Buddhism (Pro) or Christianity (Con)

I thank Con for their argument. Please note, in this section, a source I will be using is a book, which I will give a link to in the bottom. 1.) God of the Gaps Pro asserts that "the Holy Trinity is Creator of all matter because this is a scientifically backed up and most logical claim". I ask Pro to show the evidence. Pro might say "there has to be a cause for the universe, and that cause is God", or an argument along that line. I would ask "what caused God?". Con would answer "God is self existent". Then could not the universe have come into existence by itself with no God, if God is self existent? What Con is going into is pseudoscience, and all his argument is based on is the God of the Gaps. 2.) Evolution I don't want this to turn into an evolution debate, but Con asserted that evolution is mainstream science, and not "pure" science. Here is a definition of science from Merriam-Webster dictionary. Science: Knowledge about or study of the natural world based on facts learned through experiments and observation. http://www.merriam-webster.com... Evolution is a theory that has enormous proof behind it. I won't delve deeper, as evolution is not the concern of this debate. Now, let me ask Con what they think of the Greek creation story, or the Hindu creation story. Does it have the same merit in their worldview? 3.) Books.... (Again) Yes, Buddhism has a set of books, known as the Pali Cannon. It is taught to be the closest source documenting the actual words of the Buddha. But other sects have other books, scholarly books based on their practices. Buddhism offers many alternatives, while Christianity offers dogmatism and blind faith. 4.) Christian Standard Con asserts that they are arguing for the side of Christianity. The debate here is not whether Buddhism can live up to the Christian worldview, but which, of the two, offers a "better" one. 5.) Spirituality The definition of Spirituality is a tricky one. There are official definitions, yes, but it could refer to many things. The most common one is that spirituality refers to self betterment and self growth. To Con, it could mean another thing. Again, spirituality tends to be a personal matter, and may mean different things to different people. 6.) Jesus vs. The Buddha (Part II) Christianity teaches that the only way to end suffering is to accept Jesus Christ as the son of God and savior, and to accept that there is a divine father in the heavens above. Again, this is based on supernatural assertions. But Buddhism encourages doubt and questioning, and not strict dogmatism. There is a story from the Buddhist Scriptures. Once, the Buddha visited the town of Kesaputta. There, the Kalama (the inhabitants of the town) said that there were other religious teachers that visited that town, and preached their doctrine, and disposed all others. The Kalamas asked the Buddha of which one of these many religious teachers spoke the truth. The Buddha responded that, one should not be led by tradition, ancient books, and hearsay. But you should evaluate for yourselves things that are wrong and bad, and dispense of them, and things that are good, and accept them. (Book: "What The Buddha Taught"). Here, The Buddha encourages one to think for themselves, and accept the teachings they see fit and discard the ones they don't see fit. But, Christianity offers no such benefits. If you question Christianity, and think of adopting another ideology, you get killed. "If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you ... Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die." -Deuteronomy 13:6-10 http://skepticsannotatedbible.com... 7.) Ultimate Goal The ultimate goal of Buddhism is nirvana. This concept is a basic concept. I was taught this in sixth grade, and again in tenth grade. Just like in Christianity has a goal, so does Buddhism. And that goal is nirvana. To many, nirvana ends the cycle of samsara. But again, Samsara can be rejected if one so wishes it to be, because Buddhism encourages free- thinking. 8.) Karma I urge Con to use their own minds to come to their own conclusion of what Karma actually is. But as a whole, it is a principle of cause and effect. 9.) Accessibility of Buddhism If one wants to be a Buddhist monk, find your nearest monastery or nearest Buddhist center. If you want to just practice Buddhism, meditate for a couple of minutes everyday, try to discipline your mind, be more kind and compassionate, and see if that works. If it doesn't, Buddhism is not for you. But in Christianity, if you try to leave, or not seek it out, "All who would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman." -2 Chronicles 15:13 http://www.answering-christianity.com... 10.) Path of Buddhism The path of Buddhism is the path to end suffering. This is accomplished through discipline, meditation, compassion, and detachment. Yes, Buddhism has many paths. But all these paths are meant to reach one goal, and that goal being nirvana, which is the cessation of suffering. "What the Buddha Taught" -http://www.amazon.com...