Eastern Religions

Question

Occasionally, I see answers that compare Christianity to "Eastern religions" -- and that phrase is usually followed by a completely muddled failure to understand...Something, probably Buddhism or Hinduism.

And, as this is Christianity.SE, I would not expect or require the answerers to (necessarily) know anything about Buddhism, etc. But now their answers have elements in them that are just wrong, and those elements are not easily detectable by the community, being out of the range of the community's expertise.

And it's hidden behind the veil of the phrase "Eastern religions," which prevents people from looking up real information by obscuring the (grammatical) subject.

Can we do anything about this?

Examples:

• What is unique about Christianity?
• Is the biblical idea of being "born again" compatible with eastern religious ideas of reincarnation?
• According to the Bible, how should Christians meditate? (But not the accepted answer to that question, which is much more clear.)
• According to the Bible, is cremation an acceptable Christian practice?

I'm not sure if this is an issue in general, but it sure bugs me.

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A more reasonable use of "Eastern" within the church: How is spiritual progress described in eastern monastic traditions?

Answer 1

Yes!

You have several options:

1. You can comment on the answer, asking them to clarify particular parts.

2. You can edit the answer to fix minor errors that don't change the original intent of the post. Also, you can comment to point out especially egregious errors.

3. You can downvote if you feel that the misrepresentation brings down the quality of the answer. Don't forget that after an edit, votes can be recast.

Answer 2

People who don't believe there is anything unique about Christianity may take umbrage at a statement concerning Eastern Religions.

But as a definition, Eastern Religions to a Christian are those that

A. Practice meditation to achieve some personal end

B. Are pantheistic or polytheistic

C. Don't particularly like Christians

or any combination or permutation of those. So, if you believe that Christianity (or Catholicism) contains is the fullness of truth, like I do, then you're going to have to have some explanation why Eastern Religions do not contain the fullness of truth.

The intelligentsia on both the enlightened atheistic side and the convicted Christian side lumps the Eastern Religions together for some reason or other so yeah, point out glaring flaws, but don't assume that no one has a right to talk about what they don't believe. Maybe there's a reason we don't believe it, because we do understand it and we know that what we've got, in Jesus, is the absolute fullness of truth!

There is a problem in lumping Islam into the list of 'Eastern Religions' some consider it an Eastern Religion because we see their practices as being influenced in some ways by ancient eastern customs some say it's a 'Western Religion' because it is essentially a vague interpretation of Christianity and Judaism.

I believe, and this is not humpty dumptyism, the location on the globe that the beliefs are predominantly practiced does not make a religion Eastern or Western, but it is the orientation of the people.

We are accustomed to see the names of the great religious founders all in a row: Christ; Mahomet; Buddha; Confucius. But in truth this is only a trick, another of these optical illusions by which any objects may be put into a particular relation by shifting to a particular point of sight. Those religions and religious founders, or rather those whom we choose to lump together as religions and religious founders, do not really show any common character. The illusion is partly produced by Islam coming immediately after Christianity in the list; as Islam did come after Christianity and was largely an imitation of Christianity. But the other eastern religions, or what we call religions, not only do not resemble the Church but do not resemble each other.

G.K. Chesterton - The Everlasting Man