Prophets of God
Abraham, Moses Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Mohammad, Baha'u'llah are all equal manifestations of God appearing at different stages in Man's development. Their teachings are the same, their goals the same. The unification of Mankind in a world at peace the ultimate attainment.
I once would have agreed with you. And there is good reason to, your point has validity. Using just reasoning it makes sense. But in the heart and in our walk through life not so much. The outcomes of practicing the different faiths can be different. I am writing this comment not to be right, but to try to talk to the part of you that is a part of me. I have stood where you stand, but it turned into a dead end for me. For you it may not, I validate that we are in someways different and this may be your path. Carl Jung said , we must all make peace with the God of our childhood. The western God has become misunderstood and disempowered. We want God to be like the fairy God mother in Cinderella. She shows up and makes everything right just because Cinderella is a good person and cried. That's the kind of God we want.
But there is no faith that offers this kind of God. Buddhism helps us much like psychology does, to learn how to try to manage our feelings and thoughts-our internal space. This is wonderful, but it is not God. Buddhism offers Nirvana after lifetimes of killing off bad karma through good acts. Christianity offers salvation through relationship to God and belief in him. Buddhism's tenets are wonderful! But they are not God. These tenets only make a change in us if we meditate daily-meaning we focus on our breath and turn away all thoughts. This is not God this is discipline. The result is a man made peace after years of meditation. Until then the panic and fear still overcome us in hard times. But this is not God. The bible tells of a supernatural God who seeks ardently to be in relationship with those willing to accept him as Lord.
I have experienced this relationship with God and it is real and so powerful. Meditation is like riding a rickety old bicycle to Peace and having a supernatural relationship with God as your lord and savior can be like a rocket ship. I know so often we feel like our prayers are bouncing off the sky unheard. That's what it is like when you are treating God like a fairy God mother. Then we are like the Israelites in the desert. We get discouraged and feel rejected. So we build idols out of money, TV, earthly Guru's/ministers. You can have unspeakable joy, amazing peace, supernatural answers to prayer. God is there, he just isn't going to settle for being in your life only when your in trouble. He wants you to be there everyday and to put his agenda before your own for some part of each day. His agenda is seeing all people saved from being in the wilderness and separat4e from God. Krishna and Buddha offer no relationship. Just history and philosophy lessons. God will talk to you today. I hear him through his word. I hear him in my head saying words I would never think on my own. He can manifest in sensations in your body that are holy and powerful. He can heal, I believe people who seek after Buddhism and Hinduism are wanting to feel better. Try Jesus-his grace is enough.
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You are right many do want God to be the "fairy godmother" therefore we are perturbed when things go wrong and we blame God. Our purpose on this earth is to begin to know and to worship God. We have to realize that on this path there must be suffering and pain without which we would not progress. Remaing true to our Faith and keeping that Faith throughout these times of great suffering and using these times to learn to see more clearly and not to be turned away by terrible events. This is the goal this is the way to distinguish ourselves. The recognition that suffering is actually the grace of God through which our eyes are opened or we fall into the abyss of self pity.
Please know that Buddism like all the other religions is Gods true revelation. However it is very old. Over time the truth becomes obscured and by ignoring the revelation that follows we are missing out on new chapters of the unfolding message that God has intended us to follow in our age.
Since the time of Christ mankind has witnessed three new revelations. Islam, and the Babi and Baha'i Faiths. Mankind has matured since the time of Christ and can now know all the things that were not revealed at that time. By following thispath of investigating the truth you will find that all your questions may be answered. You can make this discovery on your own. You need not consult another human being just go to the writings. A whole new world may open up for you.
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