the end of the world and entrance into the Christian celestial exclusivity club called Heaven where all the faithful chosen are rewarded with golden thrones and jewel encrusted crowns and get to be co rulers with their favorite spiritual celebrity, Jesus.
meanwhile, all non Christians are writhing in eternal agony in Hell.
Since we are his children, we will share his treasures--for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse.
All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:17-28
It's founded on a myth called substitutionsRytonement whereby you can commit any sin without facing the consequences because supposedly a divine saviour has washed away all of your sins.
On true love through faith in God. Faith in Him above our wants, and material desires in this society. A lot like Buddhism, they also see materialism as ungodly.
But as I see it, each Christian denomination has it's own focus points, which makes me sad. Within their own hypocrisy they teach love, but shun all other religions as "THEIRS IS THE RIGHT ONE!" I don't recall Jesus saying this is the one & only church to be part of. He just wants us to love everyone the way He loved us, part of the new covenant, so simple, but (people have made it) so complicated.
Eternal life with God. One can't find eternal life in Buddhism. Because there is no atonement for sin. Even one sin will keep you out of heaven. There has to be an atonement for sin. Jesus said, "I AM the Way, Truth & Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.".
As long as hell (permanent hell) is a part of Christian dogma it cannot be compared to the ending of suffering postulated in the Dharma. That, and Buddhism describes suffering as a naturally arising problem. In Christianity, with an omnipotent god, all of existence is god's fault, since he could have made it differently so that no one suffers. He could stop it now. Buddhism, as far as I am aware, contains the first formulation of the argument from evil being a refutation of god's existence for that very reason.
The focus of Christianity is God offering His only begotten, Jesus, that humanity might be reconciled(saved) through Him. There is no other name given under heaven by which men might be saved. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me."
Only Jesus willingly endured the death of the cross because of God's LOVE for us.
Good question.
The focus of Jesus life on earth was the 'Kingdom', he taught about 'the good news of the kingdom' and told his disciples to pray for it to come (Matthew 6:9, 10.) In fact the whole of Jesus' life, ministry and death was tied in with it, and it should be the focus of his followers lives too (Matthew 6:33)
The 'Kingdom' is god's government and means of putting everything back as it should have been in heaven and on earth and ending the present state of suffering that the human race is in. Jesus is the King of that Kingdom.
That Kingdom will soon step in to replace all human governments (Daniel 2:44), a whole load of prophecies point to now being the time for it to happen, after wards the kingdom will work to bring the earth and people on it back into the state that God originally purposed.
I think you will find the following links very helpful in answering your questions.
Why does every question narrow it down to ALL Buddhist religions (there are a few different ones) believe this?!?!? Just leave it alone for gosh sakes (see, I'm being respectful to you) Buddhism focuses on self enlightenment, we are peaceful, we don't badger ever one about our beliefs. That's all. Peace.
So if Buddhism is focus on ending suffering, what's Christianity's focus on?
