Jainism and Christianity

Jainism and Christianity are very different, but both place emphasis on compassion.

Wandering monks (shramanas) form the basis for Jainism. Monasticism exists in some Christian orders. Christian monasticism is sometimes thought to have originated due to eastern influence.

As a rule, Jains are vegetarian. Some Christian sects (like Cathars, Seventh Day Adventists and Rastafarians) practice vegetarianism, believing that the Book of Genesis implies that vegetarian food is the best. Vegetarianism is also promoted in the Book of Daniel. Vegetarianism in Christianity may have come from India through Manichaenism. Mahayana Buddhism, which influenced Manichaenism, was itself influenced by Jainism. The southern Theravada Buddhism does not require vegetarianism.

One major difference between Jainism and Christianity is that in Jainism, the universe has no creator. The Jain Acharya Jinasena writes in this much quoted verse:

"Some foolish men declare that a Creator made the world. The doctrine that the world was created is ill-advised, and should be rejected. If God created the world, where was he before creation?... How could God have made the world without any raw material? If you say He made this first, and then the world, you are faced with an endless regression... Know that the world is uncreated, as time itself is, without beginning and end. And it is based on principles."

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