Question: "What is Buddhism and what do Buddhists believe?"

[stoogecristi]

Buddhism | Christianity
Seeks release from suffering | Seeks knowledge of God and His glory
"Unreal" (impermanent) world | Real world
Nihilistic, pessimistic outlook | Hopeful, optimistic outlook
No God or Savior exists. | One God, one Savior
Apologetic centered in subjective experience | Apologetic centered objective history
Trusts self | Trusts God
Morality self-derived | Morality based on the infinitely holy character of God
Devalues man (e.g., man is a bundle of flux; the body is evil, the mind is deceptive) |Dignifies man (e.g., man is made in God's own image; the believer's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; the mind is good and glorifies God)
Activity and individual life are "evil" and hamper salvation | Activity and individual life are good and glorify God
Atheistic/polytheistic | Theistic
Impersonal ultimate reality | Personal ultimate reality
Often anti-social | Responsible social action
Enlightened by works | Salvation by grace
Mysticism and the occult are spiritual activities | Mysticism and the occult are rejected as evil and as opposed to God
The afterlife constitutes an impersonal, uncertain nirvana | The afterlife is clearly delineated and involves personal immortality
Spiritual truth is discovered by disciplined effort | Spiritual truth is revealed by God