Without Buddha I Could Not Be A Christian
by Paul Knitter
Without Buddha I Could Not Be A Christian was a fascinating read with the interesting premise that exploring another religious tradition can help better inform ones own religion. Knitter goes one step further in this part theological survey, part Buddhist apologetic, and part personal testimony by taking us with him on his spiritual journey from Roman Catholicism to Buddhism and back again.
True to the book's title, Knitter does not come back to Christianity unchanged by his Buddhist experience, but instead holds the two spiritual identities simultaneously in conversation and tension with each other. For Knitter, Buddhism gives a different lens through which to view Christian doctrines and practices that he found otherwise problematic or incomplete.
I think Knitter's book is most compelling as a personal account of one man's faith journey. As one who has also questioned and rejected much of the faith in which I was raised before being exposed to other ideas and experiences that eventually allowed me to return to it with a different understanding, I could relate to Knitter's descriptions of "passing over" into Buddhism and then "passing back" into Christianity. While I'm not interested in becoming Buddhist myself, I could appreciate Knitter's exploration of Buddhist ideas and was amazed at how well they sometimes enhanced and sometimes questioned traditional Christian ideas.
On the other hand, I sometimes found myself a bit skeptical reading this book, thinking to myself that perhaps there is not so much overlap between the two faiths after all, and maybe what I'm reading is more about liberal western notions of Buddhism having a lot in common with liberal western notions of Christianity. I found myself reacting to many of Knitter's "aha" moments thinking that there are already resources within the Christian tradition that come to similar conclusions, obviating the need to find the answer in Buddhism.
Without _________ I Could Not Be A Christian. Anyone who has left their childhood faith and later returned to a more mature understanding can fill in this blank. For me, I might fill the blank with "awareness of the full theological, historical, ethical, and cultural breadth of the diversity within the tradition," or "modern historical-critical biblical scholarship," or "mystical experience." I respect Knitter's answer even while I'm amazed that he can find it in dual religious citizenship. I recommend Without Buddha I Could Not Be A Christian for anyone interested in seeing how different religions can inform each other and the fascinating turns a spiritual journey can take.
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Oneworld Publications (July 16, 2009)
ISBN-10: 1851686738
ISBN-13: 978-1851686735
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