Hindu Gods and Catholic Saints

wil

wil

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a figment of your imagination
Coincidence correlation causation.

Those words are simply for contemplation.

Is it just me or are there distinct similarities between Catholic Saints and Hindu God's?

Not in their features or powers (I have not looked at that) but in the manner they are utilized by followers, the chants and thought.

Two quick examples which make me ponder.

Numerous times in my life I see someone grab their beads or necklace and pray to the Saint of lost things...while looking for the lost thing.

This outsider sees the looking as the important aspect yet agrees the power of positive thinking (in the chant) helps a lot.

A Hindu mom told her child when she was having problems in school tonsay a prayer (recite a chant) to the God of education. And then after the child completed the ritual.. "Now that you have invited/invoked Maa Sarswati into your life and she is watching and helping, don't you think you should go study?"

In my version of Christianity it is pray but move your feet....if it is to be it is up to me.

In both cases I see folks utilizing focus, accessing their higher selves, setting their mind for success and then doing the work in the physical world to increase the likelihood of achieving the goal.

Or is it just me searching for correlation betwixt the two?
 
I don't see this as much of a similarity between the Saints and the Hindu Gods/Goddesses, but a shared practice. I would wager it goes beyond simply these two faiths as well. Being fairly familiar with NeoPagan practices, it isn't uncommon to specify a chant to a deity or energy for this or that. A Pagan might do a whole ritual hoping for a certain outcome, and you see that with Hindus and certain pujas, too.
 
Speaking as someone who was raised in a Catholic household who now identifies as Hindu, while there may be similarities in worship/prayer, I find very few similarities between the gods of Hinduism and Catholic saints themselves.
 
SalixIncendium said:
Speaking as someone who was raised in a Catholic household who now identifies as Hindu, while there may be similarities in worship/prayer, I find very few similarities between the gods of Hinduism and Catholic saints themselves.
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Do you find many similarities between Hindu Saints/Gurus and Catholic Saints? I know they're not quite the same, but I'm curious to hear from someone who's been involved with both paths as to if there are any commonalities.
 
JustGeorge said:
Do you find many similarities between Hindu Saints/Gurus and Catholic Saints? I know they're not quite the same, but I'm curious to hear from someone who's been involved with both paths as to if there are any commonalities.
Click to expand...
Aside from the fact that they impart wisdom upon their disciples/followers and live a virtuous life, there are not a whole lot of similarities that I see.

In Catholicism, to become canonized as a saint, one must be venerated through living a virtuous life, and then perform two miracles, one to be considered beatified as blessed, and one to be canonized as a saint.

There are no such authoritarian requirements for Hindu saints. They are typically enlightened beings that live lives of virtue and are often considered to be avatars of Hindu deities.
 
I always speculated that gods in polytheistic religions may have had more in common with angels in monotheistic religions.
Thoughts?
 
TheLightWithin said:
I always speculated that gods in polytheistic religions may have had more in common with angels in monotheistic religions.
Thoughts?
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The Gods are a lot more varied, have very independent existences and stories in comparison to angels.

From my polytheistic viewpoint, I sometimes wonder if the angels were a sort of elemental spirit within that culture.
 
TheLightWithin said:
I always speculated that gods in polytheistic religions may have had more in common with angels in monotheistic religions.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I find litte to no commonality.

While there may be a few winged Hindu deities, most Hindu deities have no wings. We have lots of arms, though. ;)
 
wil said:
Are the arms a statement? Multifaceted focus of multiple abilities?
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If you look at images in Hindu deities, there is an item in each of their hands or the hand is performing an action that represents and aspect of that particular deity.

For example, in Nataraja, the image in my avatar, one right hand holds a damaru (drum) that creates the rhythmic sound to which Shiva dances and creates/maintains the universe, the other right hand is a gesture meaning "fear not." One left hand holds the fire (Agni) that is the destructive and cleansing force in the universe, and the other left hand hangs limp in the elephant trunk pose pointing to his left foot with which he grant eternal bliss to those who approach. Around his right arm is a snake which symbolizes power over samsara (the cycle of rebirth).
 
SalixIncendium said:
I find litte to no commonality.

While there may be a few winged Hindu deities, most Hindu deities have no wings. We have lots of arms, though. ;)
Click to expand...
Biblical angels can be ... a lot more staggering and startling in appearance than solely the artistic renderings of winged people:

www.historydefined.net

Biblically Accurate Angels Would Actually Be Pretty Scary

Do you know what angels are really like? Turns out, they're nothing like the cute little cherubs we see in paintings! They're actually pretty scary looking.
www.historydefined.net
bestdailyprayer.org

What Do Biblically Accurate Angels Look Like? - BestDailyPrayer

Be in awe of God's majestic and creative ability showcased in creation, by understanding what biblically accurate angels actually look like.
bestdailyprayer.org bestdailyprayer.org
knowyourmeme.com

Biblically Accurate Angels / Be Not Afraid | Know Your Meme

Biblically Accurate Angels refers to jokes about how spiritual messengers and attendants of God are described in the Christian Bible versus how they are ty
knowyourmeme.com knowyourmeme.com

This one, the original post was sadly deleted, was apparently a slideshow of images. But the comments are interesting, including some with scriptural references.
https://www.reddit.com/r/tilwtf/comments/o8bxxy
 
I tend to think pagan gods, and even early Semitic gods, were demoted to angelic status as the Jews took monotheism on board.

There are strong correlation between the angelic names and Babylonian deities, for example ...
 
wil said:
Not in their features or powers (I have not looked at that) but in the manner they are utilized by followers, the chants and thought.
Click to expand...
If it wasn't clear. (And my posts evidently are often not)

I was not referring to the two (HG n CS) as themselves similar to each other...but similar in the way they are utilized by practioners of either belief.

@TheLightWithin you ezikial reference is pointed at a lot from a perspective of describing an alien spaceship landing
 
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