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7. If a person has an equal amount of belief in all religions, does that person have faith?
Every religion has a common ground of certain principles that consider stealing, lying, killing, adultery, et cetera as a sin. One who inherently believes in all religions, believes in these principles. Based on this, such a person ends up being faithful as his belief lies in the crux of the 10 commandments. Such a person is better off than one who does not follow any religion.
HINDUISM
Interview of Gaivaiya Svami Shri Bhakti Jeevan Das, a practising scholar of Hinduism living in India.
1. Does your religion believe in the soul? If so: a. What does the soul mean? b. Who created the soul? c. Where does the soul come from?
Yes. According to our belief, the soul is eternal. No one has created the soul just as no one can destroy it.
2. Where do people (souls) come from and where do they go when they die?
As per, in the Vaishnav religious the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna explains what the soul is to Arjuna in verse 2.20. He says, “The soul does not have birth or death. It is not like the soul was there before and in future it isn't going to be there. Therefore, it is void of birth and death. It exists since forever, it is eternal, it is constant and there has been no creation of it. On any kind of bodily destruction, the soul is not affected or destroyed. Neither has anyone created the soul, nor can anyone destroy it.”
This is explained in another paragraph from the same text, verse 2.23. "No weapons can infiltrate and kill the soul. Fire cannot burn it, Water cannot drown it and Air cannot dry it." Both these verses explain the existence of the soul.
We believe in rebirth. We believe in the existence of 84 lakh types of lives. In accordance to the karma and doings, the soul is born again. Verse 2.22 of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, explains the concept of rebirth: "Just as humans give up old and worn out clothes, the soul gives up on the old and worn out body and procures a new one."
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