Krishna, Buddha and Christ: The same or different? (Part 3)

Reclining Buddha

Copyright © Michael Clark. All rights reserved.

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Another Inconvenient Truth

Although the religions of Krishna, Buddha and Christ each allow for the idea of the Just War, they arguably differ.

Let’s look at Christianity first.

Christians generally put more stock in the New Testament (NT) than the Old Testament (OT). The NT advocates turning the other cheek and loving one’s enemies while the often spiteful and bellicose OT speaks of getting “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”

Christian theologians say the OT and NT inform one another. But the NT is taken as the fulfillment of the somewhat imperfect OT, as embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.

True, the Christian Bible consists of both the OT and NT. But from the one to the other there’s a definite movement away from violence to peace, from tribal retribution to a global message of selfless service.

This worldwide message of “peace above all” is universal. Christians unanimously agree that anyone can convert to Christianity, whereas some Hindus maintain that one must be born a Hindu–that is, for some Hindus true conversion for non-Hindus is not possible, a stance that seems tantamount to racism and hardly a universal message for mankind to unite in peace.

While some public figures like to gloss over this obvious difference between Christianity and some Hindu fundamentalists, it cannot be denied. And mere platitudes that obscure the issue aren’t going to change that inconvenient truth. What might change it is facing the issue head on instead of ignoring it out of ignorance or expedience.

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