What is the Christians main argument against the belief/religion of Buddhism?
471848
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.
303490
So Buddhism and Christianity by definition are different religions, and one should be careful when trying to "mix" them. For example, Buddhism does not believe in a "creator-God" who controls the world and similarly, Christianity does not believe in karma or rebirth. \nOn the other hand, it may not be a bad idea to look at what we can learn from each other: the beautiful Christian practice of helping others in need is just as useful to Buddhists, as Buddhist meditation techniques can help Christians.\n\nmeditation (there's nothing 'spiritual' or 'buddhism' about it):\nThe practice of meditation basically complements the inherent nature of your mind. The negative patterns that we talked about--aggression and anger--are not inherent characteristics of the mind. So when you practice meditation and begin to relate to the inherent state of the mind, these enlightened qualities can surface, and the intensity and frequency of the habitual patterns are subdued. Then you can discover such potential qualities as compassion and loving-kindness.\n\nprayer in buddhism:\nBuddhists don’t pray to a Creator God, but they do have devotional meditation practices which could be compared to praying. Radiating loving-kindness to all living beings is a practice which is believed to benefit those beings.\n\nin buddhism: chanting mantra (prayer) & meditation compliment each other.\n\nin christianity: prayer is a communication with god. meditation is a stress relieving method (like yoga). they don't compliment each other by most christian denominations.\n\nin buddhism:\nUnlike other religions, it does not even attempt to answer questions like 'What is the purpose of life, the universe and everything?' . Buddhism regards such questions as at best unanswerable and probably intrinsically meaningless. The only purpose of life is what we personally give to our own lives. Buddha suggested that the most meaningful use of life was to seek liberation from ignorance, suffering and the cycle of samsaric rebirth, both for one's self and others. But this 'meaning' does not reside 'in the sky' or in any way outside of the individual, and it cannot be imposed, but must be freely chosen.\nMost other religions go further than Buddhism, and if asked 'What is the purpose of life, the universe and everything?' will usually come up with an answer along the lines of 'To fulfil the will of God.' \nThis invites the further question of 'What is the will of God', which usually brings forth an answer to the effect that 'God's will is to create life, the universe and everything'.
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Transformation is not a free gift according to Christianity. WHo told you that?\n\nI am not a Buddhist by the way but your question has a major flaw in that it has no basis for truth.  If you want to find out abut transformation, you must know the ONE who transforms the heart and , sorry but it is not Buddha\n\nPlease read Romans Chapter 12 verses 1-2
492849
Right! Each religion says there is only one God, they just disagree on what this God's name is and how it/He should be worshipped. One thing all religions say though is that their god is LOVE and His message is love... nonetheless their most devout followers (are they one's with the most love?) go forth and kill each other in His name. Go figure huh! Incidentally Jesus was a prophet not a God. Read the Bible- he and his apostles are quite emphatic in making the point that Jesus was NOT God. Some christians have other ideas though. It's a power issue.\n\nIt would also be funny to see what happened if Jesus came back because he would NOT be a christian. Christianity was created in the decades/centuries after Christ based upon other folks interpretations of his rumoured teachings. So Christ was not preaching Christianity- it didn't exist at the time and christianity today does not actually conform to his teachings. He'd most likely be a Buddhist if anything.
135140
That question cannot be answered fully in a few sentences. So please visit the following pages to read the entire thing:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism
646529
Buddhism is Not a Religion. According to the Webster's Dictionary, the definition of religion is as follows, "An organized system of beliefs, rites, and celebrations centered on a supernatural being power; belief pursued with devotion."\nBuddhism is not a religion because: \n\n First, the Buddha is not a 'supernatural being power'. The Buddha is simply a person who has reached Complete Understanding of the reality of life and the universe. Life refers to ourselves, and universe refers to our living environment. The Buddha taught that all beings possess the same ability to reach Complete Understanding of themselves and their environment, and relieve themselves from all sufferings to attain utmost happiness. All beings can become Buddhas, and all beings and the Buddha are equal by nature. The Buddha is not a God, but a teacher, who teach us the way to restore Wisdom and Understanding by conquering the greed, hatred, and ignorance which blind us at the present moment. The word 'Buddha' is a Sanskrit word, when translated it means, "Wisdom, Awareness/Understanding". We call the founder of Buddhism Shakyamuni Buddha because He has attained Complete Understanding and Wisdom of life and the universe. Buddhism is His education to us, it is His teaching which shine the way to Buddhahood.\n \n Second, the 'belief' in the Buddha's teachings is not blind belief, or blind faith. Shakyamuni Buddha taught us not to blindly believe what he tells us, he wants us to try the teachings and prove them for ourselves. The Buddha wants us to know, not merely believe. The Buddha's teachings flow from his own experience and understanding of the truth, and shows us a path of our own to taste the truth for ourselves. The Buddha uses a perfectly scientific way of showing us reality in its true form.\n \n Third, Buddhism is not a religion because all the 'rites and celebrations' are not centered on a supernatural being, but rather the people attending the assemblies. The ceremonies and celebrations in Buddhism all serve an educational purpose, a reminder of the Buddha's teachings and encouragement to all students who practice it. The point of the ceremonies is to help others awaken from delusion and return to Wisdom and Understanding.\nFinally, Buddhism is not a religion because the 'devotion' used in Buddhism is not one based on emotion, but one based on reason. Students of the Buddha are devoted to their practice of maintaining Purity of Mind because this practice brings true happiness. We are devoted to helping both ourselves and others attain Complete Understanding and Wisdom. Our devotion is to become Buddha.\n \n \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. \n\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. \n\nFreedom from self liberates the heart from greed hatred and delusion and opens the mind to wisdom and the heart to kindness and compassion.
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Not really.\n\nMost religions use an external belief in a 'God' or 'Jesus' to develop love and morality in their minds.\n\nBuddhists believe it is up to the individual to develop these traits. That's why Buddhism is sometimes called 'mind training' or a philosophy and not a religion.
447925
Homosexuality is a major sin within the two major faith(Judaism in not one of thee three as it is the 14th largest religion of the world) and I am not sure about the Buddhist faith, so as far as the first two are concern I would have to say no how could someone of this nature objectively and accurately preach against something that desecrates him he would really have to skip anything on the Sodom and Gomorrah I mean how much more clear can Allah's position be on this subject when an entire city was destroyed because of this sin....
831686
Bodhidharma was asked what is the fundamental principle of Buddhism and he said, "Vast Emptiness with nothing Holy in in."  Buddhism is not a religion!  To worship Buddha is a mistake, unless you are bowing to the Buddha inside, your true self.  Just as in other religions, people make the mistake of making the founder a God, thereby rendering his message meaningless, for no mere mortal could possibly emulate it.  So with religious objects like incense sticks, altars, etc.  Nothing sacred there.  What is sacred cannot be the product of man's thought.
949245
im not a buddhist, but what the buddha said was-\n\ndont believe anything even if  you hear it from me, unless it agrees with your own commen sense and you can experience it for yourself\n\nthe real idea of all religion, is not to belief, but to experience\nthe belief means nothing and really effects nothing except your perceptions, reactions and emotions\n\nthe living experience of that to which the belief points is all it was ever there for anyway\n\notherwise its like collecting street signs but never heading to the destination\n(btw collecting street signs is a federal offense)\n\ni think it was socrates that said-\ntrue wisdom is to know that in reality you know nothing\n\nin an absolute sense beliefs dont matter\n\nsome beliefs work better than others at giving you perceptions that are functional and bring you peace and happiness\nso in that relative sense you can say they do matter\n\nadditionally a lot of what most religions say can be and is proven by science\nunfortunately for the religious believer\nthis doesnt prove one religion exclusively\nbut rather paints a far more universal picture of human existance
654535
Buddhism is a philosophy, and so can be compatible with various religious beliefs. Christianity is a belief system, which makes it incompatible with other beliefs.
1143974
NO. And those that are saying Buddhism are either liars or ignorant of the truth.  Buddhists, including monks have killed, murdered, oppressed and repressed others for having different religions.  This does not mean that all Buddhists are murderers, but rather human and flawed.
292511
My religion is self-righteousness.  I don't mean this in a holier-than-thou way, but that I follow my conscience.  I, for example, really appreciate the way Sikhs wear scarves inside their temples.  It signifies a respect for diety that I admire.  They also hold open kitchens, where anybody is allowed to eat regardless of religion or race.  Zen buddhists believe that words have absolutely no meaning, and as a huge part of practice, they meditate.  Christians believe in Jesus Christ as the second in the trinity (Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit being the other two).\n\nMyself, I practice Christianity.  But also, I know that there is truth to other religions, and I embrace the traditions that do not conflict with my base beliefs.
812253
Well if you want to follow that logic, than why is there Buddhism?  Why are atheists not destroyed or better yet, why doesn't God appear before us all and prove that He exists?\n\nI admit when I saw this question, my first thought was. What an idiot.  LOL
1140058
Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path - a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.\n\nBecause Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. Thus Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, or gender. It teaches practical methods (such as meditation) which enable people to realize and utilize its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of Wisdom and Compassion.\nBuddhism explains the reality of life and the universe: that all beings are equal by nature and that all teachings are equal. The Buddha said many times that the wisdom to understand the true reality of life and the universe, and the virtuous abilities to cultivate are all already within our true nature. Buddhism teaches us to have a broad mind, one that overflows with sincerity, purity, equality, proper understanding, and compassion. Everyday, we must strive to awaken to this reality. Being contented with all conditions and settings is a good example for all, and striving for attainment of freedom of mind and spirit will help to awaken. From this, we can see that the Buddha is a compassionate multicultural educator who is worthy of emulation.\nBuddhism is Not a Religion. According to the Webster's Dictionary, the definition of religion is as follows, "An organized system of beliefs, rites, and celebrations centered on a supernatural being power; belief pursued with devotion."\nBuddhism is not a religion because:\nbullet\n\nFirst, the Buddha is not a 'supernatural being power'. The Buddha is simply a person who has reached Complete Understanding of the reality of life and the universe. Life refers to ourselves, and universe refers to our living environment. The Buddha taught that all beings possess the same ability to reach Complete Understanding of themselves and their environment, and relieve themselves from all sufferings to attain utmost happiness. All beings can become Buddhas, and all beings and the Buddha are equal by nature. The Buddha is not a God, but a teacher, who teach us the way to restore Wisdom and Understanding by conquering the greed, hatred, and ignorance which blind us at the present moment. The word 'Buddha' is a Sanskrit word, when translated it means, "Wisdom, Awareness/Understanding". We call the founder of Buddhism Shakyamuni Buddha because He has attained Complete Understanding and Wisdom of life and the universe. Buddhism is His education to us, it is His teaching which shine the way to Buddhahood.\nbullet\n\nSecond, the 'belief' in the Buddha's teachings is not blind belief, or blind faith. Shakyamuni Buddha taught us not to blindly believe what he tells us, he wants us to try the teachings and prove them for ourselves. The Buddha wants us to know, not merely believe. The Buddha's teachings flow from his own experience and understanding of the truth, and shows us a path of our own to taste the truth for ourselves. The Buddha uses a perfectly scientific way of showing us reality in its true form.\nbullet\n\nThird, Buddhism is not a religion because all the 'rites and celebrations' are not centered on a supernatural being, but rather the people attending the assemblies. The ceremonies and celebrations in Buddhism all serve an educational purpose, a reminder of
434499
They don't do it with Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, or Islam.  It must be something about Christianity.
1185403
My Dear Friends, \n\nEverything in the above that you have mentioned is totally valid and I commend you by placing my palms together in a prayer action; this is the way that Buddhists greet each other - it represents the utmost respect and trust to the recipient.  However, if I was a non-Buddhist and read these comments, I would feel very critical and believe that Buddhism is about belittling other religions.  Please permit me to give you some of my humble insight on what makes Buddhism a much favoured religion.  But please keep in mind that the points made below are all made in different points of view; due to the different lineages and traditions, different schools focus on different teachings.  I will present you a mix.\n\nWhen introducing a religion we must speak of both the positive and negatives aspects; as most of you know there are few of the latter in this religion, but nonetheless I am obliged to raise them.  In Buddhism there are no disagreements, but rather I would like to call it a problem with viewpoint.  For example, a student in Grade 1 says "1+1=2, but we cannot have 0-1=?" It is not they are lesser or inferior, but merely they do not have the teaching, and only when we get to Grade 4, we can say "1+1=2, 0-1=-1, but you cannot have letters like 2xy".  Now, in Grade 8 the students will think that those students below are foolish, but once again it is not because they are incapable, but merely they do not have the textbook - in this case sutra.  So the main arguments or disharmony in this religion are usually due to difference in teaching.\n\nWAIT! STOP! HALT! I can hear people calling me "LIAR" and at the same time ask "how can they be different teachings if they are all from the Lord Buddha?  That must mean there are fake Buddhisms out there."  Cleverly spoken, I would reply.  However, remember that the Lord Buddha taught us, "disseminate the Dharma according to the circumstances." Although Buddha's disciples were all of great caliber, I can say after 2550 years (after His birth), that no single person is identical; thus the understanding of the Dharma and the actual Dharma taught would obviously be different.  If I have made this too complex, just look at the above example about Maths in School - see what I mean now?  After the Lord Buddha pir-nirvana, His disciples congregated to write out the Sutras, which would become part of the Tripitaka (three ways that the Lord Buddha's teachings were recorded - if interested in the other two, and then some ASK about it.  I'll answer separately.)  Of course, the followers were of great achievements, but none of the present had actually attained Buddhahood (this is in the perspective of the Theravada); hence some arguments occurred, even the expulsion of the Lord Buddha's closest aide - Ananda.\n\nBUT - this is a big BUT - there is the unanimous opinion that Buddhism, in all, is about the Universe.  Due to this Universal attitude to all things, Buddhism also respects all other religions; even acknowledging the founder of each religion a holy deity.  The Lord Buddha Himself even proclaimed that Buddhist Dharma is about the Universe and not about Him - He is merely a tool used by the Universe to show how one should behave, speak and think when on the path to liberation.  Once again, depending on tradition you can find different methods to walk the Bodhi path; for some reason everyone has the stereotypical theory that all Buddhist live in mountains, away from the populous and only hope to save themselves - this is Theravada (Hinayana).  Just for the interest of you my friends, in Mahayana they mingle with the populous with the aim of saving others before fully attaining Buddhahood themselves; then of course there comes the Tantrayana (Vajrayana).  \n\nTo do justice to the religion, I will not go on any further, because in the end of the day we must have the attitude of a 1:9 ratio.  What would that be?  1 he