if lord Vishnu is self of all why do  you think many people believe in empty gods of punishment?
601209
CONCEPT OF GOD IN HINDUISM\nby Dr. Zakir Naik\n \n1.   \nCommon Concept of God in Hinduism:\n \n Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion. Indeed, most Hindus would attest to this, by professing belief in multiple Gods. While some Hindus believe in the existence of three gods, some believe in thousands of gods, and some others in thirty three crore i.e. 330 million Gods. However, learned Hindus, who are well versed in their scriptures, insist that a Hindu should believe in and worship only one God.\n\nThe major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim perception of God is the common Hindus’ belief in the philosophy of Pantheism. Pantheism considers everything, living and non-living, to be Divine and Sacred. The common Hindu, therefore, considers everything as God. He considers the trees as God, the sun as God, the moon as God, the monkey as God, the snake as God and even human beings as manifestations of God!\n\nIslam, on the contrary, exhorts man to consider himself and his surroundings as examples of Divine Creation rather than as divinity itself. Muslims therefore believe that everything is God’s i.e. the word ‘God’ with an apostrophe ‘s’. In other words the Muslims believe that everything belongs to God. The trees belong to God, the sun belongs to God, the moon belongs to God, the monkey belongs to God, the snake belongs to God, the human beings belong to God and everything in this universe belongs to God.\n\nThus the major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim beliefs is the difference of the apostrophe ‘s’. The Hindu says everything is God. The Muslim says everything is God’s.\n \n \n2.   \n  \nConcept of God according to Hindu Scriptures:\n \n We can gain a better understanding of the concept of God in Hinduism by analysing Hindu scriptures. \n\nBHAGAVAD GITA\n\nThe most popular amongst all the Hindu scriptures is the Bhagavad Gita. \n\nConsider the following verse from the Gita:\n\n"Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures."\n                   [Bhagavad Gita 7:20]\n\nThe Gita states that people who are materialistic worship demigods i.e. ‘gods’ besides the True God.\n \n \nUPANISHADS:\n\nThe Upanishads are considered sacred scriptures by the Hindus. \n\nThe following verses from the Upanishads refer to the Concept of God:\n\n"Ekam evadvitiyam"\n"He is One only without a second."\n        [Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]1\n\n"Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah."\n"Of Him there are neither parents nor lord."\n         [Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]2\n\n"Na tasya pratima asti"\n"There is no likeness of Him."\n        [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]3\n\nThe following verses from the Upanishad allude to the inability of man to imagine God in a particular form:\n\n"Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam."\n\n"His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye."\n        [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]4\n\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n1[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 447 and 448]\n[Sacred Books of the East, volume 1 ‘The Upanishads part I’ page 93]\n\n2[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 745]\n[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page 263.]\n\n3[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 736 & 737]\n[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page no 253]\n\n4[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 737]\n[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page no 253]\n \n \n \n  \n\nTHE VEDAS\nVedas are considered the most sacred of all the Hindu scriptures. There are four principal Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samveda and Atharvaveda.\n\n\n \n Yajurveda\nThe follow
709171
You've gotta be kidding!  What kind of a father would send his son to die an excruciating death on the cross in order that others are no longer responsible for their own sins?  What kind of a God would send most of his followers to eternal punishment for not "believing?"  What would you think of human fathers who would act in this way?  Loving or vicious?\n\nThe OT God is a God of justice.  Each of us is punished in accordance with the sins we've committed.  The OT God doesn't differentiate between "beliefs" of Christians, Muslims, atheists, etc., but He does insist on self responsibility!
506753
Vishnu is regarded as a major god in Hinduism and Indian mythology. He is thought as the preserver of the universe while two other major Hindu gods Brahma and Shiva, are regarded respectively, as the creator and destroyer of the universe. \n\nThe original worship of Vishnu, by the Aryan conquerors of India or the original Dravidian inhabitants is not definitely known. In the ancient Vedas, the body of literature known as the Veda, and sacred literature of the Aryan conquerors, Vishnu is ranked among the lesser gods and is usually associated with the major Vedic god Indra who in the epics and Puranas fights against dragons and demonic forces. These latter writings emerge during the later development of Hinduism. \n\nIt is throughout this literature and especially through incarnations that Vishnu is raised to higher rankings within the Hindu pantheon. He becomes the prominent second god of the Trimurti, the Hindu Triad, while Brahma is first and Shiva is third. \n\nIn some Puranic literature Vishnu is said to be eternal, an all-pervading spirit, and associated with the primeval waters that are believed to have been omnipresent before the creation of the universe. \n\nThe concept of Vishnu being the preserver of the world came relatively late in Hinduism. Presumedly it sprang from two other beliefs: that men attain salvation by faithfully following predetermined paths of duty, and that powers of good and evil (gods and demons) are in contention for domination over the world. When these powers are upset Vishnu, it is further believed, descends to earth, or his avatar, to equalized the powers. Further it is thought that ten such incarnations or reincarnations of Vishnu will occur. Nine descents are said to have already occurred, the tenth is yet to come. Rama and Krishna were the seventh and eighth. \n\nAnother interesting speculation concerning Vishnu's role as preserver among many modern scholars is that it is characteristic of the practitioners of Hinduism to raise local legendary heroes to gods in the Hindu pantheon. \n\nVishnu is portrayed as blue or black shinned and has four arms. He has a thousand names and their repetition is an act of devotion
673933
Evil is the creation of the deity "god" plain & simple. He is the sole creator and therefore he created Satan and his crew. Sure he started out as an angel, but wouldn't the deity "god" see that one coming? His evil gives him something to do you know...so he won't feel useless.
559816
How about you ask a Comparative Religion professor in International Islamic University of Malaysia ?. He or she will help you a lot.\n\nFor me, the truth of God lies everywhere, as simple as who gives you life ?. Who creates this world ?. The single answer is God. But, we couldn't see Him towards our naked eyes but we could feel it through our hearts and minds.\n\nIf we considered those statues in temples are our Gods, why do we create Him or Her from clay, gold or any other materials ?. Supposedly He or She create us !. We create Gods ?. For me, we insult Him much more. Sorry to said that, for those religions that pray on statues, they should think properly..\n\nNevertheless, Sikhsm, Buddishm, Taoism, Marxims and relevant others were made by a man or a philosopher that considered as thoughts and philosophy during old time but lately they turn into religions.\n\nAnother one is a concept of many Gods. Even a husband and wife fights each other, sometimes... So, an idea of having more than a single God is irrelevant. There will be jealousy, revenge and other disasters. So, we as human should suffers from war between Gods ?. How about your prayer day and night to them, it seems useless ?. If there are 100 Gods, you dare to pray to those 100 day and night ?. Please think by hearts and minds by knowledge and virtue.
1026231
God does not believe in a Supreme Being (relative to himself) or religion, by definition, God is an atheist.\n\nHumans invent Gods in their own images, so you might say he is within everyone.
973005
It was Lord Krishna... the Avatar of the Era. Now all are awaiting the incarnation of god Vishnu... Bhagavan Kalki who shall annihilate the darkness of the present kali yuga (metal age) and usher the humanity from darkness to light.\n\n\nLord Krishna is to a spiritual seeker what God is to a normal human being. Lord Sri Krishna is the culmination of all things spiritual. Lord Krishna is the end of the spiritual journey itself.\n\nSri Krishna an avatar of the era (Almighty God manifest in human form) came about 3500 years before. The coming of Sri Krishna was laden with a great responsibility. He upheld Dharma at a stage of time when the society was at its lowest ebb.\n\nAdharma was prevalent all over. King Duryodhana had announced an exile of 14 years for the Pandava kings. It was practically a banishment of the Pandavas from the kingdom with the hope that the whole kingdom could be usurped by King Duryodhana himself.\n\n\nThe Pandavas were the rightful owners of the throne and Justice was denied to them. It was only Sri Krishna who could have set the system in order. The sooner Pandavas returned from the exile... Lord Sri Krishna exhorted the Pandavas to fight back King Duryodhana. No further exile... no further banishment!\n\nKing Arjuna who was the head of the Pandava camp refused to fight. Any amount of urgings by his companions and the countrymen lay waste. He refused to fight the enemy which consisted of his cousin brothers, relatives and friends. According to him it would be an enormous bloodshed without a purpose.\n\nIt was this time when Lord Krishna imparted to King Arjuna the doctrine of Bhagvad Gita. Lord Krishna simply stated to King Arjuna that the fight was between Dharma and Adharma. It was a fight for justice. As King Arjuna represented his countrymen... he could not behave like a coward at this stage.\n\n\nLord Krishna exhorted Arjuna to fight for a cause... the cause of justice and Dharma. Lord Krishna emphasized on Arjuna that it was not Arjuna fighting the war (Mahabharata). He was merely an instrument in the hands of God. He had to fight the war (Mahabharata) and ultimately win it. Dharma had to be won at all costs.\n\nLord Krishna enthused that nothing belonged to anybody existing on Mother Earth. Everything belonged to God. Every living being (Jiva) was merely a body for the soul (the man within). In fighting the cousins, relatives and friends it was not to be a fight between bodies. It was to be a fight between Dharma and Adharma.\n\nLord Krishna again exhorted Arjuna with the fact that in the present life whomsoever he may be related to... in the past life he may have been related to somebody else and also in the future manifestations he would be related to different people. Then where does the question arise of not fighting the war of Dharma (Mahabharata) against those who have manifested the present bodies.\n\n\nIt was Arjuna and only King Arjuna during the times of Lord Krishna who could have understood the sermon of Bhagvad Gita. It was only King Arjuna who could have deciphered the sermon of Bhagvad Gita in its entirety. For this matter came Arjuna had an edge over the other Pandava kings.\n\nLord Krishna knew that only one who was dutifully bound to his countrymen... was absolutely truthful by nature could be made to logically understand the sermon of Bhagvad Gita. He was right for in the end King Arjuna agreed to fight the enemy from within.\n\nBhagvad Gita encompasses the complete wisdom of the Cosmos that is requisite of a serious seeker of spirituality. The knower of Bhagvad Gita becomes omniscient... there is nothing more to learn other than contained in Bhagvad Gita.\n\n\nThe sermon of Bhagvad Gita by Krisna contains within it all ingredients for one to gain enlightenment within one's life. If one were to realize God in this life... one had to ceremoniously follow the dictates of Bhagvad Gita. There was no other remedy!\n\nIn no other religion, dogma or creed shall one find such precis
1002592
because those people aren't willing to take responsibility for their own lives and their own mistakes..they want someone to blame, and God is an easy target for them..they whine and moan that if there was a God he wouldn't let stuff happen...he gave us all free will...he created us, but he gave us our own minds...many people can't handle that I guess..they want nothing to ever go wrong no matter what..and when it does it's all God's fault..pathetic really.
572715
People are not satisfied to what they are doing ? So There Mind is Puzzle and they still find new gods every time who come and protect there lives ...:) My Thougts
170977
I don't believe in either of them, but that is a very valid point which I myself thought of. If there was a god, maby it would be an evil being, using our faith, (or gulibility,) to it's advantage, and our stupidity is it's entertainment. This seems ludicrace, but makes more vastly sense than a loving supreme being controling this wretched world.
957918
Hi, I don't believe God is a punishing God.  He is a loving God and loves us unconditionally.  I think we do the punishing by feeling guilty for criticizing others and not feeling good about ourselves.  When we are happy, content and feel good about ourselves we don't judge or criticize others.
488502
Right.  He creates evil and then sits back and does nothing.  Pretty strange for an all-loving, all-powerful God isn't it??
581558
God is only one, but there are 3 crores of deities in Hindu religion. Deities used to live in this world when this world was heaven. They are special and the most clever beings on this earth. Most of the Hindus worship these deities same as Christians worship Jesus or Muslims who admire muhammed or Ibrahim. The 5 million which u was taking about are not God.
493975
Since I don't believe in such a being, nothing.\n\nBut I wonder what Christians think about their god watching them on the toilet, having sex etc.
967165
Because people cannot think for themselves. They need to have a set of "guidelines" made to follow. Other people can't believe in themselves because they see believing in gods as a bigger cause, so to speak.
877370
That's what Lord Krishna tells in Bhagavad Gita. Why dont you read that. If you are seeking the essence, then it is mentioned in the conclusion, the last chapter (18.65)...\n \n"Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend."\n\nBut if you ask - Why should I do that ? then the whole Bhagavad Gita simply answers that. \n\nAnd Krishna is GOD .. a 2 months old child cannot kill a giant deamon as Putana..
1068721
I see it as a religion of those who don't believe in a supreme being. Since religion is a belief in something then same goes for them.