Suddhartha Gautama (known as Buddha, the Enlightened One) died in the fifth century BC. Raised in a wealthy family of the warrior caste, he became disillusioned with the many gods worshipped in Nepal and India because they did nothing about the suffering of millions. He renounced his riches and went on a quest for the truth by living in poverty in a forest. When he saw the truth, he was convinced that nirvana is attained by enlightenment of the mind, and not by becoming one with Brahman as Hindus believed. In fact, he rejected the idea of a Supreme Being who created the cosmos and to whom humanity is accountable. He swapped religion for ethical philosophy.

The four noble truths he propagated were not far-fetched but quite obvious: (1) suffering exists; (2) suffering has a cause; (3) suffering has an end; and (4) suffering is ended by following a certain path. The main causes of suffering are delusion (ignorance) and desires (such as greed and anger). Suffering can be ended in this life or the next. Suffering can be overcome by following an eightfold path: the right understanding, the right thoughts, the right speech, the right action, the right livelihood, the right effort, the right mindfulness, and the right concentration. The first two and the last two point to the right mindset, and the rest to right behavior. Buddhism tries to prevent and diminish suffering by changing man’s attitude towards suffering.

Like the Ten Commandments, Buddhist Precepts state what people should avoid, but each precept contains a hidden positive command. Important no-no’s for Buddhists are: killing, stealing, sexual immorality, lying, intoxication, eating after midday, dancing, and luxury. Avoiding killing means all life must be protected. Five tests determine if a precept was broken: the situation, awareness of the situation, intention, action, and result. To distinguish between good and bad behavior one must determine whether the act will harm or benefit self or others. It is virtually the same as the golden rule of Christ: do to others as you want them to do to you. However, the similarities between Christianity and Buddhism should not blind us for crucial differences.

While Christianity sees sin as the cause of man’s problems and salvation by God as the only solution, Buddhism teaches that ignorance is the cause of man’s suffering and that enlightenment is the only solution. Obviously, the latter suits the scientific and atheistic viewpoints. The shift from faith to insight and from God-given salvation to man-made enlightenment has attracted people of the West who lost touch with religion. They don’t want to be dependant on or accountable to God but want to be masters of their own lives.

Buddhists believe that karma (good and bad choices) determines one’s reincarnation to either better or worse circumstances. Life is a continuous cycle: there was no beginning and there will be no end. Therefore, the existence of God is irrelevant. The common sense principles of Buddhism seem to have a hidden sting—making God irrelevant. The unanswered question is: Was the human rights movement influenced by Buddhist ideas, and if so, did they play a role in the removal of religion from schools and other public places in North America?

In the Garden of Eden, Satan promised enlightenment (knowledge of good and evil) to Adam and Eve. He fixed their focus on the gaining of a thing (knowledge), distracting them from the lost relationship with a Person—their Maker and Provider. Their gain was minimal, their loss disastrous.

Question: What brings the most and the truest joy: knowledge or love?

In the passed weeks, we reviewed basic ideas and customs in Hinduism and Islam. This week we look at the basics of Christianity. The Apostles’ Creed of the second century summarizes the scripture-based beliefs of early Christians about God, creation, salvation, and glorification.

God revealed himself in his Word as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible introduces the Trinity to us without explanation. God is above human wisdom and science (Is. 55:8-9, 1 Cor. 2:14). All three Persons of the Trinity were active in creation (Gen. 1:1-3, John 1:1-3, Col. 1:16-17). When God decided to make humans in his own image, he spoke of himself in plural: “Let us make man in our image” (Gen. 1:26). He created man, woman, and child. God shed light on the oneness of his Persons (Deut. 6:4) by saying husband and wife shall likewise be one (Gen. 2:24). In both verses the Hebrew word echad is used for “one,” indicating unity of parts. Christ said he and the Father are one, and whoever has seen him has seen the Father (John 10:30, 14:9). He did not say he is the Father.

When man fell into sin by disobeying God’s command, God provided a plan for man’s salvation (Gen. 3:15). The Law given to Israel served several purposes: (1) showing God’s will to man (moral law); (2) portraying symbolically what the Savior would do (ritual law); (3) having people realize they can’t fulfill the law perfectly and thus need a Savior; (4) showing people how they can thank God for free salvation. The Old Testament is a record of God’s persevering love despite Israel’s many failures in keeping the Law.

The New Testament deals with the first coming of the Savior in humility to pay the price for sin so that people may be saved. It shows how this good news spread over the known world in the first century. It also alludes to the second glorious coming of the Savior to renew everything.

The main responses God expects of people are faith, hope, and love (Matt. 23:36-40, John 3:16, 1 Cor 13:13). These three are not good works that earn salvation but three ways of responding to God’s gracious gift of free salvation in Christ. Faith is the hand by which we receive God’s grace: we are saved BY grace THROUGH faith (Eph. 2:8-10). Then we are reconciled with the Father and live in the hope of eternal life. Practicing self-sacrificing love (Greek: agape) toward God, people, self, and creation, shows our gratitude for unearned salvation in Christ. In Christianity, good works come after salvation, not before.

The main characteristic of true love is the yearning for closeness to loved ones. When we love God, we want frequent close contact with him. He talks to us through his Word, and we talk to him through prayer. In his model prayer, Jesus taught us to put God’s glory, kingdom, and will first, and then share with him our physical and spiritual needs. The Bible encourages believers to attend (when possible) communal worship with other Christians. The message of the Bible is symbolized in the sacraments. Baptism portrays justification (washing away sin) and is received once. The Lord’s Supper portrays sanctification (the ongoing feeding of the soul) by reminding us of Christ’s atoning sacrifice.

Questions: What seems more logical to you: that an intelligent Being created and sustains the cosmos or that every intricate part of the cosmos exists and develops by chance? Does Christ’s atoning sacrifice, reconciling God and sinners, make sense to you? Are faith, hope, and love the best responses to Christ’s sacrifice? (How will the absence of faith, hope, and love look like?)

We get used to advanced technology easily and take it for granted. The first personal computer with disk operating system was launched in 1981. It was followed by the 286 with a hard-drive. Compared to preceding technologies, the capabilities of this machine was absolutely amazing at that time.

The word-processor was a gigantic leap forward for creating and editing documents. As director of a treatment center for addictions, I had to write letters, reports, minutes, and articles. I wrote a draft by hand, made alterations, gave it to the secretary for typing, made some more improvements, and accepted the next typed version as final. With the word-processor I could type the document myself, improve it on the go, later insert or delete words, sentences, or paragraphs, and have it printed out as many times as I wish, without any objection from the printer. Typewriters were suddenly archaic relics of the past.

The database was even more astonishing. At the clinic, the basic data of patients were written in registers. More data were stored in a file-room with a dozen steel cabinets filled with paper. Going through those registers or cabinets to get the simplest of statistics would take years. We hired an additional secretary to feed selected data into the database. I will never forget that evening when I typed in my first simple command: count for sex = “M” (how many men have we admitted). Instead of the “wrong command” response, the digits on screen began to roll like the numbers of a gasoline pump. In about fifteen seconds the database went through about five thousand records and displayed the final count. A euphoric feeling of triumph fizzed through my body. It works! With the help of this marvelous invention I can go through thousands of records in a few seconds—incredible!

I learned to join many commands in a program. Developing a success formula, calculated by the computer, gave me great joy. I used the number of patients re-admitted within five years after their first treatment. A short command activated the program, showing the annual success percentages on screen.

When Windows appeared in the late eighties we gradually moved to graphics, photos, Internet, and email. I avoided computer games and cyber-socializing. I had more important things to do with this wonderful machine. I wrote five books with it (two not yet published). I digitalized my color slides, films, and videos, and I’m now editing these treasures of the past on the computer.

Thanks to the ingenuity God gave to man, I have this marvelous machine through which I can daily minister to hundreds of people around the world. Visitors from over fifty countries come to this website every month. Never before have I enjoyed such a wide audience. To God the glory!

Unfortunately, the same machine can be misused for immorality, theft, hacking, gambling, child-pornography, and about every evil on earth. In fact, we can misuse all the wonderful gifts God has given us: senses, minds, tongues, hands, feet, sex, money, food, cars, and alcohol—anything.

Questions: Do you still appreciate the fantastic capabilities of computers? Do you use computers for useful work or just for fun? Do you use or misuse computers? How can you use computers to serve the kingdom of God? Do you neglect contact with your family by spending too much time at computers?

In order to maintain a meaningful partnership with the triune God, we have to keep loving, trusting, and obeying our Father, Savior, and Comforter. Then we will recognize the right time and place to sow a seed, say the right words, show the right attitude, and fulfill a small role in the big picture. As soon as we presume to know it all, do it all, and reach it all, we fail miserably because we try to play God. We cannot convert people—only God can. However, we should not miss the opportunity to be a useful tool in His mighty hands.

In the Bible, God often used weak and apparently insignificant tools to do the job. A teenage boy is sold by his jealous brothers as slave to Egypt and he becomes governor of that country and the savior of his brothers. The liberation of Israel from slavery starts with a baby in a basket, apparently drifting aimlessly on a river. The sea and the rock were cleft by a simple shepherd’s staff, giving life to a desperate nation. Three hundred men with torches in clay jars overcame a mighty army with thousands of soldiers. A donkey’s jaw and a shepherd’s sling won crucial battles for Israel. A boy’s lunchbox fed five thousand, and a spoonful of clay opened the eyes of a blind man. Twelve simple men started the church, and a rugged cross became the symbol of the good news they spread.

The apostle Paul said that great treasures can be carried in clay jars. He applied it on Christians carrying the gospel, but it also became vividly clear when the important Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in simple clay jars after twenty centuries.

Don’t despise the day of small beginnings. When the first rudimentary wheel was made, who could grasp the role that wheels, gears, and pulleys would play in future transport and industry? When the first electric light glowed, who could forecast the illuminating results of this invention? When the first phone-call was made, who could imagine a world-wide communication network? When the first self-propelled airplane flew a few yards, who could envisage thousands of gigantic planes in the air, carrying millions of passengers? When the first car sputtered along, who could foresee the rapid increase of motorized vehicles, roads, and services? When the first computer made a simple calculation, who could predict the swift proliferation of personal computers?

When a carpenter of Nazareth died on a cross at Jerusalem, no one realized that He paid the sin-debt of humanity, and opened the way for sinners to be reconciled with their Maker—the most important moment in history.

Seemingly insignificant contacts can have major impacts. A doctor stops at a farm to ask directions, saves the life of a child dying of diphtheria, and later sees that child graduating for a fruitful career. Two students met in the waiting room of a small-town train station, and later became co-pastors of a church. One sentence of a professor opened my eyes for the importance of psychology, leading to further study and a meaningful ministry.

Questions: Have you ever felt that your influence is insignificant? Will you ascribe it to a lack of self-esteem or to a frustrated big ego? Are you satisfied with small steps in the right direction or do you want to make a big splash?