Christianity: Refusal or Open-Mindedness?

[futerko]

How about this one for starters? Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protes ... Capitalism

[muni]

HHDL has referred to Jesus Christ as a boddhisatva. That's good enough for me. If a person does good or bad maybe it's best for everyone if we judge them by that action & not on their religious label.

This is a nice note! It erases the dividing lines in suffering righteness its' real religion-nonreligion.

Lets look in own mind, in peace are no obstacles.

[tobes]

How about this one for starters? Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protes ... Capitalism

Yes, I think that's a good starting point - the themes of modernity, secularism, capitalism, rationalism, science - and the various epistemic frameworks related to these phenomena - constantly arise on this forum.

Westerners come into Buddhism out of that extraordinarily complex historical-social-political-conceptual horizon - and we can't really understand what we're doing as Buddhists, why we have come to Buddhism, what we are trying to get from it (and maybe, what we're trying to get away from) - without paying due heed to that horizon.

That horizon is so deeply shaped by Christianity, in so many ways.

So how to open to this positively? Well, by just being open and inquisitive. To the history, to the theology, to the philosophy, to the social practices, to the contemporary debates.

This is an ambitious but good start:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Christi ... 0141021896

[jeeprs]

'History of ideas' is a huge subject. Fascinating, but huge. I think a better approach is to try and find the cross-cultural 'wisdom tradition' teachings which incorporate perspectives from the different faiths. For instance, Shambhala's books on various aspects of Christian meditation. You can find plenty of common ground between Buddhism and Christian teaching, provided you know where to look and how to interpret.

[muni]

'History of ideas' .

[oushi]

Common ground is needed only in the sphere of religion, to prevent conflicts. In the area of spirituality, those paths may remain totally independent, even contradicting each other. "Marriage" in this area is redundant and futile, as those are only paths and there is no truth that needs to be composed out of them. Person that is focused on the goal does not waste time for comparison and judgement, as it is like talking about silence.
Looking for superiority of the goal of one or the other method is a clear sight of ignorance sewing samsara.

I think a better approach is to try and find the cross-cultural 'wisdom tradition' teachings which incorporate perspectives from the different faiths.

Some eat rice with sticks, some with forks, other with spoons, or hands. Want to incorporate them all into one device?

[Jikan]

I have generally found Christianity the most foreign/alien system, and basically had an attitude of "don't care/not interested/not relevant."

But then I realised, you can't actually understand 'the west' without understanding Christianity; and if you can't understand 'the west' - not only its history, but also the history of its ideas - then you can't really hope to understand your engagement with Buddhism. That is, if you are a westerner.

I know that sounds like a long bow, but I think it is true. I am happy to be pressed on that a little if anyone thinks it's a bit of loose claim - and I'll try and qualify it more.

Anyway the point was to acknowledge, like the OP, that I have had a resistance/ refusal to understanding Christianity - at the detriment of my understanding per se, and particularly, in my understanding of Buddhism.

Pursuing a more open-minded relationship may not lead to equivalences, but it can only be fruitful in other ways.

One side-effect of this kind of inquiry: I've found I have a better relationship with texts like Paradise Lost or The Divine Comedy than many of my friends who belong to specific churches and therefore have particular theological positions. I just read and appreciate because I don't have a pony in any of these races.

Back to the OP: I find it more important to find constructive and respectful ways to relate to Christians as neighbors and friends than to worry too much about Christianity as a body of doctrine or as a set of institutions.

[Ayu]

Two days ago a page in the book "Karma" from Geshe Pema Samten struck my heart directly.
It was about the sentiment of each religion to be the best. "My religion is more holy, better and more important than all the other religions..." This leads to critisism, this leads to strife and even to wars... The cause is in the selfishness.

When i reflected this and looked at my feelings of refusal and how this depends on my identification with a self... I found out that i feel personally hurt by chistianity. Reading about the stakes in the Middle Ages i felt like i have been there. I feel personally concerned about what happened that times. How can a religion be helpful, if it yields such horrible fruits? I know, these thoughts are not reasonable, because these times are gone now. But it is a strong personel feeling. And that makes it so very difficult for me to believe in "Christian Charity".

[shaunc]

Two days ago a page in the book "Karma" from Geshe Pema Samten struck my heart directly.
It was about the sentiment of each religion to be the best. "My religion is more holy, better and more important than all the other religions..." This leads to critisism, this leads to strife and even to wars... The cause is in the selfishness.

When i reflected this and looked at my feelings of refusal and how this depends on my identification with a self... I found out that i feel personally hurt by chistianity. Reading about the stakes in the Middle Ages i felt like i have been there. I feel personally concerned about what happened that times. How can a religion be helpful, if it yields such horrible fruits? I know, these thoughts are not reasonable, because these times are gone now. But it is a strong personel feeling. And that makes it so very difficult for me to believe in "Christian Charity".

Hi Ayu. All religions have some skeletons in the closet. Brutality, theft & dishonesty, sexual abuse. The problem all religions have (buddhism included) is that they have fallible men & women as members lay & ordained. I follow buddhism not because I believe it to be squeaky clean, or the best religion of them all. I follow it because I believe it to be the best religion for me. In my day to day life I never feel a need (or rarely) to be talking about religion with people, I just go about my business trying to do the best that I can. Good-luck with it all.

[Ayu]

Yes, shaunc, thank you. You're absolutely right.
For me, it is just a matter of being personally hurt and how to handle this. To start a war "Good Buddhism against bad Christinaity" would fulfill no sense.
For me this discussion was very helpful now, because i could look at my own defects instead of pointing my finger to the deficiency of others.

[Jainarayan]

All religions have some skeletons in the closet. Brutality, theft & dishonesty, sexual abuse. The problem all religions have (buddhism included) is that they have fallible men & women as members lay & ordained.

Not totally unlike something Gandhi said: “I came to the conclusion long ago that all religions were true and also that all had some error in them... "

[Karma Dondrup Tashi]

Talking about Christianity seems to be an obsession on Buddhist boards...

Perhaps to be fair we should start on other religions. Let's all pile on Islam. Ok, 1, 2, 3 go.

[jeeprs]

It's probably a separate topic, but I was just reading the Tricycle article on persecution of Muslim refugees in Burma by Theravadins. It is a very unedifying spectacle and certainly overturns notions of Buddhists being necessarily peaceful or tolerant of other religious identites.

[Ayu]

Talking about Christianity seems to be an obsession on Buddhist boards...
....

When you have a christian sitting on your neck, trying to tell you what's right and wrong, maybe you would like to talk about such a topic one day.

[Simon E.]

Talking about Christianity seems to be an obsession on Buddhist boards...

Perhaps to be fair we should start on other religions. Let's all pile on Islam. Ok, 1, 2, 3 go.

Spot on. A sign of collective maturity will be when that obsession is no longer the case.
But that is far off.

[muni]

Talking about Christianity seems to be an obsession on Buddhist boards...
....

When you have a christian sitting on your neck, trying to tell you what's right and wrong, maybe you would like to talk about such a topic one day.

The interess for Buddhism must come from own being (own karmic destiny), I suppose. Comparing discussions I replace by general interesses like altruism or so, depend on the 'intertalk'. Debates are only fruitful when mutual insight increases, therefore not by comparing views we don't like to let go.

[Karma Dondrup Tashi]

Talking about Christianity seems to be an obsession on Buddhist boards...
....

When you have a christian sitting on your neck, trying to tell you what's right and wrong, maybe you would like to talk about such a topic one day.

They were literally sitting on your neck? Oh dear, well no wonder you want to discuss.

[Jainarayan]

Talking about Christianity seems to be an obsession on Buddhist boards...

Perhaps to be fair we should start on other religions. Let's all pile on Islam. Ok, 1, 2, 3 go.

Can I safely assume, however, that there is no mention of a "zombie on a stick" (someone's exact words) or marrying 9-year old girls in those discussions? There is a Hindu board I fled (the name I will not mention so as not to be openly bashing another site), where the mere mention of the J-, C- or M-words (Jesus, Christianity, Mohammed) will send them into a frenzy of foaming at the mouth, shrieking, wailing and name-calling, in a most adharmic way. It's not pretty.

[Ayu]

In German Forums (Buddhistic) you can easily cause a stir with the topic "Is there a free will?"
I don't know why, but the people get quite excited about this.

[oushi]

:smile: In German Forums (Buddhistic) you can easily cause a stir with the topic "Is there a free will?"
I don't know why, but the people get quite excited about this.

Such a question will cause a stir in any community . I think that excitement is proportional to attachment. The problem with Christianity is largely cause by lack of honesty. People are afraid to admit that most of their beliefs is based of clinging to fantastic stories, and while defending it, they overlook the message. Here, on Buddhist forum, people are free from clinging to those stories, so there is a chance for open-minded approach. Still, there are many that feel hurt by Christianity, and will try to condemn it.