866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are not three different persons but are the three different aspects of the one all-ensouling Life of the Universe. They are supposed to be the creator, preserver, and destroyer of the universe.
1. The Hindu Trimurti is not three eternal Persons in one Godhead. Instead the Hindu gods are mere manifestations of one impersonal, unknowable god who is called Brahma and other names.
“Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva is not three but is ONE, manifesting in three different ways at three different times. It is entirely a matter of personal choice and preference as to whether an individual refers to the all-ensouling Life of the Universe as Vishnu or as Shiva or as Brahma.
“In the beginning was only Being, ONE without a second. Out of Himself He brought forth the cosmos and entered into everything in it” (“Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva,” BlissofHinduism.wordpress.com).
2. In Hinduism, it is not necessary to worship God as any one thing or person. In Hinduism God can be worshiped however the worshiper sees fit, whereas the God of the Bible reveals Himself precisely and must be worshiped according to His own revelation.
3. The Hindu Brahma is not the Creator, because nothing new is ever created. Hinduism does not teach creation but rather emanation and evolution. Hinduism says that there is no such thing as “creation” since nothing new can ever be made.
“Brahman, ‘Infinite Godhead,’ is not a Creator, has never created anything, and can never create anything. It simply emanates Itself through Itself, within Itself, and as Itself. Emanation and evolution are realities but creation is not. And it is Brahma which is the great Evolver” (“Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva,” BlissofHinduism.wordpress.com).
“Brahma is evolutionary energy.”
4. The Hindu Brahma is not a knowable person who has revealed himself as such to man.
“Brahman is the Absolute, the Infinite, the Ultimate, the Unconditioned and Unmanifested, It is above and beyond all name, all form, all matter, all manifestation, and everything finite, conditioned, and differentiated, although at the same time everything matching this description is of course permeated with Brahman since Brahman is all there is.”
5. The Hindu Brahma is not separate from the universe or distinct from creation. The Hindu god is pantheistic. Brahma means the Universe itself.
6. The Hindu Brahma is not distinct from man.
“Brahman is Who and What we really are, in our own Real Self and essential nature as pure eternal Spirit. The Hindu scriptures tell us, ‘You are Brahman; in the highermost part of your being you are literally one and the same as this Absolute Infinite Divine Consciousness; Brahman is all and in all!’”
7. The Hindu Trimurti is not one in mind and purpose. The Hindus gods war against each other. They are jealous of one another. They do not work together in harmony and unity of mind and purpose.
8. The Hindu Trimurti is not one in attributes. Braham, Vishnu, and Shiva are not omniscient, omnipotent, immutable.
9. The Hindu Trimurti is not one in holy character. Braham, Vishnu, and Shiva are not all holy, morally pure, and sinless. Each god has a consort: Brahma has Saraswati; Vishnu has Lakshmi; Shiva has Kali or Parvati, but they are not faithful. Shiva was said to have cut off the head of his own son in a jealous rage. Shiva worship is morally filthy. The gods and goddesses commit fornication and adultery. Krishna who is also supposed to be Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, have hundreds of “girlfriends.”
10. The Hindu Trimurti is not the compassionate Redeemer. The Hindu gods provide no redemption. There is no literal fall and no compassionate God who works out the plan of redemption. In Hinduism, redemption is the work of each individual, who must work out his own karma along the path of reincarnation.
The Trimurti doctrine is not an absolute doctrine of Hinduism. It has never been a teaching that all Hindus believe. Hinduism is a bewildering variety of contradictory beliefs. There are no real absolutes.
Historian A. L. Basham explains the background of the Trimurti as follows, noting Western interest in the idea of trinity: “Early western students of Hinduism were impressed by the parallel between the Hindu trinity and that of Christianity. In fact the parallel is not very close, and the Hindu trinity, unlike the Holy Trinity of Christianity, never really ‘caught on.’ All Hindu trinitarianism tended to favor one god of the three; thus, from the context it is clear that Kālidāsa's hymn to the Trimūrti is really addressed to Brahmā, here looked on as the high god. The Trimūrti was in fact an artificial growth, and had little real influence” (Basham, The Wonder That Was India, 1954, pp. 310, 311).
There is no Trimurti in the Vedas composed of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The Vedic Trimurti was composed of Surya, Agni, and Vayu.
Sauram sect Hindus worship Surya (the sun) as the highest god and the Trimurti as manifestations of Surya. “Surya is Brahma in the morning, Vishnu in the afternoon and Shiva in the evening.”
Vaishnavism Hindus (sects of Dvaita Ramanuja, Madhva and Chaitanya, Swaminarayan) generally do not accept the Trimurti concept.
In practice, Hindus worship god in a multitude of forms and any one of these is considered his or her god. How this god is associated with other gods differs greatly from sect to sect. The gods are worshipped for selfish purposes, chiefly for good fortune. Laxmi is the goddess of good luck; Ganesh supposedly overcomes obstacles and brings success.
- Receive these reports by email
- www.wayoflife.org
______________________
Sharing Policy: Much of our material is available for free, such as the hundreds of articles at the Way of Life web site. Other items we sell to help fund our expensive literature and foreign church planting ministries. Way of Life's content falls into two categories: sharable and non-sharable. Things that we encourage you to share include the audio sermons, O Timothy magazine, FBIS articles, and the free eVideos and free eBooks. You are welcome to make copies of these at your own expense and share them with friends and family. You may also post parts of reports and/or entire reports to websites, blogs, etc as long as you give proper credit (citation). A link to the original report is very much appreciated as the reports are frequently updated and/or expanded. Things we do not want copied and distributed are "Store" items like the Fundamental Baptist Digital Library, print editions of our books, electronic editions of the books that we sell, the videos that we sell, etc. The items have taken years to produce at enormous expense in time and money, and we use the income from sales to help fund the ministry. We trust that your Christian honesty will preserve the integrity of this policy. "For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward" (1 Timothy 5:18). Questions? support@wayoflife.org
Goal:Distributed by Way of Life Literature Inc., the Fundamental Baptist Information Service is an e-mail posting for Bible-believing Christians. Established in 1974, Way of Life Literature is a fundamental Baptist preaching and publishing ministry based in Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. Brother Cloud lives in South Asia where he has been a church planting missionary since 1979. Our primary goal with the FBIS is to provide material to assist preachers in the edification and protection of the churches.
Offering: Offerings are welcome if you care to make one. If you have been helped and/or blessed by our material offerings can be mailed or made online with with Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Paypal. For information see: www.wayoflife.org/about/makeanoffering.html.
