as a budddhist i beleive in love and compassion, and i accept all religions, yet when i speak to others they feel the need to convert me to christianity because they know what is going to happen to me ie im going to burn, it is the devil apparently pushing me towards buddhism
i want to know
if the devil pushes ya towards love and compassion and god will make ya burn if you dont do what he says, then which one should be ruler of the earth and whioch one should we follow
2006-08-12 11:41:59 · 32 answers · asked by indiaalexia 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
i also want to say that we do not worship buddha we just recognise that he gained true enlightenment ie happieness by being kind to others so we do not worship him we just follow his example and try to get to the same state as him
2006-08-12 11:51:28 · update #1
by the way a note to the one who said buddha was a big fat statue, first of all buddhist beleive in only taking what they NEED and giving the rest away so buddha would not truly have been fat , and secondly buddha was on this earth 2000 years before jesus was
2006-08-12 12:02:33 · update #2
Very good point. I am a Christian and I believe in Love and Compassion as well. I mean that was alot of what Jesus went through, wasn't it? Dying on the cross for us and all. Those who try to convert you apparently don't understand. It's the whole being taught about "FIRE AND DAMNATION!" I wasn't raised that way. Yes, I do believe in Heaven and in Hell. But I don't wish for anyone to go to hell even if it is just a threat.
They don't understand that with all of the talk and preach about fire and damnation for the non-believers or those who they don't think believe... they are actually scaring them. You're right.... why would anyone want to be a part of it then. It helps them decide that they would just rather take their chances on something else.
I won't try to convert you. I may not be buddhist, and you may not be Christian, but better to believe in something, than nothing at all.
2006-08-12 12:05:42 · answer #1 · answered by zrose86 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is unfortunate that Christians are so close minded to the love and compassion that Buddism practises, when God and Jesus both are all about love and compassion. These teachings are both Buddist and Christian, but the Christians seem to forget the truth. They say it is the devil and that you will burn, because you follow something they fear, love and compassion. Don't ever let what anyone says about Buddism bother you, they are led by fear. What you have learned is the true way of God and Jesus, whether you be Buddist or Christian. Follow what you think is right. Buddism is a great religion, with great values, that have not been lost over the centuries. Christianity is corrupt and controlling. It doesn't matter which religion you follow as long as you follow the truth and that is love and compassion. I think that you are on the right path. Christians are mislead to believe that God would punish you for your beliefs, but they are wrong, God is all loving and all forgiving and even if you are Buddist and follow Buddist beliefs, they are still the same beliefs of God.
2006-08-12 11:53:51 · answer #2 · answered by willow21pipkyn 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Buddhism predates Christianity by 600 years and is one of the worlds most respected religions.
Surely you can see the "scare tactics" that were introduced by the early church to gain converts, we should be thankful that they no longer have the political power to conduct an inquisition or start burning people at the stake again.
The concept of the devil for example was absorbed into Christianity by the early church from the Greek God Pan with imagery from the Pagan God of the animals, the term Satan means adversary, so at that time the Pagans who were worshipping nature, were a real problem for the church, hence the ritualistic introduction of "eternal hellfire", torment and never ending suffering, anyone even with a one per cent iota of intelligence can see through this nonsense.
In the first instance God is absolute, no-one can seriously compete with God, sometimes he comes to the material world to attract living entities back to the Spiritual world and sometimes he sends a bona-fide representative, real religion will always promote love for God, compassion for all living entities and development of world peace.
I am personally a member of the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition, but I have the utmost respect for your tradition and very much appreciate your standards of love, compassion and ahimsa.
Your ever well wisher & for further discussion:-Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (sda@backtohome.com)
2006-08-12 21:46:23 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hey, you are about the 3rd buddhist I've seen here besides me (buddhist/atheist). And I think they do it because they haven't thought it through too well and honestly think they're saving you. I try to inspire thought in a more open minded belief from time to time but I don't go around saying something like "You're gonna be reincarnated as an ant and be squished by little kids for eternity." Besides being most likely untrue and not fact based it is aggressive and rude.
By the way Mary G I think it was, no one worships the Buddha. He expressly asked that no one worship him before he died. And be a little more open minded. That kind of cut throat belief gets you nowhere but ignorant.
2006-08-12 11:52:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Let me just say this, It is not in the way you think. Christians want you to be saved and enjoy a new world 100 times better then this one is. It is not to say that what you believe is this evil thing but for us it is clear cut. Either you believe in Jesus as the son of God and your savior and that he died for your sins or you believe in something else. There is no gray area here. What you miss about the Devil is that he will do anything to get you as far from the love and saving grace of God as possible. If that means to make you think that what you are doing is loving then he will do that too, the greatest deception is to make you believe that what you are doing is ok and that if God does exist (as some say) that he wouldn't possibly condemn you. Maybe he will or Maybe he won't but it is pretty clear that you are either for Jesus or against him. If Buddism teaches you to worship Jesus and accept the gift he is giving you then you are in the right direction if it is anything else well then. you see where we are coming from. the point in the end is you are responsible for yourself and if this is what you want then it is your choice. -K-
2006-08-12 12:04:18 · answer #5 · answered by melissa s 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is great that you can accept and respect others and their religion.
I do not think that the Devil "pushes you towards love and compassion."
Love and compassion is also supposed to be at the heart of the Christian faith - although it doesn't always seem like that.
I am a Christian and I do try to respect people from other faiths and beliefs.
However, we do believe that nobody can come to God, except through Jesus Christ because Jesus was and is the Son of God. This why we do try to convert, because it is out duty to do so, and we should do it out of love and compassion, for God and for others. We should follow Jesus, because he is the only one who showed True Love, by dying for us all, sacrificing his life for ours, when he was innocent. That is real love. He showed us how to love others, but we don't always have the courage to do it. Would you be willing to die for someone who had done wrong to you? I know I would find that very difficult, but that is what Jesus did, and we are supposed to do that too.
It is not God that makes you burn, but the Devil.
I hope this makes sense and hope it helps.
God bless you:>)
2006-08-12 11:49:46 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Buddhism was never meant to replace any religion only enrich it. That is why Buddhists can accept every other religion without prejudices. One writer is incorrect when they state that Judaism proclaims it is the only one right Unlike Christianity and Islam, Judaism does not proselytize it does not seek converts and there is no central figure commanding them in their personal relationship with god. Since your main conflict is with Christians the problem lies within themselves. The term Christian indicates that they follow the teachings of Jesus whom they call the Christ but in fact they do not follow the words of Jesus they follow Mosaic law when it suits them and the teaching of Jesus as "interpreted" by his disciples. They have no business telling anyone they will burn in hell THEY are NOT the judge of anyone that is suppose to be left up to their god which they all will loudly proclaim to follow him but instead take on his role and pronounce others evil and apostate and condemn them to hell. Only god has that authority not man. Go about with you adherence in the teachings of Buddha for what he said is closer to those spoke by Jesus than the hateful condemnations of so called Christians. If there is any devil it is in the hearts of those Christians who condem you to hell and discount your compassion and acceptance of peoples personal relationship with god
2006-08-12 12:12:37 · answer #7 · answered by jere p 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Buddha was a teacher, and a nice guy. You do not see it as a religion, but as a lesson. If it betters your life, you don't need to push it on others. I am atheist, and don't care if people are not atheist. I don't let religion get in the way. This is why I say if I had to pick a religion to join, it would be Buddhism.
2006-08-12 11:56:09 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's your opinion against theirs. Many people do not realise this and believe that their opinion is somehow "more correct" or "superior" based solely on the fact that their parents or parish hold the same opinion.
--
Note to other answerers: Buddha is not a "god" or idol; he was a teacher and spiritual leader. As such, it is theoretically possible for a person to hold both Buddhist and Christian beliefs if they are willing to accept a little ambiguity about the nature of the afterlife.
2006-08-12 11:49:14 · answer #9 · answered by 876 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
This is the central flaw of the three Abrahamic faiths--Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.
All three are exclusionary, meaning that they are locked in a three-way death struggle because each claims to be the only way and that if people do not convert (or if they fall away) they will have some horrible end and burn forever.
There is no peace or love, just threats and guilt, for anyone who is not in their individual little club. You would do best to stay out of discussions with them, agreeing to disagree to avoid the vitriol and hate that comes so surprisingly from even the mildest of them, as this is what they are taught from birth.
2006-08-12 11:47:59 · answer #10 · answered by nora22000 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋