discuss the ways in which the artistic production captures the values of the faith, philosophy help

User Generated

rkcregcz

Humanities

Description

Using at least one example of Jewish,Christian,orIslamicart(you may use several if you wish), discuss the ways in which the artistic production captures the values of the faith.


User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.

Explanation & Answer

RELIGION WAR AND PEACE
PACS6917
Master of Peace and Conflict Studies
Semester 2, 2008

JULIET BENNETT
Student No: 308241576

Assignment 1: Comparative Essay

Buddhism and Christianity: Comparing Peace
Traditions

Due: 18 September 2008
Word count: 2211

Melissa Bennett - Page 1 of 1

Deep within us there is a Buddhist and a Christian engaged in a profound encounter
Aloysius Pieris (Pieris 1988: p113)
Buddhism and Christianity. East and West. Worldviews developed worlds apart. Delve
deeper to discover ways they overlap, complement and unite in their common goal: Peace.
This theological discourse compares peace traditions within Buddhist and Christian
Religions, two prominent influences on values and attitudes of people all over the world. I
begin with an outline of historical contexts and then move on to more philosophical,
ethical and mythological elements. My particular focus is on how these faiths define peace
and perceive the means of attaining it. This paper highlights the potential of the two faiths
to expand each other’s understanding of the universe and the place of humanity in it.
Origin
Buddhism and Christianity came into existence within six hundred years of each other,
rising from within an older religion, Hinduism and Judaism, and as a response to social
conditions of the day. They were each inspired by a single enlightened leader, Siddhartha
Gautama (aka Buddha) and Yeshua bar Yahosef (Joshua son of Joseph, aka Jesus Christ,)
(S 2004) who sought to bring hope to their communities, proclaiming a peace that
transcended the material desires of the day.
Salvation
Buddha and Jesus lead divergent lives, one of withdrawal and serenity and the other of
turbulence and horror. Buddha was born 560B.C.E., into an upper class ruling family in
northern India, where at 30 years old, he renounced his inherited military and political
powers and set out in search of enlightenment. Meditating under a fig tree Buddha
experienced revelations of ‘truth’, that out of compassion he spent the next 45 years
sharing this with others. (Ferguson 1978) At this time to the west, in Israel, the Jews found
themselves under foreign rule. Desiring independence they dreamt of a Messiah, the
Anointed, who would liberate them and restore their kingdom. (Ferguson 1978)
Jesus was born around 4 B.C.E. and also began his ministry at age 30. A short time later,
somewhere between 29 and 36 C.E., he was condemned and executed by Roman soldiers
under the rule of Tiberius as a “nationalistic freedom-fighter”, who threatened Rome.
Melissa Bennett - Page 2 of 2

(Davis 1999 p.409) Christians believe Jesus was the Christ, the prophesized Messiah
liberating them in meta-physical terms rather than the military salvation Jews expected. In
effect, from the lives of Buddha and Jesus comes a crucial difference between Buddhism
and Christianity, their logic of salvation. “Jesus saved humanity through his deeds and
death – he was a sacrifice which restored the breach between human beings and the Divine,
and the way of the Cross” whilst “the Buddha saves through his teaching above all… the
heart of liberation lies in the Eightfold Path which he laid down.” (Smart 19...


Anonymous
Great study resource, helped me a lot.

Studypool
4.7
Trustpilot
4.5
Sitejabber
4.4

Related Tags