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Dialogues@RU is published
annually
by the
Writing Program at
Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey
Volume 4
Fall 2005
Ethical Christianity: A Reformation of the Protestant Church - Page 7
By Jeffrey C. Moon
The beginning of Proverbs accurately explains why Ethical Christianity would include it in its holy book library,
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young, let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. (Proverbs 1.1-6)
The "proverbs of Solomon" do not violate the system of morality in Ethical Christianity, so they are another well of wisdom for Protestant churches to draw from. Because Proverbs is found in the Old Testament, Ethical Christianity does not look to remove the Old Testament from church ; it will value it for its ethical guidance and wisdom. Besides these traditional Christian texts, where else can Christians turn to receive ethical counsel? That is, what other historical texts, biblical in nature but not necessarily Jewish in authorship, could educate Christians about ethically living close to God?
In its understanding of Siddhartha Gotama - the historical Buddha - as the paragon teacher, Buddhism can a model for Ethical Christianity. The Buddha was not God and he not claim to be, but he experienced the aims of Buddhism in the ultimate way. Contemporary Buddhists therefore follow his teachings as a correct path to God, or as they might say "enlightenment." We Christians would be wise to do the same for Jesus. But why do Christians hesitate to study the Buddha's teachings? Siddhartha's words are reminiscent of Jesus' teachings,
Not for one's own or another's gain, should one commit an evil deed. Regardless of the desire for children, wealth, or kingdom, or any other kind of success, one should remain virtuous, wise, and righteous ( Dhammapada 22).
Siddhartha Gotama and Jesus have such similar messages that there is ample material for a book that biblical scholar Marcus Borg composed with Tibetan lama Ray Riegert called Jesus and Buddha: the Parallel Sayings (2002) .
As a student of biological science, I am required to study chemistry, physics, and calculus. By studying other sciences, my biological knowledge is broadened, connected, and thus made more meaningful. Biology does not exist in a vacuum, and neither do the ethics of Christianity. "While Christ may be held - at least in some aspects - to express human perfection, many non-Christians evince Christ-like behavior" (McDonald 217). Furthermore, Christians have no monopoly on morality, truth, or goodness. Since some Buddhist texts are Jesus-like in meaning and message, they can be additional and valuable sources of ethics for a new form of Protestant Christianity.
Another example of how Christians can benefit from Buddhist study is with the practice of meditation. Christian ministers will universally agree that sinning and wickedness are unholy and should be avoided. But is telling a church's congregation that the evil actions of a Christian are wrong enough to put an end to them? How can a weekly sermon deal with the infinite challenge of living in a world of temptation? The problem is that Christians are told to resist sinning, yet they are not advised on how to resist temptation. Self-control and willpower are the personal traits that help an individual resist this undesirable impiety. Interestingly, they are major effects of meditation, the art of controlling a wandering mind. Zen master Rueben Habito succinctly describes the practice of meditation in his book relating Christianity and Buddhism, Living Zen, Loving God ,