Human Suffering: An Exploration of Hindu and Christian Liberation

Abstract

This article seeks to articulate an intelligible comparison between the Hindu Advaita Vedanta school of thought and the Christian religion to find a better theological understanding of the suffering and the liberation of the oppressed. By utilizing theological resources such as the Hindu Vedas and the Bible, modern sources of oppression of marginalized societies are examined in relation to religious references, so as to address concepts of liberation. This approach defines liberation as both/dually a freedom from suffering after the death of the individual and a freedom from suffering for the oppressed in/during their earthly life. Defining justice in this twofold manner provides an interesting basis for understanding the path to justice for the oppressed in the religious context.