Externally, Vaishnavism and Christianity appear to be very different, but a closer look will reveal many similarities. One similarity between the two traditions is that both accept a personal God. Another similarity is the concept of love of God.  Lord Jesus Christ said that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul. This is the essence of the Vaishnava philosophy. The beauty of the Vaishnava tradition is that it contains detailed information about God, to help us develop our love for Him. Another similarity is the emphasis both traditions place on tolerance and humility. Vaishnava etiquette stresses that one should be more humble than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree. A similar stress in humility and tolerance can be found in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Another similarity is that both traditions believe we have to approach God through His representative, although Christians believe that Jesus is the only representative. The concept in Vaishnavism is also that the guru is one, but appears in many forms in order to attract the hearts of different souls. There is also the concept in Vaishnavism that at the time an authorized acharya accepts a disciple he also accepts the karma of that disciple so that they can begin their spiritual life with a clean slate. This is similar to the idea in Christianity that Jesus will remove the sins of people when they accept him as their Lord and savior. A similarity between Christianity and ISKCON is that both are focused on spreading their message for the sake of other souls. One obvious difference between Christianity and Vaishnavism is the fact the Christianity has a specific date of origin, while Vaishnavism claims to be eternal. Another difference between these traditions is the concept of reincarnation and the idea that animals have souls, which is found in Vaishnavism but not in Christianity, although some scholars claim that the teachings of reincarnation were originally part of the Christian tradition too. Another difference is that Christianity is an exclusive tradition, while Vaishnavism is both inclusive and non-sectarian. This is evident from the fact that Vaishnavas accept Lord Jesus Christ as a representative of God.