Christianity And Buddhism Compare And Contrast

Religion is one of the oldest and most sacred traditions of the human species. Religion started off as a basic belief in an afterlife, and then further developed into tribal religions, which evolved into ancestral worship, then to polytheism, and lastly into monotheism. Monotheism in the form of Christianity is the largest religion of the modern world, and it has similar beliefs to other world religions such as Buddhism. Christianity and Buddhism are similar because both religions teach about the equality of people and that making good choices reflects the positive teachings of that religion. They are also similar in how they formed, as both broke off from another religion that was exclusive, and both became popular and spread easily

If a Christian follows Buddhist traditions, then one must assume that there is an overlapping of similarities in both teachings; a Christian’s worldview must be complementary to that of a Buddhist’s. Though I am arguing the similarities between Christianity and Buddhism, I do not completely shut down the obvious differences between the two traditions. Christians are devoted the Jesus Christ’s teachings, while Buddhists believe in the Buddha’s teachings. Jesus is God in human form while Buddha was a human being who reached supreme insight under the Bodhi tree. Roderick Ninian Smart, a Scottish writer and university educator of religious studies, argues in his book, Buddhism and Christianity: Rivals and Allies, “Jesus saved humanity through his deeds and death, while the heart of liberation for Buddhists is through the Eightfold Path” He then continues to defend

Christianity and Buddhism are two different religions that developed and spread contemporaneously in during the Classical Period different territories. Both of them share some similarities as well as differences. Both of these religions were founded based upon different principles taught by different people; in Buddhism’s case Gautama Buddha a thinker and in Christianity’s it is Jesus Christ who is a prophet. These two universal doctrines spread in times of chaos, in which citizens of their own territories were looking forward to achieve salvation of any kind. Although alike these two doctrines didn’t have a

According to our text, Huston Smith believed that all religions were essentially the same, whereas Stephen Prothero believes that they are all fundamentally different. These two differing opinions can be looked at further by comparing two of the world religions: Christianity and Buddhism. I believe that all religions are a mixture of both; religions are essentially the same and are also fundamentally different. Christianity and Buddhism both have similar aspects within them, and they have different aspects as well. In order to make sense of the world, one needs to have knowledge of religion and the implications it has on society (Prothero).

Christianity and Buddhism are two religions that seem completely different on the surface, but when the layers of ritual and tradition are peeled back they are extremely similar at the core of their beliefs. Beginning at their origin, both religions were founded by men with a miraculous birth. Both of the religions founders set off on their spiritual journey around the age of thirty, and both of the founders lived their lives as an example of how to correctly practice their religions. The only core differences between Jesus Christ and Buddha is that Jesus came from humble beginnings and claimed to be a deity as the son of God and Buddha was a prince but did not claim to be a deity. The creation of their sacred texts has similarities as well. Professor

We can define rituals as repeated actions that provides us with meaning and significance. Symbols are a small unit of a ritual. Both rituals and symbols play an active role in religion. According to Clifford Geertz, religion can be defined as “a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive and long lasting moods and motivations in both men and women by formulating conceptions of general order of existence”. Every religion has some assembly of rituals and/or symbols that help form and shape its practices. However, do some religions have more rituals and symbols than others? When comparing Buddhism to my own religion, Christianity, Buddhism appears to have more rituals and symbols that shape their religion.

Buddhism and Christianity are both religions that have the rich history and millions of devoted followers throughout the world. When Buddhism first emerged in India during the 6th century B.C.E., it was thought of as a “new religious movement”. The founder of Buddhist and became the Buddha points to one man, Siddhartha Gautama. He was born Lumbini during the 5th century B.C.E. Siddhartha Gautama lived during a time period of profound social charges om India. However, Christianity developed in Judaism what’s now known as Israel in the 1st century. It was

“Rivers, ponds, lakes, and streams—they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do—they all contain truths,” said by Muhammad Ali. Religion is the belief and reverence for a supernatural power and powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe (2003). The religions I’ve chose to compare and contrast would be non denomination/ Christianity and Buddhism. Each religion would be broken down by their religious belief, religious ritual, and religious experience. The definition of these religious things are: religious belief is a statement to which members of a particular religion adhere, religious ritual is a practice required or expected of members of a faith, and religious experience is the feeling or

Christians also believe in such polarities as good and evil, God and Devil, Heaven and Hell -- none of which form an important part of any Buddhist teachings. Christianity is likewise authoritarian and dictatorial -- "you must believe this or you will be condemned" -- whereas Buddhism tends to be more liberal and allows people to believe more or less whatever they like. Christians ban certain teachings as heretical, evil and harmful, but

Christianity started about 2000 years ago, in Israel with Jesus Christ and his faithful group of disciples. Jesus was a Jew and practiced the Jewish faith. Jesus went around village to village healing and teaching people. Soon men started to follow him around and called him their teacher, thus they became Jesus’ disciples. Jesus taught them about sin and how people have a lost relationship with God. He gave distinct rules as to what is right and what is wrong, ad issued out punishments and lessons to enforce his teachings. For example, God needed Jonah but he ran from God. So in return God prepared a giant whale to swallow him. Previously stated, people believe that Jesus died on the Roman cross for everyone’s sins and then rose three days later. Christianity is known as the largest religion in the world. Buddhism sprung in India around the fifth century BC. Buddha was born as a royal prince in India. By the time he was twenty-nine years old is when he gave up being prince and went into the forest to meditate. Buddha stopped his meditation after six years to teach about the first Wheel of Dharma. Buddha taught eighty-four teachings throughout his life time. He taught how to live life with peace. Buddhism today has the third largest membership of all faiths after Christianity and Islam. Buddha is also know as Siddhartha Gautama or Enlightened One. There is an Eightfold Path that followers can

At first glance the traditions of Christianity and Buddhism appear very different from each other. One centers around a God that was at one time physically manifest on earth in the human form of his "son" Jesus Christ, the other primarily worships a historical figure that gained divine status through enlightenment. This assessment is broad at best, especially in the case of Buddhism where the Theravada and Mahayana traditions differ significantly. Christianity also has division within itself, the most prominent being between the Roman Catholic and Protestant systems. There are however, despite obvious differences, some very interesting similarities between Buddhism and

More importantly, the main beliefs in both religions have points in common. Buddhism and Christianity teach people and help them to escape the sufferings, and both of them

Christianity was founded in the early first century. It is centered around the belief of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the largest religion in the world with around 2 billion followers. Christianity is a monotheistic religion. This means that Christians believe in only one

Christianity is the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Most followers of Christianity, called Christians, are members of one of three major groups--Roman Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox. These groups have different beliefs about Jesus and His teachings. But all consider Jesus central to their religion. Most Christians believe God sent Jesus into the world as the Savior. Christianity teaches that humanity can achieve salvation through Jesus.

Compassion is basically considered to be one of the most virtues in almost all religious traditions such as Buddhism and Christianity. Buddhism and Christianity are two different religions but both of them are interrelated. Both religions have hope of life after death, hope of reincarnation of Buddhists, eternal life of Christians, but live consciously. Both Buddhism and Christianity were founded by spiritual leaders and masters who tried to prove a way of salvation. Based on religious writings, this paper explores the way Buddhism and Christianity are different and in what ways they similar from the point of salvation, life after death, and love.