This paper is a comparison between two very different religions, specifically Christianity and Buddhism. Coming from opposite sides of the globe these two religions could not be any farther apart in any aspect. I will discuss who Christ is for Christians and who Buddha is for Buddhists. I will also get into the aspects of charity, love, and compassion in both religions and I will be looking at the individual self and how Christians see resurrection where the Buddhists feel about the afterlife. One thing to keep in mind is that the two religions are very different but they seem to have a very similar underlying pattern. Both believe that there was a savior of their people, Buddha and Christ, and both believe that there is something good …show more content…
The Christian religion is one of few religions where punishments for sins are not severe. In the Christian religion, even if you have lived a life of sin, so long as you repent in the end, you will be saved and given eternal life. This is not so in other religions. Such religions as Hinduism for instance do not believe this. For everything you do wrong you will be punished. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, if not in this life, then the next. Hindu 's also believe that punishing the body is part of the path to salvation. Christianity is nothing like this. Many Christians live in high class society. Christianity is one of the most appealing in that any sins may easily be corrected and that Christians may live comfortable, if not wealthy lives without guilt.
Christianity, like other religions though, has many weaknesses. Although as time goes on, Christianity is slowly evolving and trying to become even more appealing to society, there are still many downfalls. One thing with Christianity is that from day one we are given a guilt trip. We are born evil. We are born with "the original sin". We are at the mercy of God. If we beg forgiveness however, it shall be granted. My grandmother for instance has been a firm believer in the Roman Catholic faith. She, being taught in the old style, firmly believes in going to confession weekly and begging for forgiveness. It has been taught to her that man
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
The soul, the essence of man, the inner life, many religions believe in the existence of a soul even if they call it by a different name, but Christianity in particular revolves around one’s soul. It remains the crux on which one’s state of faith and fellowship rests. If one’s soul stays corrupted so does his religion, future, and everlasting life. Christianity also believes that God forgives us of our sins if only we take the time to ask, and further continue to walk in the light. Saint Augustine states that men are born sinners; that even as babies we sin. Sin is the easy choice; even babies not yet old enough to even remember life continue to choose it. Human nature, man’s own instinct chooses sin over God even before it understands the
Can a person be a Christian and follow Buddhist traditions? In comparison to ancient times, today it is not unusual for a person to identify as both a Christian and a Buddhist. Though Christians and Buddhists have been interacting since ancient times, it is now that the topic of dual belonging has become more common. How can a person be both a Christian and Buddhist when both are significantly different from the other in practice and in belief? Dual belonging is becoming a common practice in the Western world. This paper will compare Christianity and Buddhism and explain the concept and practice of dual belonging.
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
Buddhism and Christianity are closely related in many unique ways. While their founders exhibit significant differences in when they began their existence in the world, their teachings hugely resemble each other. Gautama Buddha was reported to have lived about 600 or 500 before Christ was born. Buddha was born in Nepal, India while Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which is currently located in Palestine. Both Jesus and Buddha espoused altruism and always insisted in service of others. They emphasized the need for giving than receiving and both believed in love as the only tool of defeating hatred. Both teachings contained the need not to judge others. A key difference between the two was how Buddha taught followers to lose one’s self to receive Nirvana while Jesus encouraged his people to lose one’s self in order to receive an everlasting life (Talim, Jeffrey & Anant, 67). This assignment attempts to highlight the similarity between Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount and Gautama Buddha’s Jataka Tales.
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 Christian religion finds its foundation on the Word of God and the work of Jesus Christ. Christianity finds its beginnings with Jesus Christ about 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came down to earth to teach, heal, and die for the sins of humanity. When God created man, he openly rebelled against God, causing a rift in their relationship. Since humans cannot save themselves, a perfect and completely innocent sacrifice was necessary in order to purify and restore mankind. Christianity is all about Jesus’ death and resurrection, as well as denying oneself and following Christ.
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.
Christianity is a monotheistic (believing in one God) religion, which is based on the “teachings of Jesus.” Deemed the son of God, Jesus walked around town helping those in need and preaching the words of his father, served as a role model, exemplifying to others how to live life selflessly. His life was short lived, “at the age 33, he was crucified on the cross.” Christians believe that God sacrificed his only son for the forgiveness of their own sins, which they give thanks for throughout the year at Christmas, Lent, and Easter. One of the most prominent figures in the Christian church is the cross. The most important book in Christianity is the Bible, which they consider sacred and holy. It is a doctrine that holds all Jesus’s teachings, which have been broken up into 2 parts: “old testament and new testament.” In the Bible, individuals will find a set of guidelines (10
“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
Indeed, though his personal suffering Christ has erased the sins of an entire civilization. Buddhists believe this is not possible and that only through personal effort can good be produced and bad reduced in the life of an individual. ‘We save ourselves’ is the very much the message of Buddhism. In any case, Christians venture to say no one can be saved except through love for and faith in Christ. This appears egotistic and self-centered. Buddhists do assert that certain saintly and highly gifted people exist and can help us, such as the Buddha himself, yet they still maintain that personal salvation will only occur though one’s own individual effort. I would also contend that the profoundly judgmental Christian concepts of sin, guilt and shame have been psychologically damaging to the people who have come in contact with them.
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
In present-day society, the globalization, briefly including economics, and culture, has become an unstoppable tendency. With its rapid development and cultural communication, some controversies have emerged. Religious conflicts are characteristic examples showing the detrimental influences of cultural globalization. It is generally acknowledged that Buddhism and Christianity are ancient and global religions; however, whether the belief in Buddhism is credible or not, has sparked spirited debate. The Christian believes the Buddha is a “shadow”, and he is not to be believed. Actually, there are some similarities in terms of histories, main figures, and beliefs between Buddhism and Christianity. In order to solve sources of conflict, the
Christianity was unlike other religions of the time in that it was a monotheistic worship though transcendentalism. The religions of Northern and Central Europe focused on gods in nature that explained the world around them. Christianity does not allow an explanation of this life, only that of existence in itself and the afterlife. The religions of these people at the time was also not as much a worship and commitment as that of the Christian religion. It is actually a great surprise to anyone that studies these religions as to how it could be that a religion that focused on piety, abstinence outside of marriage, and loving one’s enemy would be more fruitful a religion than the religions of Europe at that time that promoted feasts and festivals with excessive food, drink, and even orgies. The most compelling answer is that
It is evident that religion is considerably a controversial topic across the globe that seems to bring up futile disputes between people. From the many religious extremist groups that have been the world, such as the Crusaders, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS), Al Qaeda, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS); it is apparent that this certain topic evokes controversial views from enthusiasts. So why is this topic so controversial? Religion has corrupted the minds of human beings with ideas of what is right and wrong, thus influencing the ways we view others. We develop different opinions of what the “right” way to live is in our own eyes, which leads up to us judging others; resulting in the disagreements and controversy. Our idea of what is right can be completely different from somebody else’s. People may think that their religion is the “right” religion, but are our religions truly distinguished from each other? I believe this phenomenon has transpired from the way different religions has continuously been modified over the periods of time. There are significant differences between religions, but if one takes a closer look into the topic, they would be able to see that different religions have just as many similarities as they do differences. I will be focusing on two religions in particular that possess what appear to be controversial differences: Christianity and Buddhism.