Buddhism and Christianity are the religions that have many believers from different parts of the world. The two religions may be seen as distinct, but they still share some beliefs and teachings. Buddhism entails teachings about Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as Buddha, while Christianity is based on the belief in Jesus as the Son of God (Bidwell, 2018). This paper seeks to compare and contrast the two religions’ differences and similarities based on three key aspects such as Afterlife, Suffering, and Rituals. Both Buddhism and Christianity are different from each other.
Christianity and Buddhism are western and eastern religions that differ a lot concerning suffering. This is the case as in Christianity, suffering is part of God’s plan where He allows mankind to be tempted, but He gives humanity a way to overcome the suffering. In the book of Job, the devil requests God for permission to test Job, and Jehovah grants this permission (Willard et al., 2020). Despite Job suffering many tragedies that he is on the verge of death, God redeems him, multiplies his wealth, and reinstates his health. The persecution was not a way of making Job suffer but was just a test to see if he could be tempted to curse his God. Conversely, in Buddhism, suffering is depicted as something that humanity does not need. Grief in Buddhism is differently approached compared to how Christians consider suffering as part of the journey to finish the battle and be reunited with God.
Moreover, in Buddhism, suffering is associated with sickness, old age, and depression, while in Christianity, it is not the case. Christians understand that to live a life that pleases God, they must be ready to suffer (Willard et al., 2020). The Bible states that those who desire to live a Godly life should be ready to be persecuted (King James Bible,1769/2017,2 Timothy 3:12). The difference between the two religions in terms of the origin of suffering is that Buddhism views it as self-inflicted, but Christianity believes that it comes out of devotion to God. Buddhism does not associate suffering with God the way Christianity does. In addition, in Buddhism, the suffering ends when an individual follows the Noble Eightfold path, which entails the following right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration (Hall et al., 2018). If a person engages in all the above steps, then they can be liberated from suffering. However, this is not the case in Christianity as suffering can be put to an end if the person repents their sins, follows God’s commandments, and believes in Jesus Christ.
Nonetheless, in terms of rituals, the two religions differ as Christians do not engage in practices as those involved in Buddhism. The worship of idols in Christianity is outlawed as the religion entails the worship of just one God. However, in Buddhism, the worship of idols is common, as they believe in several gods representing the supreme being (Hall et al., 2018). The similarity between these two religions is the presence of supernatural beings, God, who sustains them. Moreover, the Christians do not mix their faith with any other religion’s beliefs and traditions. For instance, Christians cannot accept Buddhism’s teachings as they do not teach about salvation through Jesus Christ.
Conversely, Buddhism allows for a mixture of its traditions to that of other religions. The two religions have different rituals that mark various ceremonies, such as Puja for the Buddhist and Easter for Christians (Hall et al., 2018). Puja is a ceremony that Buddhists give Buddha gifts and offerings. Christians have Easter ceremonies, where they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and Christmas, where they commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Buddhists chant the scriptures as a way of meditation. The offerings are given to Buddha to thank him for the teachings.
Furthermore, in the aspect of afterlife, the Christians believe that the dead will be resurrected and live with their God in Heaven. In turn, Buddhists believe in a cycle of birth and rebirth or rather reincarnation (Willard et al., 2020). Jesus’s teachings to Christians do not mention reincarnation as Christians only have one life to live. The Buddhists believe that karma is responsible for deciding where someone goes after death. Moreover, they think that at the end of the birth and death circle lies the ultimate goal Nirvana. They do not believe in heaven or hell as their God does not punish them for being sinners. In the Christian religion, afterlife belief is emphasized in the book of Revelation (Bidwell, 2018). Jesus told His followers that He had gone to prepare a place for them in heaven and that once the time came, He would come to take them home (King James Bible,1769/2017, John 14:1-3). Christians believe that the dead will be resurrected, and they shall be judged according to their deeds on earth. Those found to be sinners will be sent to hell to burn forever, and those who are righteous will be welcomed in heaven, where they will sit with God (King James Bible,1769/2017, Revelation 20:15).
From the above analysis, it is conclusive that the two religions share few similarities compared to the differences. Buddhist accept the idea of afterlife but not in heaven and hell, while Christians believe in heaven and earth. Buddhists allow the mixing of their traditions with other religions, but Christianity does not. In terms of rituals, the Christians do not indulge in such, but Buddhists engage in traditions when offering their gifts to Buddha. On the issue of suffering, the two religions view the matter differently. As in Christianity, suffering is inflicted by God to test Christians, but in Buddhism, suffering is considered something that one does not need. Thus, the two religions are distinct from each other in terms of the afterlife, suffering, and rituals.
References
Bidwell, D. R. (2018). When one religion isn’t enough: Hinjews, Buddhist Christians, and? other spiritually fluid people. Beacon Press.
Hall, M. E. L., Shannonhouse, L., Aten, J., McMartin, J., & Silverman, E. J. (2018). Religion-specific resources for meaning-making from suffering: Defining the territory. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 21(1), 77–92. Web.
King James Bible. (2017). Cambridge University Press.
Willard, A. K., Baimel, A., Turpin, H., Jong, J., & Whitehouse, H. (2020). Rewarding the good and punishing the bad: The role of karma and afterlife beliefs in shaping moral norms. Evolution and Human Behavior, 41(5), 385–396. Web.