Differences: The Similarities Between Buddhism And Christianity

Humans from all corners of the Earth believe (or do not believe) in a multitude of faiths. There are several major religions and thousands of minor religions that have a following. Most religions can be categorized as either a Western religion or an Eastern religion. Examples of religions from the West include Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; examples from the East include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Daoism. While “every religion is different … all religions share certain core values” (R. Steckel et al.). An interesting case is the comparison of Buddhism (an Eastern religion) and Christianity (a Western religion). Although Buddhism and Christianity share some common views on the problem of humanity, they have many more fundamental differences that cannot be reconciled – especially differences in how to solve that problem. In the beginning, Buddhism and Christianity – like most other …show more content…
Their respective narratives on the beginnings of their religion show a similar theme. A person (Siddhartha/Jesus) was born into this less than perfect world. Early on, this person was satisfied with his life but later that person would become aware of the problems of humanity (suffering/sin). This person would then come up with a solution for this problem (nirvana/salvation) and become a holy person (Buddha/Christ). Another similarity is that Buddhism and Christianity both have the same moral ethics: Treat others the same way one wants to be treated. However, the similarities end there. The divergences would shred any hope of convergence between these two religions. The absence of a belief in a deity in Buddhism is irreconcilable with the Holy Trinity of Christianity. Moreover, Buddhists believe in a release from life while Christians believe in being saved and going on to heaven. All in all, the trivial similarities between these two great religions does not carry the same weight as their contradictory