Learning the Science of the Soul
11
Krṣṇa  consciousness is dormant in everyone's heart, and when one  comes  in contact with devotees, it is awakened. Krṣṇa consciousness is  not  artificial. Just as a young boy awakens his natural attraction for a  young girl  in her association, similarly, if one hears about Krṣṇa in the  association  of devotees, he awakens his dormant Krṣṇa consciousness.
Ms. Nixon:  What is the difference between Krṣṇa consciousness and  Christ  consciousness?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  Christ consciousness is also Krṣṇa consciousness,  but  because at present people do not follow the rules and regulations of  Christianity —the commandments of Jesus Christ—they do not come to the standard of God consciousness.
Ms. Nixon:  What is unique about Krṣṇa consciousness among all  religions ?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  Primarily, religion means to know God and to love  Him . That is religion. Nowadays, because of a lack of training, nobody  knows  God, what to speak of loving Him. People are satisfied simply  going  to church and praying, “O God, give us our daily bread.” In the  Śrimad-Bhāgavatam  this is called a cheating religion, because the aim is to know and love God but to gain some personal profit. In other  words , if I profess to follow some religion, but I do not know who God is  or how  to love Him, I am practicing a cheating religion. As far as the  Christian religion  is concerned, ample opportunity is given to understand  God , but no one is taking it. For example, the Bible contains the commandment “Thou shall not kill,” but Christians have built the world's  best  slaughterhouses. How can they become God conscious if they disobey the commandments of Lord Jesus Christ? And this is going on not  just  in the Christian religion, but in every religion. The title “Hindu,” “Muslim,” or “Christian” is simply a rubber stamp. None of them  knows  who God is and how to love Him.
Ms. Nixon:  How can one tell a bona fide spiritual master from a fake?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  Whoever teaches how to know God and how to love  Him —he is a spiritual master. Sometimes bogus rascals mislead people. “I am God,” they claim, and people who do not know what God is  believe  them. You must be a serious student to understand who God is  and  how to love Him. Otherwise, you will simply waste your time. So the  difference  between others and us is that we are the only movement that  can  actually teach one how to know God and how to love Him. We are  presenting  the science of how one can know Krṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by practicing the teachings of the  Bhagavad-gītā  and the  Śrimad-Bhāgavatam . They teach us that our only business is to love