Philosophical Hinduism teaches that the natural universe is one with Brahman, who has always existed and will always exist. We also, and all that we “see” around us, are in essence one with Brahman. All emanates from it and will return to the same source.(World Religions, page 30) An adherent of philosophical Hinduism would not accept the concepts of accountability, because he does not believe in a personal God who created the world. He believes that we are in a sense responsible for what we do wrong, but this is not because we sin against God in rebellion, but because we are ignorant and are subject to the law of Karma. The law of Karma says that our actions have bad consequences if they are bad, and good consequences if they are good. We must accept the results of our actions, whether they move us closer to Moksha or farther from it. Man is very accountable, but not for the same reasons, and not to a personal God.

            There are two aspects here,  The first aspect is the fact that God is essentially unknowable for the Hindu. He is not personal. Therefore you cannot say the Hindu would agree that he is answerable to God. I would approach the Hindu on the basis that he does believe that a force or a god exists.  I might say something like, ”You believe that your God, Brahman, has always existed and will always exist. We also believe in a God who has always been and always will be. You seek insight into how you relate to your God.

I have already been given the gift of insight regarding this. Could I share that insight with you?”

The second aspect deals with being answerable to a personal God. Since the Hindu isn’t answerable to a personal God, he would not speak of sin. He cannot repent of sin, and there is no forgiveness. He is responsible for his actions because of an inexorable law of the universe. I think I would approach him in the following manner.  I would say something like,” You believe that you are responsible for your actions, both good and bad. If you do good, good will result, and if you do something bad, bad will result. All of us do both good and bad. Isn’t that so? Well, we also believe that if we do bad things the results will be bad. But all of us have done bad things -- would you like to know of a person who did only good in his life?”

A believer in philosophical Hinduism would agree that God exists, but not as a result of what he sees in the “created” world, since he believes that the world is Maya, a qualified reality, that is to say that in our normal condition, our minds perceive the world as we see it. We cannot infer that this necessarily represents the true reality. (Handbook of Today’s Religions, p. 288-89)He might also agree that not all is right with his life, but to say this results in a sense of guilt probably wouldn’t be accurate. He would say that what we call guilt is not the question. His sense of “wrongness” in life comes from the fact that he does not have true knowledge, as well as the law of Karma which says that in this life and the ones to come, wrong actions result in moving farther from liberation, from rebirth and becoming one with God. (Handbook of Today’s Religions, p292,288-29).  From KB, 2/01

Explaining the idea of "sin" to a Hindu person.  From S. R., 2003:

A Hindu is constantly striving to be released from samsara, or the cycle of death and rebirth.  It is the teaching of the religion that this will be reached when a Hindu finally achieves union with Brahman.  Brahman is the ultimate source of reality in the Hindu faith.  Brahman is everything and is in everything.  Once a Hindu is in union with Brahman they have achieved moksha and their cycle of life, death, and rebirth is finished. When this happens a person is finally released from the suffering of the world. 

Hinduism has a distinct teaching that all humans should lead a moral life in their quest for reaching moksha.   A Hindu cannot reach moksha unless they live a moral life. Therefore, actions are very important in the life of a Hindu.   It is the teaching of classical Hinduism that a Hindu should maintain a “basic sense of morality, refrain from killing, stealing, sexual impurity, lying, or the consumption of intoxicants.  Unless they observe these prohibitions they can not attain the basic purity required to take them further on the path of moksha” (Hammer 190).  A Christian is also striving to be released from the suffering of this world. This is the bridge that a Christian can start from when trying to explain the concept of sin to a Hindu.  In Christianity the law requires humans to lead a moral and sinless life.  According to the law, salvation cannot be reached if this perfect life is not being led. 

This bridge is a place to start for a Christian to talk about how no matter how hard they try they cannot lead this perfectly moral life.  Begin by getting a grasp of what sin means to the Hindu.  Because a Hindu is not really accountable to anyone when they do things that are wrong it may be hard for he/she to grasp the fact that you feel guilty when you do things wrong.  This is when it is important to establish if they have ever felt guilty or not.  It is crucial to do this because if you do not, the Hindu that you are witnessing to might become confused or not be able to comprehend why this guilt you are talking about is so bad.  If they have not experienced the guilt of doing something wrong ask them if they have ever felt symptoms such as; “lack of meaning, purpose, fulfillment; lack of peace; a feeling of “not being right with God” or physical consequences of past sins” (Found).

From this point you can establish the Biblical teachings on why it is impossible to lead a perfectly moral life.  First you must explain to your Hindu friend your view on who God is because a Hindu does not see God as necessarily a personal being who created humans in his own image.  Read from Genesis 2 the account of God creating man by breathing his own breath into him.  Talk about how God created the world perfectly and how everything was in harmony with everything else.  Express that man was in perfect harmony with God. However, so there are no miscommunications stress that humans themselves were not God. When a Hindu hears that man and God were in harmony he/she will most likely envision moksha.  Stress that this was not moksha but something completely different.   This view of life being perfect is something that a Hindu can relate to because one of the goals of the Hindu religion is to “pass beyond imperfection altogether” (Smith 22).  Explain that everything began perfect; there was no imperfection.  Explain that leading a perfectly moral life was something that was possible because that is how we were created to be.  Then explain that humans were also given free will to think and act on their own.  God was not going to make decisions for them.  Explain that Adam and Eve wanted something more then the harmony that they had with God so they disobeyed him.  State that because they disobeyed God the perfect harmony was broken. Suffering and sin had entered the world.

Once you have established that there is sin, or something that is keeping all humans from living a perfectly moral life, this opens the door for you to explain that suffering stems from this inability to be perfect.  Read verses from the Bible that clearly state this is the predicament everyone is in, “for all have sinned an fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).  Explain that because of what happen when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, no one can lead a perfectly moral life and no one can escape the suffering of life. To the Hindu mind this suffering will lead to death and then rebirth.  To a Christian this suffering will only lead to death.  Stress that point.  Read passages that talk about sin and death, “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23) and “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned” (Rom 5:12-13).

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