Day 21 - A Conversation

Here is a typical conversation about religion I have had with Hindu students this past week. I will name the student Pavon since that's a common Indian name I've come across so far. A portion of this typical conversation roughly goes as follows:

John: Would you consider yourself a religious person?

Pavon: I am Indian first, before anything else. But I think all religions say the same thing and are from the same God. The important thing is to be honest with your own personal convictions, follow them as best you can, and to not try to change what people think is right in their own hearts.

John: So you think all religions are from the same God? If all religions come from the same God, then there must be one God, correct?

Pavon: Yes. God is one.

John: But I thought Hinduism taught that there were millions of gods?

Pavon: It does, and there are millions of gods, but they all come from one God. The many gods are different expressions of the one God; and in Hinduism, followers are encouraged to choose which expressions of God they want to worship based on preference. It's like music: Music is one, but there are many expressions and definitions of music; but it's still one. And people choose which genres of music they want to listen to and like. It's all preference. 

John: That's very interesting. So then who is this one God? Do you know Him? Why don't you just worship this one God instead of all the gods?

Pavon: I know God through the many gods. I worship Him by worshiping his expressions. It's all the same. You, being a Christian, worship God in your own way, in the expression you prefer, through Jesus. I worship Shiva and Vishnu and Lakshmi. It's all the same. 

John: So then Jesus is just another god in your opinion, another expression of the one God?

Pavon: Yes, Jesus is a god.

John: Can you tell me who you think this one God is?

Pavon: No. I don't know this.