I love religious thought. I respect and admire the fact that people spend time pondering their place in the universe. I've long considered myself, philosophically, a Buddhist. However, [looking out for lightning strike...] I think I'm actually more of a fan of Jesus than a lot of Christians. It's no competition I realize, but it comes as a bit of surprise to me, someone who neither believes in a "God" nor associates myself in any way other than USA cultural identity with Christianity. I should add that my feelings about Jesus are for him as a teacher and a great historical figure, not as a religious icon. (Full disclosure is necessary--I do not wish to misrepresent myself or trample on others' beliefs here. I'm sharing what are intriguing thoughts to me. Feel free to comment.)
There are many who reject traditional religions in their lives. My hero Thich Nhat Hanh has explored this idea many a time; check out one of his talks on the subject of spiritual ancestors of Buddhists and Christians. I think there are a lot of "Christians" out there who aren't living very Jesus-oriented lives. If, as Thich Nhat Hanh says, my spiritual ancestors are Christian (the recent ones at any rate), it is no wonder to me that Buddhism would be appealing or that upon examination I might consider Jesus's teachings quite acceptable as well. Buddhist teachings and Jesus's teachings are an awful lot alike (in spirit, which is really where my reading focuses--I'm not a strict interpreter of anything). A discussion on the subject raises a number of interesting (though not all relevant) points of comparison. And the website jesusisbuddha makes their case for a quite eyebrow-raising claim. I don't feel I'm well read enough to speculate on the chances of a direct connection, but similarities in philosophy undeniably exist. Don't just take my word for it--check out one of many books on the subject, either from a Buddhist or a Christian perspective.
As a freshman in college, I loved nothing more than hearing new perspectives. Oddly, although raised generically "Christian", I had always felt more attuned to and aware of non-Christian faiths (and I never believed in Jesus Christ or God, well, except as a historical literary figure or a white bearded guy sitting in the clouds with as many televisions as people on earth, but that's a separate story). So in college, at an extremely non-mainstream sort of campus, I learned lots about Christianity. Tara had gone to a Catholic school and argued vehemently the pros/cons of that faith and its history; her experiences compared with Alison's (an Irish exchange student). And my sophomore year I lived across the hall from four devoutly Christian students (quite the anomaly at UCSC). They opened my eyes to the wonders of their faith; it was positive, thorough, and rooted in critical exploration. One of the things they had was a dictionary of the Bible. Pick a topic and they could find Biblical passages that touched on it. Without going into a Christian bookstore, I'd love to get one of these things. I'm afraid explaining why I'd like one to the store employees might get me kicked out. Isn't that sad?
Bible means a lot of things to a lot of people, and the words inside get used to justify myriad actions and beliefs. The Christian Bible refers to the sum total of the Old and New Testaments, with the sacred Christian bits residing in the New. I heard Sister Helen Prejean say one time that she is a "New Testament Christian" and something clicked for me. What does it mean to be "Christian"? I've got this idea to scour the New Testament for evidence of Jesus's support for the practices and espoused beliefs of alleged "Christians" today. A comparison of this info with statements from the Old Testament and then to current practices and beliefs would complete an obsession of mine over where people base their ideologies. Thankfully, there are others who've done much of this work already. Phew, yet again I realize I am not insanely alone in this worldview of mine. On the subject of war and peace, check out a theologian's article on the subject of Old Testament versus New Testament views on war, and a monk's review of the history of Catholic "Just War" theory.
2 comments:
You know, I've been the same. I thought I might have been Buddhist at one point, but I disagree about their excuses regarding not being totally vegetarian. And sometimes I don't feel that nice. I decided that I was born, and am, Jewish. But I like the original Jesus teachings--hence I do the UCC chuch thing (without converting). I'll never proclaim to have the answers. What I see as the basic difference between Buddhism and Christianity (besides the obvious differences of the current followers) is that Buddha was always considered a guy that people followed, and Jesus was made into a God. If people could all "just get along", the world would be better all around. I hate when religion gets twisted (and I've blogged too many times on it, written too many Letters to the Editor on it). Anyway, thanks for posting.
Indeed, the godly thing can cause problems. That alleged godly authority gets turned into vicarious power for supporters. Hmm, I believe someone said something about absolute power and corruption...
Yes, I'm not a strict follower of anything, really. I guess it's more about what direction or tradition do you feel most reflects your hopes and desires.
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