Today at 07:59 AM Mr Buddhist said this in Post #1 What does anyone else here think of Buddhism? I'm not completely Buddhist (I eat meat for example), but I believe in reincarnation and that you should respect others. Opinions?

Buddha's folowers made him into an idol. But Gautama Buddha never claimed to be God. He was a seeker after the truth, and much of what he taught is sound morality and respect for all creatures.  However, he did not deal with the question of sin and its connection to physical death and the second death. He realized that all the pain in this world was due to sin, but did not know of its origin (Satan) or its remedy -- the shed blood of the Christ.

Jesus Of Nazareth -- the Lord Jesus Christ -- was God "manifest in the flesh". God the Son took human form to pay the death penalty for all mankind.  This penalty includes eternal hell. Christ came to deal with sin, death, hell and Satan, which Buddha could not deal with, neither can any man.

There is no salvation outside of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus said "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. NO MAN COMETH UNTO [GOD]THE FATHER, BUT [EXCEPT] BY ME. (John 14:6).

So you can either stop following Buddha and KNOW you have eternal life through Christ, or continue following Buddha and hope some day that you will never be reincarnated. The Bible does not teach reincarnation, "as it is appointed unto men ONCE TO DIE, and after this the judgement" (Hebrew 9:27). So reincarnation is a false belief and leads to a false comfort.
 
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Nathan David

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I don't believe in literal reincarnation or even a literal nirvana, but I do see the value of quiet meditation and emotional detachment to a contented life. Buddhists don't go around trying to convert others and rarely use Buddhism as a justification for violence so as far as I'm concerned it's a mostly inoffensive religion. However in many countries it has been used by the ruling classes to keep the lower classes subjugated. That phenomenon is definitely not exclusive to Buddhism but I think Buddhist teachings are prone to being corrupted into fatalism. Any faith that teaches people to worry more about a "next life" than the real world is potentially dangerous in that respect.
 
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Mr Buddhist

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You have to worry about this life and the next as far as I understand it.

I think Buddha did deal with sin, if you are a bad person you will get a bad lot in the next life. He realised pain was to do with desire which causes suffering.
 
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Susan

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I have a question to ask, Mr Buddhist: Are you by any chance a member of or are you looking into joining a certain cult that has a rather *frightening* past?

If you are, I would strictly advise you to run the other way as fast and as far as you can.

I'm praying that you will come to a saving relationship with the Jesus of the Bible.
 
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Mr Buddhist

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No, I'm not a member of any religion, but I like buddhism and what it stands for. Don't worry, I'm not some kind of mentalist or anything.

Trust me, it would take a lot for me to become a Christian.

Did you mean Buddhism is a cult with a frightening past?
 
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LewisWildermuth

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Today at 10:21 PM Susan said this in Post #5

I have a question to ask, Mr Buddhist: Are you by any chance a member of or are you looking into joining a certain cult that has a rather *frightening* past?

If you are, I would strictly advise you to run the other way as fast and as far as you can.

I'm praying that you will come to a saving relationship with the Jesus of the Bible.


Just out of curiosity Susan...

What are you talking about?????
:confused:

Are you saying Buddhism has a frightening past?

Are you calling Buddhism a cult?

I have read up a little on Buddhism, I have to read more but I'm bogged down with otherthings at the moment. I have found it a rather interesting study and it does have some good points. I don't agree with reincarnation, but over all it is pretty harmless as far as religions go.
 
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Sharky

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Hey buddist dude. I'm not going to try to convert you or anything like that.

Before I met God, i was a low down half life booger with no sense of moral or appreciation to life. I would just live life like it meant nothing. But then when i met God, He showed me His Love that was nothing like anything i've imagined.

He gave me a future, a new life in eternity with Him and Grace. I personally don't mind buddists. My mom is a buddist. But there's things with God that you can't get from buddist religion. I think you call it buddah or something. Can't spell :). But i grew up in a buddist family but i found God. God's a jillion times better than that trust me. He gives me blessings, teaches me and convicts me for wrong and dude, it's like the bestest thing times a trillion volts of plasma electricity in one go. :)
 
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coastie

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Today at 10:02 PM Mr Buddhist said this in Post #4

You have to worry about this life and the next as far as I understand it.

I think Buddha did deal with sin, if you are a bad person you will get a bad lot in the next life. He realised pain was to do with desire which causes suffering.

Buddha didn't realize where sin came from.

I have a few questions for you though.

Without a personal God, on what basis can there ever exist any human moral standard or ethic--and therefore, in what sense are we meant to understand the terms noble and truth, i.e. The Four Noble Truths, or the term right in the eight-fold path of right views, resolve, speech, conduct, occupation, efforts, awareness, and meditation? Because I'm having a really hard time understanding this.
 
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Susan

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Yesterday at 11:29 PM LewisWildermuth said this in Post #7




Just out of curiosity Susan...

What are you talking about?????
:confused:

Are you saying Buddhism has a frightening past?

Are you calling Buddhism a cult?

I have read up a little on Buddhism, I have to read more but I'm bogged down with otherthings at the moment. I have found it a rather interesting study and it does have some good points. I don't agree with reincarnation, but over all it is pretty harmless as far as religions go.



No, I was referring to the Aum Shinrikyo/Aleph sect of Buddhism.
 
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Mr Buddhist

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^What he said. I think you don't need someone to tell you your morals or a book to read them from.

You said (Coastie) that Buddha did not know where sin came from, but that is only where Christians believe sin came from (the Apple, right?). As I said, Buddha believed ALL suffering (including sin IMO) came from desire.
 
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Susan

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Well, a desire for the apple produced sin. . .and you're not too far off from where we are on the nature of sinfulness, for "each man is drawn away by his own lusts." After all, if Eve had not desired the apple, she would have just mumbled "yeeew" and went on by. . .and we would not be in the mess we all as humans are in today.

However, I would say the points Christianity differs most from Buddhism on are that we believe the solution for sin is different (we believe that it is impossible to atone for one's own sins or to not sin, therefore we must trust that Jesus Christ has paid the full and complete penalty for our sins by dying on the cross in our place in order to avoid eternal death); and our view of the afterlife (we as Christians believe that there are two options, eternal life with Christ or eternal death without Him, and that after death there are no *second chances*)

Those are vital points of difference, on which your eternal destiny stands.
 
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D.C

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Today at 04:30 AM Susan said this in Post #10





No, I was referring to the Aum Shinrikyo/Aleph sect of Buddhism.


Aum Shinrikyo is not a true sect of Buddhism. In Aum Shinrikyo, they revere Shiva (Hindu god) and they pratice elements of ancient yoga, primitive Buddhism and some elements of Mahayan Buddhism. Cult members state that it is an original religion created by Shoko Asahara based on Hinduism.
 
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coastie

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"from our own minds"

What about the rest of the question. In Buddhism there are the four noble truths, but if morality comes from our own minds, where is the uniformity of what is right and wrong.

Today at 04:07 PM Mr Buddhist said this in Post #12

^What he said. I think you don't need someone to tell you your morals or a book to read them from.


Our morality doesn't just come from a book or a pastor. It comes from God. I show your beliefs respect, you can do the same for mine.

You said (Coastie) that Buddha did not know where sin came from, but that is only where Christians believe sin came from (the Apple, right?). As I said, Buddha believed ALL suffering (including sin IMO) came from desire.

Sin didn't come from the apple, it came from Satan who used the apple as a temptation to cause sin (this being fundamentally similar to Buddhism).

Would that make desire a force in and of itself? Where does desire come from?

And where does it go when you die?

Also, if one sets out to resist desire, why would one ever then entertain the desire for happiness or Nirvana, and thus work to create/reach it?
 
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Mr Buddhist

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Where does desire come from?

Desire comes from being alive.

&nbsp;
And where does it go when you die?

Unless you ascend to Nirvana it goes with you to your next life.

&nbsp;
Also, if one sets out to resist desire, why would one ever then entertain the desire for happiness or Nirvana, and thus work to create/reach it?

Only through Nirvana can you fully escape desire, Nirvana being your only desire before you reach it. Unless you achieve Nirvana in life, where you are free of all worldly desires.

&nbsp;
Our morality doesn't just come from a book or a pastor. It comes from God. I show your beliefs respect, you can do the same for mine.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to criticise or offend.
 
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Yesterday at 02:32 AM coastie said this in Post #9



Buddha didn't realize where sin came from.

I have a few questions for you though.

Without a personal God, on what basis can there ever exist any human moral standard or ethic--and therefore, in what sense are we meant to understand the terms noble and truth, i.e. The Four Noble Truths, or the term right in the eight-fold path of right views, resolve, speech, conduct, occupation, efforts, awareness, and meditation? Because I'm having a really hard time understanding this.

Some people do what they truly feel is right and good.&nbsp; Most people start out with a grasp of what is right and wrong, but society screws with them and what they feel is right may not agree with what society says is right.&nbsp; Then of course there are those who seem to have either lost their moral compass or never had one to begin with(one person that comes to mind is Charles Manson).
 
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Yesterday at 12:07 AM Mr Buddhist said this in Post #12 As I said, Buddha believed ALL suffering (including sin IMO) came from desire.

The real issue, Mr. Buddhist, is that God has revealed the existence of a literal Lake of Fire.&nbsp; Reincarnation simply goes around this, and as long as you remain outside Chirst, you have no hope of avoiding it.

Also, was Buddha a man?&nbsp; Yes

Is he idolized and venerated as a "god"? Yes

Does that violate the First and Greatest Commandment? Yes

Does that make Buddhists idolators?&nbsp; Yes

So where do you go from there?&nbsp; The only remedy God has provided is Christ, His cross, His blood, His righteousness, His resurrection, and His salvation: "NEITHER IS THERE SALVATION IN ANY OTHER: FOR THERE IS NONE OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN, WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED" (Acts 4:12). As Buddha would say, "Choose wisely".
 
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