text: is it okay to be buddhist, but still believe in god?   buddhism  is the one exception and is quite happy with the theory of evolution. in fact buddhist philosophy actually requires evolution to take place -  all things are seen as being transient, constantly becoming, existing for a while and then fading.  the idea of unchanging species would not be compatible with buddhist ontology . buddhism is the only major religion which acknowledges a large area of ignorance about external matters. unlike other religions, it does not even attempt to answer questions like 'what is the purpose of life, the universe and everything?' . buddhism regards such questions as at best unanswerable and probably intrinsically meaningless. the only purpose of life is what we personally give to our own lives. buddha suggested that the most meaningful use of life was to seek liberation from ignorance, suffering and the cycle of samsaric rebirth, both for one's self and others. but this 'meaning' does not reside 'in the sky' or in any way outside of the individual, and it cannot be imposed, but must be freely chosen.  most other religions go further than buddhism, and if asked 'what is the purpose of life, the universe and everything?' will usually come up with an answer along the lines of 'to fulfil the will of god.'  this invites the further question of 'what is the will of god', which usually brings forth an answer to the effect that 'god's will is to create life, the universe and everything'.  no, because the belief in the creator god is not necessary. but, there are some same things about other religions that we can share with (example: love & charity).  ***we don't want to say that buddhism is a kind of christianity and christianity is a kind of buddhism. a mango can not be an orange. i cannot accept the fact that a mango is an orange. they are two different things. vive la difference. but when you look deeply into the mango and into the orange, you see that although they are different they are both fruits. if you analyze the mango and the orange deeply enough, you will see small elements are in both, like the sunshine, the clouds, the sugar, and the acid. if you spend time looking deeply enough, you will discover that the only difference between them lies in the degree, in the emphasis. at first you see the difference between the orange and the mango. but if you look a little deeper, you discover many things in common. in the orange you find acid and sugar which is in the mango too. even two oranges taste different; one can be very sour and one can be very sweet.