The Human Icon: A Comparative Study of Hindu and Orthodox Christian Beliefs

The Human Icon: A Comparative Study of Hindu and Orthodox Christian Beliefs by Christine Mangala Frost will serve for years to come as the standard work to be consulted by both scholars and laypersons as an invaluable reference and resource when seeking information about these two great expressions of faith.In this seminal work, Dr. Frost demonstrates her in-depth knowledge of both religions, explaining each of them in a gracious, non-critical way. She probes the depth of each faith in a non-judgmental manner and comprehensively treats each of them with the compassion and openness only achieved by someone with scholarly and personal knowledge of the subject. She points out where the two converge at certain junctures and explores the ways they do and why they share common ground. She then does the same when describing the differences between these two belief systems.While most specialists in comparative religions would emphasize the differences between the Hindu faith and Orthodox Christianity, Frost addresses aspects of their sameness, especially in the areas where the two religions seek the Divine. Eastern Orthodoxy and Hinduism share a holistic view of both humankind and the world, even though in the Hindu tradition there are many worlds and many ways the “righteous” earn their rewards. That belief, difficult as it is to comprehend, stands in stark comparison to the Orthodox Christian belief that all things begin, exist and end with the triune God and any reward or fulfillment is: “. . . that, when He shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as He is” (1 Jn. 3:2).Chapter Six was of interest to me since, in America, the seventies and eighties were times of fads, fashions and falderal. One of those fads was the various forms of meditation and yoga lead by a host of visiting Eastern gurus who looked serene, promised little, and became rich.In1976 Dr. Herbert Benson and his colleagues at the Harvard Medical School, after extensive research, published The Relaxation Response, which immediately became a best seller. Using the techniques suggested in his book, millions of individuals with no interest in the spiritual aspects of meditation attempted the technique. Benson was able to document that the technique of meditation might be helpful to large numbers of individuals and that results could be gained by learning meditation in a few minutes and then practicing it for ten minutes a day.The same might be said about yoga. Across America, gyms, recreation centers and YMCA’s offered yoga classes for stretching and strengthening various parts of the body. Except in very rare cases, yoga is practiced today as an exercise to establish and assist individuals with maintaining joint and muscle flexibility.I was pleased when Frost provided a compressive and in-depth look at these practices and an appreciation of their origins. I can only suggest that Christians, regardless of their traditions, need not fear either of these practices. The devil is not going to come and take them away because they employ techniques that help maintain a healthy lifestyle, regardless of their source.This work does not attempt to revise each faith’s tradition and somehow create the notion that Hinduism and Orthodox Christianity are the same. Frost is clear in pointing out the differences. What is explored are the ways individuals seek and hopefully find union with God.Frost captures how both faiths are about awakening, not accomplishment or just knowing. Both are about a spiritual journey with the hope of experiencing an ever deeper self-realization. Both believe human dignity and sacredness comes from our deep, inherent connection with the Divine. It is in that connectedness that we find union with God.The reader should be ready to deal with some complex information about both religions, especially Hinduism. If nothing else, the proper pronunciation of names and practices proved somewhat challenging for this reviewer who is not a specialist in either religion. Nevertheless, Frost’s clear explanation of concepts and practices was most helpful.The Human Icon is not a book written by an academic with little or no firsthand knowledge of the subject. It comes to us as a gift from someone who has lived in both faiths and who has immense knowledge of the subject. Even so, Frost does not rely on antidotal information gained from personal experience but provides ample footnotes in each chapter, along with a helpful ten-page “Selected Bibliography,” which includes both primary sources, along with books and articles, thereby opening the door for anyone seeking to further explore these ancient faiths.Born into and raised in an Indian family with Hindu priests and prophets in her lineage, she knows, in depth, the Hindu faith which is probably in her DNA. She won a scholarship to the University of Cambridge, UK, and while there, she was eventually drawn to the Orthodox expression of the Christian faith. Baptized into Christian Orthodoxy, she immersed herself into the study of that great and historic faith. She is a guest Lecturer and Research Associate at the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies where her husband, Professor David Frost, served as Principal/Administrator. The Institute is part of the Cambridge Theological Federation.The book is an excellent example of how a scholar might share critical and interesting information with both academic and non-specialist readers. While the book is difficult to find and a bit pricy for a paperback edition, the search and cost are worth it.My only recommendation is that she might have included suggestions and ways both faiths might be effective in a post-truth, post-religion world to attract and interest a younger generation of individuals who are not so much impressed with traditions, doctrines, history and comparisons but are seeking loving, authentic and inclusive community. I know this suggestion is beyond the scope of this work, but perhaps she might address this challenge in a future paper or book.

I sent this as a gift to the well-known expert on Hinduism at the Divinity Faculty of the University of Cambridge, Professor Julius Lipner, and he responded in the following terms: 'It's a very impressive-looking book, and clearly the fruit of much research. I am very glad to have it and look forward to reading it soon. Please thank Mangala very much for her gift of the book to me, and her gift of scholarship to a wider public in general on a much under-researched and very important topic. A pioneering work.' That catches the importance of the work: not only has it not been done before but it is written with the special understanding of someone who is an insider to both religions and wants us to understand and appreciate both. Since it gives both faiths a fair deal, it is the best starting-point for anyone interested in Indian religion and for anyone exploring Christianity, and is a draught of cool, refreshing water to fanatics on either side.

I sent this as a gift to the well-known expert on Hinduism at the Divinity Faculty of the University of Cambridge, Professor Julius Lipner, and he responded in the following terms: 'It's a very impressive-looking book, and clearly the fruit of much research. I am very glad to have it and look forward to reading it soon. Please thank Mangala very much for her gift of the book to me, and her gift of scholarship to a wider public in general on a much under-researched and very important topic. A pioneering work.' That catches the importance of the work: not only has it not been done before but it is written with the special understanding of someone who is an insider to both religions and wants us to understand and appreciate both. Since it gives both faiths a fair deal, it is the best starting-point for anyone interested in Indian religion and for anyone exploring Christianity, and is a draught of cool, refreshing water to fanatics on either side.

I first encountered the author in her excellent pamphlet on yoga and the Orthodox Christian. I sought out this book (waiting for it to come down in price!) because I was interested in learning more about Hinduism from an Orthodox perspective. This book could not be better on that account! Yes, it’s scholarly and detailed, but it is far more than that. You will learn a baseline of knowledge about both faiths that you simply cannot get anywhere else. I emerged with my Orthodox Christian faith stronger than ever. This author lived both faiths from the inside, and it shows. You could not have a better guide!