This question haunts me. I am a practicing Hindu while my schooling was in Catholic Schools. I am reasonably familiar with both religions. And I am puzzled and baffled.

Let us examine the basic rituals:

We have three entities governing us. (Trimurti: Brahma (Creators), Vishnu (Protector) and Shiva (Destroyer), for Hindus, and The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost for Christians.). As I understand, the concept is also similar. Please correct me if I am wrong.

We light Lamps at the time of prayers.

We kneel or prostrate as a sign of surrender.

We take holy water as a source of blessing and purification.

We have communions.

We have same concerns for which we pray.

The actual motions, language and intonations are different. Purpose and effect are same.

This is a story of the very first reincarnation of Lord Sri Maha Vishnu the Protector.

In ancient India the southern part was called Dravida. The King of Dravida was Satyavrata (Meaning, A person who vowed by Truth)

He had gone to a river for bath one day. While washing his hands, a small fish swam into his hands and implored him to protect his life as he was in danger of being eaten by a larger fish. Taking pity on it, the King put him in a “Kamandala”, a jar. The fish the increased in size till it out grew the jar. It was then transferred to a pond, a, lake, a river and an ocean, progressively, as it grew. As the King gave his word for protecting the fish, he could not go back on it. His desperation grew and he prayed to Lord Sri Maha Vishnu to help him. There was a revelation and it was then Satyavrata come to know the fish was a reincarnation of the God himself! All the travails the king was put through were to condition him for the enormous task that was ahead.

He was then informed that there would be a “Pralaya”, a deluge of infinite proportion, which could destroy the life in existence. The task for him was to build a boat and accommodate all species of animals, Medicinal Herbs, for preservation of fauna and flora, and seven sages so that the knowledge of past could be carried on. Vasuki the serpent of the god was also put on board.

Then the deluge came. The boat was floundering. Sri Maha Vishnu appeared as the fish, Vasuki was used as a rope to tie the boat. The other end was taken by God, and the boat was towed to safety. The living survived.

Sounds familiar? Let me refresh your memory.

The book of genesis has this to say. Some tine after creation, the God gazed at earth and was angered by all the evil which had encompassed it. However there was a good being, who tried to reform but was not successful. In anger God ordered a great flood to destroy the earth, except for the good.

The god then asked Noah to build an ark large enough to have space for Noah and his family, and, two of all species of animals and seven of all edible living beings.

Obeying God, Noah spent many years building the ark. Once that was finished, he gathered all that was to be protected in it. God then sent pouring rain for forty days. The water rose higher and higher. Rivers flooded, Oceans tided in. The whole of earth was flooded. Noah, his family and the protected were safely in the ark which floated on the water and were saved. After floating for seven months the ark landed on dry land near Mount Arafat.

Here again the substance is same the modality different.

One striking point is, if God made us and governs us, then how can one be evil? When God created us, he gave us a brain and a set of rules to follow, in order to be useful to the society. I believe that, we forgot the rules and evil used our minds.

There should be thousands of other such similarities which I do not know. I will try to find them. For peace and brotherhood we need to find common ground.