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differences with the general Christian conception of evil and suffering, which could leave the
latter as a fairly different and even unique contrast. On the predominant Christian view, the
solution to evil is tethered closely to both historical figures as well as to the real, material world,
and linked specifically to early documents. 82 These three ideas tends to make evil far more
concrete and less amorphous than in the East, where it can almost seem as some kind of floating
metaphysical notion. Each of these three Christian truths stand in stark contrast to many if not
most of the Hindu and Buddhist concepts.
But because of the wide range of Eastern religious views, not all of their expressions are
necessarily this much removed from Christianity. Thus, in other cases, the amount of
juxtaposition may be lessened. Hence, this fifth area is not necessarily quite as unambiguously
unique as are the others that we are highlighting in this small book.
6. The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus
Of the major religious founders of the world religions, only traditional Christianity holds
that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and appeared to his followers in space-time history. 83
82 This third point is important from another angle. If we recall the cautions of the Buddhist scholar Edward Conze,
we cannot be at all sure of Buddha’s original teachings (Buddhist Scriptures, 11-12). While it is true that Buddhism
and Hinduism may survive without historical messages that are traceable to particular individuals, this would not
only illustrate the contrast with the historical and early ideas in this sentence above, but such would also increase
the tendency for the Eastern ideas to float more with “no objective criterion” (12), which is one of the main issues
that Conze raises.
83 For a number of relevant comparisons and contrasts on this subject, see Gary R. Habermas, “Resurrection Claims
in Non-Christian Religions,” Religious Studies, Vol. 25 (1989), 167-177.
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