I read the bagavat Gita a while ago now... And I wonder about a certain difference between christianity and hinduism. Please correct me about any false notions about hinduism...
So, in the Gita, Arjuna is asked to do his duty on the battlefield, which means killing his friends. At first he doesn't want to, but in the end he is being convinced by Krishna, that serving Krishna in duing his duty is more important than not killing his friends. Also he realizes, that it was Krishnas providence all along, that decided that those people would be killed on this battlefield and he – Arjuna – is just the "tool" in a way, that fulfills its purpose as a warrier.
The highest value in Hinduism seems to be thus, to love Krishna (= the Godhead) and to not have any preference or love of any way to anything else, to be indifferent to even family members, and treat every living thing with the same kindness, no matter who or what it is.
Christianity is very similar to Hinduism in the following: its highest value is to love Christ (God) above all else, and put Him before all people. And just as important is to love thy neighbour as you should love yourself.
It is different however in what that means. For in fact in the christian faith you are not at all to be indifferent to the people around you. You are to love them, just below God. However christianity seemingly knows a kind of indifference: if you put God above the people around you, you will often follow Him, do what He wants and not what people want.
Let's take St. Nicholas of Flüe. When his oldest sons where old enough to take care of the house, he left his wife and kids. They owned a farm, which meant in that time, that they were rich people, so it's not like he left them to poverty and death, quite the contrary. He on the other hand chose to live very poorly.
And in truth, he did not stop caring about his children or his wife. As a true christian he loved them more and more. But how, if he doesn't do anything for them you ask? Prolly he prayed for them, but that's not the actual point. The actual point is, that not only we as christians care about those we love, our God cares too, infinitely more than any one of us. This means, that as a christian you follow God trusting, that He will take care of those you love. We have a God who is no bit indifferent, because our God is not all of those people (in contrast to Krishna who is everything and everyone really), and they will not one day become one with Him again. Instead, we are distinct from God and He loves us to madness.
And He tells us, to love each other, or rather specifically: our neighbour. Christianity does not tell you to love every one of those 7.5 billion people the same, it tells you to love those around you. Family, friends, enemies. Christianity does not tell you to love them all alike, it tells you to love each and everyone in just the way, that your relationship with them is meant to be by God. You love and honor your wife/husband in one way, and your children in another, your friends in yet another, and your enemies too. I mean you don't invite your enemies for tea do you? That would sound like mockery in their ears really.
And you pray for them all, because we christians have a God who cares and acts, and thus prayers have power. Not in and of themselves. Prayers are simply talking to God, living your relationship with Christ. And He who loves you more than you can ever understand, answers, talks back (in various ways, usually not in words), and he fulfills those prayers, when the people who you are praying for are ready to receive the gifts we ask for them...
Well and that means in the end, that fulfilling your duty a warrier is not something you should do. In fact as a christian Arjuna might have sacrificed his life in an effort to stop the war. He would have not chosen to be indifferent, and he would have trusted God, that his sacrifice would not have been in vain – even if it would not have been enough to stop the war.
