Christian view of the Vedic scriptures, like Bhagavad-gita?

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Christian view of the Vedic scriptures, like Bhagavad-gita?

Post by email » Wed Aug 15, 2012 2:08 pm

My dear Christian brother or sister,

Do you have any sermons available on the Christian view of the Vedic scriptures, such as Bhagavad-gita? I have searched this website, but have found nothing.

Thanking you kindly
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m273p15c
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Comparing the 2 books ...

Post by m273p15c » Thu Aug 16, 2012 10:41 pm

Thanks for the good question! We have not had any sermons examining the Vedas or similar texts in recent memory. ... I imagine the reason for not having any sermons on the topic may be because we rarely encounter the local need to answer it. However, for those that are in frequent association with Hindus, this is an imperative and needed question.

Personally, I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God for these reasons:
  1. Internal Claims - The internal claims of the Bible are that it was inspired by God (II Timothy 3:16-17, for example). Now, any book can claim to be inspired without actually being inspired, but some texts do not even make that claim.
  2. Fulfilled Prophecy - The Bible contains hundreds of specific prophecies concerning historical events, many about Jesus, which He fulfilled. God built His case for His own exclusive identity on His ability to foretell the future and bring it to pass (Isaiah 41:21-24; 42:8-9; 44:6-8; 46:8-11). Some prophecies even specify names of kings of empires that did not exist until hundreds of years after the prophecy’s writing (Isaiah 44:28-45:7). Other prophecies detail long periods of time, where empires rose, allied, fought, and faded into history (Daniel 7, 8, and 11-12). And, on the flip-side, the Bible does not contain any failed prophecies (compare to the "Test of a Prophet", Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
  3. Accompanied Miracles - The prophets and apostles of Scripture confirmed their divine sponsorship through the working of undeniable miracles - not parlor tricks and slight of hand - but marvelous signs that only could be performed if God supported them. Scriptures detail many accounts as well as making this point. Here are a few references: Hebrews 2:1-4; Mark 16:15-20; Acts 1:3; Matthew 15:30-31; John 11:32-45; Matthew 8:28-34;
  4. Eyewitness Testimony - Unlike many supposedly inspired books, the Bible was written by eyewitnesses to the events being recorded, such as the above miracles. They were not passed down as oral legends and stories for hundreds of years and then finally put to tablet, stone, or paper. These accounts were recorded during the lifetime of the witnesses by the witnesses themselves (II Peter 1:16-21; Luke 1:1-4)!
  5. Credible Witnesses - Almost all of the witnesses, especially in the New Testament, that wrote the Bible gave their life for their message. Now, people can be deceived by con-artists. But, how many con-artists are willing to give their lives to protect their con? This becomes even more incredible when you realize that almost all of the New Testament apostles and prophets - save John - were martyred for their beliefs, and yet none of them recanted and or repented while being tortured, persecuted, and murdered. (John died a natural death at an advanced age, and he was the exception.)
  6. Unity of Message - The Bible was written by about 40 different writers over a period of about 1500 years, but yet they provide one consistent message explaining God's provision and offering of redemption to man. If the Bible was not inspired, then this feat of unity is more amazing than the miracles recorded in it!
  7. Preservation of the Text - The Bible has a multitude of manuscripts that testify to its original content. Some date within 100 years of the original writing. The sheer volume and general agreement between these texts is staggering. No ancient document has so much supporting evidence. Beyond the manuscripts, we have quotations and translations from the same time frame, which corroborate the original message. There are only a handful of passages that are even debatable. The vast majority of the Bible is beyond any dispute to its preservation.
  8. Historical and Geographical Accuracy - The Bible contains numerous incidental references to various geographies, cultures, peoples, and kingdoms, and yet the references are always consistent with history. It would be very difficult and risky to include such tell-tale markers, if the Bible was created by imposters, especially those living long after the events recorded. Occasionally, the Bible has pointed out the existence of ancient nations that were not even known to exist, such as the Hittites, until they were discovered by archaeologists in recent times. Although the Bible is not a book about secular history or geography, but wherever it mentions such events, it is always accurate.
  9. Global Dominance - These attributes do not belong to some backwoods cult that is obscure and unknown to the world. They belong to the central text of the religion that has dominated the last 2000 years! This does not make Christianity correct, but that exposure makes opportunity for lots of inspection and eyes looking for flaws, and yet Christianity triumphs.
  10. Rational Message - This is highly subjective, but after studying the Bible for some time, I have come to delight and wonder in the beauty, power, and logic of its message (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:3-4; Romans 12:1-2). Such realized fulfillment of the message's promise to provide "life" even now, keeps me coming back for more (I Peter 2:2-3; I Timothy 4:8)! :)
What do you think of these attributes of the Bible? Generally, my answer to other texts, such as the Koran, Book of Mormon, etc., is to simply hold them up to the Bible for comparison. The contrast is compelling. So, how do the Vedas compare in these points?

...

Additionally, here are a few articles that touch on the this comparison and make other points:
I hope you find this helpful. If you have any other thoughts, concerns, feedback, or suggestions, we would love to hear them! :)

May God help us to have a sincere love of truth,

m273p15c
May God help us to love truth sincerely and supremely (II Thessalonians 2:11-12)

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