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reconsiling with christianity
I often have long conversations with a friend who is a devout Christian. This same friend also has guilt issues about things he shouldn't be feeling guilt over. When we talk, I often find myself being mad at Christianity and its power structures and systems of control and repression that are demostrated throughout history. The more I study history, the more angry I get about it. As a Buddhist, though, I don't think I should be feeling this sort of resentment toward this other philosophical path. I suppose I also need to distinguish between the faith and the church, but that's hard to do.
I also often feel like what I really want to do is push my friend to get away of Christianity because I feel like its hurting him as much as its helping him. How do I help him without trying to change his religion?
Can we get a monk to sign up here? I need some guidance
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Comments
Also, you really shouldn't try to push your friend out of christianity. You and I, and others like us, have looked truthfully and deeply within ourselves and seen the "light" so to speak. We could see that no matter how hard we tried, we just couldn't reconcile christianity with what we observed in daily life. For us, the truth is clear.
For him, his truth may be just as clear. Remember that the buddhist path does not preclude christianity, islam, or any other religion. It is very possible for your friend to find enlightment in this lifetime while remaining faithful to his concept of Jesus and God. Personally, I think it is far more difficult for a christian to find that path (backed up by observable truth of the reality of the world around us), but who is to say that it can't be done.
Perhaps the church is helping him. Perhaps faith in Jesus is helping him. If it is hurting him, all you can do is gently suggest why it may be hurting him without trying to get him to reject what he may know and believe. It's not Jesus Christ that's hurting him, it's his own attachments to whatever is making him feel guilt.
Since I made that post, I decided to audit a 400-level religion course called "The Lotus and the Cross" - a dialogue between Buddhism and Christianity. I'm hoping that will give me a better understanding of Buddhism and how my friend and I can find a common ground easier.
Like you said, sad.
That course sounds really cool. Please keep me up to date on some of the things you talk about in there.
I Believe in jesus Christ as my perosonal savior and he died and rose again for my sins but To push it on others or to feel guilty about something you shouldnt means he is taking it to far. Yes we are to spread the word of God but not FORCE it upon others. The simplist way to lsolve this is to let it be. He will sooner or later deal with it or will ask for guidance
also to seperate church from Faith is difficult. I recently resigned from a possitionj as an assistant youth pastor because of hte poilitcs in church but thats the way it is sometimes. southern baptist are very pushy ( I went to school there 13 years ) and the pentecostals are very free, I like the Non denominational churches cause they go with the flow and arent seperating themselves from the world cause if you seperate yourselves from the world how can you help the world?
I have some ideas about life and things that me and Brian have discussed briefly that could be categorized as 'buddhist idealogy', from what little I know of it, I really would like to learn more. I think a big problem I have is even though I was never really a devout Christian, those younger years of being brought up doing things as a Catholic have really affected my way of thinking, especially in matters when it comes to death and such. I really don't believe in the philosophies and following of the Catholic church but there's certain ideas that have been put into my head that I seemed to be struggling to let go off and free myself of certain guilt, that's really why I'd like to learn more about buddhism.
Also don't be afraid to ask any me any questions you might have, I'm sure I have stuggled with the same issues at some point
I am not really familiar with that statement. I believe that Jesus' message was highly mistranslated and misinterpreted over the years. Therefore, I think it highly possible that he was referring to inner peace.
Buddhists do not worry about the text of the Pali.
One of my most deep-seated issues with christianity is the fact that the bible is considered to be sacred. The bible was created by men! Not only was it created by men, it has been re-written to serve the needs of men in power. How can a book be holy? Especially when the words within the book were written by human beings?
Perhaps, therefore, a more constructive and positive way of interpreting the Written Word is to seek the Voice of Wisdom, Love, Grace and Beauty in what they wrote. In short, one should try to hear the Voice of God.....
Today's Man has no excuse. So to perpetuate teachings that effectively put the Fear of God into people is both dangerous and destructive. The Church (particularly the Roman Catholic church, and particularly now) has a negative reputation. But only because its' administrators are stuck in the Role of Controllers. Look past them. Read the scriptures without their influence. Forget the 'Now' church and seek the 'Then' wisdom.
Maybe you'll think me naïve, but seek God in every Man, and know Him to be there, even in the darkest Soul.....
"Living Buddha, Living Christ" by Thich Nhat Hanh
Great book... it's given my a very different concept of Christianity. If anything it really shows the deficiencies of organized religion and how stylized theology gets in the way of the truth. Highly recommeded
Gassho,
Joel
"Thich Nhat Hanh was driven to 'respond' in his book, "Living Buddha, Living Christ." The Dalai lama himself has written a book - based on several lectures he gave to a multi-denominational audience - called "The Good Heart". A book exploring the parallels between Buddhism & Christianity. "
I have read both books and they do much to forge a link and build a bridge between the 'two creeds' as it were.... I do not know if such works exist from a Christian perspective though I would imagine (and hope) there may well be...
By the way, welcome to 'the fold(!) Joel!
www.joinfolding.com
(I'm on Team 93 if anyone's interested )