The Concept of Sacrifice in Christianity and in Hinduism: A Comparative Study

Every religion is something good. In this dissertation the author tries to discover some similarities in both the Christianity and Hinduism. Both the religions are good in themselves. India is a country with multi religious cultures and differences. They exist side by side. They have something unique to offer to the society. The goal of the research and study of the author is to bring out some converging points in both the religions where we can meet together and dialogue
with each other. The Hindu religion has its own practices and religious traditions
which need to be respected and appreciated. The Hinduism itself is a way of life to encounter the divine and to reach out to the ultimate goal. The Vedic sacrifice was an ancient traditional practice of the Hindus by which the people tried to connect themselves with the divine. The Vedic sacrifice was the centre and pillar of the Vedic people through which the people were able to draw strength and inspiration from the God whom they worshipped. The Vedas are the important Scriptures which are directly revealed by God. The ancient fathers of the Hindu traditions were able to meditate on the word of the Vedas and were inspired by the word of God.
The ancient people had a profound desire to relate themselves with the divine.
Hence the sacrifice was one of the means of transcending above themselves to the God who provided them with all they needed. The fundamental yearning of the
people to be related with the God was a basic need of the ancient people. The Vedic people always desired to be redeemed by their God. Hence they used sacrifices for attaining salvation. One had to constantly sacrifice in order to obtain salvation. The ancient Vedic people performed various kinds of sacrifices such as animal sacrifices and human sacrifices in order to come to the experience of the divine. Such sacrifices are not done today in this modern world. This is mainly due to the elaborate expenses and arrangements. But the Vedic sacrifices have taken different forms and modes in the modern Hindu culture. The very spirit of the Vedic sacrifices is being kept alive even today in Hinduism. The modern Hinduism
expresses its faith in God in different ways like worshiping the deities, prayers, fasting etc.
The Christianity and the Hinduism exist side by side in the Indian situations. These religions have to work together shoulder to shoulder in order to build a peaceful country and society. They have to be ready to accept the uniqueness and identity of each other for a peaceful co-existence. Both the religions promote the unity and devotion to their own Gods. Both the religions have their own way of
reaching out to the divine and have their own independent way of practising their faith. There are many common and unifying elements in both the religions which
enable them to come together in the same platform. Their own profound faith in the divine power and their teaching about the spiritual, transcendental power binds
them together. The sacraments which are found in Christianity are means of communicating the divine grace to the people, are also seen in the Hindu religion. In both the religions the sacraments play an important role in uniting the human beings to the divine. The meticulous and careful performance of these sacraments is important in order to effect the expected results. Both Christianity and Hinduism have their primary goal to perpetuate the god encountering experience in the believing communities in a unique way. This deep religiosity and deep thirst for encountering the divine are the special features of the Indian people. Both the
religions need to be more open to the discovering of truths in each other without
having any preconceived and negative attitude about each other.