Do you think it is possible to be a Zen Buddhist-Christian, a Christian-Taoist, or to use shamanic traditions with a more established religion? Can a Christian accept evolution as a reality without betraying his/her faith? If not, why not?
2006-09-27 03:53:18 · 14 answers · asked by Wolf 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes-Buddhism teaches the "median way" or the middle or moderate way of living. If you look at the life of Jesus, he actually taught the same thing, and says that we should be comfortable or content in any situation that we're in. This means if we're poor, we shouldn't be involved in accumulating material posessions of this world, etc..
2006-09-27 04:08:38 · answer #1 · answered by Big Bear 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think that if someone is accepting two or more schools of thought for their religion that deep down...they're just confused and try to see which one works for them and perhaps even cover all their bases just in case. That's not faith, that's fear. Usually the desire to get to Heaven and not Hell is a journey that one undertakes in such a way that asks begins posing the more important question....well what do I have to do? After that, you have people attending Church in the morning, temple in the afternoon, and meditating at night with some chanting and a few words out of a holy book of some sort.
If you accept that all paths eventually lead to God, then you better be right, and by that I mean you better know how you're going to get there. I don't think that other religions can survive together because the whole point of a religion is to provide the one and only way to heaven, nirvana, peace or allah. Universalists don't really stand on anything accept living good principles, which is just like all the others. What no other religion except Christianity offers is...an atonement for sin and a clearly and simply stated path to God through Jesus Christ.
We are "JUSTIFIED (cleansed of our sin in the sight of God) BY GRACE (a gift of a loving God that extends us the way to salvation despite our sin) THROUGH FAITH (a gift from God to believe in Him and ready our hearts as His home) THAT NOT OF WORKS (there's nothing we can do to earn our place in heaven) LEST ANY MAN SHOULD BOAST " ( If I could send myself to heaven, then I could just as easliy send myself to hell. Isn't is so much better to know that I don't have t olive in limbo every day tracking my flow chart to heaven and know that God is the one who controls and secures my place.)
2006-09-27 11:14:45 · answer #2 · answered by Kirk 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not big on organized religion, because feeding the organization becomes objective number one.
It is unlikely that Zen and RC will ever come together, but they may adopt more of each others practices, and called them something else.
Check out Scientic American Oct o6 p38 about Christian accepting Darwin
2006-09-27 11:11:14 · answer #3 · answered by Mister2-15-2 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Christianity is an exclusive religion. As Jesus stated that no man comes to the Father except through Him. That combined with the injunction against idolatry, means that you cannot combine Christianity with anything else.
One example of where that has occurred that I can think of is Voodoo. Voodoo is a cross between Catholicism and native beliefs and shares little to nothing with true Christianity and is generally viewed as evil.
2006-09-27 11:10:41 · answer #4 · answered by bobm709 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont see how you can be a fundie christian and associate with zen/buddhism, as they are technically atheistic. Then again, if you ask a buddhist if they would allow christians to meditate in their temple...they would allow, as zen/buddhism is seen as a way of thinking...not a religion.
I see no problem with a christian believing in evolution after creation of a god.
2006-09-27 10:57:40 · answer #5 · answered by I I 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Only American Christian fundamentalists have a problem with evolution. Normal Christians-the ones with a brain-like we have in the UK accept evolution as fact without it having any influence on their Christian faith.
2006-09-27 10:57:16 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Unitarian Universalists have no trouble adopting elements from a number of different traditions and making them work very well together. And lots of Christians accept evolution as a scientific fact.
2006-09-27 10:56:46 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
As "Worm s" - oops, " norm s" - and "Barb KKK" - oops, "Barb K" - showed above, religion is based on absolutism; because it's intangible and unprovable, it attempts to claim "absolute certainty" and emotional bleeding - oops, pleading - to make its "case" and to brainwash suckers into excluding thought - oops, I mean excluding _other_ modes of thought.
The best you can expect from a religion is to agree not to kill those who don't share that view. A few do (b'ahais, unitarians) but most religions are red striped: knuckle draggers with blood on their hands.
That long list of murderous religions _includes_ buddhism. Ask Asians how Imperial Japan treated them, or ask the muslims in Thailand and Burma.
The only ideologies and thought processes that are not murderous are the ones that are willing to admit, "We might be wrong".
.
2006-09-27 11:02:33 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A buddhist can not be a christian. You cannot serve two gods.
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exodus 23:13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.
Judges 10:13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.
2006-09-27 10:57:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
It is indeed very possible. Cubans link their practice of the African way of life called Ifa with Catechism and called it Santeria. But then the principles were the same so i guess the answer to your question will reslly be no especially where christianity is concerned.
Those people think their way is the only way.
2006-09-27 10:59:54 · answer #10 · answered by Osunwole Adeoyin 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋