Peace in the Midst of Anxiety

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How Christianity Differs from Hinduism and Buddhism
and Other Eastern Religious Practices   Part 2
Peace in the Midst of Anxiety
Wednesday, July 15,, 2015
Jeff Lampl

Most of the varied forms of eastern religions teach a spirituality where the ultimate goal is the unification of the “god” in you with the supreme truth or god which is all in all, an impersonal life force.   If you engage in the various forms of duty, paths (yoga), four noble truths, eight fold path, building good karma, etc, those practices will lead you to nirvana, the state of having finally been released from the endless reincarnations of struggle, the state in which you no longer struggle but also the state in which you to cease to exist as an individual.  

In a world full of suffering, angst, fear, and existential anxieties this is an attractive option and many of the eastern practices do bring a temporal sense of peace.  Some even have temporal health benefits.    

Yet the scriptures below from the Christian Bible show us how Christianity differs in its approach to the anxieties and fears of life.  

“Because the Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need”   Psalm 23:1  

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us . . . . We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”      |
                                                                                                   Romans 8:18, 28  

“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”                                                                                                     Philippians 4:6-7  

Christians find their salvation from the painful conditions of this life outside of themselves.  Christians do not seek to empty themselves through meditation, rather they engage in meditation to fill themselves with the knowledge and love of God Who is real, exists and is the One they will one day meet as their Savior Jesus Christ.    When Christians practice silence, that silence is meant to make room for God to enter.   If we seek to be emptied it is only to rid ourselves of that which can never satisfy, and replace it with that which does, God Himself.    In the end Christians look forward to the day when they experience not self-extinction, rather to the day when they experience the revealed Glory of God.

        *This post was inspired by Adam Hamilton’s Christianity and World Religions

 

 

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