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From: temvax!stephen@bpa.bell-atl.com (Stephen C. Arnold)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Re: Salvation
Message-ID: <14663@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 19 Mar 90 14:29:50 GMT
References: <14550@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Sender: mukund@phoenix.Princeton.EDU
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In article <14550@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> palmer@amelia.nas.nasa.gov (Grant E. Palmer) writes:
>
> In the Christian faith, those who accept Jesus as their savior are saved
> and those who do not are damned to hell.  So in their belief system, all
> Buddhists, Taoists, etc. are damned.
>
> My question is do the Eastern religions have a similar belief.  Do Buddhists
> think "If you don't accept Buddha, you are damned"?.  What do followers of
> the Eastern religions think of this Christian dogma?  It always strikes me
> as kind of snotty.
>
> grant

Most eastern religions I've seen don't have a concept of salvation and to
practice another religion does not make one innately bad.

If you go back to the Christian Texts (the bible), non-beleives in Christ are
not automaticly damned.  In Paul's writtings there is a section called the
trial of the innocent where he speaks about the judgement of thoses who have
not hear the word of Christ.  These people are not automaticly damned and by
implication, my even get into heaven.

Also Jesus only one in the bible speaks of how his Father will judge people
and says nothing of requiring faith in Christ to get into heaven.  He says
that thouse who help the childern of God will be let into heaven, and those
how turn their back on the childern of God will be forsaken (damned).

Now this is not the way I've seen it practiced in most places but that what
the Bible says.

(Sorry for going on so long about Christianity in this group, but this is a
common misconseption I though needed some clarification.)

Steve