Christianity vs. Buddhism

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

Buddhism and Christianity are both religions that have a substantial history and millions of dedicated followers throughout the world. In some ways, the two religions are similar, being based largely on the teachings of a single man; Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha in the case of Buddhism, and The Lord Jesus Christ in the case of Christianity. On the other hand there are various differences between these two religions.

These two religions had very different concepts about divinity, Christians believed in one only merciful god, while Buddhists believed in Buddha’s divinity known as enlightenment and his teachings. Christians had a very complex concept of what divinity is, they believe in only one god who can be manifested in three different ways, as God himself, throughout his son Jesus

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our like-ness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”(Gen . 1.26)

Between the two religions they both had a different start. Buddhism started when Siddhartha Gautama, who previously lived a rich and luxurious lifestyle, decided to make a change in his life. He wanted to be able to feel pain and suffering that was felt all around the world by everyone else. After being able to find it, he decided to try and find a cure for it through meditation. Siddhartha Gautama, otherwise known as Buddha created the “Four Noble Truths,” as well as the “Eightfold Path” to help people live a peaceful life. Buddhism was modified later on to create three main versions of the religion which are Theravada, also known as the “Way of the Elders” or the “Small Vehicle.” Mahayana Buddhism, which was called the “Great Vehicle” and finally Tibetan Buddhism which also goes by the “Diamond Vehicle.” Yet Christianity formed in a different way,

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).

The author concludes that Christians are to live faithfully by the values of the bible. As members of society, we are expected to play a critical role in in our community rather than isolating ourselves from those opposed to Christian worldviews. There are ways for Christians to live out their faith, but still remain active parts in the community.

“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 do all their things under the guidance of the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 20:1-17). Here God gave Moses a stone tablet that contained how God wishes his people to live on earth. The following are the Ten Commandments:

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

Both Buddhism and Christianity are a monotheistic religion but buddhism doesn't believe in a supreme creator being a.k.a God, while in the christianity we believe in God being our only supreme creator. Buddhism's goal is to let go of our desires, cravings and attachment, and try to dispel our ignorance. In christianity, the goal is to obtain salvation through christ’s passion, death and resurrection. In christianity our main goal is to love god and obey his commandment, while creating a relationship with jesus christ

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

Another way in which Christians are respectful to their holy book in everyday life is by following the teachings that the Bible contains, practically a second law of how they should live (the political law being the first).

Christian morality is centered on assessing the ethical implications of us as people. Who we ought and be, and what actions we ought to take or avoid based on an understanding of the scripture and relevant human experiences. I do not subscribe to the divine command theory (DCT) of ethics, as I believe you can have ethics without God. The DCT proposes that what is morally right is what God has commanded (for example, love thy neighbor), and what is forbidden by God is morally wrong (i.e. murder), yet there are many who agree that murder is wrong without reading the bible to recognize this. As such, I argue that the churches moral teachings are of