Buddhism, Christianity offer different paths

The Buddha and Jesus as friends without conflict. Their followers, that's another story.

Fox News commentator Brit Hume created quite a stir recently when he suggested that the only hope for Tiger Woods is to convert from his mother's Buddhism to Christianity. "He's said to be a Buddhist," Hume observed.

"I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, ‘Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.'" It's not clear to what extent Tiger Woods actually sees himself as a Buddhist. But assuming for the moment that Tiger is a fully committed Buddhist, how accurate is Hume in his comparative analysis?

This cultural clash resembles the old "apples and oranges" problem. Hume's recommendation to Tiger is analogous to Peyton Manning telling Kobe Bryant that he must switch sports because basketball doesn't offer the potential to score touchdowns. In short, Buddhism may not offer "redemption and forgiveness"... More>>