The Distinguishment Of Religions : Christianity Vs. Buddhism

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

Buddhism and Christianity came about before 600 C.E. and reformed the ideals of social structure and society of their era. Both the Buddha and Christ taught during a large political collapse, focusing on the spirituality and morality of a person in society. These like monotheistic religious views both had a central doctrine but held different positions on how to acquire this truth. Buddhist and Christians teachings both challenged social norms by preaching equality among all both in gender and in statues. Buddhism and Christianity, before 600 C.E. similarly, influenced social structures by introducing social and gender equality, promoted classless beliefs systems, and an emphasis on compassion, in contrast, Christianity held political power and leadership, while Buddhism had no political authority.

““Worldwide, more than eight-in-ten people identify with a religious group,” says a new comprehensive demographic study of more than 230 countries and territories conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life.” (Harper). Within the top five most popular religions, Christianity if found to be at the top with Buddhism ranked number four. With millions of people from around the world participating in these religions, one may wonder how they compare to one another. Upon exploration of Buddhism and Christianity, many similarities are found such as the importance of a spiritual master, shared values, and the followers strive for spiritual perfection. Although Buddhism and Christianity encompass many similarities within the religions, the fundamental differences in the view of God, salvation, and reincarnation ultimately outweigh their likeness.

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).

Two of the most widely practiced religions around the world today are Christianity and Buddhism. However, they did not start off with such a large following. Christianity, was a small cult that branched off of Judaism and was being strongly prosecuted against. Buddhism was just a single person trying to find a reason for and an end to the universal suffering that he had just newly encountered. Even though the following of Christianity and Buddhism had started off small, by developing their core beliefs as rejections of Judaism and Hinduism, they were able to better fascinate and convert others.

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.

When growing up us as humans are given the right to choose what religion we want to follow. There are tons of different religions in this world. Many of these religions have similarities, but also quite a few differences. The two religions that will be discussed in this paper are Christianity and Buddhism. Two religions that worship one person, but in different ways.

Religion is a prominent aspect of many people’s lives. Not only does religion provide ethical and moral values, but also acts as a cultural system and often gives people a sense of order in existence. There are many religions across the world, and understanding the characteristics behind each one is important. Religion is intertwined with culture, economics, politics, and modern social relationships on every dimension. Buddhism is a religion that practice and spiritual development leading to insight into the true nature of reality. It's also a major global religion with a complex history and systems of beliefs. Buddhism is based on what the founder believed in, which was that the suffering from people arises from confusion and negative states of mind. Christianity is one of the strongest and perhaps most misunderstood movements in the world. Christianity is a religion based on the teachings and miracles of Jesus.

The Christian Bible gives us the idea that we are all ONE Man and Beast. That it is impossible for one to harm the other without also harming themselves in the process. The resulting idea on how to live would be that we should respect all things living as we would respect ourselves.

“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

Throughout history, a multitude of religions have been created and acquired by various cultures. With every new religion comes a group of those who believe, and those who scrutinize and refute the religion. Many varying factors contribute to what makes a religion have longevity or simply fade away. All major religions of the world, however different in beliefs, share commonalities that bind them together. All religions have important events throughout history that propel them into being acknowledged religions. They all have beliefs and ideologies that are followed by believers. They all have practices that people adopt and exercise. Buddhism and Christianity are two religions that have solidified as time has passed, and have continued to grow in prominence world-wide.

The purpose of this essay is to briefly compare some key elements of the Christian and

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

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.