Evangelicals hope to 'reach' Buddhists

Sun-Times ^ | April 4, 2007 | STEFANO ESPOSITO

[Daffynition]

If you're a Tibetan Buddhist or you're leaning that way, you may not know it, but you need Jesus.

That's the thinking behind a series of Christian evangelical workshops -- including one later this month in Wheaton -- that will coincide with the Dalai Lama's trip to Chicago and other American cities this spring.

Interserve USA is putting on the workshops to teach Christians how to talk to Buddhists and, perhaps, to win converts.

"We welcome the Dalai Lama here, but we also want to have a chance to reach Tibetan Buddhists with the gospel," said Doug Van Bronkhorst, executive director of Interserve, an international missionary group based just outside of Philadelphia.

The online announcement for the upcoming workshop offers this enticing hook: "Tibetan Buddhism. It's ancient. It's complex. It's trendy. And its leader, the Dalai Lama, is visiting your city this spring."

But Van Bronkhorst said in a telephone interview Tuesday, "We are interested in people, not notches on a belt."

That's not quite how it sounds to the head of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, which includes bishops and leaders from most of the largest Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups in the area.

"I'm speaking without knowing anything about this group," said the Rev. Stan Davis, acting director of the council. "But my sense is that their goal is to try to convert to Christianity. Our goal would be to enter into a dialogue with them, to find out about their faith in a two-way conversation."

'He's a very thoughtful man' So does Van Bronkhorst think Christians can learn something from the Dalai Lama and his teachings?

"Oh, sure," Van Bronkhorst said. "He's a very thoughtful man. He has a lot of good things to say about peace in the world, and he's quite knowledgeable about other faiths, including the Christian faith."

Van Bronkhorst says his organization has no plans to send Christian evangelicals to greet the Dalai Lama during his American tour. "Of course that's up to [individuals] if they want to do that," Van Bronkhorst said.

The Rev. Patti Nakai, a part-time minister at Buddhist Temple of Chicago in Uptown, says Buddhists in general may not disagree with the Bible, just the evangelical spin.

"Most Buddhists would not have a problem with what is written in the gospel," said Nakai, who does not follow the particular practices of the Dalai Lama's sect. "It's what evangelical Christians say -- the idea that you have to be saved in a certain way or you're doomed to eternal damnation, that's what we have a problem with."

The Dalai Lama is due to travel to Chicago in early May, making his first public appearance in the city since 1999.

The spiritual leader is expected to stay on the 24th floor of the Palmer House Hilton in the presidential suite, where amenities include three bathrooms.

[John Leland 1789]

I know your point was to ridicule the Word of God, but for others who are interested, words have context, and specific usages of words are properly determined by their own contexts. There is a very interesting reason that the word CREATURE is used, having to do with the affects of the Gospel of Christ, not only on men, but on the redeemed sons of God, AS WELL AS the entire creation. The subject is found in Romans chapters 8 and 9, and other places. CREATURES, in the Scriptures, also refer to living beings in the heavens (the spirit world) and in Heaven itself.

So, I take it you are not a Bible reader, and are not familiar with the way biblical expressions are used within their own contexts.

[Theo]

Who's handling the biblical mandate to take the Gospel to dogs and cats?

St. Francis of Assisi. ;-)

[Hemingway's Ghost]

I know your point was to ridicule the Word of God,

Not really. It was more to ridicule those who take things quite literally. Truly, if your duty, as a Christian, is to bring the Good News to all creatures, you must have at least a score of people on your staff who are fluent in dog, cat, horse, chicken, ape, seal, chickadee, etc. Yes? That makes perfect sense to me.

Are the Ten Commandments different for dogs, or do they translate over the same?

[Hemingway's Ghost]

St. Francis of Assisi

See, I would have thought it was St. Bernard.

[Vaquero]

What would you think of a title like, “Jesus hopes to ‘reach’ Jews and Gentiles”? How arrogant of Him, hm?

How arrogant of Evangelicals to think they are Jesus or can speak for him....

[Daffynition]

Somebody once expressed it this way: “What stands in the way is the way.” ;-D

[John Leland 1789]

Okay, you didn’t read my post. There’s a reason for the word CREATURE that doesn’t include the animal kingdom. To understand it requires you to actually study it from the context of the Scripture. For example, the Christian is called a “new creature” in 2 Corinthians 5:17. He is not turned in to a dog, cat, horse, chicken, ape, seal or chickadee. God created man, and one of Adam’s progenerations was named Webster. But Webster did not take God’s authority from Him to define words as His Spirit determined. Neither Webster or Oxford is the authority for defining biblical terms.

Do you want to know what God was talking about? Or do you just want to continue to ridicule or be ridiculous?

[MEGoody]

Form whatever I know, if you have not accepted Jesus as your Saviour, you are going to hell. Somewhat similar to the Koran.

If by 'similar' you mean both believe that non-adherents go to hell, yes.

But the difference is, the Christians are taught by scripture that, if someone chooses not to convert, they are to leave that person's future to God. In Islam, if someone resists, the Quran teaches them to kill the infidel.

[Daffynition]

I agree. And man is there ridicule. One can only sit back and smile an inner smile. Tolle's writing is the nearest to my own thinking that I have yet to find. I'm FReepmailing you another writer whom I think is also on the money, yet far, far from concise ... as everything is a metaphor ... but laugh out loud funny.

'Even while attempting to "have new thoughts" many people still stamp their envelopes with the notation, "No Postage Necessary If Mailed Within My Own Expectations."'

[Gengis Khan]

Regardless of what Christianity or Islam actually teaches, many people can (and do) actually interpret it as a command to kill non believers and such interpreters of the word of God existed in most religions.

By the way I dont buy the argument that Islam teaches people to kill and Christianity does not. It all depends on how you interpret it. Christians who carried out Inquisition, Crusades and killing of Jews and Pagans did so with a firm belief thats its their religious duty. Of course such practices are condemned now.

As long as you have a religion that sees humanity not in terms of general good and evil but in terms of believers and non-believers, there will always be those who will associate non-believers as evil and will take it upon themselves to rid the world of “evil” (non-believers).

IMO anyone who believes that not following a particular God will earn him/her hell, is only labouring under false indoctrination with no real understanding of God and has submitted himself/herself to be used as a tool in the hands of a quasi religio-political authority. Its no longer a religion but a mental disease or a virus that makes the host desperate to infect others with, through feigned compassion, guile or outright force.

[Theo]

... anyone who believes that not following a particular God will earn him/her hell, is only labouring under false indoctrination with no real understanding of God ...

Any you know God? How?

[MEGoody]

Regardless of what Christianity or Islam actually teaches, many people can (and do) actually interpret it as a command to kill non believers and such interpreters of the word of God existed in most religions.

True, but these days, it would be very few Christians who would interpret the bible to say they should kill non-believers. For Muslims, it would be a heck of a lot more that interpret the Quran to say they should do so.

By the way I dont buy the argument that Islam teaches people to kill and Christianity does not.

Really? In this modern world you don't buy that? Wow.

Christians who carried out Inquisition, Crusades and killing of Jews and Pagans did so with a firm belief thats its their religious duty.

Yes, hundreds of years ago, and it was only one particular group of Christians that did so, not all. Two points: I will grant you that these things were done by the largest group of Christians at that time. I also believe they have since apologized for doing it.

IMO anyone who believes that not following a particular God will earn him/her hell, is only labouring under false indoctrination with no real understanding of God

And they believe you have no real understanding of God.

[napscoordinator]

Prove this comment. I want you to give the exact quote by Jesus that says “If you are Buddist, you are going to Hell!”
Besides unless you are Catholic which I don’t know if you are or not, your not looking at getting to Heaven either so what is your problem? You figure too many people in Hell or something? /sarc

[MEGoody]

Prove this comment.

John 14:6 "Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Me."

There are other verses that indicate that only faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord will save us from hell, but of course none where Jesus says specifically “If you are Buddist, you are going to Hell!”

Me thinks you already know that and are just being argumentative.

Besides unless you are Catholic which I don’t know if you are or not, your not looking at getting to Heaven either so what is your problem?

According to who? The Catholic Church doesn't even teach what you stated.

[Gengis Khan]

I never said say I do.

[Gengis Khan]

I never said say I do.

[Candor7]

If you haven't done, you might want to visit :

http://www.shambhala.org

http://www.shambhalamountain.org/

http://www.karmecholing.org/

http://www.mipham.com/tibet.html

http://www.shambhala.com/

You certainly have plenty of company in the thinking on sound logic.

I live about 2 miles away from Karme Cho-Ling, where my butt is frequently on the meditation cushion, following the logic you have mentioned.

The Buddhist warriorship traditions of Tibet and Mongolia are very much alive and thriving, with a whole Western community in the USA and Europe who follow them. They number in the tens of thousands altogether, and many are ordinary, perfectly grounded Americans.

[KantianBurke]

"I don’t like prosthelytization by members of any religion or cult. I find it quite distasteful....especially when they go door to door....I have absolutley no patience for that."

MEGA BUMP!

[Gengis Khan]

“but these days, it would be very few Christians who would interpret the bible to say they should kill non-believers. “

Just because they have stopped killing for now does not mean ideologically they have changed. Rather Christians have figured a better way to convert. The methods may have changed however the agenda remained the same. Religions are little more then quasi political tools. And that was true in the past and is true even now.

“Really? In this modern world you don’t buy that?”

Judging from Christianity’s past ...NO.
Although in modern times their outlook has changed. ...But its the same Christian religion that was violent in the past has become relatively much more peaceful today. So how is that possible?
Again as I said its not what the religion teaches or claims to teach but what people understand from it and how they interpret it. And this could be not because of but in spite of what it teaches.

“And they believe you have no real understanding of God.”

I dont claim I do. And you too would be in for a surprise if you claim you do.

A very interesting aspect of Buddhism is that it actually says that it has very little understanding of the nature of God and it does even not attempt to answer the question about God. According to Buddhism the more important issue to address is the cause for human suffering and misery. Except for that all the abstruse transcendental metaphysics and the attempt at understanding God is futile exercise.

[Gengis Khan]

I am not a Buddhist but I consider myself fortunate to have been able to actually visit Dharmashala and Rumtek (to get the real experiance). Karme Cho-Ling sounds good and not too far from where I am right now.