Jesus the Guru: Hinduism (plus inviting ideas)

Hinduism is the world’s oldest major religion that is still practiced. Its earliest origins can be traced to the ancient Vedic civilization. A conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions, Hinduism has no single founder. It is the world’s third largest religion following Christianity and Islam, with approximately a billion adherents, of whom about 905 million live in India and Nepal.

Hinduism contains a vast body of scriptures. Divided as ?ruti (revealed) and Smriti (remembered) and developed over millennia, these scriptures expound on theology, philosophy and mythology, and provide spiritual insights and guidance on the practice of dharma (religious living). In the orthodox view, among such texts, the Vedas and the Upanishads are the foremost in authority, importance and antiquity. Other major scriptures include the Tantras, the sectarian Agamas, the Pur??as and the epics Mah?bh?rata and R?m?ya?a. The Bhagavad G?t?, a treatise excerpted from the Mah?bh?rata, is sometimes called a summary of the spiritual teachings of the Vedas.  #

Hinduism can be spotted all around us in culture:
Yoga – 31% of North American’s have participated in Yoga.
In 2006 Britney Spears got her 4-month old blessed in a Hindu temple.
376,000 Canadians consider themselves Hindu.
A gang of Hare Krishna are found in the immensely popular video game Grand Theft Auto 2.
The character Apu from the Simpsons is Hindu.
The TV Show "My Name is Earl" shows a popular version of the Hindu idea of karma.

Here are some links if you are looking for more information on Hinduism:
Dharma Central
Heart of Hinduism: An overview of Hindu traditions

Rich Birch
[email protected]
Executive Director of Operations
Connexus Community Church

BONUS POST:  Some ideas for inviting friends . . .
Connexus is built through a network of relationships.  If you attend Connexus it is probably because someone invited you.  Our current series "Jesus the Guru" is a perfect one to invite some friends and family to. Here are some ideas for inviting your friends to this series:

  • Drop by our website and send an "evite".  They are located on the bottom right hand corner of every page.  You can even customize the evite with a greeting from you. 
  • Email them a copy of this PDF invite
  • Give them a call and invite them out . . . offer to take them out for lunch after the service.
  • Let them know about the great stuff going on in our Family Ministry department.  Tell them about how your kids love it!
  • Tell them about your experiences at Connexus and then ask them to attend with you.

In a recent survey it was discovered that 82% of people didn’t come to a church because no one ever asked them.  I think your friends will thank you for just asking.  We start the series this weekend in Orillia with something that you probably have never seen in church before.  We continue the series in Barrie with another fantastic message from Carey.

Just ask . . . you’ll be amazed what will happen.

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