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Authors: R. E. Sherman
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the path.
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” 26
It should be noted that the Jesus portrayed by New Agers has been constructed from a very selective extraction of scattered quotations of Jesus from the Gospels. In addition, many of the key words inthese selected quotations have been given very different meanings by New Agers than those ascribed to them by traditional Christianity. It is not the purpose of this article to survey these matters, which could be the subject of an entire chapter.
Q: What does God think about someone being a Buddhist and a Christian at the same time?
While it seems possible that a very liberal Christian could also be a liberal Buddhist, one would have to pause and ask at what point God’s opinion about all of this is important. At what point would a Christian become so liberal as to be rejected by God? On more than one occasion Jesus made it clear that he would reject some of those who claimed to follow him.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” 27
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” 28
We can also ask at what point a Buddhist would become so liberal that Buddha himself would disavow him or her as a follower? If Buddha were in nirvana now, would it matter to him what his self-proclaimed followers were doing or saying?
Chapter Seventeen
Reflections and Implications
This book has charted a challenging and I hope an exhilarating journey for the reader. We have entertained the hypothesis that key aspects of Eastern and Western religion are much more connected than is generally assumed, and we have seen how plausible that notion is. Appreciating potential connectedness could serve as a solid basis for greater understanding, compassion, and interchange between devout practitioners of different Eastern and Western religions.
We have also developed an appreciation for the intensity of several irreconcilable differences between Buddhism and Christianity. A spiritual marriage is out of the question. Forcing it would create spiritual schizophrenia, for which the only remedy is to join one camp and abandon the other. The choices are clear, as detailed at the beginning of Chapter Sixteen :
Seek an interactive relationship with a personal God and other believers, or burrow deeply into the divine within, fixating on it through marathon, self-disciplined meditation.
Accept God’s antidote for our bad karma, his mercy, grace, and forgiveness, or tough it out, heroically accepting its ugly consequences during a succession of reincarnations.
Cultivate an attitude of humility—or arrogance—toward different faiths.
Seek to intervene in the lives of those who believe differently, or “live and let live.”
If we don’t make these choices, we either end up standing for nothing, or we founder, sinking into the quicksand of spiritual wishy-washiness. Jesus had words for people in that condition: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” 1
Even though I am a Christian, I have a sincere respect for Buddhists who intensely and wholeheartedly practice their religion. My thoughts toward those who dabble in Buddhism, picking and choosing what is easy and palatable, are not so kind. Nevertheless, I hold my tongue. Those thoughts are quite similar
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” 26
It should be noted that the Jesus portrayed by New Agers has been constructed from a very selective extraction of scattered quotations of Jesus from the Gospels. In addition, many of the key words inthese selected quotations have been given very different meanings by New Agers than those ascribed to them by traditional Christianity. It is not the purpose of this article to survey these matters, which could be the subject of an entire chapter.
Q: What does God think about someone being a Buddhist and a Christian at the same time?
While it seems possible that a very liberal Christian could also be a liberal Buddhist, one would have to pause and ask at what point God’s opinion about all of this is important. At what point would a Christian become so liberal as to be rejected by God? On more than one occasion Jesus made it clear that he would reject some of those who claimed to follow him.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” 27
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” 28
We can also ask at what point a Buddhist would become so liberal that Buddha himself would disavow him or her as a follower? If Buddha were in nirvana now, would it matter to him what his self-proclaimed followers were doing or saying?
Chapter Seventeen
Reflections and Implications
This book has charted a challenging and I hope an exhilarating journey for the reader. We have entertained the hypothesis that key aspects of Eastern and Western religion are much more connected than is generally assumed, and we have seen how plausible that notion is. Appreciating potential connectedness could serve as a solid basis for greater understanding, compassion, and interchange between devout practitioners of different Eastern and Western religions.
We have also developed an appreciation for the intensity of several irreconcilable differences between Buddhism and Christianity. A spiritual marriage is out of the question. Forcing it would create spiritual schizophrenia, for which the only remedy is to join one camp and abandon the other. The choices are clear, as detailed at the beginning of Chapter Sixteen :
Seek an interactive relationship with a personal God and other believers, or burrow deeply into the divine within, fixating on it through marathon, self-disciplined meditation.
Accept God’s antidote for our bad karma, his mercy, grace, and forgiveness, or tough it out, heroically accepting its ugly consequences during a succession of reincarnations.
Cultivate an attitude of humility—or arrogance—toward different faiths.
Seek to intervene in the lives of those who believe differently, or “live and let live.”
If we don’t make these choices, we either end up standing for nothing, or we founder, sinking into the quicksand of spiritual wishy-washiness. Jesus had words for people in that condition: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” 1
Even though I am a Christian, I have a sincere respect for Buddhists who intensely and wholeheartedly practice their religion. My thoughts toward those who dabble in Buddhism, picking and choosing what is easy and palatable, are not so kind. Nevertheless, I hold my tongue. Those thoughts are quite similar
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