Different types of religion exist across the world making it difficult to provide a single definition of the region. Despite the various religious practices, there are essential characteristics applicable in defining religion. The concept of deity, human life, and suffering are standard features in every religious practice (Suzuki, 2018). Christianity and Buddhism provide some examples of types of faith with similarities and differences. The differences arise from the perception of deity, human life, suffering, and afterlife. Buddhism religion is based on the experience and teaching of the life of Gautama Buddha. For instance, Buddhism is a nontheistic religion, while Christianity is a monotheistic religion. Christians believe that Christ is the son of God, while Buddhism does not believe in the concept of a supreme creator.
Christianity emphasizes that creation originated from an omniscient being capable for creating the universe. The world was created through a word by a powerful being. Christians think that the world is not only morally neutral but also fundamentally correct, indicating that God remains the powerful creator on the earth. This information shows that Christians practice religion by attaching the creation to only one being, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit (Suzuki, 2018). Christians believe in God and attach their needs to the community thus increasing the ability to serve and live guided by the word of God. However, Buddhism refutes the existence of one God and the belief that Omniscient God created the universe. The Buddha refuted this argument and believes that there are several gods rather than the case in support of the existence of one supernatural being. Buddhism believes in the existence of Tantric gods manifesting through rituals, symbols, and human activities. The deities, in this case, are more likely to be more archetypal rather than the supernatural being associated with Christianity.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Christians and Buddhists have different perceptions of human suffering. For instance, Christians believe that sin separated human beings from God, and whenever they experience pain, they should strengthen their weaknesses regarding the perception of God. Suffering is also a powerful tool that draws Christians close to God. Whenever people experience sharp anguish than they can be able to solve, they will always turn to God as the only source of help. In situations where Christians feel hurt, God remains only the source of comfort. Suffering can also be perceived as a way through which people may get insight to sin (Suzuki, 2018). Christians affirm that through one man named Adam, sin entered the world and explains the origin of all the challenges that people experience. In effect, when people pray to God without seeing any change, they are likely to turn to evil deeds as a way of solving particular issue. However, human suffering helps Christians to see the real worth of things and differentiating such actions to meet the needs of people in society.
Buddhism considers the existence of suffering, but they have perceptions that are different from Christianity. Suffering in Buddhism is a broader concept which includes pain, grief, and misery. People do not have strategies for avoiding the occurrence of depression and other related challenges. In effect, Buddhism recognizes that human suffering is inherent, and people have to experience such challenges irrespective of the commitment they have to Buddha. Buddhism believes that human suffering is subject to change only people seek to use tangible strategies. Under Buddhism, human suffering and happiness are not perfect, making it challenging to ensure that there is an improvement in human life. However, Buddhism focuses on understanding and addressing the reality of suffering. In their operation, Buddhists seek to engage in a search for the cause of pain and effects of human life. In this case, Buddhists do not consider human sin as the origin of suffering that people experience and there is a need for a more rational approach to address these challenges.
Both Christianity and Buddhism recognize the existence of evil in religion. Despite the recognition of sin in both religions, Buddhism does not acknowledge the presence of God in directing the karma, meaning darkness. Crime refers to the action and indicates that there is no supernatural being in Buddhism responsible for punishing individuals for their actions. In effect, activities such as hatred and jealousy are not subject to punishment or rewards because they are not considered as evil activities in the religion. For example, karma only occurs in circumstances where an individual thinks an event that strikes other individuals in society as the right punishment or actions (Min, 2016). On the other hand, Christians attach the problem of evil to the Ten Commandments that describe the accepted behavior in Christianity. This information shows that Christians consider a violation of the teachings as actions subject to punishment by God as a supernatural being. The philosophical concept of Christian views of evil proves that sins such as hatred and jealousy are some of the crimes that are punishable under Christian teachings.
Christians and Buddhists believe that there is life after death. In this case, they think that every stage of human life marks the end of the previous step and creates an opportunity for living in a new environment. For instance, Buddhists believe that death is one of the essential steps of life, and it determines the destiny of the individual (Min, 2016). Buddhists believe that death marks the last stage of consciousness and people get prepared to help an individual to pass this stage with happiness and knowledge. Also, Christians believe that there is life after death, but the achievement of this life depends on the commitment that people show in serving God. Christians believe in eternal life, and they think that Christians have to live in the kingdom of God after death. Eternal life is personal, and people are created according to the image of God. As a result, if an individual fails to adhere to God’s teaching, they are not in a position to enjoy eternal life.
Christians and Buddhists believe that there exist several activities such as material possession, interaction with other people, and religion that divine the destiny of an individual. Christians believe that eternal life remains an essential aspect that can allow people to secure eternal life. In Christianity, material possession does not count to the achievement of eternal life (Min, 2016). God created people in his image, and they need to remain committed to acquiring the kingdom of God rather than focusing on earthly pleasures. However, Buddhists consider wealth and material possession as a source of happiness, and it is the responsibility for people to prepare and ensure the satisfaction of the individual experience in their last stage. In effect, they do not consider the role of God as a supernatural being capable of determining the life of an individual after death.
There are more similarities than differences between Buddhism and Christianity. Both religions consider human suffering and evil is inherent in society. However, Christianity is perceived to be a warm religion, while Buddhism is considered to be a cold religion. Christianity is a narrative that focuses on explaining prophecy, human failing, and glory. Eternal life is achieved as a result of a commitment to the teachings of the Bible and avoiding the different forms of evil deeds mentioned in Christian teaching. Buddhism refutes the argument that people have to believe in the existence of a supernatural being, but they think they should analyze and address problems facing human life.
References
Min, A. K. (Ed.). (2016). Korean Religions in Relation: Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity. SUNY Press.
Suzuki, D. T. (2018). Mysticism: Christian and buddhist. Routledge.
