Christianity Religion
(christianity teachings of jesus christ - christianity teachings of jesus christ)

Kaivalya Jnani:
I not only believe but know for sure that Christianity is a religion. Before we elaborate on the issue whether Christianity is a religion we need to understand the definition of religion.

Every religion primarily is the following of an enlightened master. Gautama Buddha gained enlightenment within his lifetime and his teachings came to be known as Buddhism aka the middle path. In a nutshell Buddhism is a religion which started after the advent of Gautama Buddha on Mother Earth.

Before Gautama Buddha was born there was nothing like Buddhism that existed on Mother Earth.

The coming of Jesus Christ announced the dawn of Christianity. Primarily Christianity is the teachings of Jesus Christ available to mankind. Whatever Jesus Christ invoked from Almighty God... all the Scriptural text was produced in the form of a compiled document... the revered Bible.

Christianity is also a religion as before the advent of Jesus Christ nothing by the name of Christianity existed on Mother Earth. Christianity is a following of the doctrine preached by Jesus Christ. Likewise Buddhism is following the teachings of Gautama Buddha alone.

On the contrary the Islamic Dharma is partly religion for the teachings of Prophet Mohammed have been inculcated into it. Rest is all direct invocation from the kingdom of God.

Hinduism is not a religion. It exists from times immemorial. Hinduism is not following the teachings of one particular person... a singular enlightened master. Hinduism can also be stated as Sanatana Dharma... something that exists from times immemorial. Sanatana stands for something from the beginning of time... something that does not have a beginning!

Whenever there has been an enlightened master who was able to invoke the words of God... people believed in him and his teachings. Gradually this enlightened master developed a following that finally swelled into a religion.

In Hinduism many saints became enlightened. This does not mean each one of them developed a following. Having gained enlightenment there are two paths for one to follow. Leave the body and gain salvation (liberation from the cycle of birth and death forever) and go back to the kingdom of God (known as Vaikunth in Hinduism).

Alternatively, one can impart the wisdom thus gained before leaving the mortal frame. This happened in the case of Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed. All these enlightened souls gave back to the community whatever they had learnt from the house of God.

The following of Mahavira is never known as Jainism. Mahavira was the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. Before the advent of Mahavira there had been 23 more enlightened masters who preached philosophies that are contained in the sacred scriptures of Jainism. The prime reason why Jainism is not known as a religion but is defined as, "a way of life"!

Contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ, Mahavira always stated that every human being had the potential of becoming a Mahavira. He never advocated himself as the only son of God. He clearly mentioned in his discourses that the prime goal of every human being is to gain enlightenment at the end of the journey... the earthly abode!

Whether we follow the teachings of Gautama Buddha, Mahavira, Jesus Christ or Prophet Mohammed... the gist of all the teachings is the same. We may take any path... but the end result of all would always remain the same. Every journey culminates in reaching the kingdom of God having gained enlightenment forever.

If one desires to come to India from New York... we have two paths. We either take the western route (via Europe) or the eastern (via Japan). The goal in both the journeys remains the same.

Essay by: Kaivalya Jnani ... One who realized self in his life time! Send your query!

 
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