Transcription
Could you explain the difference between Jesus Christ, Muhammad, and Buddha in relationship to the creation and the salvation of humankind?
When you read the teachings of the Buddha, you'll find out that he was a tremendous thinker. He was born in a very rich home. He turned his back on materialism and lived a life of aesthetic. Then he came back to a path of moderation, a path of balance. I think you've got to respect the Buddha. He was a very wise man. He never once talked about God. He was agnostic about God. He did talk about Nirvana. He did talk about reincarnation and working off your bad karma, and eventually attaining to nirvana. But he never once talked about God.
Jesus Christ claimed that there is one living God and that he is God in human form. Jesus claimed that the way to heaven was not by working off your bad sins through a cycle of reincarnations. He claimed that the way to heaven is through his death on a cross where he sacrificed his life for our sins. So obviously Buddha and Christ are very different in the area of who is God, what is the way to the afterlife, and what is the afterlife.
When you study Buddhist nirvana, you begin to understand nirvana is blowing out the candle of your unique individuality as you become absorbed with the upper ground. Jesus said, "In heaven, you will be you. I'll be me. We'll be able to love each other. We'll be able to get to know each other well." I'm excited about that. I am not excited about you losing your individuality and becoming one with everything. I treasure your individuality. That's what allows me to love you, to respect you, to enter a friendship with you. That's what Jesus said will happen in heaven. So, that's a fundamental contradiction between the Buddha and Jesus.
Now, there's a little story that helps me understand the basic difference between all the major world prophets and Jesus. The story goes like this. There once was a man sinking in quicksand. He was crying out, "Help! Help!" Well, Buddha walked by and said, "There is evidence that stepping into quicksand is not good." Muhammad walked by and said, "Alas, it's the will of Allah." Determinist Confucious walked by and said, "Let this be a lesson to the world. Don't step in quicksand." Jesus Christ walked by, reached out and said, "Here, bud. Grab hold. I will save you."
In other words, I will do something for you that you cannot do for yourself. I will save you. That is a basic fundamental difference of Jesus Christ from all the major world religions. All the major world religions say get wide, get good. Jesus Christ says you can't. It's impossible. You've sinned. You're a rebel against God. You're headed to hell in a hand card. Christ says I want to save you. I'm reaching out through my death on the cross. Grab hold and I want to pull you.