Discover the Similarities Between Christianity, Buddhism, and Taoism
Once upon a time, I had coffee with an evangelical pastor. Christians are among the most vigilant promoters of their faith, with some of them making the bold move to evangelize by bicycle.
Let’s call my pastor friend Tom. Tom is one of the brightest human beings I’ve ever known. I was introduced to Tom by another pastor who is a dear friend of mine. Even though we have different opinions, I look for similarities; Tom is a man of faith who does great work in our community. I love him for that.
When we met, I brought a few books I love about Christian mystics, Buddhists, and Taoists, namely the big guys, Buddha and Lao Tzu. When I discussed similarities, Tom revolted and began reciting all the differences. It wasn’t long before I accepted that Tom can’t or won’t see his blind spots because he’s unwilling or unable to see similarities in the great world religions.
One of the most significant breakthroughs I’ve experienced as a human being is choosing the see the similarities because of the suffering found in finding differences, being not okay, and judging people, places, or things as good, bad, okay, not OK, and so on. I was searching for a way to replace my inner turmoil with serenity, and I found my…
