Is there a good reason to accept Christianity ?

If you have not been born into a Christian family, there is absolutely no good reason to accept Christianity.

And if you have been born a Christian, you should reflect, what is helpful in your belief and what is harmful for you and for humanity as a whole.

Let me explain : I was born in a Christian family and the belief in God, the Creator, who knows us and loves us, was helpful as a child. My mother taught me a brief prayer which rhymed in German :

‘Lieber Gott, ich bin klein, mein Herz ist rein,
lass mich ganz Dein eigen sein.’
(Dear God, I am small, my heart is pure, let me be fully your own.)

It was helpful as it created an intimacy with God and I felt protected by his greatness.

Soon I was also taught about Jesus Christ being the only son of God, who died for our sins, and rose from the dead, etc… and I was taught about hell, for example : If I don’t go to mass on Sunday, and I don’t confess to the priest and repent, I will be thrown into eternal hellfire. (For Catholics in the 1950s, 60s, not attending mass on Sundays was a ‘cardinal sin’, which means a very bad sin with eternal hell as punishment).

1. Harmful for the individual and humanity

This teaching was clearly harmful for me, as I became very timid and believed something, which was not true, but which I believed to be true at that time.
Later in school, another aspect was taught. Christianity alone has the full truth. All those heathens who don’t accept Christ as their saviour, will burn eternally in hell.

This clearly is harmful for humanity as a whole. It makes Christians arrogant and they look down on those heathens who are ‘damned’. And how easily they even killed them. Christianity has left a very bloody trail on earth, and all this in the name of a ‘loving God’.

Something seems very wrong here. Every human with an average intelligence can see that this claim that non-Christians will burn eternally in hell, is not true but is a strategy to divide and rule.

Unfortunately, many of those who were brainwashed into this belief as children, can’t see it even as adults.

2. Now regarding the beneficial aspect of Christianity

Beneficial is the belief in a great God, a Supreme Power, to which we owe our existence.

Yet there is no need to accept Christianity where one needs to blindly believe also the harmful aspects, because Christianity comes as a full parcel where one cannot pick and choose. The belief in a higher power is natural and makes sense. And this belief is ancient. It was there much before Christianity appeared.
In the most ancient texts of humanity, the Vedas, Brahman is the one invisible, eternal, infinite Consciousness that is the Essence in all. This Essence is Sat-Chit-Ananda (Truth-Consciousness-Bliss) and the same in all. Only names and forms are different and temporary.

3. The Christian God is a distortion of Brahman

Now if one compares Brahman with the Christian God, it becomes clear that the Christian God is a distortion of Brahman. The Christian God is NOT the essence in all, but SEPARATE from his creation. Moreover, he loves only those who accept Jesus as their savior and sends the rest for ever into hell.
It’s easy to see which view is closer to truth and also more beneficial for humanity.

It is no surprise that the Indian texts are full of universal prayers, like ‘Let all be happy’, ‘Lead us from untruth to truth, from darkness to light…’
In contrast, when Christians pray for others, they pray that those who are not yet Christians get baptised and join their club.

So even though I was born a Christian, I can see that the Hindu view is closer to the Truth and therefore consider myself a Hindu.

And yes, Hindus don’t proselytise. They don’t try to increase their numbers, unlike Christianity and Islam. Actually, I wished they would do and make people see sense.

The world would be a better place.

Now the big question : Why in spite of the above arguments, still many Hindus convert ?

4. Bribe in exchange for conversion

Since even missionaries recognize that there is no good reason for Hindus to accept Christianity, they offer bribes in exchange for conversion … money, free education or reduced fees, etc. Unfortunately, some people consider such material benefits as a good reason …

But for those, who converted, it’s never too late to come back to your Devatas and to the joy and happiness of their worship. And don’t believe the missionaries if they threaten you with eternal hell. There is no eternal hell.

– Maria Wirth (Introduction : Ms Maria Wirth is from Germany and has been in India for the past 39 years. She is the Author of the book ‘Thank you India – a German woman’s journey to the wisdom of Yoga’)

Though I was born a Christian, I can see that the Hindu view is closer to the Truth and hence consider myself a Hindu !