In the two faiths of Christianity and Buddhism, there are two icons that come to mind. When someone thinks about the Christian faith, the image of a starving, beaten, bloody man nailed to a cross. To a person that has no idea about Jesus or Christianity, this image is not very appealing.
In Buddhism, the iconic image is of a very round and plump man with a big smile on his face and he is sitting with his legs criss-crossed. On image alone, I believe that Buddhism is more appealing than Christianity. The Buddha looks jolly and inviting to all who care to listen.
If a person had to choose to follow a religion based only on how the icon of that religion appeals to them, I truely believe that person would choose to follow Buddhism. When looking at the the image of a bloody Jesus nailed to a cross, this tells me that this man has suffered a lot of pain and to be honest, makes the image of Christianity very depressing. Buddha, however, sits with his legs crossed and his giant belly sticks out while wearing a warm and welcoming smile on his face. Legend says that if a person rubs Buddha's belly, that person will have good luck.
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I like this post, it was very intersting!
ReplyDeleteWe had a discussion in a class in grade school about what archaeologists would think if they uncovered a crucifix. Without the religious context to explain its role as salvation in Christianity, they might well think we hold torturous death in high esteem.
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