Intellectual conversations

I like them. I find them stimulating, and they invigorate my intellectual senses. I was able to have one of those with a very intelligent cousin of mine at a family function yesterday. She is a Buddhist. To be honest, I never realized there were different kinds of Buddhists, much like there are different kinds of Christians. If I remember her analogy correctly, she equated her kind of Buddhism with Protestants of Christianity. Neat. But what I found most fascinating was that while she is undoubtedly more intelligent than I am, she fully admitted that the Buddhism she follows isn't even after a REAL person, but a figment of their collective imaginations. There is a statue at the front of the temple of this 'Buddha', but he's not real...never has been. Historically, according to those that follow the Buddhist tradition, the teachings of Buddhism is from Siddhartha Gotama, born in 563 B.C. in Nepal. After being unhappy with his current state of affairs in life, he began a search for deeper meaning in life, and after 6 years, he became 'enlightened'. From age 35-80, he taught his experience and understanding to others. To this day, the main thrust of Buddhism is the search for 'enlightenment'.

I fully admit that my knowledge of Buddhism is low, so I'll need to do a little research into the practices and teachings of Buddhism in order to speak intelligently about it. What I will talk about today though is the idea that Buddhism doesn't like labels, and they are very open to other beliefs. For instance, there are a number of people that call themselves "Christian Buddhists". Somehow, you can be both Buddhist AND Christian. Knowing little about Buddhism, I will still endeavor an educated guess that this is impossible, and here's my reasoning. Christianity came out of the traditions and practices of Judaism. Our Lord God, Jesus Christ, was a Jew. He taught in the temples, He followed the Law perfectly, and prayed to the God of the Bible. So it would seem that if any religion could be in concert with Christianity, it would be Judaism. But it is not. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one come to the Father but by me" (John 14:6). Jews don't believe this. They reject Christ Jesus, therefore they reject God Himself. How can a person follow the 'wisdom' of a man (who died, and is still dead) while proclaiming the truth claims of Christ? I would argue that you cannot. And what is most interesting is that the Dalai Lama has said the same thing. I quote: "The conceptions of God and Creation are a point of departure between Buddhists and Christians" (55), and that "If you are Christian it is better to develop spiritually within your religion and be a genuine, good Christian. If you are a Buddhist, be a genuine Buddhist" (46). He then used illustrated his feelings here by quoting a Tibetan expression, which says, "Don't try to put a yak's head on a sheep's body" (105). The Good Heart (Wisdom, 1996), 81-82.

Christ and the teachings of Buddhism are not compatible in the metaphysical sense, therefore they are not compatible, for in Christianity, our basic foundation of faith is on the person and work of Jesus Christ. To follow any other teachings, whether it be Gotama, Muhammed, or Krishna, it is not the teachings of Jesus, God incarnate. You cannot put Jesus on par with any other person in history, for there has never been anyone like Jesus, nor will there ever be. Every religious leader in history has a grave, and that grave still exists, all except the tomb of Christ. Amen.

Hill Country Church will begin meeting at our home in August. It will be small and informal as we work through some details before we move into our public hall in September. There will be a message, the Lord's Supper, and some worship. If you would like to join us, please email us or call us. hillcountryreformed@gmail.com Ph. 403-932-0519.