Obviously the main argument that we have (yes I'm a Christian) against any other religion is that if Jesus Christ is not one's Lord and savior, they cannot reach Heaven. But what in particular about Buddhism rubs Christianity the wrong way, so to speak? For instance, is there anything to be said about meditation, chanting, etc that is detrimental to one's soul from a Christian point of view? The religion is a peaceful one, certainly, so does it not get points for that? Of course Buddhists would argue that it is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, known religion. What do Christians say to that? I'm intrigued what others have to say, because my girlfriend is a practicing Buddhist.
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To start with, Christianity has a problem with any faith that does not conform to the doctrines set forth in their bible. Buddhism does not conform to their teachings in any way.\n\nFirst and foremost, the argument is that the bible does not recognizes Buddha as one of gods messengers. And if it is NOT in the bible, it is not the truth. \n\nChristians teach that there is one god and only one god.  => Buddhism teaches that there are many devas and none are worthy pf praise for they are just beings trapped in Samsara. (The cycle of life, death and rebirth.) \n\nChristians believe that Jesus was the son of god and thus, god himself. => Buddhists do not share this belief because gods are not omnipotent creators to be praised. \n\nChristians believe in a soul...a sprit that lives on after the death of the body => Buddhist do not. There is no self that lingers or move on or anything.  There is no 'self'. There is just the essence of the Chita. \n\nChristens believe in a heaven with their god  => Buddhist do not have a belief in heaven. \n\nChristians believe that Jesus died to free them of their sins.  => Buddhist do not believe in sin. There is karma, and only we can change the outcome our actions and thoughts will have on us, not some god.\n\nChristians believe that only the chosen will be liberated and go to heaven. => Buddhist believe that ALL beings can be liberated and attain enlightenment. \n\nChristians believe that the catalyst for their salvation is external to themselves, via god.  => Buddhist believe that the catalyst for enlightenment can ONLY be found within ourselves...our unborn Buddha Mind! \n\nThere are many other arguments, but these are the most prominent. \n\nI hope this helps.
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Same question again ??\n\nI hv replied to it...ok let me write about Buddha now.  Buddha was a prince of a state...was married and had a son.  He had no problems and was enjoying his life.\n\nOne day he saw an ill person, an old man and a dead body.  He asked his chauffeur...will I also be ill, old and dead one day ?\n\nYes.\n\nHe immediately left his family his kingdom and went out in search of a way to overcome our pains sufferings and death.\n\nHe did deep meditation for long ...and finally one day he got the Light and he saw the Truth.  He then went out to spread his msg of Nirvana all over India.\n\nnow repeat abt buddhism\nBuddhism is an off-shoot of hinduism....but is entierly different from its mother-religion.\n\nBuddhism has two branches Hinayana and Mahayana.\n\nBuddhism does not believe in the concept of God\n\nBuddhism believes it is the Karma (good/bad deeds) which are continually working and we identify ourselves with this flow of karma\n\nBuddism believe that we should try to remove the cause of grief and pain...instead of discussing over the reasons or philosophies of pain or religion or god\n\nBuddhism believes that highest attainment for us is Nirvana....which is big VOID without time, space, god,soul or hell & heaven.\n\nBuddhism believe in Non-violence...hence they are against hatered, wars or spread of religions.\n\nTibetan branch of buddhism is more inclined towards getting psychic powers through mysterious yoga exercise.  There are said to be many tibetan buddhists who can perform miracles...  Their main Goddess is Tara, besides Buddha\n\nsufficient ??  :)
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Atheism and Buddhism? \n\nThe teachings of the Buddha, and thus Buddhism in general, does not stress the existence of a god, nor does it prohibit the possibility of a god. Buddha teaches that there are certain truths and by accepting these truths and learning how to live with these truths, we can end suffering. The truth is independent of a god and therefore god is not a part of the core Buddhist beliefs. If a person chooses to believe in a god is entirely up to the individual. Many Buddhist do believe in a god or in gods or in a higher power that could be considered a god even is not specifically names such. Many of the so called Asian Christians still practice Ch'an (Zen) meditation. They simply incorporated Christianity into their existing faith. In Japan, many Buddhists also follow aspects of Shinto. This is Not against the teachings of the Buddha. Buddha never said my way is the only way ,do as I say or else. In fact, Buddha said that everyone's journey would be unique and that they should question all teachings, including his, and that the individual should take that witch works for him. \n\nAtheist do not believe in a god or any higher power. According to willblueeyes26, Atheists don’t care about anything.  This is not true. They do not believe in an immortal soul. In their mind, they can not fathom that there is more to humanity then the flesh and the bones since there is no concrete proof that a soul exists. To an atheist, worrying about the nonexistent is a waste of time. It is not a matter of not caring about the soul, it's a matter of caring about life. Generally speaking, they feel that if we live for only 60 to 100 years, then we should make the most of it, because once it's over, it's over. This is not the same as not caring. \n\nWillblueeyes26 also seams to believe that Buddhists believe that people are reborn over and over until they reach godhood.  This is also inaccurate. Most Buddhist do believe in reincarnation, this is true. But when a person achieves enlightenment, then he or she is freed from the bindings of the cycle of rebirth. That is to say that reincarnation stops and Nirvana is entered. Nirvana is another topic all together. Some believe it is a place like heaven, others believe it is a state of existence. What is known and what is important, is that if you focus on Nirvana, it will never be reached. Those who enter Nirvana, are NOT gods, just those who have awakened from the cycle of samsara. (Live, death and rebirth.) Buddha is not a god, is not considered a god and even insisted that he was not a god. \n\nMarti249 wrote, "To each their own - whatever the individual feels most comfortable with. Just don't slam others who choose a different path." This is a very Buddhist approach. The differences between different sects of Buddhism are vast, and if a person is uninitiated into the teachings of Buddha, could even seam almost polar opposites from one another. Tibetan Buddhism and Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism are about as alike as Roman Catholicism and the Southern Baptist faith.  And yet, neither group believes the other party to be wrong. The Lama's of the Tibetan beliefs speak fondly of Ch'an Monks and visa versa. Many Buddhist have held religious leaders of other faiths in high regards for the things that these people have done. Buddhist believe that it is not god you follow or what faith you hold dear, but what thoughts you think and what actions you perform. \n\nBlessedman believes that Buddhist worship statues.  This is not the case. Although again, some sects do pay homage to figurines, generally speaking, statues are more for decoration, inspiration and motivation. An old Buddhist tail tells the story of a Buddhist teacher and his disciple who, while walking along in the snow and freezing rain, came to a temple and entered. They built a fire with the logs that had been stacked for making fires, but then the wood ran out and the snow was still falling,
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LOL. I'll try to keep this short considering the answers you've already gotten. I'm an agnostic too, and have read and researched about different Monotheist religions. Now, people may not agree with me, but most of these religions have the same basic philosophy. That is, do no wrong, love thy neighbor, obey God, and thou shalt go heaven. The trouble, I've noticed, usually arises when the ritualistic side of religions pops out. It is mostly here that the main arguments stem from. \nIn essence all, relgions are continuations of each other.
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You will keep seeing Christian answers saying Jesus is our Savior, and all that you said because that is what we believe. Just as much as you and all other religions believe otherwise. We don't care that the majority of the world is not Christian. Most of us respect your opinion, but we have our own opinion. Sorry if my religion offends you.\nGod bless you. God loves, Jesus died for you.
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Well, Mark, there's no uniform perspective on the afterlife among Christians.  I'll give you my perspective, which is that of an evangelical, non-denominational Christian.  I believe that 2 Corinthians 5:8 tells us the souls of believers will go to Heaven immediately after death and we will retain consciousness at all times.  An unrighteous person who has not accepted Jesus Christ goes immediately to a place Jesus called "torments" after death (Luke 16:23).  The unrighteous dead also retain full consciousness.  At the Rapture of the Church, the bodies of the righteous will be resurrected and reunited with their souls, which are in Heaven (1 Thes. 4:13-16).  Upon being resurrected, these bodies will be made immortal.  These immortal beings will co-rule with Jesus as kings and judges (although some will serve as priests or teachers), over those who survive the 7-year Tribulation and their future children (Rev. 6-19).  Jesus will hold an absolute monarchy, however.  There will be no kings higher than He.\n\nThe souls of the unrighteous remain in "torments" for 1,000 years after Jesus Christ's return to earth; at that time, their bodies are also resurrected, reunited with their souls and they are judged by Jesus according to the works they have done.  This is known as the "Great White Throne Judgement."  Since no one can be justified without faith, all are thrown into the "Lake of Fire," which I believe destroys the person forever; other Christians believe the punishment goes on forever, but I disagree with this.  (See Rev. 20:11-15).\n\nI am very involved with God; I view my relationship with God to be intensely personal and I feel as if He's more than a Master to me -- I feel He's my friend, too; I read the Bible daily, pray many times in a day (spontaneously, not at a set time), and evangelize to non-believers when I get the chance.  I attend Church at least once per week; twice if I'm in need.  I occasionally serve on the telephone prayer line for my Church, which has two nationally televised tv shows per week.  I have a secular job, although I have been praying for a new job with a Christian mission or other type of employer.\n\nI hope this helps.  Let me know if you need more information, I wasn't sure how detailed you wanted me to get.
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Definitely NOT Christianity.  But since you think it has the most empirical evidence, I am very interested in knowing from you what that is.  I am conducting a study on the evidence both for and against Christianity, and I will do my best to survey it scientifically without bias, so please show me this evidence you speak of.\n\nJudaism offers the most "empirical evidence" of any religion I have seen to date.  However, the evidence is flawed.  It at first seems impressive, but upon scrutiny, one realizes it is not good evidence.\n\nBuddhism would have to get my vote just because it does not require you to believe in anything which you cannot discover with your own mind.  It invites you to lay its teachings on the line and if you find that the Buddha was wrong, then you just don't follow his teachings.  It does not require belief in God.\n\nHowever, I am not a Buddhist.  I embrace lots and lots of Buddhist teachings.  In fact, I probably embrace more of it than I reject.  I am a Hindu because I believe in that religion, and so obviously Hinduism is the most believable in MY eyes.  I cannot prove to another that God is, but I believe in God, and therefore I choose a theistic religion.  But more than this, the Hindu Scriptures teach things, like Buddhism, that can be arrived at independently.  Some of the mythology (which I do not call "mythology" in a condescending way at all) may be difficult to arrive at again, however, the ideas and teachings BEHIND that mythology could.\n\nIt is said that if all the Vedas were lost, all the years of teachings of the Hindu religion were somehow forgotten, that given time, people could rediscover them.  These are timeless truths, inherent in the universe.  That is why we call it the sanatana dharma (eternal dharma).  It is the truth that people of all cultures have found in the so-called "pagan" religions.  Every culture developed similar beliefs to the Sanatana Dharma.  Something happened, involving politics usually, that changed that pristine vision.  And then religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, supposedly enlightened above those "pagan religions" try to stamp them out.  But they cannot succeed, because the truth is there in the universe before us, and when we open our eyes and hearts to it, we will find it again.
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Most religions have no heaven or hell.  They still have other stories and legends of ways to save yourself after death.  Those that believe in Karma believe that our actions in this life affect the next life.  What we do returns to us eventually.  Others believe in predestination (that what happens to us in the afterlife is already decided regardless of our actions).  Some Christian sects believe this as well.  Still others believe there is no afterlife or that we remain as spirits to watch over our loved ones.  \n\nAlmost every religion has "salvation" stories that are essentially guides to being a better person and living a better life.  Sadly, many Christians feel (and will say) that if there were no heaven or hell, there would be no morals.  You have to wonder what lives they would lead if they did not fear punsihment.  Millions of people accross the world live without fear of hell and are good and decent people with excellent morals.  So is heaven and hell really all that neccessary?
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reincarnation is not a buddhist idea...its a hindu idea. buddhist believes in rebirth.\n*****************\n(superstitions,) taoism, confucianism & buddhism will always be in every chinese's psyche. communism will never be able to erase it. \n-ask any 2nd generation ABC (american born chinese/ australian born chinese), we all agree that fillial piety comes 1st. (evidently, fillial piety is a confucian's virtue).\n-folk culture are also running high on every chinese. during chinese new year, the youngs will receive red packet, & pray to gods, with lion/ dragon dance...etc\n(that is evidently taoism & folk culture)\n- folk religion, like praying to ancestors, burning papers,etc are so closely connected to every chinese family.\n- shaolin temples (buddhist)/ wutang (taoist) may see a decline in  monks & disciples, but their temples are always full of visitors for prayers.\n- death is a BIG issue for every chinese...which funeral you see in chinese are simply buried? it has to go thru' taoist/ buddhist rites 1st. \nso, for all the sino- chinese in the mainland, with the relaxation of the religious rules, they may have lost touch with religions, it is never lost. it's gaining momentum...but still, money comes 1st, they are seeking out opportunites to earn money 1st before religions.\nnevertheless, like i mentioned, these 3 doctrines are deeply embedded in every chinese, mainland or overseas.\n***********\nislam came through to china from the silk road, hence you can see that the communities around the silk road routes are converted to muslims (example xinjiang). it has been in china for over 1500years, but its effects are still limited. the famous muslim in china is still: zheng he.\n**********\nchristianity/ catholic faith is slowly gaining in popularity. but presently, it is still having its setbacks. i believe the communist country is wary of it, with its association of its revolutionary past.\nshanghai was once a populous christian/ catholic city, before the 2nd world war. after that, most christians revoutionaries (pro- democracy) lost & retreated to taiwan.
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Most, not all Christian type religions take the words of Jesus and run with it. Jesus said "Go and share the gospel of salvation with the world...."\n\n\n\nThe Main problem is not sharing there faith, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with people, but failing to live up to what Jesus taught.\n\nShare your faith, your religion through your actions.  Actions speak Much louder than words!  And people are always watching carefully those in certain religions that "Talk the talk, but that do not walk the Walk !!!"\n\nHypocrisy runs wild within Many churches today. In all actuality it is not even the church, but certain individuals all around the world within churches.\n\nMost Christians try to convert others with words because this is the Only way  they interpret the Great Commission Jesus Gave.\n\nIndividual within churches  have a Big problem with judging others, crticising and gossiping, which is a sin. It is even done to others within there own religion.\n\nJesus said,  "Don't Judge!!" Period.  Matthew 7:1-...!!\n\nThe best way for a person of Any religion or non religion to get his or her view across (in my opinion)is to simply live a life of  Lovingkindness, Compassion toward others, Forgiveness toward others, Tolerance of anothers religion, and No judging others whatsoever!!  If a person is interested in what they have, or believe, they will come up to you and ask you questions.\n\nThis shows respect toward all mankind, if one simply lives the Life without hypocisy, without judging.
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NO! every religion has thoughts about afterlife or re-incarnation or somewhere they will go after they die. vikings had valhala, eskimo's sent thier dead out on burning kayaks. even ancient egyptians used to put thier most prescious belongings in tombs to be enjoyed in the afterlife. just because ideas differ it does not mean that the philosophy is restricted to christians.
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Buddhism is Not a Religion.\n\nhttp://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/buddha.html#1  <<< who is buddha?\n\nBuddhism is a philosophy of life expounded by Gautama Buddha ("Buddha" means "enlightened one"), who lived and taught in northern India in the 6th Century B.C. The Buddha was not a god and the philosophy of Buddhism does not entail any theistic world-view. The teachings of the Buddha are aimed solely to liberate sentient beings from suffering. \nGautama Buddha taught the four noble truths: that there is suffering, that suffering has a cause, that suffering has an end and that there is a path that leads to the end of suffering. He saw that all phenomena in life are impermanent and that our attachment to the idea of substantial and enduring self is an illusion which is the principle cause of suffering. \nFreedom from self liberates the heart from greed hatred and delusion and opens the mind to wisdom and the heart to kindness and compassion. \n\nif you want to gain more insight into buddhism's wisdom, my advice to you is to find a temple or monastry near you, and ask a buddhist master directly. do not be afraid that they may 'recruit' you into buddhism. no obligation, really. you should have the 'look see' attitude. \nfor people who are new to buddhism, this is an advice: TRY TO BE CRITICAL at everything you see and hear, but do not be afraid to open yourself up, and give new ideas the chance to settle in; in other words, avoid accepting things before you have taken time to 'sit on it' (meditate), and also avoid rejecting things before you 'sat on them'. Especially if we grew up in a different religious tradition, our prejudices often go deeper than we think - be aware of your own mind. \nyou must remember that buddhism can't be told or taught. it has to be experienced.
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Even when I was a Pagan, I knew the Bible pretty well. I still studied it out of interest. I found it was an interesting book, and I loved the poetry aspect of it all. Of course as a Pagan, I did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God.  ( I've since turned my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ and Have a much deeper understanding of the Bible)\n\nI do understand, why the "Christians Only" thing, although I read many questions.\nIn the Beginning, when I first started on yahoo answers, I quickly learnt that many people like to bash religions on here, and people post gross, hateful and negitive things in Christian questions for no reason. I guess I've learnt to expect it on here.\n\nIf you put a question out like  " Christians, what is your favourite verse in the Bible".  Many christians will answer with genuine answers. Non-christians will answer aswell with some great heartfelt answers too.  Unfortunately some non-christians will post rude comments that have nothing to do with the question. Sexuial comments, religion bashing,off topic remarks, disrespectful posts.\nIf you leave a question open to "Whats you favourite verse in the Bible, it seems to be a magnet for even more nasty comments.\nSo I guess I can see why people post  " Christians only" \nBut I'm sure they mean " Christians Only, or Respectful people that wont bash their religion"\n\nOh and my favourite Psalm is...Psalm 19 1-9\n\nThe heavens declare the glory of God; \n the skies proclaim the work of his hands. \n Day after day they pour forth speech; \n night after night they display knowledge. \n There is no speech or language \n where their voice is not heard.
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Okay...\n\nSo let's not deal with the "God exists" theory.\n\nHow about the God(s) OTHERS believed in instead.\n\nAre you going to tell me that cause they DIDN'T hear about Christ that THEY were wrong?\n\nHere's something else. MANY religions do NOT believe in Hell. So, how do you explain their beliefs? Are THEY wrong? How do you know? How do you know YOU aren't wrong.\n\nI believe that the WHOLE religion thing as a whole is just messed up.\n\nWhy should ANYONE believe, or pound others in the head to make them believe that what THEY know is right? Who says so? Why are the Baptists right? Or the Buddhists? Or the Jews? The Islamic? The Catholics? The Pagans?\n\nWHy can we not let everyone just go ON with their life. If they are happy, leave them be. If you are happy, just be content.
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Buddhists probably beleive that jesus was a great prophet who walked the earth once upon a time and taught a lot of wonderful , good things. I don't know if they think about the crucification, rise again, son of god part of it.
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I must tell you that it saddens me to hear that your experiences with Christianity have left you disenchanted with the whole thing. As a "christian" I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to you for any thing that anyone who calls themselves a christian has done to hurt or anger you.\n  I would like to say that i agree with one of the other posts in the fact that not everyone who calls themselves christian truly knows Jesus Christ.  You see "Christianity" has become just another religion where we humans try to reach God on our own terms.  That's where all the "bible thumping" comes from.  Jesus is Gods attempt to reach us humans through His love, unfortunately most Christians never fully experience His love and therefore can never love themselves.  They think that by being super zealous for the laws that God has set for us, and "taking a stand" for what they believe that they will some how please god more.  The bible teaches that we can do nothing to please God, outside of having a relationship with His son Jesus Christ.\n\nI would be honored to share with you how you can truly experience Gods love if you want.\n\n\np.s.  I didn't get the stamp of approval from my church or minister but that's OK cause I AM one of the ministers!:)\n\ncrazy that one of us guys would read something that challenged Christianity huh?  Hope i am up to the challenge
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There are many Buddhist practices that are usable to people of all faiths. Many of the forms of meditation and much of the philosophical teachings are complimentary to the teaching you are familiar with. (I am a Buddhist, was born and raised Catholic and spent more then a few years deeply involved with a Baptist Church. I guess you could say I was  born again gone again) <Sorry, bad humor>\n\nAs far as the more religious venues of the faiths, from a Buddhist perspective it works because Buddhism is open to everyone. If you do not agree with something then you can ignore it. My path is not your path. If you choose to believe in one creator god, then that is your choice. You may still study the teachings of the Buddha and learn how to be more compassionate. If you choose to take refuge in the triple gem, you may do so regardless of your other religious affiliations. Thus, you could be a practicing Christian and a Buddhist as well. \n\nFrom a Christian perspective, taking refuge in the triple gem, (The Buddha, his teachings and his followers) would be considered blasphemous. Still, studding the lessons of the Buddha is not 'anti-Christian' other then to say that the teaching are from outside the bible and thus deemed unnecessary. Still, I don’t see the harm.  \n\nI hope this helps.