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General information:
About the existence of divinity:
The existence of divinity is actually very obvious. I can experience that I exist. I can also experience that something else exists, and that there is some order in existence. Thus, I can conclude that there must be a higher power, who is referred to as different levels of divinity, such as gods, goddesses, or "God". I can also experience that I am a person, with personal qualities. Thus, I can conclude that personality exists, and thus it is logical to conclude that the divinity is a person. People who don't like to think of divinity as a person generally say "nature" or "universe" when they talk about the divinity. There are also people who agree that the divinity is a person, but they think that we can't know anything about his personality, and they, somewhat impersonally, refer to the divinity simply as "God". Such a view is not shared by Vaishnavism, where the divinity, and his qualities, are very clearly described in the scriptures, and has many names, such as Vishnu (or Vis'n'u). In summary: To say that divinity doesn't exist is insane. To say that divinity is not a person is atheism. To say that divinity is a person, who remains unknown, is what I would call semi-theism. To say that divinity is a person, who can be worshipped, is theism. Vaishnavism is a theistic religion.
About the origin of the soul:
There are some controversies amongst some Vaishnavas as to where the soul originates. It is the opinion of this author that the soul originates in kr's'n'a-liilaa, the divine relationship with the supreme god which is also the goal of the soul. The other ideas that have been presented by some people are simply an insult towards the supreme god.
About other religions:
There have been some attempts to blend Vaishnavism together with other religions such as Christianity or Islam, and some branches of Vaishnavism are clearly influenced by these religions. These attempts haven't been very successful, in my opinion, and they tend to distort Vaishnavism. In fact, pure Vaishnavism has more in common with European Paganism than with Christianity or Islam, and readers familiar with Paganism will see the similarities. Of course, we respect what is good and honorable in other religions, and also other branches of sanaatana dharma, as different paths are suited to different people.
About other scriptures:
Other scriptures from non-Vaishnava sources can also have some divine revelations in them. I don't think that there is a monopoly on how and when the supreme god reveals himself. However, I don't see the books of other religions to be on the same level as the Vaishnava scriptures. We have no plans to present other scriptures on this website.
About translations of scriptures:
Here, we present translations which are as accurate as possible. The idea is that the translations should say the same thing as the original text, and if explanations are needed, they are given in notes or commentaries. There are some translators who mix the translations with their own ideologies, in a way that gives the reader a wrong impression of what the text really says. We consider such a thing to be cheating, and we want to separate the translations from the explanations.
About bhakti-yoga and karma-yoga:
In bhakti-yoga, divine union is achieved through devotion. In karma-yoga, divine union is achieved through actions and work. This means that activities can only be classified as bhakti if they are truly motivated by devotion, and voluntary. There are some people who claim to perform bhakti-yoga, while they really perform karma-yoga. If something is done because someone wants to reach the heavens, because its someone's duty, or even because someone wants to be liberated from birth and death, it is karma-yoga, not bhakti-yoga. Only if something is done out of pure devotion, it can be called bhakti.
About the law of karma:
The law of karma is not an excuse to idly sit by and watch people or animals suffer. It might be true that the individual has his karma to go through, but it is also true that what someone else does, or neglects to do, in a given situation creates karma for that (other) person. (Note: the term "karma" is a popular term, which would be more correctly called "karma-phala".)
About the "cat philosophy":
Some Vaishnavas preach the so called "cat philosophy", which basically means that the supreme god's mercy works without human effort, like a kitten is carried by the cat in the mouth. This philosophy might seem attractive to some, but nevertheless it seems to come from sources outside of the pure Vaishnava tradition, and thus it is not pure Vaishnavism. Pure Vaishnavism teaches that even though the supreme god's mercy is there, humans have to make an effort to receive it.
About Vaikun't'ha and mukti:
Some modern Vaishnava groups preach about reaching the Vaikun't'ha planets in the spiritual world, and they speak condescendingly about mukti, and some even say that they are not interested in mukti. However, there is no possibility to achieve the Vaikun't'ha planets without first obtaining mukti, which means that someone who wants to achieve the Vaikun't'ha planets would have to give up all material desires first, and there is no way around it.
About evolution versus creation:
It is our firm conviction that the life forms were created by divine intervention at different times. Thus, the theory of evolution is not compatible with Vaishnavism.