Advice

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Greeneyed_Cajun

Guest
#1
My younger brother Jake (he's 16) has been living with me since our mother passed away in November, 2010. He was brought up in a loving Christian home and until recently he was a passionate devoted Christian. But around summer 2011 he became obsessed with George Harrison and soon thereafter made friends with an Indian family (the Prasad's) who own a local store. Since that time he has bought all these little statues of Hindu deities like Krishna and Hanuman and placed them around his room. He has several copies of the Baghavad Gita and a biography of a guru (I forgot his name). He now considers himself Hindu and balked at partaking in Holy Communion recently. I think he only did it because he saw how upset his lack of enthusiasm made me.
It's like I don't even know him anymore. When I enter his room he's listening to sitar music and either meditating or reading his copy of the Gita and burning incense. And anything I do or say to try and convince him he's turned away from Christ is met with anger and an argument that "Jesus and Krishna are the same" because apparently George Harrison said so as did his Hindu friends the Prasad's. He doesn't even want to go to church anymore. He's actively searching for a Hindu temple to worship at now, locally.
I've been praying about it. But other than that I'm at a loss. He doesn't respect my opinion anymore. I guess what I'm asking is what should I do?
 
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sze

Guest
#2
Hey man, its nice to see what a great brother you are, it reminds me of my bro when he convinced me to turn away from hinduism. I was born as a christian but raised as a hindu because of the influence of my mother. Pretty much what you can do is, say something that may seem lot logical that may convince your brother. If you had ever seen a hindu "god" either at a temple and such, you should know that they look very violent and does not look anything as peaceful/kind like Jesus. So use this to convince him , ask him to think , which god is more kind/peaceful looking, tell him that a god should be kind and NOT violent, hopefully he would be convinced, bcuz this was what my brother told me once. You may also tell him , there should only be 1 god, cuz 1 god is all the universe needs, a god is the most superior/powerful being on the universe, so 1 god is all it needs unlike hinduism which has more than 30 gods. Try telling him that, it should make sense to him. Good Luck :) God Bless.
 
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ElizabethPeter

Guest
#3
Hey there. I know the last person you'd probably want to get advice from is an Indian, let alone, a 15 year old one. But I'm Christian, and growing up in Malaysia, you'd think it's hard, but once you have Christ, it's easy. You'll stop caring about what everyone else thinks. All you'd want is God's opinion.

After reading your story, I'm going to have to be honest with you. Just because you're brought up in a Christian home, it doesn't mean that you're a Christian. You can keep telling yourself that you are, but truthfully, you aren't. God knows the heart, He sees the heart, not the mind. For it's the heart that stays truthful in the end. The mind can and will lie.

I'm going to be brutally honest with you. Your brother, probably called himself a Christian, but never really believed it. Being raised in a Christian home, has it's downs rather than it's ups. He probably never got the truth. Once you feel like what you're hearing is not the truth, you'll try your best to search for an answer. In your brother's case, Hinduism. I understand what he's going trough. I was very skeptical about Christianity myself. But then, God opened my eyes. I too was raised in a Christian home, but the truth wasn't there for me.

I'm not sure whether you understand my point, or not. But.. getting your brother back, will be hard. I can try to help you, but means preaching the truth. Something, I don't think you're brother has heard. If you'd like to know more, you can get back to me. I hope I can be of help. God will help.

Have a good day, and God bless :)
 
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Greeneyed_Cajun

Guest
#4
Absolutely I wanted advice from Indians, that's why I posted here.
As for my brother, he was truly Christian. His faith was greater than my own until he changed. I think our parents deaths and the death of our older sister really shook him. If our parents were still alive he would listen to them, but he has no respect for my words because he just see's me as his brother and not an authority figure.
I tried to speak with him again tonight and he just said "I don't want to hear it and I don't want to join your stupid website" (I invited him to post here and meet all of you).
 

Caduceus

Senior Member
Apr 10, 2013
140
26
28
#5
Approaching it as a general problem instead of something bound up in a specific false religion might be a good idea.
What I mean is it sounds like he might be angry at God rather than having abandoned his faith utterly.
If it is just grief that is causing this it *might* pass on its own. In the short term I think you should set a good example, but I'm not sure how much you should actively push him. At that age especially if you push too much he will probably just rebel. I'm not saying you should just let it slide or stop trying to get him to go to church altogether, but maybe you should pick your battles.

You're his authority figure so he is naturally going to rebel against you, so if you want to reason him out of his lapse of faith I would suggest getting someone else he respects to approach him, I think he would be more likely to listen.

As always if there is a priest or deacon you could talk to that would probably be a good idea.
 
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ladylynn

Guest
#6
Just a suggestion, Ravi Zachariahus (spelling?) on line. He was raised a Hindu and became a Christian and has tons of great things to say on this subject. He teaches Apologetics (sp) College kids really like him. You and your brother have been through so much already I can only imagine how difficult all this is being at odds with one another when you need each other more than ever.

It's always a comfort to me when something this huge happens in our lives, to know God is aware and will teach us something very important as we go through it. You are not alone even though it must feel like it without your mother. Faith is grown in such times as these. You have to go through it but Jesus will go through it With you. :)
 
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valerie

Guest
#7
My younger brother Jake (he's 16) has been living with me since our mother passed away in November, 2010. He was brought up in a loving Christian home and until recently he was a passionate devoted Christian. But around summer 2011 he became obsessed with George Harrison and soon thereafter made friends with an Indian family (the Prasad's) who own a local store. Since that time he has bought all these little statues of Hindu deities like Krishna and Hanuman and placed them around his room. He has several copies of the Baghavad Gita and a biography of a guru (I forgot his name). He now considers himself Hindu and balked at partaking in Holy Communion recently. I think he only did it because he saw how upset his lack of enthusiasm made me.
It's like I don't even know him anymore. When I enter his room he's listening to sitar music and either meditating or reading his copy of the Gita and burning incense. And anything I do or say to try and convince him he's turned away from Christ is met with anger and an argument that "Jesus and Krishna are the same" because apparently George Harrison said so as did his Hindu friends the Prasad's. He doesn't even want to go to church anymore. He's actively searching for a Hindu temple to worship at now, locally.
I've been praying about it. But other than that I'm at a loss. He doesn't respect my opinion anymore. I guess what I'm asking is what should I do?

hello bro.
i have a bit of the same thing on my shoulders. the difference is, mine is my older brother. he used to be on fire for The Lord too. he was even the one who really prayed and evangelized me when i was younger. he changed when our dad died. well he isn't really searching or worshiping other gods like your bro but same thought: he has turn away from Jesus. It's good that you continue to pray for him, as nothing is impossible with God and we know prayer is a great weapon. he is still young bro, they can't really be mature enough to understand the good you want them to have. since he was led to that road because of his passion, may i suggest that you think of ways to lead Him back to God using the same thing.. i mean, work out little things that will catch his interest, and from there, slowly make him realize/remember that he already had the right one and that he needs to get it back. also, try not to make it more about your opinion. it;s like sharing to an unbeliever. do it again from the start. listen to him, but do not compromise. (do not let down your guard) and make him understand that despite what he is doing, JESUS loves him so much and wants him back. let him see that you're doing this not because you want to prove that he is wrong and is a mess. try to tell him that he is wrong, but that you're doing this mainly because you don't want him to forget about God.
fill him up again with The Master's love. all about Him, bro. and when your lil bro is filled with that again, there shall be no space for idols.
i'll be including you in my prayers, bro. have faith. we are serving a MIGHTY GOD. be patient too :)
GOD Bless <3
 
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Livi94

Guest
#8
My brother stopped believing as well, except he claims he stopped around 10-years-old. He said that he does not believe there is any higher power at all too. So he never got interested in any other religion. But recently, in the past 3 years or so, he's began to question more about the Catholic Church (we were raised Catholic) and he even went to a couple Masses on his own. He's about 4 years older than me and has been living on his own since he was 18. My family prays for his all the time. I think the time it took him to grow and mature some helped a lot. God will never give up on him and neither will we. For your brother, maybe you can go back into time with him and some Bible stories that may give him another perspective on things. Explain to him that the Bible is a book made by man and man is not perfect. The Bible is simply a collection of books. There have been books taken out of the Bible and books that have been added in. It has not remained the exact same since the completion of the Old Testament or since Jesus' death. It took a great deal of time for it to become what it is now. Some religions have changed it up since the original collection of book that we NOW call the Bible. Giving things time helps a lot when dealing with obstacles like these. Maybe if he understand that many Christian beliefs have changed over time, Hinduism (which I don't really know the history of) has evolved in a similar way. It might change his perspective on Christianity. Now, there's also the matter that wise men speaking wise things should not be the only reason that he changes his religious beliefs completely. Wise men have been speaking wise things since God gave us a voice. Most of what these people say about peace and love... it's all the same. They are in agreement with each other! Does that mean one is more wrong? I can also understand if the Bible may scare him. It scared a lot of people with some of its words. But why be scared? It's is once again, a book made by man. One thing is for sure though. No matter what, whether you believe in God, or worship Satan, neither, or if you hate religion period, the Bible may or may not have strict actual stories of events that have happened an exact way. The Bible was definitely put together to make a point. Many different ideas and points put together in one book. These points were written also by very wise men. For instance, God says there is no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend. Point made. If someone took a bullet for me they must have love in their hearts to drive them to do such an act of kindness. Life lessons are written down through stories (real or not) written by man's hands. As were many (but not all) other holy books written. With time your little brother may understand and question things more. Your such a good brother for caring! Prayers for you and your family especially in these times, God bless!
 
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paulr

Guest
#9
My younger brother Jake (he's 16) has been living with me since our mother passed away in November, 2010. He was brought up in a loving Christian home and until recently he was a passionate devoted Christian. But around summer 2011 he became obsessed with George Harrison and soon thereafter made friends with an Indian family (the Prasad's) who own a local store. Since that time he has bought all these little statues of Hindu deities like Krishna and Hanuman and placed them around his room. He has several copies of the Baghavad Gita and a biography of a guru (I forgot his name). He now considers himself Hindu and balked at partaking in Holy Communion recently. I think he only did it because he saw how upset his lack of enthusiasm made me.
It's like I don't even know him anymore. When I enter his room he's listening to sitar music and either meditating or reading his copy of the Gita and burning incense. And anything I do or say to try and convince him he's turned away from Christ is met with anger and an argument that "Jesus and Krishna are the same" because apparently George Harrison said so as did his Hindu friends the Prasad's. He doesn't even want to go to church anymore. He's actively searching for a Hindu temple to worship at now, locally.
I've been praying about it. But other than that I'm at a loss. He doesn't respect my opinion anymore. I guess what I'm asking is what should I do?
Bro, I will pray for your brother, as i have a younger brother too. I am a Hindu convert, and speaking from my experience I would never want to go back or for that matter move away from grace, which i was not worthy of. I am sure your brother is blinded, and our God is kind and merciful to bring Him back.
 
Feb 26, 2013
48
0
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#10
Hi brother, I'm not indian (lol), but...I believe there is nothing more stronger than love.
keep loving your brother with love God gave to you. he just need that you still loving and showing your love for him.
the bible say that we should preach the gospel and if necessary use words....just continue living the gospel and he will see Jesus in you!
I'll pray for you and your familly!
God bless you!
 
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Greeneyed_Cajun

Guest
#11
Thank you all. Your prayers and advice mean a lot.
 
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SHINY707

Guest
#12
My younger brother Jake (he's 16) has been living with me since our mother passed away in November, 2010. He was brought up in a loving Christian home and until recently he was a passionate devoted Christian. But around summer 2011 he became obsessed with George Harrison and soon thereafter made friends with an Indian family (the Prasad's) who own a local store. Since that time he has bought all these little statues of Hindu deities like Krishna and Hanuman and placed them around his room. He has several copies of the Baghavad Gita and a biography of a guru (I forgot his name). He now considers himself Hindu and balked at partaking in Holy Communion recently. I think he only did it because he saw how upset his lack of enthusiasm made me.
It's like I don't even know him anymore. When I enter his room he's listening to sitar music and either meditating or reading his copy of the Gita and burning incense. And anything I do or say to try and convince him he's turned away from Christ is met with anger and an argument that "Jesus and Krishna are the same" because apparently George Harrison said so as did his Hindu friends the Prasad's. He doesn't even want to go to church anymore. He's actively searching for a Hindu temple to worship at now, locally.
I've been praying about it. But other than that I'm at a loss. He doesn't respect my opinion anymore. I guess what I'm asking is what should I do?





ASKING THE HOLYSPIRIT TO HELP IN THIS MATTER IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE HOLYSPIRIT ALONE IS THE POWERFUL WITNESS OF CHRIST.


JOHN 15:26
[SUP]26 [/SUP]But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father,
he shall testify of me:

FURTHER HOLYSPIRIT IS THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, HE CAN BREAK ALL THE POWERS OF LIES.

JOHN 16:13-14
[SUP]13 [/SUP]Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
[SUP]14 [/SUP]He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.




 
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savedNblessed

Guest
#13
Hey dear,

Being the eldest sibling I know your love and care towards your younger brother. My younger brother hasn't turned away from Christ but he hasn't turned towards Him 100% either. So I know it hurts. But, I trust God and so should you. Like others have said already, don't stop loving and don't stop caring.

Now the thing about Hinduism. Well, don't tell him it's wrong or something along those lines (because he won't listen to you) but just give him facts regarding it. Like I have many Hindu friends and a status update I like to post targeting them is that ”I don't need 33 million gods for my problems, my One GOD is able to take care of my 33 million problems.” Like do some research. Share some facts with him. Also you can mention how in Hinduism you may have to take re-birth up to SEVEN times in order to gain salvation of soul but it's nothing like that in Christianity. Salvation is freely given to us through our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Let me know if I could be of more help. You are a great brother and I admire you for that and I know one day your brother will too. Don't get discouraged. Remember, there is STILL hope in JESUS.
 

onlinebuddy

Senior Member
Sep 1, 2012
1,115
24
38
#14
Your brother has probably joined the "Hare Krishna" movement (I hope I'm wrong). This is a cult that believes in human efforts to attain salvation rather than grace. You can read more details about this movement here (just found this article that made sense): Hare Krishna Movement

Anyone who has truly understood Christ's spiritual wisdom will never leave Christ for such a hollow philosophy as promoted by the Hare Krishna movement. There are so many Americans and Europeans who have been brought up in Christian households, but have never understood Christ. Therefore multitudes of them have joined this movement. The Hare Krishna movement promises its members peace and meaning in life through yoga, chanting and meditation- all worldly wisdom. Many people who cannot handle life end up joining this cult.

With your brother, it may not be a faith issue (i don't know). Maybe he does not see much meaning in life after losing your parents and sister at such a young age (or it could be something else; you need to find out). Maybe he needs emotional and financial support, which the Prasads may be giving him. If so, please continue to be the most supportive brother to him- emotionally and financially.

If it is a faith issue, he will turn around once he sees Christ in you.

And let us all pray for him, because God can do wonders. Take care!
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,261
2,386
113
#15
Just a suggestion, Ravi Zachariahus (spelling?) on line. He was raised a Hindu and became a Christian and has tons of great things to say on this subject. He teaches Apologetics (sp) College kids really like him. You and your brother have been through so much already I can only imagine how difficult all this is being at odds with one another when you need each other more than ever.

It's always a comfort to me when something this huge happens in our lives, to know God is aware and will teach us something very important as we go through it. You are not alone even though it must feel like it without your mother. Faith is grown in such times as these. You have to go through it but Jesus will go through it With you. :)
This is a great idea.

Ravi Zacharias is an Indian, who is a Christian apologist.
He has tons of books, videos, etc.
He's very well educated, very wise, and seems to have a very Godly reputation.

He often talks about the Hindu religion, and how to witness effectively to Hindus.

I think Ravi Zacharias would be a good place to start.