The Catholic bulletin., 1919-02-22
POPULAR APOLOGET|CS
ADAPTED FROM THE GERMAN OF
REV. PETER MIKES, S. j., BY
REV. JAMES WATCHER.

| REV. JAMES WATCHER.
II. Christianity Existed Already
Before Christ.
| Objection: Christianity is nothing
| new; the true, the beautiful, and good
in it had already long before been
developed in India; not long ago In
England appeared a "FoIowina of
Buddha," which should enter into
competition with the "FoIIowina of
/ Christ"
Answer: l. But what is the state
Of affairs in India? In Brahmanism
there are 330,00O,O00 gods; they be-
lieve in the transmigration of souls;
they honor the COW in a disgusting
manner; they forbid the killing of
insects; they build hospitals for sick
animals; they practice the most non
sensical and disgusting penances
| fakirs), etc.
Buddhism is only reaction against
the pedantic Brahmanism; Buddha
himself was an atheist as the great
authority on Buddhism, Max Mueller
(f190O) admits. ESSAYS /. p. 201.)
He left no writings.
Later on Buddhism developed into
polytheism (having many gods), and
Buddha is god number one.
The nucleus of the so often admired
Buddhist morality is pessimism, the
despising of the world from sheer
despair ''the negation of the will to
live" Buddha insists on poverty,
} modification, abnegation, celibacy,
etc, not from higher motives, like
Christianity, but the quicker to put
, an end to earthly deceptions and to
| life. The highest aim is "Nirvana, -
that is annihilation
, Nirvana means in the belief of the
| common people an imaginary para
: disc, but in the Buddhist system "an
: nihilation,' ''extinction of the light
not a kind of pantheistic absorption
| into Brahma, the impersonal, absolute
, God, but total annihilation.'' (Cf
r Max Mueller, |. c.)
| "Since existence is misery, non
) existence is happiness, and this hap
r piness' is the highest reward which
7 Buddha promised his adherents.'
5 q. c.)
2 Not of Christianity, but of modern
5 pantheism we can say: "It existed ir
: the main features"
r 2. The Vienna Sanskrit scholar
: Leopold Won Schroeder, says: 'f
: doubt very much whether many o.
n1n of Dr.
t morality consider it superior to the
: Christian But Buddhism is
). as paradoXical as it may sound-a re
e ligion without God or prayer; tina
|. wins our modern educated class =.
f The Buddhist prayers" and praye
l mills (the turning of holy maxims ant
h slips) /. are substitute for thu
t masses = The Buddhist ere
r demption" is the greatest contras
e imaginable =. The latter is th'
l. liberation from sin the fOrme
l. from the souls transmigration, from
the chain of sufferings of existence
d from life and existence ITSELF
h Rudolph Seydel 1S92), once pre-
fessor of philosophy at Leipzig, want
y to find many similarities in th
l. Buddha legend and the life of Jesu
l. (wonderful origin, sojourn in th
e desert, preaching, disciples and thei
<. number, a sinner, etc. But Ludwi
c Won Schroeder says: IF one exam
|. ines the famous sinlilarities, we fin
S more that they are not SO great a
:, Seydel and others claim; nay, if w
e consider them closely there are NOR
j. differences than similarities. Yer
S correctly has therefore an authorit
( on Indian antiquity, the Leipzig pre-
s fessor, E. Wendisch (who is also a.
O Irish scholar of note), designated Sey
u dePs comparisons between the Buddh
d legends and the history of Christ a
$ entirely uncritical and unscientifit
d and has shown this in detail No rea
|, connoisseur of Indian antiquity ha
e agreed with Seydel and those of hi
opinion Only in the ranks of enthl
e siastic amateurs do we find adherent
J. of his theory" (Schroeder, Das Ii
5, ben-Life-2nd pamphlet, 1898. pl
It 11E124.) ra as
vi How little there can have been an
/ influence from Buddhism on Chri.
r. tianity and it's teaching is clear fror
l. the fact that the wonderful descen
e Of Christ was prophesied long befor
s. Buddha ever existed. Buddha' s birt
/. was at the earliest in 623 B. G.
IS others claim ATT; the prophecy {
" Isaias, about the virgin birth of tn
n Emmanuel (Christ) was made in "a
If B. C. (Apologetische Correspondent.
4 1902. No. 37).
e To what daring this Buddha el
thusiasm has gone is shown by th
4 fact that certain Russian Notowic
e had discovered" a Life of Jesus
IS Buddhist monastery in Napal,
e. country north of India, which elaine
o. that Jesus acquired during the year
J. of His hidden life Buddhistic wisdol
1t in India. In 1894 a French, Germa
lel and English translations appeared
r. But scientific criticism soon expose
n the big lie and clumsy forgery of th
bold Mr.. Notowich Schroeder,
lei c. p. 1881.
r. | Tn snita Of all This the Ruddha St1Ol