popsadie said:
butter- I have failed your test. To be honest...I have only really read the Bagahavida and a little of the Koran. I don't know the specifics of every religion out there. I do believe that Buddhists believe that there is a path one can take to total elimination of desire and passion and I do believe that Hindus believe that one is reincarnated...I do believe that some Hindus believe this reincarnation will lead them to fellowship with Krishna.
Nothing to feel bad about it, popsadie, I could have failed any test related to Jewish religion too. Because I've never had a chance to research on it.
The two questions I asked is the most basic thing about the two religion, I suppose you could see it also? They might be the first sets of questions people would ask: What will the religion do to me, if I belived in?
The reason I choose Taoism and Buddhism is because the first one is spread regionally, and the second one has a pretty big believer base, one of the three main religions in the world, the other two are Christianity and Islam. And the linkage between Taoism and Buddism, quite significantly, is they share Gods. Taoism gods are respected by Mahayana Buddhism, and all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are worshipped by Taoism believer, as well.
The funny thing I found is that how people were influenced by one religion and then push the same logic to all other religions, then reject them for not fitting the logic. The Christian logic will not fit in the two religions I listed, as the answers are:
1. If one person believe in Taoism, what the highest level of attainment?
God(s).
2. If one person believe in Mahayana buddhism, what the highest level of attainment? How it different from Theravada buddhism?
the highest level of attainment for Mahayana followers is Buddha. The basic difference between Theravada buddhism and Mahayana buddhism is that in Theravada buddhism, believers is to save oneself, and the highest level of attainment for them is Arhat. They could never be a Buddha; and the duty for Mahayana Buddha is to guid people in the world from fall to hell, and save the souls that already in hell, back to life.
And as for literature reading, it might be an important part of Christian beliefe, but if you look at Zen, you will find that this denomination does not believe in literature document, as they believe that literature documentations have time restriction, what is correct today, might not be correct tomorrow. And for a note also, this kind of attitude was initially from Taoism.
And back to the point, if you took Buddhism, their god -- Buddha, not only forgive people's sin, but also save human souls which already in hell. It's basically incorrect to say that Christian God is the most forgiveable one, or the one have the most of the love.
Just as Buddhist couldn't prove the Christian God is false, Christian believers have no better chance to prove the Buddhism believe is wrong. Moreover, since these Gods, Buddhas been coexist for thousand of years, why couldn't we human do? Why should we segregate people by their sexual preference, religion...all that kind of crap?