Featured What is the Christian position on Buddhism?

[Multicolored Lemur]

But you know me, I like to think of regular ways to get the door open, at the least.

When I was 4 or 5, our family was members of a Baptist church in Florida.

Years later, my Mom told me that when they went out in the neighborhood witnessing, they had a saying — “Don’t bruise the fruit.”

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

I can't imagine going through life believing this is as good as it gets.

But if a person is lucky enough to find love in this crazy ol’ world, that might be one of the few exceptions. Wouldn’t you say?

 

[AgnosticBoy]

I used to listen to Ravi Zacharias who was a Christian minister that dived into Eastern religions. He was good at addressing how Christianity stands apart from these religions. Part of his being good in this area was probably because he was born in India and exposed to Hinduism and others, and then he later became a Christian.


In general, he basically show the shortcomings of Eastern religions and how Christianity makes up for that. I didn't know what to make of his conclusions, but I liked his approach. Here's one sample where he talks about New Age spirituality arriving to the West starting with Swami Vivekananda to Deepok Chopra:

Or even this one...

(esp. at starting at the 3:40 minute mark)

 

[Scooter]

I can't imagine going through life believing this is as good as it gets.

But if a person is lucky enough to find love in this crazy ol’ world, that might be one of the few exceptions. Wouldn’t you say?

Love is fantastic. I love my wife of over 30 years. I love my son, my daughter, my son-in-law, my daughter-in-law, and my granddaughter. I am fortunate to still have my mother whom I love dearly. But what happens when they are gone? There’s no guarantee I will die before my kids and grandkids. What then? What happens when everyone I love dies before me? Then what? If this world is all there is, I’d be miserable.

That’s where Jesus comes in. He will never leave me nor forsake me. As long as I live He will be by my side. Then when it comes my time to die, Jesus will welcome me to my eternal home. The best love a person can find is the love of Christ.

 

[Scooter]

I used to listen to Ravi Zacharias

One of my all time favorites! He was a tremendous witness for Christ.

 

[TracyRN]

Would it be good for Christians to follow some of the teachings of Buddha?

Buddhists can do good things and say good things but you must be a born again Christian to be saved.

While you think they are wrong, I would say they are probably thinking the same about your views.

This comes up a lot and the first thing I tell people is to not expect scientific level of proof. You would not use science to examine doctrine and spiritual claims. Theology is the best truth-finder for those matters. So I would use theology when I can, science when I can, and history when they are a best fit. At the end think of it as a legal trial. Which religion makes the best case after you put together all the evidence. I am betting on the cross !

 

[AgnosticBoy]

Hello Tracy!

Yes, you made a very good point. I really never thought of the type of method and evidence that would be needed to show which religion is correct. I do accept that theology can weed out some falsehoods like if we find a religion to have internal problems, like contradictions or incoherent views.

Besides just the method and evidence, we can also consider the types of questions that should be used to examine a religion, what evidence to look for, etc. Here's a good summary which goes along the lines:

How do we arrive at the truth about God? We use a systematic methodology that is designed to separate truth from error by using various tests for truth, with the end result being a set of right conclusions. Can you imagine the end results a scientist would arrive at if he went into the lab and just started mixing things together with no rhyme or reason? Or if a physician just started treating a patient with random medicines in the hope of making him well? Neither the scientist nor the physician takes this approach; instead, they use systematic methods that are methodical, logical, evidential, and proven to yield the right end result.

This being the case, why should theology—the study of God—be any different? Why believe it can be approached in a haphazard and undisciplined way and still yield right conclusions? Unfortunately, this is the approach many take, and this is one of the reasons why so many religions exist. That said, we now return to the question of how to reach truthful conclusions about God. What systematic approach should be used? First, we need to establish a framework for testing various truth claims, and then we need a roadmap to follow to reach a right conclusion. Here is a good framework to use:

1. Logical consistency—the claims of a belief system must logically cohere to each other and not contradict in any way. As an example, the end goal of Buddhism is to rid oneself of all desires. Yet, one must have a desire to rid oneself of all desires, which is a contradictory and illogical principle.

2. Empirical adequacy—is there evidence to support the belief system (whether the evidence is rational, externally evidential, etc.)? Naturally, it is only right to want proof for important claims being made so the assertions can be verified. For example, Mormons teach that Jesus visited North America. Yet there is absolutely no proof, archaeological or otherwise, to support such a claim.

3. Existential relevancy—the belief system should address the big questions of life described below and the teachings should be accurately reflected in the world in which we live. Christianity, for example, provides good answers for the large questions of life, but is sometimes questioned because of its claim of an all-good and powerful God who exists alongside a world filled with very real evil. Critics charge that such a thing violates the criteria of existential relevancy, although many good answers have been given to address the issue.

The above framework, when applied to the topic of religion, will help lead one to a right view of God and will answer the four big questions of life:

1. Origin – where did we come from?
2. Ethics – how should we live?
3. Meaning – what is the purpose for life?
4. Destiny – where is mankind heading?

Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/correct-religion.html