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Buddhism vs christianity

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lucho22

But that's an argument that could serve for people to believe that sophisticated aliens planted life on earth. It is in fact more probable than attributing it to a designer - because then how do you explain who created the designer?

Well you could keep on going back forever and ever. Ultimately you have to come to this first cause, existing outside of space and time.

As for sophisticated aliens etc, that would not be a rational assumption without any kind of real proof. I am basing my belief in God on what i understand of human consciousness. That is why it is rational.

Reply 41

GeoTom

medistorm

Personally, I do not see much conflict between the 2 systems. Rather, I would emphasis on the similarity as common ground to reach a compromise.

I doubt strict Christian families would be quite tolerant enough to see their child being married in a Buddhist ceremony and possibly vice versa.

Reply 42

lucho22

thecaterpillar

Many people consider the New Testament to 'replace' the Old.

Also, there are many different types of Christians, many of whom do not take the Bible literally but symbolically. You're being very intolerant and unfair.

It's the basis for the relgion though! If you can cherry-pick it, then what's the point? This simply reinforces the point that morality isn't derived from god or scriptures. Oh, and what's so unfair about rational argument?

Reply 43

burninginme

To be honest, you sound far too arrogant, hypocritical and generally rude to really be following a Buddhist way of life. If religion is such a big problem, I question why you're even with each other, it's clear you have absolutely no respect for his religion, and it appears very little knowledge of it.

Reply 44

GeoTom

jaffa38

As for sophisticated aliens etc, that would not be a rational assumption without any kind of real proof.

It seems that with the Christians' lack of proof which they call proof, the vast volume of space would be classified as proof of aliens existing.

Reply 45

Anonymous #3

jaffa38

Nope, eventually you end up in a causal loop caused by the predestination paradox, as explained in my previous post.

Reply 46

jaffa38

Anonymous

Nope, eventually you end up in a causal loop caused by the predestination paradox, as explained in my previous post.

eh?

Reply 47

medistorm

Another way I looked at Buddhism and Christianity.

One uses will power. The other uses spirit to achieve will power. Both are non-measurable abstract things. But the end results are the same. So why split hairs? Just considered it as "the ends justify the means" and go get married and have a happy life. And of course, with many kids to prove you indeed are having a happy life together.

Reply 48

lucho22

jaffa38

A pantheistic belief, or a deistic belief is one thing, but believing in the abrahamic God does not fall in this line of belief at all. It's based on scripture and there's no denying it. The religion wouldn't even exist without the scriptures - they are one and the same! For this line of belief there is no evidence - the world was certainly not created in 7 days, and people evolved, they weren't 'created'.

Reply 49

medistorm

TomQMU

I doubt strict Christian families would be quite tolerant enough to see their child being married in a Buddhist ceremony and possibly vice versa.

The question is, do Christian really understand what is Buddhism? I think in pure Buddhism, there are no gods so how can there be big conflict?

Personally, I believe all forms of extremist-ism bad. It does not matter what you believed in. No flame please. This is just my own opinion.

Reply 50

GeoTom

medistorm

The question is, do Christian really understand what is Buddhism?

No, which is the point. I doubt the whole of the grooms family will be willing to take a course in world religion before the wedding. :biggrin:

Reply 51

medistorm

TomQMU

No, which is the point. I doubt the whole of the grooms family will be willing to take a course in world religion before the wedding. :biggrin:

Very simple. Just tell everybody. "The bride does not worship other gods or devil (this is No.1 concern for Christian). Her Buddhism EDUCATION (emphasis this truth) tells her to be nice and kind and helpful to others." I am sure everybody will start liking her already

As for the bride's introduction of the groom to her family "He wanted to reach enlightenment as well, just that he think he can't do it on his own. He needed some assistance from his Spirit". So no conflict here either.

Now just go get married and have kids :smile:

Reply 52

lucho22

jaffa38

Oh and to respond to your other points:

If you truly believe that a designer created the earth, one that intervenes in daily life, that can listen to all our prayers and absolve us from sin, then it would have to be extremely, nay unimaginably complex, and reasonably we can postulate that this designer itself evolved from something more simple. You can't just assert that this designer has 'always existed' outside time and space - you have nothing on which to base this on - it is an irrational assertion. Your evidence based remark is hypocritical to the extreme - you can't bandy about terms regarding your understanding of human consciousness and asserting things relating to a designer of life on earth and then say - oh but that other hypothesis is incorrect due to lack of material evidence. The evidence already points towards life not having been designed - this is real evidence in fossils and genetics etc. Of course I'm not saying that I think aliens planted life on earth, this would be improbable, but your belief is many times more improbable! You're simply basing your argument on the fact that we don't yet know what happened at the beginning of time - attributing it to an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent deity is not a good explanation.

Reply 53

Anonymous #1

thecaterpillar

I don't think the OP is in favour of 'branding' them anything. What I got from it is that she believed that it was best to let them do what they want to when they are old enough to decide.

Yes! that's exactly what i meant to say. It's hard to express myself with my limited vocabulary.

Reply 54

onepanmarty

lucho22

Then if you still think that the Bible is a good moral guide, I challenge you to read parts of the old testament - it's full of duplicity and contradictions - and describes a god who would have the faithful murder their own family members and all others for believing in other gods (Deuteronomy 13:7-11), who would spurn those with physical deformities (Leviticus 21:18), conquer nations for his favourites (Deuteronomy 7:1), and rape and murder members of other races and religions ie. (Moses in the Book of Numbers 31:18). So it's either a ridiculous irrational belief, or it's a dangerous perverted moral guide. So whichever way you look at it, it's not healthy!

why are u quoting the old testement to argue against christianity when christians ie followers of christ will be looking at the new testement? i think u really just hate religion a lot because of the odd few extremists who refuse to listen to reason. all the christians i know do not beleive that the world is 6000 years old

Reply 55

lucho22

onepanmarty

See my above posts - it's the basis - the religion wouldn't have existed without the old scriptures - reasons for jesus dying etc etc

Reply 56

Anonymous #1

Buddhism is a teaching. And a "proper" buddhist do not believe that there's such thing as god. But we were taught to respect other religions. dalai lama prays in the church when he goes to the church, and he prays with the muslims when he's in the mosque. And i wil do the same too. Actually ive dont the same. We do respect others. And i certainly do not mind having what ever way of ceromonay. But having both ceremoney or none will probably best for my family and his family. i think they parents will be concerned more than us although it should be our decitions as it's more important to us than others. But what ever we do we have to take our family into consideration because we respect them.

Reply 57

yas245

What harm can believing there is a God do?

Even if you think it’s some kind of fallacy, making us believe in the extremely sense of irrationality.
Is it completely logical to say, when the world ends or a person dies, assuming a person has done bad all his life for e.g. killed, stole, raped, for all he has done he has never been imprisoned by lack of witnesses or evidence, he will surely get away with it without punishment, right ? What is stopping a non-believer from being bad since he doesn’t have to answer to God nor does he think he will be appointed to God on the last day??

Reply 58

Chumbaniya

In the titular combat, I feel that Buddhism should win. Christianity sucks, whereas Buddhists are pretty cool.

Anyway, as for the subject of the thread, baptism isn't really a big deal - tons of people are baptised but aren't actively religious themselves and weren't made to go to church or forced into religious beliefs when they were young. I know both my parents were baptised but neither of them are religious and they weren't subject to a religious upbringing. Often it's just the done thing, so compromise needn't be a big issue.

Baptising your children doesn't force them into a particular religious path, and doesn't interfere with their ability to develop different religious ideas. If you look on it less as your boyfriend trying to claim the children for his own faith and instead see it as him wanting to welcome them as potential christians if that's what they feel they want, you might feel more relaxed about it. Even someone as objectionable towards christianity as myself would feel no real ill feelings towards my parents if they had baptised me, so I doubt that it's something your children will resent you for if they don't grow up as christians.

Reply 59

GeoTom

yas245

What is stopping a non-believer from being bad since he doesn’t have to answer to God nor does he think he will be appointed to God on the last day??

A little thing called morals. Morals are a vital part of human nature, and its sources are far removed from religion.
Are you only good because you think someone is watching? If you could "turn off God" would you go on a killing spree? Don't be ridiculous.