.... the town of Kapilavastivu, today known as Nepal, lived King Suddhodhana and Queen Maya of the indigenous tribe known as the Shakyas. (Encyclopedia Americana, page 687) Queen Maya soon became pregnant and had a dream shortly before she gave birth. In this dream a beautiful, white elephant with six tusks entered her room and touched her side. This dream was soon interpreted by the wisest Brahmin, or Priest of Brahmanism, that she was to give birth to a son that would, if he were to remain in the castle, become the wisest king in the world, but if he were ever to leave the c .....

.... have been used to haul heavy loads, and their most common use has been as a source of food. Cattle have been so valuable for thousands of years in so many cultures that to be caught stealing them was often an offense punished by death (Brahman 1). The cow was not always sacred in India. Long ago in India’s early history, cattle was used basically for food to feed one’s family. It was also used as trade, like money. In about the year 350 A.D., a law was made called the “Code of Manusmriti”. The law did not specifically order the Indian people not to eat the cow, but it stated th .....

.... I don't think that we are suffering all of this time. My definition of suffering would be anything that causes any pain, not anything that doesn't cause pleasure. There is a huge difference between the two. With Buddha, you are either suffering or in pleasure. I think that there is a middle ground. There are many times when people are not suffering and also not feeling pleasure. The origin of suffering, according to Buddha, is craving. Craving comes from anything that is agreeable and pleasurable. Sights, sounds, mental pictures, etc. are all agreeable and pleasurable therefore they all cau .....

.... in the world, but if he were to leave he would become the wisest prophet far into future generations. In around the year 563 BC, Siddhartha Gautama was born into a life of pure luxury. His father wanted to make sure that his son was well taken care of as he grew to prevent him from desiring to leave the palace. Suddhodhana, listening to the prophecy, kept Siddhartha away from the pain of reality so that he could follow in his father’s footsteps in becoming a well-respected leader. As Siddhartha grew, he became very curious about the world outside of the palace walls. He felt a great ne .....

.... will entail consequences in the next life, so a Buddhist's freedom could be said to be somewhat compromised. This law means that, to be reincarnated human, you must live a near-perfect life. Any wrong doing on our part is foolish, because the condition experienced in present existence is regarded as having been caused by past deeds. It is beneficial, therefore, to use the golden opportunity wisely, as you are unlikely ever to get another `crack at the apple'. Buddhism and therefore human life is ‘a quest to free us and the world from suffering and to promote happiness.' CHRISTIANITY " .....

.... God is very just. He judges all that sin with eternal punishment. But God is also a fair God and allows us to repent and trust in him to get forgiveness and eternal life. Psalm 9:16 (The Lord punishes the wicked justly) and 101:1 (I will sing about your kindness and justness) tell of how God is just. God is very truthful. He never lies or breaks his promises to us. 1 Kings 17:24 (Everything from the Lord is truthful) and Isaiah 45:19 (I Jehovah speak only truthfulness) say that God is truthful and he will keep all of his promises with us. Last but not least God has a lot .....

.... would imply a reliable source of information; however, some parts of The Bible are not true at all. According to science, life evolved in the following order: bacterium to fish, fish to various land animals, and animals to man. Coincidentally or divinely, The Bible states that God said, "Let the waters teem with fish and other life...let the earth bring forth every kind of animal...Let us make man" (Genesis 1:20-26). The Bible accurately depicts the order in which life was established. But how could the primitive people who wrote The Bible know the order of which life was created with .....

.... to me "love all races, just don't marry outside of your own." These days we are All receiving two different messages concerning . How did God intend his people to interact with one another? For that we must turn to God's word, the Bible. Genesis 1-2 gives the account of God's creation of the universe, the earth, and its inhabitants. It is very evident that mankind is a very important part of his creation. Man (and woman) was created in God's image. "The human race not only reflects the creative power of God but also represents His primary investment of power in the world. This investment .....

.... people who you truly love, will give you their good deeds, so that you may enter Paradise. Normally these people who give their good deeds away are known as dervishes (this is quite different from the belief in Islam). Sufi's also stress the remembrance of God, which is called Zikr. They try to get close to God, to be one with God. They define God as something that is close to you but you can't see it. That God is all around us, but His presence is too overwhelming to see. An example is like fish who is in water. The fish can't really see the water, even though it is all around the fish. O .....

.... This brings us to Mark's writing style. Mark seems to "tack-on" sentences to Jesus' teachings to make them more "Christian." This really changes the meaning more than any other tactic! Who knows what Mark may have edited-out to accomplish what he wanted to impress upon his readers? In this, he tries to interpret the meaning of Jesus' actions ... and does this in a misleading way. For example: Mark 2:19, Jesus regarding Fasting. Jesus makes a strong statement against importance to fasting, but Mark (in 2:20) tags on: "But the days will come when the bridegroom will be .....