Buddhism vs. Christianity
By Evan Grey
5-13-08

People practice many different religions around the world. There are many different religions and all differ from their background, symbols, major beliefs, and ceremonies or holidays. Two religions that largely differ from each other are Buddhism and Christianity. These religions differ from each other through their background, major beliefs, and holidays.

One thing that makes Buddhism and Christianity different is their background. Something that is very different from the two religions is the size of the followers of the religion. Buddhism makes up about 6% of the world’s population which is a section, but not a very large section. Christianity is the largest religion and currently has about 2 billion followers. There is a very large difference in the size of followers in the religion. Another thing that is different in the religion is their spiritual leaders. In Buddhism a spiritual leader is considered to be a Dalai Lamas, which means “teacher whose wisdom is as great as the ocean.” In the Catholic section of Christianity, which is the largest, there are 4 rankings of spiritual leaders, Priest, Bishop, Cardinal, and The Pope.

Another thing that makes Buddhism and Christianity different is their major beliefs. In Buddhism their major beliefs are basically all tied together in “The Four Noble Truths.” According, to the The Four Noble Truths suffering is caused by both selfishness and greed. In Buddhism they believe that these two things cause all suffering in life. The Four Noble Truths covers these topics. In Christianity it is a completely different situation. In Christianity they believe that Jesus is the son of God. This is a major believe of theirs. They also follow 10 commandments, which they believe God made and they believe that to live by these commandments.

A third thing that makes Buddhism and Christianity different is their holidays. In Buddhism there is one main holiday. This holiday is called Vesak. This holiday doesn’t take place any certain time of year. This holiday is the day that is celebrated for a Buddha’s enlightenment and to celebrate a Buddha’s life. The Buddha is a man who was the first person to reach enlightenment. This means that he is considered to be in “The Middle Path,” meaning that a person is not indulged or without a lot. This is very different to the holidays in the Christian religion. In the Christian religion there are two main holidays. The holidays are Christmas and Easter. Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth. On this holiday most people receive and give gifts to each other. The other holiday in the religion is Easter. This is the day that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. They believe that God lifted Jesus from his grave to the heavens. These are religions differ greatly from through the holidays they celebrate.

In conclusion, Buddhism and Christianity are very different through their background, major beliefs, and the holidays they celebrate. In my opinion, I think these two religions couldn’t differ anymore. One religion is about your self, and one is worshiping a god. They are very different through the topics that have been covered and in that face.