Bhaktivinode Thakur's view of Christian theology

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Thought you might like to see the Thakur's views, from the Tattva-viveka. He

wrote the verses and the commentary as well (trans. by Kusakratha das):

 

 

 

Text 25

 

adi-jivaparadhad vai

sarvesam bandhanam dhruvam

tathanya-jiva-bhutasya

vibhor dandena niskrtih

 

adi--original; jiva--soul; aparadhad--because of the offense;

vai--indeed; sarvesam--of all; bandhanam--bondage; dhruvam--indeed;

tatha--so; anya--of other; jiva-bhutasya--souls; vibhor--of God; dandena--by

the punishment; niskrtih--deliverance.

 

Some philosophers say that because of the first living entity's sin all the

other living entities are imprisoned in the material world. Later, punishing

Himself for their sins, God delivers the living entities.

 

Commentary by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

 

Thinking about the virtues and faults of this world, some moralistic

monotheists concluded that this material world is not a place of unalloyed

pleasures. Indeed, the sufferings outweigh the pleasures. They decided that

the material world is a prison to punish the living entities. If there is

punishment, then there must be a crime. If there were no crime, then why

would there be any punishment? What crime did the living entities commit?

Unable to properly answer this question, some men of small intelligence gave

birth to a very wild idea. God created the first man and placed him in a

pleasant garden with his wife. Then God forbade the man to taste the fruit

of the tree of knowledge. Following the evil counsel of a wicked being, the

first man and woman tasted the fruit of the tree of knowledge, thus

disobeying God's command. In this way they fell from that garden into the

material world filled with sufferings. Because of their offense, all other

living entities are offenders from the moment of their birth. Not seeing any

other way to remove this offense, God Himself took birth in a humanlike

form, took on His own shoulders the sins of His followers, and then died.

All who follow Him easily attain liberation, and all who do not follow Him

fall into an eternal hell. In this way God assumes a humanlike form,

punishes Himself, and thus liberates the living entities. An intelligent

person cannot make sense of any of this.

 

Text 26

 

janmato jiva-sambhavo

maranante na janma vai

yat-krtam samsrtau tena

jivasya caramam phalam

 

janmatah--from birth; jiva--of the living entities; sambhavo--birth;

marana--death; ante--at the end; na--not; janma--birth; vai--indeed;

yat--what; krtam--done; samsrtau--in the world; tena--by that; jivasya--of

the living entity; caramam--final; phalam--result.

 

(These philosophers say that) the living entity's life begins at birth

and ends with death. After death, he is not born again. After death he

attains the results of his actions in that one lifetime.

 

Commentary by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

 

To accept this mixed-up religion one must first believe these rather

implausible things: "The living entity's life begins at birth and ends at

death. Before birth the living entity did not exist, and after death the

living entity will no longer stay in the world of material activities. Only

human beings have souls. Other creatures do not have souls." Only extremely

unintelligent persons believe this religion. In this religion the living

entity is not spiritual in nature. By His own will God created the living

entities out of matter. Why are the living entities born into very different

situations? The followers of this religion cannot say. Why is one living

entity born into a house filled with sufferings, another living entity born

into a house filled with joys, another living entity born into the house of

a person devoted to God, and another living enttity born into a wicked

atheist's house? Why is one person born in a situation where he is

encouraged to perform pious deeds, and he performs pious deeds and becomes

good? Why is another person born in a situation where he is encouraged to

sin, and he sins and becomes bad? The followers of this religion cannot

answer all these questions. Their religion seems to say that God is unfair

and irrational.

 

Why do they say that animals have no souls? Why do birds and beasts not have

souls like human beings? Why do the human beings have only one life, and,

because of their actions in that one life are rewarded in eternal heaven or

punished with eternal hell? Any person who believes in a truly kind and

merciful God will find this religion completely unacceptable.

 

Text 27

 

atra sthitasya jivasya

karma-jnananusilanat

visvonnati-vidhanena

kartavyam isa-tosanam

 

atra--here; sthitasya--situated; jivasya--of the soul; karma--fruitive

work; jnana--mental speculation; anusilanat--by cultivating; visva--world;

unnati--elevation; vidhanena--by the way; kartavyam--to be done; isa--of

God; tosanam--satisfaction.

 

(These philosophers say that) by cultivating fruitive work and

speculative philosophy one should make improvements in the material world

and in this way please God.

 

Commentary by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

 

The followers of this religion have no power to worship God selflessly. In

general their idea is that by cultivating fruitive work and speculative

philosophy one should work to make improvements in the material world and in

this way please God. By building hospitals and schools, and by doing various

philanthropic works, they try to do good to the world and thus please God.

Worship of God by performing fuitive work (karma) and by engaging in

philosophical speculation (jnana) is very important to them. They have no

power to understand pure devotional service (suddha-bhakti), which is free

of fruitive work and philosophical speculation. Worship of God done out of a

sense of duty is never natural or unselfish. "God has been kind to us, and

therefore we should worship Him." These are the thoughts of lesser minds.

Why is this not a good way to worship God? Because one may think, "If God is

not kind to me, then I will not worship Him." In this way one has the

selfish, bad desire to get God's kindness in the future. If one wishes that

God will be kind by allowing one to serve Him, then there is nothing wrong

with that desire. But the religion under discussion does not see it in that

way. This religion sees God's kindness in terms of one's enjoying a happy

life in this material world.