Regarding your question about which is the better path between Christianity and Hinduism. The question arises because of the strong formation that emanates from the Church to convert people and the power of propaganda wherein a lie repeated many times and spoken by many mouths begins to seem true. The same holds good for Islam which also believes in conversion. The difference is that the former tries to convert through lure while the other primarily through fear though both use the same cocktail of lure and fear, the primitive psychology of reward and punishment so to say. This is how all propaganda works, in politics as well as religion. It is the power of falsehood that pushes people to accept philosophies that are not only illogical but also outrageous because they strike against some fundamental intuitions of mankind about God
For example quite intuitively we feel that if there is a God, He must be everywhere and in everything, His Love must be unconditional and His Grace capable of redeeming the worst sinners. This is what Sanatan Dharma also teaches us through its countless scriptures and stories. But when you take a close and hard look at the two Semitic religions I mentioned, both say that God is not upon earth, He cannot dwell in the human body, that He is somewhere up there in some Heaven of Glory to which only the ‘believers and the converted’ can have access. Going one step further both condemn the non-believer who, according to them, will rot in eternal Hell, damned forever by God. If this be true, such a God would be a monster who rewards and punishes people based on their belief in him rather than their deeds. Such a God can never render justice (as He would be biased in favour of believers) nor can he be truly full of Mercy and Grace which is again not for those who died without believing in him. Here again Sanatan Dharma says your actions and motives matter rather than your beliefs and non-beliefs. Most importantly such a God cannot usher in true unity and brotherhood since he excludes all those who do not believe in Him.
In fact Sanatan Dharma gives you freedom to believe in any aspect of the One God or any Name out of His countless Names or even not believe in Him. Yet one cannot escape the law of karma which is a subtle law operating in the cosmos where man and the cosmic powers are equal stakeholders. This Law that includes the outer actions as well as the inner motives is known as Dharma and its sole purpose is to help us grow closer to Godliness and thereby become like Him. But in the Semitic religions, the Law is outside in a book, fixed for all times, taking no consideration of the changing times, the context or the inner state.
Sanatana Dharma believes that God dwells in all creatures and it is this that provides the basis of its morality which is to love all and treat everything including the tree and animals and man and woman as sacred and with respect. The Semitic religions assume a very human centric position wherein all else is meant for the pleasure of man (literally) and even woman is secondary. Only he must obey God and be afraid of Him.
Sanatana Dharma goes one step further and says all are His children and have an equal right to become one with Him and reclaim their sonship. In contrast, both Christianity and Islam believe that there is only one son of God, that their prophet is the ultimate. No chance for anyone else. It would be quite a jealous, power hungry God not allowing anyone to evolve or progress further after His one and only representative. I am not saying whether this is what Christ really taught or not. But this is what organised Christianity and political Islam believes and wants us to believe.
I could go on but for now this should be enough for anyone to make a wise and informed choice. Because in Sanatan Dharma debates and discussions are allowed so that both our head and heart and will and actions and the very body come together and converge on the choice one makes. That is why there is nothing like conversion but lot of thinking, logic, freedom of choices in Sanatan Dharma.
However each is free to believe or disbelieve. But each one should choose freely and not under fear, favor or falsehood which has become the basis of religious conversion. How much better if each one grew freely towards Light and Freedom and Immortality.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
