In Reply to: Re: the bible.. posted by porceleindoll on July 06, 2003 at 20:23:59:
i would certainly agree w/ you that the heart of the whole thing of "christianity" is , well, christ! zeroing in on that is to me that greatest challenge, and the key to the "experience." i love to read many other portions of scripture, and with paul i believe it profitable, but whenever we get off on wierd tangents and destructive mutations of the real deal, it seems it always comes when the person of Jesus is gradually moved off from the center stage, and redefined in someone else's image. so no argument from me there.
also, i too enjoy input from many sources, including einstein, twain etc. "all truth is God's truth"- justin martyr, early christian thinker.
i would also agree there is something to be culled from many other religious expressions. (i've read some fascinating stuff from muslims and jews too, in addition to those you refer to. i would differ tho on the question of all religions leading to the same goal. i was reading just today of a hindu extremist who openly brags of killing a christian missionary in india. he is in jail for murder, but the rss, a radical hindu movement, has been trying to enter him in an election to stand for public office, and veiw him as an hero. radical muslims , sikhs, abberant "christians" as well, clearly are not all headed in the same religious direction as Jesus, or for that matter gandhi or twain either! this relativistic veiw is to my mind logically indefensible. there must be in fact something that is objective reality. diametrically opposed concepts simply both can't be true at the same time.
if that is so, than we are back to the issue of how do we go about searching for this reality... and has the source of that reality left us a way of conncting to it?
but , seriously, on the buddhism/ etc. thing... what is it that rings true? simply your sense that it advocates kindness? does its reliance on self effort as the path to enlightment give you hope?