should Know That](https://m.thewire.in/article/caste/caste-history-postcolonial-studies/amp), a scholar explains that she and her colleagues have spent decades making money off blaming white people for the caste system while actively exploiting it themselves.

Despite what you may read or hear, the caste system still heavily shapes Indian culture, though the degree varies area to area. See [Pew Research Center on India's Caste System](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/06/29/attitudes-about-caste/#:~:text=It%20is%20a%20social%20hierarchy,caste%2C%20regardless%20of%20their%20religion.).

## Resources

- [Casteist Verses from Manusmriti – Law Book of Hindus](https://velivada.com/2017/05/31/casteist-quotes-verses-manusmriti-law-book-hindus/) by Velivada
- [History of India's Caste System](https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-indias-caste-system-195496#toc-theology-behind-the-castes) by ThoughtCo.
- [Why I decided to reject Hinduism](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/openindia/why-i-decided-to-reject-hinduism/) by Ankur Betageri


Caste


## Changing Gods

Hindu gods are ever-changing, and like the Greek gods, the stories about them are numerous and conflicting. Questions such as, "How do you know that god is real?" do not seem to be popular. Stories a woman likes may simply be believed because she likes them, or because of family traditions, or because of an event in life that went favorably when this god was prayed to. Thus, the Hindu gods are quite clearly fictional.

For anyone wanting to take Hindu gods seriously, there is a serious problem: the gods of the most sacred Hindu text are hardly paid any attention now:

> The most prominent Rig Vedic gods were:
>
> - Indra
> - Agni
> - Soma
> - Aśvins
> - Maruts
> - Varuna
> - Mitra
> - Ushas
> - Vayu
> - Savitr
> - Rbhus
> - Pushan
> - Parjanya
>
> None of these gods exist in the Hindu pantheon today and they are not offered prime respect and worship even by the Brahmins.
>
> _[The (Dark) Secrets of the Vedas](https://dravidapozhil.pmu.edu/pdf/The-Secrets-of-the-Vedas.pdf), by Prof. (Thamizh Murasu) N. Periyasamy_

Even Indra is essentially ignored, though he was once known as King of the Gods. Now, there are new gods which were never heard of until 50 years ago, and other gods with great authority have taken the place of Indra. If all of this has happened since the _Rig Veda_, on what basis are the traditions that led to the _Rig Veda_ itself to be believed?

## Creation

There are multiple conflicting creation myths in the Hindu scriptures. For example, Shiva is said to have created everything, but so is Vishnu (Krishna) in the _Puranas_ and _Mahabharata_. Likewise, the *Rig Veda* says that Aditi and Daksha create one another, who are both agents of creation. That simply is not logical, as much as paradoxes might seem romantic. A god could not be both created by something else and the cause of creating the thing which made it. My mother cannot have given birth to my grandmother.

A quick look at the Wikipedia page for [Prajapati](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prajapati#%22Prajapati%22_as_a_title) reveals the enormous disagreement about creation in Hinduism. Certainly, its creation accounts do not show signs of being a true message from the creator himself.

## Morality

For many Hindus, there is apparently no good and evil as such, yet *dharma* is said to be the right way to live. Therefore, let's not pretend there is no right or wrong and address an issue: the Hundu gods frequently do evil.

There's a story in the Mahabharata where Lord Indra, the king of the gods, disguises himself as a sage named Gautama to seduce Ahalya, the sage's wife, and has sex with her. This is one of multiple examples where a god does something clearly wrong. How is a god who does evil worthy of worship?

Moreover, the gods are subject to karma and die, along with their moral failings, which makes them more powerful than humans, but very far from ultimate beings. Should we trust and devote ourselves to these imperfect beings, or look for a greater one?


Hindu Gods

Attitudes toward women have massively shifted in the past two hundred years in the West, and the same applies to India. Nevertheless, when considering whether Hinduism is true and honorable, you should consider Indian history, modern attitudes, and Hindu scriptures (such as *Manusmriti*) in regard to the treatment of women. The following examples will show you why this is a very controversial and important topic.

First, baby girls are routinely killed in the womb in India, and since this is so rampant, sex-selective abortion is illegal. Yet it [still continues](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/23/india-gender) in large numbers, just on the sly. Part of the reason is that girls are viewed as a financial burden because of the dowry price, and the other is that being born a woman and giving birth to a girl are both often viewed as punishments.

Women are given very little trust or authority in *Manusmriti*, an important book of laws to the Hindu. Even if you do believe that men should have authority in the home, as I do, such harshness and such lack of trust is unsettling.

> "By a girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house."
>
> *Manusmriti 3.56*
>
> "The wife, the son, the slave, the servant and the uterine brother shall be beaten with a rope or a split bamboo, when they have committed a fault."
>
> *Manusmriti 8.299*

Women are often thought of as lower creatures than men.

> "Wicked persons, artisans, slaves, defiled ones, drums and women are softened by being beaten; they do not deserve gentle handling."
>
> *Garuda Purana 1.109.31*
>
> "Prajapati said to Himself: 'Well, let Me make a firm basis for it (semen).' So He created woman. Having created her, He worshipped her bottom portion. Therefore one should worship the bottom portion of a woman. He (Prajapati) extended His organ that projects and with it impregnated her."
>
> *Brihadaranyak Upanishad 6/4/2-3*

There is also Sati to consider. It involved putting a man's widow on his funeral pyre and burning her alive. Apparently, this was meant to be voluntary. Nonetheless, it is a disgusting practice to encourage and venerate. Thankfully, the British banned it.

Finally, consider this heinous instruction on how to force yourself upon your wife and declare victory if she will not have sex with you:

> "If she does not willingly yield her body to him, he should buy her with presents. If she is still unyielding, he should strike her with a stick or with his hand and overcome her, repeating the following mantra: 'With power and glory I take away your glory.' Thus she becomes discredited."
>
> *Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 6.4.7*

Since feminism has gained huge traction, anything negative about women in the holy books is often reinterpreted and explained away by Hindus online, but these attempts are dishonest. There are verses which take a surprisingly feminist attitude as well, but they clearly contradict the derogatory ones above. Therefore, I think it is clear that if Hinduism is taken seriously, it has a very contradictory but at times extremely low view of women, which I think most people understand intuitively is not right.

Hinduism and Women


Being proud of their tolerance, Hindus often say that all religions are true and that there are many paths to God, even going as far as to say that there is no need for a foreigner to convert to Hinduism. This attitude does get pushback from some more serious believers however, and for good reason, as will be explained.

To defend the notion that there are many paths to God, a point some Hindus make is: where was the knowledge of God before Moses, or Jesus, or Muhammad, etc.? Exclusive major religions always had a moment or moments where the message was revealed. Therefore, one of these exclusive religions cannot be the only path, they say.

The reason this point does not stand against several major religions is that they explain what was expected of men before the moments of great revelation (at least, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity do, among others). Therefore, the reasoning above is not a valid criticism.

## An Exclusive Path

If it could be shown that one way to God is true, and that this way condemned all other religions, then the many-paths view would have to be false. For example, if Jesus really is the Son of God and confirmed his message by miracles and prophecy, and if his message included that idolatry and the worship of other gods lead to hell, then the inclusive Hindu should convert. For this reason, you should see the [Christianity page](/beliefs/christianity), since he confirmed his message convincingly, and his words have been well-preserved.

## Tolerance

Hindus are more than happy to include Jesus and other religions figures in their pantheon of gods. The objections come when Christians and Muslims say that all Hindu gods are false. Thus, an appreciation for Jesus in a vague sense is fine to Hindus, but converting to Christianity, Islam, or the like can be very seriously opposed by the community and family.

There are even anti-conversion laws in 12 Indian states, which are somewhat vague but seem to prevent peaceful attempts at converting others and even require government permission for a conversion (see [this report](https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2023%20India%20Apostasy%20Issue%20Update.pdf) on the laws).

Thus, we see that in reality, the Hindu worldview is not neutral and infinitely tolerant, but no worldview can be unless it is that "nothing matters at all, and I don't really believe anything."


Many Paths


A perfect life where we live in a world with no temptation and no
suffering whatsoever would obviously be good, which is what Christians
believe awaits believers. That seems pretty hard to argue with. But is
no existence really better than existence with suffering? That is what
the Hindu believes who thinks the annihilation of the self is the end
goal.

No one thinks that life is meaningless when he is striving for
something he believes in with all his heart. No one thinks that life
is too sad and painful to endure when is happy and pain-free. There
are truly good things in the world, and good experiences are not the
problem—bad ones are.

The self also logically cannot be an illusion to be extinguished
anyway, since only conscious beings can experience illusions, and
Brahman could not delude himself. Only if he made separate beings
could he allow them to be deluded.


Moksha


## Evidence for Reincarnation

There are some challenges to reincarnation that may immediately spring to mind:

- The population has increased dramatically in recent centuries. Where were all these souls that were needed for the extra people?
- Why has this belief been mostly specific to India?
- Why does almost no one claim to remember a single thing about our supposed past lives?

Obvious objections like these are very serious, but we should acknowledge that there are many reports, notably by Dr. Ian Stevenson, of children getting uncanny details about people they claim to have been correct. This is indeed serious evidence if there is no trickery going on, but we need to consider some criticisms, some of which I will list:

- The details about these "past lives" are still scant. No one to my knowledge has actually been born with a full memory of a past life that can be checked—only scattered bits of information.
- Failure to remember basic facts about the “past life” is apparently common, such as the high school attended and close family members’ names.
- All or most of these children are from families who believe in reincarnation, making coaching by parents a very reasonable explanation.

  - Children are highly suggestable: until recently, claiming to be a boy when you are a girl was extremely uncommon, but now, many tiny children are "choosing" to gender-swap.

- When a child gets impressive details right, he can also get some major things wrong. Isn't that extremely fishy?

As for adults, fraud is an obvious concern, as is simply knowing things and forgetting where you heard of them.

Finally, in an instance where the person really was receiving knowledge he could not have known, our conclusion does not have to be reincarnation. An evil spirit would love to convince people of reincarnation, since it cheapens this life and supposes that we will not be judged for what we have done in the end.

## Paying for Wrongs

In the karmic system, you can make up for bad actions with good actions. However, it is everyone’s duty to do good. Should doing what is your duty to do make up for rebelling and doing evil? That would be like getting a question wrong on a quiz and saying that the one you got wrong should be cancelled out by another one that you got right. Instead, because you got one wrong, your score is imperfect, and you cannot make it perfect by getting more answers correct.

Again, let us say there is a man who murders a child. He cannot make things right by being generous with his money, or any other act of decency. Even if he sacrificed his life to save someone else, does that make up for the murder of the little child? I do not think so. He has done well to turn his ways around, but he cannot undo the evil he has done. This is why Christians believe that everyone needs salvation from God himself, because we have all done wrong and cannot make up for it.

## Is Karma Flowing Between Lives Helpful or Fair?

According to [Hinduism Today](https://www.hinduismtoday.com/hindu-basics/karma-and-reincarnation/), reincarnation is for the development of the soul until it reaches perfection and is one with God, but how can one's soul be improved when at the beginning of a new life, whatever character one had is lost? And why would there be punishment in this life for transgressions in previous lives? It would not be helpful for recognizing your failings if you do not remember them.

It also does not seem fair to punish a person for a previous life. If he does not remember his past life—which even a devout Hindu must admit is the norm—and starts innocent as a child, then he might as well be a different person, though his soul may be of the same essence. If we still retained our memories and character from past lives, it would make sense for karma to flow between lives, but what fairness is there in punishing a person who started with a blank slate and chose the right path?

## Resources

### 📜 Articles

- [Who gets what? Assessing the reincarnation debate](https://scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0259-94222022000300010#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20foremost%20problems,former%20life%20or%20past%20existence.) by Nicholas U. Asogwa and Michael E. Onwuama.

## 🎞️ Videos

- [The Incredible Evidence for Reincarnation Thoughtfully Examined](https://youtu.be/6KvlJFZBZbc?si=itv1QmYsI0HoO5Al) by Capturing Christianity
- [Do Past Lives Prove Reincarnation is True? A Christian Response.](https://youtu.be/hpTpFpQHRCw?si=aYq14xARgB8xZP2Y) by Melissa Dougherty


Reincarnation and Karma


Hinduism is best described as a collection of Indian religions with certain traditions, scriptures, and gods in common. Meditation, doing one's duty, praying to the gods, pilgrimages, and festivals are very important practices to most Hindus. Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahman are very popular gods. Scriptures include the Vedas, Upunishads, and Puranas, among others.


Hinduism