what did buddha even say?

i have recently started reading this philosophy textbook as a bed-time book. that quickly changed to reading it as a day time book. I have decided to reserve night times for fiction alone. anything else is way too heavy. My upper eyelids need very little gravitational pressure at night time- they always seem quite enthusiactic to spend the night with the lower ones. Like long-lost friends they crave one another's company. This is a ridiculous tangent.

I was speaking about the book. It's fascinating that separate groups of people have been trying to answer the same set of questions for 1000's of years. Still there are no clear answers! Is there life after death? Well, no-one knows for sure... They can't seem to find heaven on Google Earth. Are there angels and demons? I dunno, ask Dan Brown. What's the meaning of life? Well, there are many meanings and none is superior to any other. Apparently. There is nothing conclusive... but is this a good thing or a bad thing for Christians?

I can give you no more than my personal opinion which is: Answers to life's greatest questions lie hidden. Purposefully concealed by the master concealer. He doesn't want to be proved, nor does he need to be. Those who seek, find. Those who question with true open-mindedness find answers. The moment God allows himself to become provable he dismisses a humans need for faith. And faith is a prerequisite for pleasing him. So basically, if God got proven one day he would not be very pleased.

And where does this leave the Christian as he sees other faiths as a threat to his own? Hm. This has always had a generally divided opinion but I'll throw my 2 cents in... God is true and truth comes from him. I would vouch to say that the Bible would be enough of a source of truth and guidance alone but i have always dabbled in literature from other faiths too. A little Kahlil Kibran, a little Richard Bach, a little Marx. And such journeys of thought have always left my faith in Christ stronger. The way I see it is that truth (as an exclusive concept) will prevail. It has to for it to be truth. If truth sinks then it was never truth in the first place. If I am convinced that what I believe is the truth then it shouldn't worry me that what I read elsewhere from other schools of thought will prove my belief wrong. Knowledge will always build towards one conclusion for the man of faith.

My philosophy textbook hardly speaks about Christ and it gives all faiths an equal chance of being believable. Even the faith of choosing no faith. I think it is good to immerse oneself in literature even if it is not Christian stuff. I am aware that this is a dangerous proposition as many have been led down weird paths as a result of this seeking. But for the person who knows that what they believe is true, then ANY knowledge will support that, based on the fact that it is truth and truth is incorruptible. And for that man, the questions and conclusions of other faiths will serve as a gleeful reminder that Christ has found you and given clarity unmatched. That Christ has shown himself to you such that doubt is not a reasonable option...