4. Buddhism (3)

Compared to Christianity

Buddhists do not believe in any god, and the philosophy is probably best characterized as a pantheistic worldview. It teaches nothing about creation or a beginning or an end to existence. It embraces concepts such as reincarnation, but with even less detachment than Hinduism, it makes no attempt to understand or explain these concepts. It does not expressly exclude the existence of a god either, therefore many Buddhist fill in this gap themselves, either with a god or a combination of gods of their choosing (similar to Hinduism).

The Christian Bible contradicts Buddhist teachings of reincarnation and Nirvana. Buddhists believe the soul is uncreated, eternal, and its boundaries will ultimately be extinguished in the state of Nirvana.  This contradicts the teachings of the Bible that each person is created by God, will die once, and spend eternity in heaven or hell.

The Buddha gave an eight-fold path to live a better life, without cravings and desires that cause suffering. Jesus gave us a similar set of instructions to improve life in the Sermon on the Mount, but Jesus adds to that God’s power (by the Holy Spirit) and authority, and ultimately God’s grace in the plan of redemption.

Table 31- 2 : Comparing Buddhism to Christianity

(4) Conclusions