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Thread: Can a Christian be a Buddhist? Vice-versa?

  1. #301
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    Quote Originally Posted by ShadowsCool View Post
    You make some valid points. I was wondering what things you cannot accept.
    I struggle with the whole cosmological set-up of the bible. I simply don't accept the old-testament account of who god is and what his relationship to humanity is, and it seems to me that the new testament is very contingent on the assumptions established in the old.

    Believing that Jesus died for my sins, would require me to believe that I am engaged in some sort of pact with god, that required blood-sacrifice in the first place.

    I think my (personal) understanding of Jesus' person and teachings is at quite radical odds with the Christian community as a whole.

    So I tend to just view Jesus as a very holy person, whose views influence me a lot, but I don't accept Christianity, the doctrine.

    There are also specific things Jesus believed that I don't, his strict beliefs about marriage for example.

  2. #302
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bonsai Ent View Post
    I struggle with the whole cosmological set-up of the bible. I simply don't accept the old-testament account of who god is and what his relationship to humanity is, and it seems to me that the new testament is very contingent on the assumptions established in the old.

    Believing that Jesus died for my sins, would require me to believe that I am engaged in some sort of pact with god, that required blood-sacrifice in the first place.

    I think my (personal) understanding of Jesus' person and teachings is at quite radical odds with the Christian community as a whole.

    So I tend to just view Jesus as a very holy person, whose views influence me a lot, but I don't accept Christianity, the doctrine.

    There are also specific things Jesus believed that I don't, his strict beliefs about marriage for example.
    At least your being honest. That's all I can say. No one is forcing Jesus down your throat. I was just curious and you gave your honest opinion.
    shad·ow ing

  3. #303
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    Quote Originally Posted by IceM View Post
    Enlightenment can't be taught. It's subjective. It varies from person to person. The belief that Buddhism constitutes what Enlightenment contains and the subsequent belief in this statement seems too dogmatic. Siddartha spent practically his entire life searching for enlightenment because he understood that enlightenment can't be taught; it must be found. Buddhism can't dictate satisfaction. It appears to me that only dogmatic approaches to philosophy would think this.
    Quote Originally Posted by IceM View Post
    What I was meaning to say in my original post is that a Christian can apply the fundamental virtues discussed in the Bible to attain Buddhist aims. Of course the difference in whom to worship plays a major difference. But, taking fundamental values from Christianity, you can attain some of the fundamental aims of Buddhism. That was my purpose.
    Quote Originally Posted by IceM View Post
    The question, to me, would only be asked out of fear of betraying a denomination.

    If you think about it, Buddhism and Christianity are very similar. Buddhism preaches good moral conduct, wisdom, and self-inflection through meditation as ways to escape the suffering in our lives. Christianity preaches tolerance, forgiveness, and discipline both to resist sin and tolerate it in others. The only difference then becomes that Christians believe in a Creator.
    I was significantly wrong in these above comments, and I recant my statements (I am unable to delete them). Anyone who maintains that Jesus Christ is NOT the Son of God is not a Christian. People cannot deny that Jesus is the Christ and truthfully call themselves Christians. On the Christian end of this, we believe that we have received from God His holy, precious, and complete Word. Why would we as Christians want to adopt any other worldviews, especially godless ones? Christ is sufficient.

    I was ignorant then, and I am still ignorant now, regarding the fullness of Buddhist philosophy. But Biblically speaking, Jesus is the Christ, and any religion that denies that is unchristian, and any person who denies that is not a Christian. To be clear, people can place faith in Christ and repent of their sins and become Christians, but clearly anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is not a Christian.

    It is also not just a major difference - it is an entirely fundamental and monumental difference - between these faiths that Christians believe in God and Buddhists do not. Me downplaying this was a mistake; it is of fundamental importance to Christians that we believe in the triune God.

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