QUOTE(loud @ May 19 2015, 09:09 PM)
Will address this below...
But the way you argue shows you knew not much about Buddhism nor have the intensity to think critically like a skeptic/freethinker. Or you threw it all away since becoming Christian
Though i consider myself atheist but i absorb lots of Buddhist philosophy too so i guess i'm qualified enough to tell if someone knew how much about Buddhism...especially the core teaching.
First, salvation is a supernatural claim that cannot be verified.
Second, analyzing the righteous character of Jesus vs Buddha/Confucius or any ideal Christians vs other great spiritual sages, there is hardly any difference.
Third, analyzing the consistency of righteousness and wisdom portrayed in Christian scriptures vs other religious scriptures, the former hardly stands out.
Fourth, claiming to be the only absolute truth is not exclusive to Abrahamic religion;
Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 7, Verse 7.
O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.
Rigveda 10.48.1:
Ishwar alone is omnipresent and manager of entire universe. He alone provides victory and eternal cause of world. All souls should look up only to Him in same manner as children look up to their Father. He alone provides for our sustenance and bliss.Fifth, there is a likelihood that behind the mask of egoic monotheism there lies another layer of biblical teaching which has evolved throughout the new testament ...when combined with the mystery of trinity renders Christianity as panentheistic.
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Romans 8:9-10
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness.
Ephesians 4:4-5
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:15-16
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
John 14:15-21
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
Sorry for making the hindu out of you...
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Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 10, Verse 8.
I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
Chapter 10, Verse 20.
I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings.
Chapter 10, Verse 40.
O mighty conqueror of enemies, there is no end to My divine manifestations. What I have spoken to you is but a mere indication of My infinite opulences.
Chapter 10, Verse 3.
He who knows Me as the unborn, as the beginningless, as the Supreme Lord of all the worlds--he, undeluded among men, is freed from all sins.
In other words, to contemplate on the deepest truth within oneself, one finds the way to the deathless.
So does it sound like what you wrote;
"He is the truth, the way and the life." Add …and he is all pervading but only manifest to those who realized (scriptural support provided above)
Edit...to summarize it;
These are the 5 points i see why Christianity shall not monopolize the truth.
Plus, the culmination of righteousness and the freedom/lessening of suffering in this present life itself can be set as a meaningful goal.
I already said that it is better not to send anyone since sin is not charge against anyone where the law is not established.
And with the second and third point i gave above, it is obvious that man doesn’t need God to be righteous although It might still inspired some.
It's not the matter of knowing how much about Buddhism/hinduism/whatever religion but Have you personally subscribe to the Rigveda and see the god of that deity responding to you consistently?
Well, the Moslems have tried, don't think you will be able to make a hindu out of me. Just quoting their scripture is meaningless unless you understand the actual revelation within. The problem with you is that you think you can decipher whatever scripture text at face value. Same mistake that you did with the Bible. Please try to remember what I said about the Bible with regards to this. You seem to be forgetful at times.
1) Salvation has already been verified in the Christian community ever since Christ ascended to Heaven. It can be seen in the lives of Christians, those who know God personally. What do you understand the meaning of Salvation from Bible definition?
2) The reason Christ came is not to give Man religion or to teach Man to be Good, you have all the religion for that. Christ came to make dead people live, something other religion cannot assure.
3) If you're saying that other religion can make Man more righteous and wise compare to Christianity, then by that premise, I can say you don't understand what is the type of Righteousness that instituted for his believers, you must be thinking it has to do with righteous acts of Man. And pertaining to the matter of wisdom, of course you will see what you want to see. You can even say the God of Christianity is not all loving and all wise, again according to your spective. Your perspective does not matter. Anyone can say anything. What matter is the application. What matter of wisdom from other religion, that you think is
more superior that you have applied in your life and the impact is also far superior? Care to give a real life example? Wisdom btw is not meant to be use for loggerheading.

But for the sake of this discussion...
4) Stark Contradiction. The very fact that in Hinduism, there are so many different Gods, and readily accepts the notion that every religion and all Gods are the same contradict the meaning of the only truth.
5) All the scripture verse you quoted has absolutely nothing to do with panentheistic.
Well base on 1 point I see Christianity still monopolizes the truth.
And you can continue in your attempt in trying to set yourself free from suffering in this world. We have found peace with God, and that is more than enough to settle our heart for eternity. That translate freedom.
Well the law is already established for every unbelievers. This is something not depending on what you say. As such your sins will be the demise of your life. God is trying to save you, if you slap that away, that too will be your own doing.
Again I must reiterate you don't understand what is righteousness from BIble POV. Using this matter as a loggerhead with other religion is something that you brought up and rather irrelevant to the argument.
There you go, Arguments. This is what I don't want it to digress to but since you love it so much and you think that is the way to convince you (superior arguments wins the day)......well, I don't see the same.
This post has been edited by unknown warrior: May 20 2015, 11:36 AM