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Buddhism is centered upon the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha, whereas
Christianity is centered on the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ. Buddhism is a
nontheistic religion, i.e., it does not believe in a supreme creator being a.k.a. God.
Christianity is a monotheistic religion and believes that Christ Is the Son Of God.
Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism and is a Dharmic religion. Christianity is an
offshoot of Judaism and is an Abrahamic religion.
Comparison chart
Christianity
Buddhism
About
Religious Law
N/A.
Symbols
Wheel.
Followers Buddhists
Generally common.
Rites
N/A
sects
Legislation
major sects
Buddhism.
Differences
See also: God in Buddhism and God in Christianity
There are inherent and fundamental differences between Buddhism and Christianity, one significant element
being that while Christianity is at its core monotheistic and relies on a God as a Creator, Buddhism is
generally non-theistic and rejects the notion of a Creator God which provides divine values for the world.
The Nicene Creed, the most widely used Christian creed, states that "We believe in one God, the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible". However, the notion of theistic
creation is generally foreign to Buddhist thought, and the question of the existence of God is perhaps one of the
most fundamental barriers between the teachings of Christianity and Buddhism. Although Mahayana
Buddhism expresses belief in Bodhisattva this is very different from the notion of Creator God in
Christianity. While some variations of Buddhism believe in an impersonal eternal Buddha or creative force, in
general Buddhism sees the universe as eternal and without a starting point of creation.
There are inherent differences in the Christian and Buddhist beliefs regarding the End
Times and eschatology. Jan Nattier states that while Buddhism has a notion of "relative eschatology" that refers
to specific cycles of life, the term "Buddhist eschatology" does not relate to any "final things", or that the world
will end one day - Buddhist scripture routinely referring to the "beginningless Sam sra" as a never ending cycle
of birth and death with no starting point. However, Christian eschatology directly involves the concept of "end to
all creation" at the Last Judgementwhen the world will reach its conclusion. Scholars generally regard the
Buddhist and Christian views of the End Times as incompatible.
There are other fundamental incompatibilities, e.g. while Grace in Christianity is part of the very fabric of
theology, in Theravada Buddhism no deity can interfere with Karma and hence the notion of any type of grace
is inadmissible within these teachings Mahayana Buddhism however, differs on this issue.
The crucifixion of Jesus as a single event in history that acts for the atonement of sins is a central element of
Christian belief. This, however, produces a strong difference between Christian and Buddhist
teachings. Buddhist scholar Masao Abe pointed out that while "the event of the Cross" is central to Christianity,
it is not possible for Buddhism to accept its importance. Buddhist philosopher D. T. Suzuki stated that every
time he saw a crucifixion scene it reminded him of the "gap that lies deep" between Christianity and Buddhism.
References[
1. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Jesus: The Complete Guide by J. L. Houlden (Feb 8, 2006) ISBN 082648011Xpages
140-144
2. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Buddhism and Interfaith Dialogue by Masao Abe and Steven Heine (Jun 1, 1995) ISBN
pages 99-100
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c The Boundaries of Knowledge in Buddhism, Christianity, and Science by Paul D Numrich
(Dec 31, 2008) ISBN 3525569874 page 10
4. ^ Jump up to:a b International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: E-J by Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Mar 1982)ISBN
0802837824 pages 515-516
5. ^ Jump up to:a b c Communicating Christ in the Buddhist World by Paul De Neui and David Lim (Jan 1,
2006) ISBN 0878085106 page 34
6. ^ Jump up to:a b Van Voorst, Robert E (2000). Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the
Ancient Evidence. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 0-8028-4368-9 page 17
7. ^ Jump up to:a b Jesus: The Complete Guide 2006 by Leslie Houlden ISBN 082648011X page 140
8. Jump up^ The Historical Jesus in Recent Research edited by James D. G. Dunn and Scot McKnight
2006 ISBN 1-57506-100-7 page 303
9. ^ Jump up to:a b Gerald O'Collins, "The Hidden Story of Jesus" New Blackfriars Volume 89, Issue 1024,
pages 710714, November 2008
10. Jump up^ Irenaeus of Lyons by Eric Francis Osborn (Nov 26, 2001) ISBN 0521800064 pages 27-29