Summary: In this episode of the Jay Forrest Show, I share my personal journey from Christianity to Buddhism. I became a Christian at the age of 19 and shortly after began studying for the ministry. After graduating college I pastored a number of Churches in Wisconsin, Missouri, Tennessee, Arizona, and New Mexico. After being a Christian for over two decades I began to really come to grips with the problems of Christianity. I had problems with the Bible being the inspired and inerrant word of God. Textual Criticism said that no two manuscripts agreed. No copies of the originals existed. I began to question the selection of books that were chosen to be in the Bible. I discovered that 2 Peter was a forgery and the Gospel of Thomas was genuine. Then there was the whole issue of Bible translations, all of which are based on personal interpretation. I also had a problem with Hell. I had a problem with the Old Testament God. I had a problem with the creation story. I concluded that evolution is a fact and Genesis is a myth. I had a problem with Church history, realizing that the winners write the history books. I had a problem with the male God and male only priests. And I had a problem with the whole institutionalized Church. All of these issues led me to embrace Gnostic Christianity. I even did the Gnostic Podcast to share some of these discoveries. But I still was not completely satisfied. As I continued my research I began to have problem with the teachings about Christ. This was the last straw. I came to see that there was no virgin birth, there was no Deity of Christ, there was no infallible Word, there was no physical resurrection, and there was no second coming. I came to the conclusion that Jesus was just a man and just a teacher. I had studied Zen Buddhism prior to this crisis and had been practicing zazen. It was from this background I came to see that the Buddha was also just a man and just a teacher. And then in April of 2011 I asked the ultimate question: Who was the better teacher, Christ or Buddha? There was really no question in my mind. The Buddha was the better teacher. He taught me what to do, not just what to believe. As a result I converted to Buddhism. I have never regretted my decision for a minute. Why is Buddhism for me? There is no belief in God required. Buddhism is agnostic, God’s existence cannot be known and Buddhism doesn’t try to answer questions that cannot be answered. There is no belief in an eternal hell. There is no infallible book. They have Scriptures, but they are not inspired or infallible. There is no infallible priests. There is no literalized myths, in Buddhism myths are myths. And to me Buddhism is practical, it's something you do, not something you believe. Buddhism is scientific, it teaches evolution and fits well with quantum mechanics. Buddhism is reasonable, you make up your own mind based upon the evidence. No blind faith required. Buddhism is non-dogmatic, it is a way, not the only way. And Buddhism is non-authoritarian, there is no higher authority than your own experience. Research Links Archived: Jay Forrest Ministries Archived: The Gnostic Podcast Voicemail Feedback Line Your feedback is important, please call 505-750-3121 and leave a voice message to be played on the show. Music Credits Road Less Traveled by Trench Town Oddities Podcast Survey You can help me better serve you and let me know a little more about you. Please fill out the survey over at the Blubrry Network, the link is: http://www.blubrry.com/jayforrestshow/survey/ Jay Forrest Show Resources My Blog - Read the latest from my personal Blog Beliefs - What are the basic beliefs of Buddhism. About - Who is Jay Forrest? Contact - Contact information including email and phone number. Bookstore - A list of some of the best Buddhist books. Shop - Buy a T-Shirt or Mug and show your support. Privacy Policy - Read our Privacy Policy Subscribe to the Podcast
