Buddhist thoughts on christian bible
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Dear All,
I would like to share on my thoughts on christianity and the buddhist philosophy.
The christians have always believed that their God is the one true God and all other religions are false.
But I have been contemplating on the bible. What the bible suggests may actually strenghtened the buddhist philosophy of karma.
the christians believe that jesus was reborn as man to die for the sins of humanity
however, if God/ Jesus/ Yahweh/jehovah is so powerful, why did he send his son to die? This shows that there is a higher power than God which I believe to be the law of karma
Buddha taught that karma affects all the 6 realms of existence, including God.
God was bloodthirsty when he slaughtered all the first born of the Egyptians for the sake of the Jews. perhaps as a karmaic retribution, God has to suffer by letting his firstborn die at the hands of the Jews.
It all makes sense, doesn't it?
God is just another sentient being that has to suffer when he does wrong as well
this shows that buddha is correct all this time
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Yes Buddha has refuted the concept of god in his teachings. He even went up to meet the brahma himself, who thinks that he is the creator of the universe and basically everything. you may want to read the excerpts of the Buddha and Brahma.
AEN do you have that excerpt of the dialogue between the Buddha and Brahma?
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buddhist is the best
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wah lau why compare....
make no sense....
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Originally posted by 2009novice:
wah lau why compare....
make no sense....
Agree with you. There has been many comparisons done like Beyond Belief: A Buddhist Critique of ChristianityBut unless speaking to the right receptive audience, there is really no point.
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All religions, including buddhism and christianity, are wrong.
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Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
All religions, including buddhism and christianity, are wrong.
That's just your own opinion.
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neither can we say all jews are wrong...nothing is absolute here
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The guys who come to this forum can't understand a word of wht u write.Save it for some one who can!
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I think the presumption observation has been a false start.
infact i see both christian bible and budhist wisdom are complimentary what is lack is the wisdom to see both make up a "Whole"
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Many people believe in Christianity because it is easier compare with Buddhism. If Christianity is the truth, I will also choose it because I prefer to sit down and pray comfortably than kneeling down. However, to me Christianity is not the truth.
I always wondered why people said Jesus was not human because he rose to heaven , in the 1st place, why not God send Jesus down from heaven instead of being born as human.
God sending floods thingy etc. also puts me off. Too many threats which put me off.
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Any religion practiced in its true spirit has the well-being of all as its goal, and so surely ought to be a factor of peace. However, we are constantly reminded that it is unacceptable that conflicts like those in the Middle East, and elsewhere, continue to arise at least partly through differences of religion. The message of Jesus Christ is one of love, and one of the meanings of the word ‘Islam’ is peace. Violence and coercion perpetrated in religion’s name, and the use of religion to accentuate the divisions between peoples, can therefore only be abuses. Truth is strong enough by itself to convince, and should never be imposed by force. It should never be necessary for an authentic truth to need violence to be asserted.
There are two main forms that intolerance takes. The first is when people who haven’t gone deeply into the real meaning of their religion, and don’t practice it in an authentic way, use it as a rallying flag to arouse sectarian, ethnic, or nationalist passions. The second is when people who practice their religions so sincerely are so deeply convinced of the truth of their beliefs that they think any means are justified to impose them on others, since by so doing they are helping them. The first part, their conviction in their faith, is admirable, but it is what follows that is so wrong. They do not know how to respect other people’s religious traditions and the diversity of human beings. The Dalai Lama often says, ‘We should have total conviction in our own spiritual path along with perfect respect toward other truths.’
If what is understood as ‘God’ is ‘infinite love and wisdom’, as Christians sometimes say, then Buddhism would have no trouble accepting that understanding of divinity. If by ‘God’ one means absolute truth, the ultimate nature of being, or infinite compassion, then the difference between Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, and all other monotheistic or polytheistic belief is simply reduced to only a matter of words…
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Dear friend,
thanks for the information. I just had a similar discussion with my friends this morning. I think there is no end if we were to discuss this topic. Its abit sensitive also for an online discussion haha. We should just give a mutual respect to Christianity and hopefully, we received theirs too. Everyone believe in their own religion. Thats a good sign because that is the faith and confidence we have in our own religion. As long the religion makes a person morally upright and it benefit the believer and the people around him.. why not?
At the end of the day, finding out this kind of 'truth' or trying to convince we are the 'right' or 'better' religion does not reduce our dissatisfactions at all. As long you recognize the 4 noble truth, the 3 universal characteristics and try to practice the noble eightfold path, you will generally be happier.
May everyone here be well and happy. Happy vesak day.
Sadhu! sadhu! sadhu!
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Yea lor. You say me, I say you, where got end?
For world peace!
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Originally posted by AtlasWept:
Any religion practiced in its true spirit has the well-being of all as its goal, and so surely ought to be a factor of peace. However, we are constantly reminded that it is unacceptable that conflicts like those in the Middle East, and elsewhere, continue to arise at least partly through differences of religion. The message of Jesus Christ is one of love, and one of the meanings of the word ‘Islam’ is peace. Violence and coercion perpetrated in religion’s name, and the use of religion to accentuate the divisions between peoples, can therefore only be abuses. Truth is strong enough by itself to convince, and should never be imposed by force. It should never be necessary for an authentic truth to need violence to be asserted.
There are two main forms that intolerance takes. The first is when people who haven’t gone deeply into the real meaning of their religion, and don’t practice it in an authentic way, use it as a rallying flag to arouse sectarian, ethnic, or nationalist passions. The second is when people who practice their religions so sincerely are so deeply convinced of the truth of their beliefs that they think any means are justified to impose them on others, since by so doing they are helping them. The first part, their conviction in their faith, is admirable, but it is what follows that is so wrong. They do not know how to respect other people’s religious traditions and the diversity of human beings. The Dalai Lama often says, ‘We should have total conviction in our own spiritual path along with perfect respect toward other truths.’
If what is understood as ‘God’ is ‘infinite love and wisdom’, as Christians sometimes say, then Buddhism would have no trouble accepting that understanding of divinity. If by ‘God’ one means absolute truth, the ultimate nature of being, or infinite compassion, then the difference between Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, and all other monotheistic or polytheistic belief is simply reduced to only a matter of words…
sadhu! sadhu! sadhu!
abit to add on, a bigger practice is to even be compassionate towards those who act in misguided ways.
the apparent differences between faiths are all a result of conditional interpretations of the mind.
while we use the Buddha's teachings to realize liberation, it is also important to integrate through our actions to make our environment a better place.
one of the skill we call upon to do this is the ability to see beyond differences, be it in culture or religious belief, and encourage everyone to share the goodness. to start off, we have to learn to share the goodness of the Buddha's teachings to people of other faiths without the need to change their religious beliefs. i sometimes use stories but change some details, or not mentioning that the source is Buddhist teachings. in this way, there can be harmony and sharing of goodness.
Happy Vesak Day!
May all Beings be well and happy!
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Originally posted by Cck689461:
Dear All,
I would like to share on my thoughts on christianity and the buddhist philosophy.
The christians have always believed that their God is the one true God and all other religions are false.
But I have been contemplating on the bible. What the bible suggests may actually strenghtened the buddhist philosophy of karma.
the christians believe that jesus was reborn as man to die for the sins of humanity
however, if God/ Jesus/ Yahweh/jehovah is so powerful, why did he send his son to die? This shows that there is a higher power than God which I believe to be the law of karma
Buddha taught that karma affects all the 6 realms of existence, including God.
God was bloodthirsty when he slaughtered all the first born of the Egyptians for the sake of the Jews. perhaps as a karmaic retribution, God has to suffer by letting his firstborn die at the hands of the Jews.
It all makes sense, doesn't it?
God is just another sentient being that has to suffer when he does wrong as well
this shows that buddha is correct all this time
When christians read your thread, I will not be surprised that they will realise you misinterpret the bible. -
Originally posted by Dawnfirstlight:
Many people believe in Christianity because it is easier compare with Buddhism. If Christianity is the truth, I will also choose it because I prefer to sit down and pray comfortably than kneeling down. However, to me Christianity is not the truth.
I always wondered why people said Jesus was not human because he rose to heaven , in the 1st place, why not God send Jesus down from heaven instead of being born as human.
God sending floods thingy etc. also puts me off. Too many threats which put me off.
I am glad you did not choose. I believe you will not be happy to face the contradictions of the bible. -
Originally posted by hasene:
I am glad you did not choose. I believe you will not be happy to face the contradictions of the bible.Quiz Show (Bible Contradictions)
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for me, you know why God sent his son to die for sinners like us, John 3:16 " for god so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth shall not perish but have everlasting life", he loved us so much that he gave his son for our sins, to clear us of the wages of sins (Romans 6: 23), it is the only way for us to enter the gates of heaven as sinners like us cannot even face god on earth
and the reason why god kill the first born of the Egypt is part of the ten plaques to force pharaoh to release Israelites from captivity.
This is what i always say, atheists always dun noe the bible that fully and any how make baseless statements to back their arguments up.
Shalom
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Originally posted by Cck689461:
Dear All,
I would like to share on my thoughts on christianity and the buddhist philosophy.
The christians have always believed that their God is the one true God and all other religions are false.
But I have been contemplating on the bible. What the bible suggests may actually strenghtened the buddhist philosophy of karma.
the christians believe that jesus was reborn as man to die for the sins of humanity
however, if God/ Jesus/ Yahweh/jehovah is so powerful, why did he send his son to die? This shows that there is a higher power than God which I believe to be the law of karma
Buddha taught that karma affects all the 6 realms of existence, including God.
God was bloodthirsty when he slaughtered all the first born of the Egyptians for the sake of the Jews. perhaps as a karmaic retribution, God has to suffer by letting his firstborn die at the hands of the Jews.
It all makes sense, doesn't it?
God is just another sentient being that has to suffer when he does wrong as well
this shows that buddha is correct all this time
It's been said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing....... May I suggest that TS' knowledge of the bible is far too shallow to make comparisons like that done....... It's good to have ideas but to share them the way you regretfully invites contempt............ -
Originally posted by SBS n SMRT:
for me, you know why God sent his son to die for sinners like us, John 3:16 " for god so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth shall not perish but have everlasting life", he loved us so much that he gave his son for our sins, to clear us of the wages of sins (Romans 6: 23), it is the only way for us to enter the gates of heaven as sinners like us cannot even face god on earth
and the reason why god kill the first born of the Egypt is part of the ten plaques to force pharaoh to release Israelites from captivity.
This is what i always say, atheists always dun noe the bible that fully and any how make baseless statements to back their arguments up.
Shalom
Not all are chosen by God to be his children. I hope you respect the decision of choice of their religions.
So many contradictions in the bible.
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Originally posted by Fenixx:
It's been said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing....... May I suggest that TS' knowledge of the bible is far too shallow to make comparisons like that done....... It's good to have ideas but to share them the way you regretfully invites contempt............I find the bible more contemptible
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if one were to use buddhist perspective to read the bible than one would completely missed the point similarly if one were to use christian perspective to study buddhist than one would also completely missed the point.
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Originally posted by Arapahoe:
if one were to use buddhist perspective to read the bible than one would completely missed the point similarly if one were to use christian perspective to study buddhist than one would also completely missed the point.
Great saying. -
Originally posted by Arapahoe:
if one were to use buddhist perspective to read the bible than one would completely missed the point similarly if one were to use christian perspective to study buddhist than one would also completely missed the point.
I agree..But how about reading from a third-party / neutral point of view..