So, if you are a murderer and you truly believe you are justified because, say, you are ridding the world of the weak--how would you be wrong?
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I think you misrepresent Buddhism here, despite my agreemnt with you about the more objective nature of Christianity. My point is that by looking outward to God or looking inward to self, you will ultimately find the same thing and the same truths. God is in all of us, after all, were we not made from His image? So, it would even state that Buddhists can find objective truths within themselves, but the perspective of Christianity MAY make this easier, but also has other limitations. If this sounds a bit convoluted, I guess it is! Cuz I really think the differences between the two are quite small, if they exist.
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Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as `Lord,' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. 22On judgment day many will tell me, `Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' 23But I will reply, `I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.
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I like this quote! This goes along with what I was saying in my previous quote about salvation through Christ etc.. It is saying that one can never know God, believe in God, or know Jesus Christ (at least in saying those words, or calling it by those names) but if the person is a goodly person, who obeys God's commandments, He/She really DOES know God and Jesus Christ, and will be judged accordingly. The only standards by which the person is judged NOT to know Jesus Christ and God is by others here on earth, who err in their own understandings.
An attitude where you have to call something by a certain name to believe in it, when it is relatively undefinable, is not rationally satisfying.
I think we see eye to eye for the most part, but where in Buddhisms traditions does it refute my example of the self-righteous murderer? I assure you, I was trained by a drill instructor who--although I respected in many ways--honestly told us he would kill people if the law allowed it and they were a nuisance/prone to mistakes. That pained my Christian heart but, were it not for my Christian morals. I would not be able to refute him. The only way I could would be the hypothetical "that person may reform and do something great today"--but that is too hypothetical.
Are you Buddhist? Do you support Buddhism?
I ask because I did not chose Buddhism/Hinduism when I wanted to live for God for two reasons:
1--Its creation account has been disproven by the best science we have. http://jdhighness.tripod.com shows that mainstream science believes in a single creation event, not a cyclical universe.
2--Does it not seem a little bit selfish that Buddhists do not evangelize? Because if there is any objective judgment, then surely those who do not follow/believe certain tenants should be willingly convinced otherwise?
Thanks for your time, as usual.