The Metaphysic of Christianity and Buddhism: A SymphonyStrong, D. M. (Dawsonne Melanchthon)
Religion
The Metaphysic of Christianity and Buddhism: A Symphony
Strong, D. M. (Dawsonne Melanchthon)
Buddhism; Christianity; Christianity and other religions -- Buddhism
General Forlong, in his _Short Studies in the Science of Comparative
Religion_, informs us that "the first great Hindu Creating Father was a
real Prajā-pati, 'Lord of Creations'--a true Hermaik Brahmā; and, being
depicted as a potent masculine Zeus, like to Yahvê, Chemosh, Amon,
etc., he in time naturally became distasteful to cultured and pious
philosophic minds searching after a _great ideal_, and no magnified
man, solar or royal governor. As did Vedantists, so have others
developed a _great neuter Brahm_; even pious Christian philosophers
have sought, and some few dared to own, a Brahm, despite the direct
anthropomorphic teaching of the Christian and Hebrew Scriptures. Thus
the Rev. Principal Caird, D.D. (Glasgow University), boldly says, in
his Gifford Lectures, 1895-6, that in his view 'Christianity knows
no such thing as a First Cause, or an Omnipotent Creator and moral
governor of the world, a being framed after the image of man, an
anthropomorphic potentate seated on a celestial throne and dispensing
rewards after the manner of an earthly sovereign or magistrate.'"
It is remarkable to find a parallel conception of Law, as associated
by Buddhists with the idea of divinity prevailing among the Egyptians,
who "recognized a divinity in those cases only when they perceived
the presence of a fixed Law, either of permanence or of change. This
_regularity_, which is the constitutive character of the Egyptian
divinity, was called Maāt. Maāt is, in fact, the Law and Order by which
the universe exists. Truth and Justice are but forms of Maāt as applied
to human action."[Q]
[Q] _Vide Book of the Dead_ (British Museum).
In Mr. Arthur Lillie's book, _The Influence of Buddhism on Primitive
Christianity_, there is struck a note of playfulness which almost leads
one to suppose that the writer does not intend that he should be taken
seriously everywhere in his fascinating pages. This is apparent even
in his treatment of the Jewish conception of an Almighty ruler, when
he takes for his text (Judges i. 19): "The Lord was with Judah, and He
drove out the inhabitants of the mountains, but _could not_ drive out
the inhabitants of the valley because they had chariots of iron." In
a similar spirit in this connection he would probably handle rather
roughly the notion of omniscience.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
The Metaphysic of Christianity and Buddhism: A Symphony — John Shaqi
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