I describe myself as a Vaishnava Hindu but emphasize that this is not a sectarian term. Sectarian being defined as excessive devotion to a particular religion. Vaishnava Hinduism is not like this, in fact, Vaishnavism is the polar opposite of sectarianism.
Recently I saw a YouTube message from Tulsi Gabbard, the first practicing Hindu elected to The US Congress. She expressed in this video more eloquently than I can why Vaishnava Hinduism embraces all faiths:
According to Vaishnava Hinduism, there’s one Supreme Being who is called many names by different people around the world at different times. It’s not that there is a Christian god, a Buddhist god, a Hindu god, or a Muslim god, all competing with each other. There is only one God although we may call Him by different names.
“It is the loving exchange one has with God that is true spirituality. And one who is experiencing such love for God is able to see beyond our external differences and designations, and recognize that we are all relatives in the deepest sense. We are all children of the same Supreme Lord. This is the message of Bhagavad-gita, the message of love, of how we can achieve real harmony with others, no matter the different backgrounds we come from.”
Here is a link to Tulsi Gabbards full message:
Namaste
Beautiful post as always! I’m always excited when I see you have a new post.
I’ve been under the weather a bit lately but hope to have more posts coming regularly again very soon.