Good And Evil: Christianity Vs. Buddhism

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In most religions, there is a concept of good and evil that applies to individual actions as well as to the people performing the actions. The majority of those religions hold that people who partake in good actions are normally deemed good, and considered evil for the less desirable actions. Christianity seems to fit in with the majority, whereas, Buddhism takes a much more lenient approach. Buddhism shies away from the labeling of a particular person as clearly good or evil based upon a small sample of actions. However, in Christianity, it is very easy to be stigmatized based upon a few or even a singular evil act. Also, in most religions there is an outside evil force that is trying to detract the followers from a path of righteousness. However, in Buddhism, evil is confined to the actions of people and the suffering that they bring upon themselves and others. With just these differences highlighted between the two religions, it is very clear to see that the subject of good and evil are drastically different between Christianity and the followers of Buddha. …show more content…
Buddhism does not view an action as simply good or evil. Its classification is based upon the impact of that action on the lives of the people affected and not by some set of socially accepted rules. The basis of good or evil is based upon whether the action strengthens the connections between people or if it is selfish and devoid of consideration of others. Christianity operates under a much more conventional set of rules. For the most part, everything is fairly black and white with little doubt to whether an action was good or evil. Even though the majority of the old testament is now viewed as an historical reference after Jesus Christ emerged many Christians still view the ten commandments of the old testament as their basis for