What is it to be human?

@ghost-of-a-duke said
That really was very enjoyable to watch Kelly. Loved the voice and the animation.

Recommend it to others to watch.

I was amazed at the animation, very well done. He does a lot of Lewis work and it helps one grasp the message too.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
Go for it. There is a plethora of stuff on the web about creation stories from other religions. The Hindu creation story I find a little confusing and contradictory at times, but interesting nonetheless.

This site is a good one to start with:

http://www.crystalwind.ca/mystical-magical/pantheons-and-myths/hindu/the-hindu-creation-story

Okay read it, and I agree a little confusing and contradictory. I wondered why for example if you can come back as anything living why would anyone become a vegetarian, since any living as in a apple, that is life isn't, so would be an ear of corn. Life is life, it seems that if someone came back as a plant in that religion they must have really been bad that no one cares about them. 🙂

Another thing I thought odd was the creation and destruction, all that was left was this vast ocean. It made me think of Genesis as if that was as far back as whoever wrote that could go. Without a doubt the rest of the story is contradictory.

Genesis 1 English Standard Version (ESV)
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

@kellyjay said
No, it isn't a one way street, I'll look at the link you provided, but unless its something you are going to defend I see no reason for it, unless it is something you believe in I see no reason for it. But because you ask I will look at it.

Come on Kelly, I'm an atheist. You know before looking at it that it is not something I believe in. If I am only allowed to speak about things in this forum that I believe in I would remain mostly silent. 😆

The link I provided will explain the Hindu creation far better than I ever could, which surely is all that really matters if your interest was genuine?

@kellyjay said
I was amazed at the animation, very well done. He does a lot of Lewis work and it helps one grasp the message too.

I liked how the animation kept up with the pace of the narration. Genuinely enjoyable to watch, for me and my wife. It was also well reasoned.

@kellyjay said
Okay read it, and I agree a little confusing and contradictory. I wondered why for example if you can come back as anything living why would anyone become a vegetarian, since any living as in a apple, that is life isn't, so would be an ear of corn. Life is life, it seems that if someone came back as a plant in that religion they must have really been bad that no one cares ab ...[text shortened]... kness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

I don't think a person (in the view of a Hindu) has any control over what they come back as, other than through their karma in their previous incarnation. If that wasn't the case, everyone would come back as Elvis.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
I liked how the animation kept up with the pace of the narration. Genuinely enjoyable to watch, for me and my wife. It was also well reasoned.

I just watched an interview with CS Lewis step son and found out something I didn't know about him. He remembered every book he ever read. His step son told the story while he was in the room when someone asked him if that was true, he said yes. They were in room with several book selves filled with books. They asked him if he had read all of these he said yes, he then told them to pick out any book open it to any page and start reading aloud. They did and Lewis was able to quote it the rest of the page. He had to have had a singular mind, it reminded me of Chess Masters who remembered all of their games. I read in chess life once I believe about one that gave a blind simo (sp) of 25+ games. Afterwards he could setup each game from memory at the beginning and from the end and walk the game through to the other side.

Simply mind blowing!

@ghost-of-a-duke said
I don't think a person (in the view of a Hindu) has any control over what they come back as, other than through their karma in their previous incarnation. If that wasn't the case, everyone would come back as Elvis.

Yes, I also don't see the point in that faith either where nothing is ever accomplished, nothing is ever settled and nothing needs to be. Even the focus on this life isn't for this life its karma.

Comparing that to Christianity, I think Christianity is mind blowing. Made in the image of God is the starting place before the fall, the fall occurs then God is attempting to save us from our sins. Why, because He loves us and what He has for us hasn't entered into the heart of man.

That sounds all well and good until you think about God and who He is. The heavens don't contain Him, He is everywhere in His completeness, He is all knowing, He is all powerful, He is eternal and so on. What would someone like that want, why would He do anything, and if He had something in mind it has be beyond our abilities to grasp. Taking the human race to relationship with Him, to make our sorry butts in His image when His image is so amazing is breath taking when I think about it.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
Come on Kelly, I'm an atheist. You know before looking at it that it is not something I believe in. If I am only allowed to speak about things in this forum that I believe in I would remain mostly silent. 😆

The link I provided will explain the Hindu creation far better than I ever could, which surely is all that really matters if your interest was genuine?

You are my friend, so what you ask matters to me not the Hindu religion. 🙂

@kellyjay said
Yes, I also don't see the point in that faith either where nothing is ever accomplished, nothing is ever settled and nothing needs to be. Even the focus on this life isn't for this life its karma.

Comparing that to Christianity, I think Christianity is mind blowing. Made in the image of God is the starting place before the fall, the fall occurs then God is attempting to s ...[text shortened]... ke our sorry butts in His image when His image is so amazing is breath taking when I think about it.

I think a Hindu would disagree with you there. The 'point' is 'release' and 'union' with the divine. Is that a million miles away from the Christian view?

@ghost-of-a-duke said
I think a Hindu would disagree with you there. The 'point' is 'release' and 'union' with the divine. Is that a million miles away from the Christian view?

Yes, millions of miles away.

Christ became a man, there is nothing about catch and release back into the universe that resembles this. There is nothing about destroy and start over resembles this. There were some similar verbiage I picked up on in the link, as these 3 gods but these are not a trinity, they are three different gods, the water, as I pointed out earlier.

With the Hindu faith from what I read of progression you get swallowed up by the divine after death, while in Christian faith you are a unique individual at all times and God became a man to restore our relationship here in this life time, not after we die. After we die all choices we make here are locked in forever, we are either in Christ here because we have been redeemed, or we are not.

The work of Jesus Christ redeems us here, so there is redemption where we are saved, sanctification where we are made like God through walking with Him while the Spirit of God is in our lives, and at death the salvation is complete we over-come. There isn’t any starting over and over, until we get it right, there is an appointed time and after that the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27) This of course is where we are brought into God’s family as children of God, a marriage bride to the Son of God, the church, not absorbed into the divine for a rinse and repeat.

@kellyjay said
Yes, millions of miles away.

Christ became a man, there is nothing about catch and release back into the universe that resembles this. There is nothing about destroy and start over resembles this. There were some similar verbiage I picked up on in the link, as these 3 gods but these are not a trinity, they are three different gods, the water, as I pointed out earlier.
...[text shortened]... a marriage bride to the Son of God, the church, not absorbed into the divine for a rinse and repeat.

Hinduism can be tricky to understand, but think of souls as being individual grains of salt that dissolve into the one ocean. On the face of it the individual souls do appear to have been swallowed up, but if you were to taste the water it would taste salty. (So not swallowed up, but become part of).

A soul seeks release from the suffering of the world and progress to union with the divine. - Does this not apply to both Hinduism and Christianity?

@ghost-of-a-duke said
Hinduism can be tricky to understand, but think of souls as being individual grains of salt that dissolve into the one ocean. On the face of it the individual souls do appear to have been swallowed up, but if you were to taste the water it would taste salty. (So not swallowed up, but become part of).

A soul seeks release from the suffering of the world and progress to union with the divine. - Does this not apply to both Hinduism and Christianity?

No, being dissolved into the ocean is different than becoming a son, a son isn’t dispersed into something becoming a piece or a part of the taste. A son takes on the nature of the father becoming like him.

@kellyjay said
No, being dissolved into the ocean is different than becoming a son, a son isn’t dispersed into something becoming a piece or a part of the taste. A son takes on the nature of the father becoming like him.

So do you disagree with sonship when he speaks of the 'mingling' of man and God? (Apologies if he uses a similar word).

@ghost-of-a-duke said
So do you disagree with sonship when he speaks of the 'mingling' of man and God? (Apologies if he uses a similar word).

I don’t know the context but God became a man and there is a man sitting in Heaven right now!

@kellyjay said
I don’t know the context but God became a man and there is a man sitting in Heaven right now!

Sure, but sonship has spoken about this 'mingling' of man and God' many times. Do you distance yourself from this?

Sounds akin to Hinduism, to this debauched atheist. (Not your words).