Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity fitting together?

[Rebekah_34]

A friend of mine lent me his World Religions(Huston Smith) text book. I ended up reading the chapters on Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The 3 religions all shared notable storys and teachings such as:

Mara trying to tempt Buddha (Jesus in the desert with the Devil)
The ideas of acceptance of God.
The stages of life (Sacraments),
The idea of letting go of material items to follow God or a deeper calling.
The 10 Commandments and Path of Renunciation (refrain from certain things for God)
Love, joy, and peace and a lifestyle free from guilt.

These are all deep basic ideas that all trace back to morality, and the idea of 1 God; living a better lifestyle. In a sense, they all seem the same on ground level. Is it possible to be Christian but agree and follow some Hinduist and Buddhist ideas?

 

[hn160]

A friend of mine lent me his World Religions(Huston Smith) text book. I ended up reading the chapters on Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The 3 religions all shared notable storys and teachings such as:

Mara trying to tempt Buddha (Jesus in the desert with the Devil)
The ideas of acceptance of God.
The stages of life (Sacraments),
The idea of letting go of material items to follow God or a deeper calling.
The 10 Commandments and Path of Renunciation (refrain from certain things for God)
Love, joy, and peace and a lifestyle free from guilt.

These are all deep basic ideas that all trace back to morality, and the idea of 1 God; living a better lifestyle. In a sense, they all seem the same on ground level. Is it possible to be Christian but agree and follow some Hinduist and Buddhist ideas?

I would have answer NO. We have nothing in common them.

 

[Rebekah_34]

We have nothing in common them.

Are you so sure about that? Jesus taught morality, same as these religions. We have a lot in common with these religions that focus on well-being. The 4 different ways to God is hardly different than how many people approach God- Knowledge, Love, Work etc.

 

[rturner76]

I’m afraid these forums are not filled with open minds ready to accept much more than Catholic doctrine to the core. I have learned a lot here but mostly all things Catholic. There are some here who like philosophy but I have seen people get their ideas shut down hard in here by hard core Catholics with closed minds. I for one see the obvious connections between living for a higher power, treating people like you want to be treated, and a life of service to others. The biggest difference I see is that we are offered a way of salvation through Jesus sacrifice on the cross so we are not judged as much on our actions but on our response to the grace we have been given. I suggest you try www.christianforums.com where there are many forums open to discussion about all aspects of Christianity and not just Catholic. I’ve been spending a lot of time there. Here is where I talk about real down and dirty fundamental Catholic stuff… Of course you are free to feel your way around and find what or where your interests bring you.

Godspeed-
Rturner76

 

[marbles_the_cat]

One thing that, in my opinion, sets Christianity apart is that our flesh is good, not evil, and that our bodies will be a part of the “ressurection of the dead”. In my searching days, a very brief look at Buddism showed how the material world is something we need to disconnect from because it is inherantly bad. Christians (esp Catholics) believe the world is good, but we choose to give up things for something better (I am referring to fasting and celebacy for examples).

also, unlike Buddism and Hinduism, we do not believe in reincarnation.

Yes, there is some truth in their faiths, but definately not the same!

 

[fermat]

Everybody has a God shaped hole in their hearts. I remember a Vatican II document that stated that we should not reject the parts of other faiths are a true and lead to Christ. Most faiths and belief systems have the basic idea of love thy neighbor built into the core. You can still be on the path to God without yet being in the fullness of what He set for us.

 

[Debra_C]

A friend of mine lent me his World Religions(Huston Smith) text book. I ended up reading the chapters on Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The 3 religions all shared notable storys and teachings such as:

Mara trying to tempt Buddha (Jesus in the desert with the Devil)
The ideas of acceptance of God.
The stages of life (Sacraments),
The idea of letting go of material items to follow God or a deeper calling.
The 10 Commandments and Path of Renunciation (refrain from certain things for God)
Love, joy, and peace and a lifestyle free from guilt.

These are all deep basic ideas that all trace back to morality, and the idea of 1 God; living a better lifestyle. In a sense, they all seem the same on ground level. Is it possible to be Christian but agree and follow some Hinduist and Buddhist ideas?

We have a LOT in common with BOTH of these faiths. For the most part, Hinduism and Buddhism do come to most of the same conclusions regarding general morality and ethics as Christians do. However, there are also many differences, especially concerning who and how we worship and the nature of God and the universe itself. You should be cautious. While learning about them is perfectly fine, because of their differing understandings about God and the universe (including beliefs in reincarnation, karma, multiple gods, the goal of this life, etc.) they don’t mix well in practice.

 

[valentino]

I suppose that most religions have some good ideas on how one should behave or serve God.therefore Catholicism is already aligned with them is some ways.I not sure exactly what practices you would be referring to.If its something like deep meditation that Buddists practice I don’t see any conflict except that you would be meditating on Jesus.buddists view God as a powerful spirit which God and Jesus are but you have a more definitive understanding of God than they do.

 

[Trevor_Stamm]

A friend of mine lent me his World Religions(Huston Smith) text book. I ended up reading the chapters on Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The 3 religions all shared notable storys and teachings such as:

Mara trying to tempt Buddha (Jesus in the desert with the Devil)
The ideas of acceptance of God.
The stages of life (Sacraments),
The idea of letting go of material items to follow God or a deeper calling.
The 10 Commandments and Path of Renunciation (refrain from certain things for God)
Love, joy, and peace and a lifestyle free from guilt.

These are all deep basic ideas that all trace back to morality, and the idea of 1 God; living a better lifestyle. In a sense, they all seem the same on ground level. Is it possible to be Christian but agree and follow some Hinduist and Buddhist ideas?

What ideas, or should we say doctrine of theirs, are you referring too? We can agree with points that are not in conflict with Church doctrine but anything that does conflict with the Churh is condemned.

You’ll find little outside of the laws of morality that the three can agree on though. Also, you have multiple sects of Hinduism and Buddhism and they have many doctrines that conflict each other, so… make your choice and apply to this topic because they all differ.

Pax

 

[Bluegoat]

There are some important similarities between all three, and also a few major differences. Buddhism and Hinduism especially have a lot in common with Greek philosophy which had a major influence on Christian philosophy.

 

[hn160]

Are you so sure about that? Jesus taught morality, same as these religions. We have a lot in common with these religions that focus on well-being. The 4 different ways to God is hardly different than how many people approach God- Knowledge, Love, Work etc.

What you are saying is that syncretism is good and that we all worship the same god. The only problem is that we worship one God, Three in One, Muslim worship their god Allah, Jew worshio a single God and Buddhist worship Buddha or whatever. There is no way that you can come to the Father except through Christ or are you calling Christ a liar. We do not have anything in common with these other religions as mush as Oprah likes to think.

 

[TheExorcist]

What you are saying is that syncretism is good and that we all worship the same god. The only problem is that we worship one God, Three in One, Muslim worship their god Allah, Jew worshio a single God and Buddhist worship Buddha or whatever. There is no way that you can come to the Father except through Christ or are you calling Christ a liar. We do not have anything in common with these other religions as mush as Oprah likes to think.

I think that’s pretty right on. I think finding common ground is good TO A POINT. When you get into a syncretist mind set that’s when it gets bad, because that’s when you start that melding and justifying that happens with that approach. I was reading the article on Oprah on USA Today’s Faith page

content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2011/05/oprah-spirituality-god-eckhart-tolle/1

and I never knew she thought like that. The more I read the article the more I shook my head and disagreed with her approach. The passage that bothered me the most was this one: "She told over-his-head Piers Morgan on the CNN host’s opening show:

‘I am the messenger to deliver the message of hope and redemption.’"

Almost like she’s setting herself up to be a second Christ. And that bothered me. I like Oprah but her message is all wrong-headed.

 

[Sufjon]

This is a great post and a lot of really good comments. I have enjoyed reading it.

Thanks!

Your friend,
Sufjon

 

[Rebekah_34]

I guess I see religion a little differently. There is only one God, but every religion has their own name for Him, whether it’s Buddha, Christ, Shiva, or Jesus.
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” - Romeo and Juliet

The practices of each are very different, but if we all get to the same place, God, what’s the difference? The methods of reaching God may be different, but whose to say which one is absolutely correct? Isn’t it a bit arrogant to say which way to God is correct because then we are speaking for God? Can’t we approach God from different angles?

 

[SteveVH]

I guess I see religion a little differently. There is only one God, but every religion has their own name for Him, whether it’s Buddha, Christ, Shiva, or Jesus.
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” - Romeo and Juliet

The practices of each are very different, but if we all get to the same place, God, what’s the difference? The methods of reaching God may be different, but whose to say which one is absolutely correct? Isn’t it a bit arrogant to say which way to God is correct because then we are speaking for God? Can’t we approach God from different angles?

I think we need to back up a minute. Buddha never claimed to be God and Buddhists don’t believe he was God. Hindus are polytheists, Christians are monotheists. As Christians we believe that all mankind is searching for God, but that He has been revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. There are good attributes to all religions, mostly from a moral standpoint. But Christ is completely different and unique. He tells that we only come to the Father through Him, not Buddha, not Shivna, and not Muhammad. Only Christ claimed to be the Almighty God. So while there is good and truth, to one degree or another, in all religions, that does not mean they are on equal footing concerning our salvation.

 

[hn160]

I guess I see religion a little differently. There is only one God, but every religion has their own name for Him, whether it’s Buddha, Christ, Shiva, or Jesus.
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” - Romeo and Juliet

The practices of each are very different, but if we all get to the same place, God, what’s the difference? The methods of reaching God may be different, but whose to say which one is absolutely correct? Isn’t it a bit arrogant to say which way to God is correct because then we are speaking for God? Can’t we approach God from different angles?

I see that you are a Catholic Catechumen, you better ask your mentor if the Christian God is the same god for the other religions.

 

[SteveVH]

I see that you are a Catholic Catechumen, you better ask your mentor if the Christian God is the same god for the other religions.

And, as a Catholic, I agree with this statement times ten.

 

[StrawberryJam]

A friend of mine lent me his World Religions(Huston Smith) text book. I ended up reading the chapters on Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The 3 religions all shared notable storys and teachings such as:

Mara trying to tempt Buddha (Jesus in the desert with the Devil)
The ideas of acceptance of God.
The stages of life (Sacraments),
The idea of letting go of material items to follow God or a deeper calling.
The 10 Commandments and Path of Renunciation (refrain from certain things for God)
Love, joy, and peace and a lifestyle free from guilt.

These are all deep basic ideas that all trace back to morality, and the idea of 1 God; living a better lifestyle. In a sense, they all seem the same on ground level. Is it possible to be Christian but agree and follow some Hinduist and Buddhist ideas?

My simple answer to your thread is that while there may be agreement on any level, does this make any meaningful spiritual change to your journey in faith? If none of them had agreement on your particulars, or all of them did, how exactly would it matter to you personally? Would it give you more basis to belive or less?

Just curious about how these things really matter to a catholic. And why.

 

[Rebekah_34]

My simple answer to your thread is that while there may be agreement on any level, does this make any meaningful spiritual change to your journey in faith? If none of them had agreement on your particulars, or all of them did, how exactly would it matter to you personally? Would it give you more basis to belive or less?

Just curious about how these things really matter to a catholic. And why.

Your question is my answer. Because I’m curious. Besides God tells us to love one another, not to impose your opinion upon others. Simply understanding other religions helps decrease religious intolerance- Always a good thin.

This matters to me to me because I question faith and other religions to strengthen my faith. I like to learn I just want to understand all the people created by God.

 

[Sufjon]

I see that you are a Catholic Catechumen, you better ask your mentor if the Christian God is the same god for the other religions.

Hi HN160: What do you think her mentor would tell her?

Your friend,
Sufjon