Something from School...

Our professor in World Religion, Brad Boydston, loves to pick our brains. In the last homework assignment, he had us discuss whether it is ok to be a Hindu and a Christian at the same time.
There's differences of opinion over the matter, but here's how I responded:

It depends on how one defines Christianity. Christianity to me is being in a relationship with God through Jesus alone, this is salvation at its base. But along with this involves a denial of one's own life, family, friends, and other priorities. This is not to say salvation is by works. It is how John MacArthur uses the illustration by R.C Sproul to explain it:

Justification = faith + works (no) Faith = Justification + works (yes)

I confess that I am not the perfect example of this, I think no one is, quiet yet. But the fact that we try to do it is evidence enough. To have anything or anybody down-playing this important factor of being a committed follower of Christ is nothing less than cheapening the gospel. Harsh? yes, but its the truth! So to say that one's a Christian and a Hindu is nothing more than cheapening the cost of becoming a disciple of Christ.