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Really? Did the Buddha claim he was God, was the Buddha's life and death prophesied? Was the Buddha born into royalty ( compared to Jesus' meager upbringing)? The dissimilarities are more obvious. What are the parrallels that should be obvious to me?

They are quite striking, actually.

Buddha's birth was prophesied.
He was of royal descent.
He was given gifts at birth.
His birth was signaled by a star.
He was born of a virgin (Maya, considered the 'Queen of Heaven').
Crushed a serpent's head.
Came to fulfill the law.
Performed miracles.
Healed the sick.
Fed a large mass of people from only a small basket of cakes.
Healed the sick.
Was transfigured on a mount (Mindhamma Hill).
Was tempted in isolation by the devil (Mara) and resisted.
Ascended into heaven/nirvana
Many, but certainly not all, traditions have him returning again in the future.

All in all, especially in light of Buddhism predating Christianity by about 500 years and that there were Buddhist missionaries sent by Emporer Asoka in the mediteranean area before the birth of christ, I'd say the similarities are quite interesting.

Thank you for your reply. The similarities are interesting. I have been reading Huston Smith's account of the Bhudda. He mentions no prophesy fortelling his birth, but does tell of fortunetellers being assembled after his birth.

One unique feature about Jesus was that he was the only person born in this world, not to live, but to die. Anyway, thanks for piquing my interest. I will read on.