Buddhism

A religion founded in India around 500 BC by Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha. It teaches that suffering is ended by following a path of right living and meditation that leads to enlightenment and release from rebirth.

1. There is no Creator God

   God created everything that exists, and his power and nature are clearly seen in what he has made.

   Genesis 1:1; Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20; Revelation 4:11

2. There is no lasting self or soul

   Each person is made in God's image with a soul that continues after death and is known and loved by God individually.

   Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13-16; Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:7

3. We are reborn again and again

   Each person lives once, then faces judgement. There is no cycle of rebirth.

   Hebrews 9:27; Luke 16:22-23; Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8

4. Karma decides what we deserve

   Everyone has sinned and deserves judgement, but God offers mercy and forgiveness freely through Christ instead of what we deserve.

   Romans 3:23-24; Psalm 103:10-12; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 1:7

5. Suffering is caused by desire

   Suffering entered the world through sin. Not all desire is wrong; God gives good desires and will one day end suffering completely.

   Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 5:12; Psalm 37:4; Revelation 21:4

6. We must save ourselves by our own effort

   No one can save themselves by good works or discipline. Salvation is a gift of God's grace received by faith in Christ.

   Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Galatians 2:16; Isaiah 64:6

7. The goal is nirvana, the end of the self

   The goal is not to cease to exist but to have eternal life, knowing God and living with him forever in a renewed creation.

   John 17:3; Revelation 21:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44; John 10:10

8. Jesus was one enlightened teacher among many

   Jesus is God in the flesh and the only way to God. Salvation is found in no one else.

   John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Colossians 2:9; John 1:14

9. The real problem is ignorance, not sin

   Our real problem is sin against a holy God, which needs forgiveness, not merely enlightenment.

   Psalm 51:4; Romans 3:10-12; Isaiah 59:2; 1 John 1:8-9

10. Truth is found within through meditation

    The human heart is deceitful. Truth is revealed by God in his Word, and we are to meditate on Scripture rather than look within.

    Jeremiah 17:9; Proverbs 3:5-6; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 1:1-2