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while thagrastay and i often differ on our stance on Christianity's more dogmatic traditions, i certainly agree with his first paragraph on the previous post.
when you start to assign Jesus Christ roles and likenesses found in eastern religions, you are often watering down the Christ described in the Gospels to fit your own ideology... not making an honest attempt to interpret the biblical text.
that isn't to say that eastern religion and philosophy don't have a lot to offer as far as wisdom, peace, and understanding go. but if you truly believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, then you know that no one enters the kingdom of heaven except through him. i won't pretend to know his exact criteria for that... or whether or not he extends that grace to unbelievers. still, it is impossible to be devoted to the biblical Christ yet let philosophies developed without his influence take precedence over his own teachings.
i believe clarity on this particular principle is crucial when making any case for the purpose of the crucifixition.
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If you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.
~ Winston Churchill
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