Catholic Comparative Theology: Overview

• Catholic comparative theology studies religious diversity with the goal of faith seeking understanding.
• It differs from comparative religions by starting with a specific religious tradition.
• Historically, St. Paul's efforts to find common ground with Romans marked an early instance of comparative theology.
• Catholic missionaries pioneered comparative theology through studies of various religions during their conversion efforts.
• Theologians in the 18th and 19th centuries identified common ground between Christianity and other religions, yet with a tendency to highlight the superiority of Christianity.
• Contemporary comparative theology recognizes that Christianity is subject to change through engagement with other religious traditions.

The Christian Tradition

• Christianity identifies sin as the fundamental problem of humanity.
• The story of Adam and Eve explains the origin of sin, known as the original sin.
• Catholic theologians believe that the offspring of Adam and Eve inherited a sinful disposition.
• The Fall is understood as the loss of moral innocence, immortal life, cosmic and societal harmony, and direct presence of God.
• Sin reached its peak with the construction of the Tower of Babel, a collective effort of humanity.
• God chose Abraham to establish a covenant with him and his offspring, the Old Covenant, with the intention of universal salvation.
• God promised Abraham land and people in exchange for following the Ten Commandments, with the goal of creating a holy nation.
• King David unified the twelve tribes of Israel and established Jerusalem as the capital.
• The Kingdom of Judah fell to Babylon in 587 BCE, beginning the exile due to the Israelites' inability to abide by God's laws.
• Jewish people yearned for the Messiah during foreign rule, particularly under the Romans, who imposed heavy taxes.
• Some believed Jesus was the Messiah after his crucifixion and resurrection, originating Christianity as a Messianic movement within Judaism.
• During the Last Supper, Jesus established the New Covenant, with his sacrificial death atoning for the sins of humanity and bringing reconciliation with God.
• Jesus' death defeated sin, and the resurrection of his body restored the temple of God.
• The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes Jesus' humanity as a descendent of David.
• The Gospel of John emphasizes his divinity as the divine Word of God.
• The Council of Nicaea deemed Arius heretical for teaching that Jesus was a creature.
• The council affirmed Athanasius's teaching that Jesus was fully man and fully God.
• The Incarnation is the doctrine that the divine Word of God assumed human nature when Jesus was conceived.
• The Council of Nicaea affirmed the divinity of the Holy Spirit, leading to the development of Trinitarian theology.
• The Trinity consists of God the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit as three persons of the same substance.
• Later councils affirmed that Jesus was one person with two unmingled natures, retaining a human body and mind.
• Because Jesus was one person, Mary was rightfully called the Mother of God, and was conceived without original sin, the Immaculate Conception.

Hinduism

• Hinduism is the oldest religion, dating back at least 4000 years.
• It is widely practiced in South Asia, with Nepal claiming to be a Hindu nation and about 80% of India's population identifying as Hindu.
• Major branches include Shaivism (devotion to Shiva), Vaishnavism (devotion to Vishnu), Shaktism (devotion to goddesses), and Smartism (integration of multiple deities).
• These groups share religious concepts and practices, despite worshipping different deities.
• Hinduism originated in the Indus Valley, with some commonly accepted sources being from the Indus Valley civilization around 4000 BCE.
• The presence of water reverence, worship of gods and goddesses, and the reverence for pipal trees.
• Artifacts include the seal of the Maha yogi.
• The Aryans immigrated around 1600 BCE, bringing Sanskrit, the caste system, and the Vedas.
• Symbols include the swastika, standing for prosperity.
• They worshipped gods such as Indra and Agni.

Hindu Scriptures

• The Vedas are ancient texts believed to be composed by gods, with the Rig Veda being the oldest.
• They contain hymns and guidance on rituals, which are recited verbatim and believed to have magical powers.
• Most Vedas are written in Sanskrit.
• Upanishads contain philosophical concepts and are considered the spiritual core of Hinduism.
• The Bhagavad Gita belongs to the Upanishads.

Basic Concepts of Hinduism

• Brahman: The supreme existence, pervading and transcending all things.
• Brahman is impersonal and does not take actions.
• Atman: The self or soul.
• A human being consists of the gross body, subtle body, karmic body, and the Brahman.
• The Brahman is considered one's true self.
• Atman is Brahman is at the core of Hindu spirituality.
• Stages of Life: student, householder, forest dweller, and renouncer.
• Samsara and Reincarnation: The Atman sequentially incarnates in different bodies due to evils such as ignorance and greed.
• Moksha: Oneness with Brahman, liberation from Samsara and the ultimate goal of Hindus.
• Karma: Action and its consequences, with the effects of one's actions returning to the agent.
• It binds the self to the cycle of existence and determines its station in future existences.
• Varna and Jati: Varna is the Brahmin ideology consisting of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.
• Jati determine social standing, occupation, marital possibilities, and diet.

Yoga

• Yoga refers to practices that yoke humans with gods.
• Jnana yoga (the way of liberating knowledge): Seeks esoteric knowledge through ascetic practices. It is usually practiced by renouncers.
• Karma yoga (the way of work): Performing selfless actions and duties.
• Raja yoga (psycho-physical practices): According to Pantanjali, the goal is to maintain the cessation of thoughts.

Bhakti Yoga

• It is the path of devotion, leading to spiritual liberation through loving devotion to a personal deity, emphasizing surrender and emotional connection.
• Saguna Brahman refers to Gods and Goddesses that are believed represent different dimensions of the Brahman.
• Nirguna Brahman refers to Brahman without categories.

Hindu Gods

• Icons are believed to represent different dimensions of the Brahman
• Shiva: The auspicious one at the center of Shaivism, the most paradoxical and complex deity.
• Images include Shiva the great yogi, the Lord who is half-woman, the Lord of Dance, and the aniconic lingam.
• He is often worshipped with his family: Parvati and Ganesa.
• Vishnu: Identified by the mace, ball, flower, and conch shell he holds in each of his four hands. A key feature is his avatars (incarnations).
• Re-occuring avatars include: Krishna and Rama.
• Devi: Female goddesses categorized as cool (benevolent) or hot (malevolent).
• Sarasvati (education and arts) and Lakshmi (fortune and wealth) are cool goddesses.
• Durga and Kali are hot goddesses.
• Some Hindus consider Durga to be the warrior form of Parvati.

Lakshmi and Mary

• One contemplates a statue of Lakshmi in great detail. This practice is to purify senses and cultural norms of beauty.
• One encounters her material form as a sacramental sign of a spiritual reality.
• Mary stood behind the cross as her son was crucified with love, courage, equanimity and dignity.

"God for us"

• Great and merciful deities are creative and find ways to be found despite human imperfections.
• Vishnu avatars restore righteousness and promote divine accessibility.
• The divine accommodation allows for making images as paintings and statues.
• Images provide access to the divine regardless of their imperfections because God makes himself present in materials chosen by devotees

Divine Images

• In Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, divine images are allowed because of the incarnation.
• As St. Paul puts it, Christ Jesus took the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
• Like the avatars of Vishnu, incarnation redeems humans from sin and embodies divine excellence in a human form.
• St. Ignatius of Loyola encourages Christians to visualize encounters with Jesus to gain "a taste of God."

Catholic comparative theology studies religious diversity to deepen faith understanding. It acknowledges Christianity's capacity for change through engagement with other traditions. This approach differs from comparative religions by starting within a specific religious tradition, such as the Christian understanding of sin originating from the story of Adam and Eve.