Buddhism has come up in my life from two different directions recently, so I thought I’d take a few minutes to give my impressions on how Buddhism and Christianity are different—specifically because one source I faced wanted to blend the two worldviews as if they’re simpatico.

While Buddhism, like Christianity, stresses a virtuous life, Buddhism at its core is a works-based religion. There is no personal God in Buddhism, and as far as I know there is no creation explanation within a Buddhist worldview. In one sense Buddhism is a pursuit of both wisdom and freedom from desire, but asking questions about the origin of the physical world (which could have been reincarnated many times over) must seem an unnecessary pursuit since that has little to do with seeking personal purity. In other words, there is no personal God revealing Himself in the wonder and power of the Universe, no personal God with whom we can commune under a canopy of creation.

Buddhism is growing in popularity. It’s easy to be politically correct in Buddhism, because it seeks to judge no one. And while we as Christians shouldn’t judge, either (who among us is without sin?) we do know God has that right. Another reason for the growing popularity of Buddhism is its explanation for suffering. In Buddhism there is a cycle of many lives, karmic energy passed forward from one life to another—so if someone suffers in this life, it’s because they’re paying for the evils they did in a former life. In other words, good works will pay for the sins of a past, unremembered life.

In our limited sense of justice we may desire some kind of explanation for the unfair distribution of suffering, particularly when it’s undeserved. (Last week I spoke about suffering, so if you haven’t see that click back a week for some thoughts on that.) Because we live in a natural world, one that suffers disease and the aches and pains of a decaying world, and because those of us who inhabit this world can exercise bad choices that hurt ourselves or others, we can suffer the result. But Christ, rather than our own good works of atonement, is the biggest difference between Christianity and Buddhism. Christ died so our sufferings here on this testing ground called life can end, for once and for all, with an eternity filled with community between others and the God who created us.

For a more comprehensive comparison of Buddhism and Christianity, click here

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A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman

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Words Spoken True by Ann H. Gabhart

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