Christian God - Hindu God

Catalog description

TAUGHT BY GTU. THE ARCHITECTURE OF HINDU & CHRISTIAN SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY This course uses the comparative technique of juxtaposing themes and concepts, well-known in the now established field of Hindu-Christian Studies, to examine Hindu-Christian systematic theology. It incorporates a dialectical approach to look at Hindu-Christian systematic theology by holding dimensions of "comparison" and "theology" in "creative tension." As such, it will study basic Catholic/Christian doctrines while juxtaposing them against similar looking themes in the Hindu theological tradition. Students will study the Christian God versus the Hindu Brahman, Hindu avatara incarnation theology versus Christology, the Christian concept of sin against the Hindu concept of avidya/moksha (existential ignorance/liberation), the Holy Spirit versus Shakti, and so forth. By placing these distinctive concepts side by side, students will sharpen their critical acumen through dialogical comparison to note differences and/or similarities. This thematic and conceptual schema allows students to familiarize themselves with two of the world's largest faith traditions simultaneously and offers students the opportunity to acquire wider new lenses to understand both their own tradition and others. The course will use a lecture & discussion format. Requirements include two short essays, and a final paper. The course is appropriate for students in MA, MDiv., and MTS programs. Doctoral students may take the course with additional research and writing. This course is taught by PhD student Pravina Rodrigues with a Newhall Award, under the supervision of Rita Sherma.