Stuck in the Bathroom Stall

Today after class I went to the library and grabbed a computer before the daily rush hit. I logged on, threw my stuff down and headed to the bathroom to empty my nostril passages of the foreign fluid invaders that had taken up residence there.

I was blowing my nose, trying not to listen to the noises coming from the bathroom stall, when suddenly the guy that was in there flushed. Still trying to rid my nose of bogey's, I listened as he began to try his hardest to open the door. Apparently the door bolt would not budge because he started shaking the door, banging on it and throwing his weight against it for all he was worth. I have to admit it was kind of funny to witness it, but I also felt bad afterwards about seeing humour in his trouble.

I began to think about how his inability to escape from his prison relates to our imprisonment by sin.

We live in a broken world, no one is perfect and sin rules our lives with an iron fist. No matter what we do we always managed to mess everything up. Sometimes it can seem like we are hopeless, all the lights are shut off from us and we are locked inside our own prison.

But the beauty of it is that the Lord God, our making and father, has provided us with the easiest escape from all our troubles. He sent his own son to take away our sins, to take our place in that prison. Jesus Christ came and died on the cross so that we may share in his glory and receive salvation and ever lasting life from God, our father. Because of his sacrifice, we are free from our prison!!

Hinduism v. Christianity: Evolving or Set in Stone? Part III

Krishna or Jesus?

I want to begin by telling all I know of Krishna, the human carnation of the god Vishnu.

Krishna came about because the people that worshipped Vishnu needed help. So Vishnu changed into Krishna. This seems like no big deal, I mean, God did it right? Well, the thing with Krishna is that while Krishna was on earth, Vishnu ceased to exist as a God; there was no Vishnu while their was Krishna. And even though Vishnu had changed into Krishna, Krishna did not know he was the god Vishnu.

The reason why this is important is because it shows that Vishnu as a god was boxed in, his power had a definite limit, and he was not all knowing or eternal.

But Krishna did save people. He saved villages from marauding bands of evil men, from monsters, from natural disasters, and brought them peace. He married, had a wife, but also fought quite a bit. He was both peaceful and warlike. But the fact is that he did not know he was a Hindu god, and he did die. Although when he died he just turned back into Vishnu. Therefore, Krishna ceased to exist and Vishnu came back into existence.

Now I want to explain Jesus and his differences from Krishna.

Jesus came into existence because God had promised a way of redemption and salvation to our broken world. We are sinful creatures who strive to get as far away from God as we can through our sin. We are destined for Hell, and we deserve every bit of it. But God loves us, and birthed himself as a human in the form of Jesus the Christ.

Now this seems very much like the Vishnu/Krishna story, except for a few things. God never ceased to exist, he continually rules in heaven, so it was the case that he was two persons at the same time: God and Jesus. Jesus also knew that he was the Son of God, and the Son of Man, but also that he was one with God and God was one with him and that they were whole in one person through the Holy Spirit. God's power in this is what His power is continually, limitless. God is eternal, never stops existing, and is all-knowing and always present.

God is not boxed in, and we cannot box him in. He is the creator of all, and in Jesus Christ was tortured, died, went to hell, and was rebirthed from the grave all for our sake. He saved us from the grave and is forever and eternally our only door to heaven. He doesn't force us to acknowledge him as our savior and king, he gives us the choice. He loves us and is ever knocking at the doors of our heart. Three iron pegs held him aloft on the cross, as his blood washed down to the earth. God in three forms - God, Jesus, Holy Spirit - are waiting to enter our hearts and wash our sins away. All we have to do is allow Jesus into our hearts and admit we have sinned in the eyes of God and ask for his forgiveness and Holy Spirit to reign inside of us.

The different between Krishna and Jesus: Krishna is just a story.