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 According to a 1990 Census, over 800,000
Americans point to Japan as their nation of origin.
The vast majority of these people are professing
Buddhists. At the same time thousands of non-Asian
North Americans have adopted Buddhism as their religion.
Due in part to their inclusiveness and support of the
interfaith movement, Buddhism has become very popular.
Yet, many Christians are woefully uninformed as to what
the Buddhists actually believe. Christian leaders,
instead of boldly proclaiming the gospel of Christ, have
joined the ranks of the "enlightened", and are teaching
their congregations that there should be harmony and
cooperation between Buddhist doctrine and the Christian
faith. If you study what Buddhism teaches,
however, you must conclude that there can be no harmony
between the two. They are opposite in almost every
way and one would have to deny Christ and the Bible in
order to embrace Buddhism as a religion that also leads
to God and salvation. Here we will examine these
vast differences, compare Buddhism with the truth of the
Bible, and provide information that will help you share
the message of Christ with Buddhists.
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GLOSSARY |
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caste system |
Social groups in India that
rank in a hierarchic order and within which there
is a minimum of social mobility. |
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Pali Canon |
The most complete and
generally regarded as the earliest collection of
canonical literature in Buddhism. |
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Sanskrit |
The sacred language of India,
which the Indians consider "the language of the
gods"; means "perfected" and "cultured." |
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Theravada (Theravadin
tradition) |
The oldest surviving Buddhist
tradition, which flourishes in parts of Southeast
Asia and is known as "the doctrine of the elders." |
 Correspondence
on Buddhism
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