Bible vs Vedas

Christianity Basic Beliefs

• Christians believe there is one God taught by the prophet Jesus
• Trinity - God is the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
• There is a life after death
• Worship in churches

Hinduism basic Beliefs

• Hindus worship one God, Brahman, who created the universe
• There are two other forms of Brahman
• Vishnu preserves the universe; Shiva destroys it
• Hindus either worship Vishnu, Shiva, or the Mother Goddess
• Unlike Christianity, you are reincarnated using the caste system

Purpose of Genesis

• Genesis is a story in the bible
• States that God created the world in 7 days
• 1st day - light, 2nd day - sky, 3rd day - land & seas & plants 
• 4th day - sun & moon & stars, 5th day - sea creatures & birds 
• 6th day - humans, 7th day - God rests

Purpose of The rigVeda Chapter IX

• This is not the first or the last universe
• Created by Brahman
• After Shiva destroys the universe there is nothing but ocean
• Then Lord Vishnu in the form of a snake evolves into Lord Brahman
• Creation occurs by 1) he splits himself to create new life 

PURPOSE OF THE RIGVEDA CHAPTER IX

• or 2) everything comes from a part of his body
• Brahman's days last 4 thousand mil years
• When he sleeps the world dies and when he awakes its created

Style of Genesis

• Genesis is said to be a historical narrative
• The writers of Genesis referred to it as history not myth 
• None of the Hebrew poetry parallelism is seen in Genesis

Style of RigVeda

• The Rigveda consists mostly of poems and hymns (sukta) 
• They are recited as prayers or in religious ceremonies 
•  The world's most ancient written text
• ...Unlike Christianity which is considered narraitve

Works Cited

• "Braham." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 19 June 2014.
• Fairchild, Mary. "In the Beginning: The Bible's Story of Creation." About.com Christianity. About.com, n.d. Web. 19 June 2014.
• Fryman, Helen. "Is Genesis Poetry or Historic Narrative." Lambert Dolphin's Library. N.p., 11 Mar. 2000. Web. 19 June 2014.
• "God, Jesus and the Saints." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 19 June 2014.
• "Hindu Creation Story." Hindu Creation Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 June 2014.