Compare And Contrast Christianity And Buddhism

Christianity & Buddhism: A Contrast
Christianity and Buddhism are two of the most popular religions in the world today. Focusing on core values such as humility, purity of heart and charity, Christianity and Buddhism appear similar in many ways. However, Christianity is a religion that teaches there is only one God, while Buddhism is a way of life, not centered around any gods; Christianity teaches salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, whereas Buddhism believes a man’s sole responsibility is to achieve peace and harmony through reaching Nirvana, and Christianity teaches that when a person dies, they are judged by God and their soul is sent to either Heaven or Hell, whereas Buddhism teaches that one never “dies,” but recycles their soul through a cycle called Rebirth.
At the center of Christianity there is one god, Jehovah. Christians believe that God is the creator of the universe, and that he is, was, and always will be in existence. Although there is only one god, there are three separate entities: God the Father (Jehovah), God the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit, each of which make up the “Trinity.” Contrary to
Christianity, Buddhism does not directly reference any gods. Revolving around its founder, Siddhartha Gautama was merely a mortal who sought enlightenment through prayer and meditation. Later christened “The Buddha” meaning “Enlightened One,” Gautama Buddha spent the final 45 years of his life after enlightenment teaching a diverse range of people in what is now Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and southern Nepal.
Every religion must have a soul purpose and design.
In Christianity, a believer’s main purpose is simply to love God and show God’s love to one another. The first step to becoming a Christian, known as salvation, requires a believer to ask God’s son, Jesus, for forgiveness in order to be saved from eternal damnation. Upon salvation, a believer’s goal is to then go into all the nations, preaching the gospel and make disciples. Conversely, in Buddhism, a believer’s soul purpose is to achieve Nirvana, which is a state of being free from suffering and the extinction of craving (passion and hatred). The term for one having achieved the state of Nirvana is Arahant. After attaining the status of Arahant, a Buddhist seeks Bodhi, which is a term meaning “Enlightenment” or “Awakening,” which is needed in order to attain eradication from
delusion.
Many religions teach the concept of life after death. Christianity teaches that if one accepts Jesus, their name is written in “The Book of Life,” and when the Second Coming of Christ happens, their soul will abide with God in Heaven for eternity. However, if one does not accept Christ, after the Second Coming their soul will reside in Hell with Satan for eternity. Although Buddhism does not teach the concept of a Heaven and a Hell, they teach a concept of life after death called Rebirth. Buddhism teaches that after death, one reincarnates, not always a human, until they have fully reached Nirvana; once a Buddhist reaches Nirvana, their soul is believed to remain at peace in the world, free from all pain and suffering for eternity. All religions are obviously different. Buddhism and Christianity differ most in their belief about the after life. Both are very humanistic in nature. Choosing which religion to follow may be as simple as asking one’s self whether or not they believe in the concept of God.

Sources used: http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity The Bible