How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by jacqn @ Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:36:05 +0800

jacqn — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:36:05 +0800

Originally posted by sanath:

Quite humorous, it looks familiar though...

Who's that knocking on the door?

A Buddhist's Guide to Evangelical Christianity

About six months ago there was a knock on my door and I opened it to find two evangelical Christians there. I knew they were evangelicals because they had that fake friendly smile on their faces, which all evangelicals have when they are trying to convert someone.

This was the third time that month that evangelists had come knocking on my door and disturbing me so I decided to teach them a lesson. 'Good morning' they said. 'Good morning' I replied.

'Have you heard about the Lord Jesus Christ'? they asked. 'I know something about him but I am a Buddhist and I'm not really interested in knowing more' I said. But like all evangelists, they took no notice of my wishes and proceeded to talk about their beliefs.

So I said, 'I don't think you are qualified to speak to me about Jesus'. They looked very astonished and asked, 'Why not'? 'Because', I said, 'you have no faith'. 'Our faith in Jesus is as strong as a rock' they insisted. 'I don't think it is' I said with a smile.

'Please open your Bible and read the Gospel of Mark, chapter 16, verse 16, 17 and 18' I said and while they flicked through their Bibles I went quickly inside and came out again. One of them found the passage and I asked him to read it out loud. It said, 'He who believes and is baptized will be saved but he who does not believe shall be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe in my name. They shall cast out devils, they shall speak in tongues, they will handle snakes and if they drink poison it will not hurt them and they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover'.

When he finished I said, 'In that passage Jesus says that if you have real faith you will be able to drink poison and not die'. I took a bottle of Lankem from behind my back, held it up and said, 'Here is some poison. Demonstrate to me the strength of your faith and I will listen to anything you have to say about Jesus'.

You should have seen the looks on their faces! They didn't know what to say. 'What's the problem'? I asked. 'Is your faith not strong enough'? They hesitated for a few moments and then one of them replied, 'The Bible also says that we must not test God'. 'I'm not testing God', I said, 'I'm testing you. You love to witness for Jesus and now is your big opportunity'. Finally one of then said, 'We will go and speak to our pastor about this matter and come back and see you. 'I'll be waiting for you' I said as they scurried away. Of course they never came back again.

Here is a bit of advice. Keep a copy of this Bible reference and a bottle of Lankem ready and every time the evangelists come to your door to harass you give them this test. You might like to have a polanga ready as well.

(Taken from E-sangha forum)

hahaha! very good idea!

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by yamizi @ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:40:51 +0800

yamizi — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:40:51 +0800

Originally posted by An Eternal Now:

The state of nibbana is a personal experience (or rather, a non-experience, or cessation of experience). Whether you have experienced nibbana is another matter, but can we agree that it is an experience and not just theory? What the Buddha taught, is not a philosophical proposition, but an observation by him that we all can experience (gradually)... if we practice what he taught.

Like if you went to the moon and you see that their soil is grey, when you come back and you tell others who didn't went to the moon, that the moon is grey, you aren't making a philosophical proposition but your actual observations.

When Buddha spoke, he didn't spoke a theory, he spoke his own experience and how to experience it. i.e. the end of suffering is not a theory but his experience

The Perfect One is free from any theory, for the Perfect One has understood what the body is, and how it arises, and passes away. He has understood what feeling is, and how it arises, and passes away. He has understood what perception is, and how it arises, and passes away. He has understood what the mental formations are, and how they arise, and pass away. He has understood what consciousness is, and how it arises, and passes away.

Therefore, I say, the Perfect One has won complete deliverance through the extinction, fading away, disappearance, rejection, and getting rid of all opinions and conjectures, of all inclination to the vainglory of I and mine.

- Majjhima Nikaya, 72

So this proposition can only be proven to be real when it is experienced. As of now, neither you and I can prove it to be real, besides quoting from the scriptures, analyse them and safely assume it is real.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by An Eternal Now @ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:12:13 +0800

An Eternal Now — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:12:13 +0800

Originally posted by yamizi:

Half right and half wrong. The state of nibbana can be said to be more of a philosophical proposition. Who has attain complete nibbana and like to share this instead? =)

I am aware of forummers here who have glimpses or are in the state of nirvana, but I am not sure if they are willing to share or admit openly. If you are familiar with the forum, you may have some guesses. Hint: it is not me.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by vvclub @ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:09:44 +0800

vvclub — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:09:44 +0800

tell him if he believes in God, he should have faith God will inform you when the time is right to go church, now is not the time yet. How do you know? ... you know.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by An Eternal Now @ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:58:19 +0800

An Eternal Now — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:58:19 +0800

Originally posted by yamizi:

Half right and half wrong. The state of nibbana can be said to be more of a philosophical proposition. Who has attain complete nibbana and like to share this instead? =)

The state of nibbana is a personal experience (or rather, a non-experience, or cessation of experience). Whether you have experienced nibbana is another matter, but can we agree that it is an experience and not just theory? What the Buddha taught, is not a philosophical proposition, but an observation by him that we all can experience (gradually)... if we practice what he taught.

Like if you went to the moon and you see that their soil is grey, when you come back and you tell others who didn't went to the moon, that the moon is grey, you aren't making a philosophical proposition but your actual observations.

When Buddha spoke, he didn't spoke a theory, he spoke his own experience and how to experience it. i.e. the end of suffering is not a theory but his experience

The Perfect One is free from any theory, for the Perfect One has understood what the body is, and how it arises, and passes away. He has understood what feeling is, and how it arises, and passes away. He has understood what perception is, and how it arises, and passes away. He has understood what the mental formations are, and how they arise, and pass away. He has understood what consciousness is, and how it arises, and passes away.

Therefore, I say, the Perfect One has won complete deliverance through the extinction, fading away, disappearance, rejection, and getting rid of all opinions and conjectures, of all inclination to the vainglory of I and mine.

- Majjhima Nikaya, 72

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by Display Name @ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:26:19 +0800

Display Name — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:26:19 +0800

Originally posted by yamizi:

Which part is changing?

for example, last time they used to believe that earth is flat

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by yamizi @ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:18:42 +0800

yamizi — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:18:42 +0800

Originally posted by An Eternal Now:

Buddhism is essentially a very practical religion, and the Buddha does not make difficult philosophical proposition, all are simple truths and observable in every moment. The key is: observe, be mindful of reality all the time. It's not philosophy, and he taught that there is only one thing he teach: the cause and the end of suffering.

Half right and half wrong. The state of nibbana can be said to be more of a philosophical proposition. Who has attain complete nibbana and like to share this instead? =)

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by yamizi @ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:14:49 +0800

yamizi — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:14:49 +0800

Originally posted by Display Name:

Christians are very enthusiastic in preaching, through many method that seem to be very youthful and interesting.They go to buddhist region and even islam country to spread their religion. Christian parents also more keen to impart their religious thinking to the children, like bringing them to attend church service etc. Buddhist generally are more passive, haiz. but glad that things are changing now. :)

Which part is changing?

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by Display Name @ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:47:16 +0800

Display Name — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:47:16 +0800

Originally posted by annoy-you-must:

In my personal opinion people tend to get more inclined towards the church rather than Buddhism is mainly because Chirstian's teachings are much more straight-forward or easier to learn as oppose to Buddhist's teachings.

Somehow, to find myself 'in Heaven under the glorious love of God' sounds much more easier than to be 'in Nirvana where there is no real cessation of self because there is no true entity known as self in the first place'.

'To love God and find God's love in me' sounds like a much more straightforward path to happiness than to 'detach the roots of attachment after realising that the true nature of all things is empty of inherant nature'.

When someone is facing a personal crisis, it's just so easier to say that 'God is testing you' rather than to explain the complex idea known as 'Karma' which even Buddhist themselves don't totally understand.

People approach religion mainly to find peace, after facing stress in schools or the workplace. We certainly don't approach religion to find more stress in thinking why 'all compound phenomenon don't truly exist'. Admittedly, I'm one of those who is simply too lazy to ponder on questions like this.

I think people tends to incline towards christian instead of buddhism because of 3 things:
Christians are very enthusiastic in preaching, through many method that seem to be very youthful and interesting.They go to buddhist region and even islam country to spread their religion. Christian parents also more keen to impart their religious thinking to the children, like bringing them to attend church service etc. Buddhist generally are more passive, haiz. but glad that things are changing now. :)
2nd reason is due to the long time colonisation of singapore by british, they have a lot of land given by the british government. People also tends to think that whatever the british and westerner practice and use is always superior.
3rd is christian's teaching that not believing in it will make one suffer in hell forever. So people feel scared to be punished, that's why join them.
Also because people tot burning josstick is the essence of buddhism, that's why when being approached, very fast to switch. In fact, if they only practice burning of josstick, it is in fact good for them to become christian.
IMO, I don't think simplicity is the reason of believing in christian. Buddhism also has simplicity in it, "avoid all evils, do all good" is a good starting point already.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by Herzog_Zwei @ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:22:43 +0800

Herzog_Zwei — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:22:43 +0800

Originally posted by An Eternal Now:

I agree with you statements about Chrsitainity being a simple belief. It is in fact a simple belief, and people find comfort in this belief. And I have also attributed the success of Christianity to three main causes (based on what I can remember during a brief discussion on this topic with Thusness):

Thats right. Good observations.

Of course, we also have to take into accounts of things, such as miracles, such as the promise of salvation and the fear of eternal condemnation, and so on.

Bible is 'simple' -- or appears to be simple, in that all you have to do is have faith, and be saved. It sounds like a simple message that appeals to the masses, thats why Christianity is now the most popular religion in the world.

And what about hell? Don't all of us fear being forever condemned in a lake of fire? That's why, fear is part of it.

For Buddhism, we have a very rich philosophy and is very practical to all our lives... still, it requires certain kinds of conditionings for people to turn and look upon Buddhism... for me I'm fortunate, because my mom brought me to Buddhism at a very young age. But not everyone are so fortunate.

Thusness also said that it's a cycle, that Christianity is now growing in the East, and that more people will look into Buddhism in the future. I can't remember what exactly he said but quite interesting.

Also, Buddhism is truly the religion that can bring peace... if one knows how to apply the Buddhist teachings. Buddhism is essentially a very practical religion, and the Buddha does not make difficult philosophical proposition, all are simple truths and observable in every moment. The key is: observe, be mindful of reality all the time. It's not philosophy, and he taught that there is only one thing he teach: the cause and the end of suffering. You have to read from reliable books from experienced and enlightened masters to point the way to true practice that can lead to enlightenment.

As for Emptiness, Emptiness should only be taught when one is sincere and ready and wishes to understand Emptiness. There are some people who cannot accept Emptiness, and for these other expedient means are required. For example, Buddha-Nature/Tathagatagarbha exists principally to describe emptiness in terms that those frightened of absence of identity can handle. At some point in time a practitioner will need to understand Emptiness, even just conceptually, to make progress. To a beginner, you can't tell him to read the philosophical books of Madhyamika to understand Emptiness.

You can only refer them to relevant books that explains Emptiness in a very simple and straightforward manner, and that can link the teachings of Emptiness to one's daily life and how one can experience liberation through this viewless view. There are many such books written skillfully by enlightened masters, which you can refer them to.

Hence we can be certain any belief is foolish.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by An Eternal Now @ Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:07:54 +0800

An Eternal Now — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:07:54 +0800

Originally posted by annoy-you-must:

In my personal opinion people tend to get more inclined towards the church rather than Buddhism is mainly because Chirstian's teachings are much more straight-forward or easier to learn as oppose to Buddhist's teachings.

Somehow, to find myself 'in Heaven under the glorious love of God' sounds much more easier than to be 'in Nirvana where there is no real cessation of self because there is no true entity known as self in the first place'.

'To love God and find God's love in me' sounds like a much more straightforward path to happiness than to 'detach the roots of attachment after realising that the true nature of all things is empty of inherant nature'.

When someone is facing a personal crisis, it's just so easier to say that 'God is testing you' rather than to explain the complex idea known as 'Karma' which even Buddhist themselves don't totally understand.

People approach religion mainly to find peace, after facing stress in schools or the workplace. We certainly don't approach religion to find more stress in thinking why 'all compound phenomenon don't truly exist'. Admittedly, I'm one of those who is simply too lazy to ponder on questions like this.

I agree with you statements about Chrsitainity being a simple belief. It is in fact a simple belief, and people find comfort in this belief. And I have also attributed the success of Christianity to three main causes (based on what I can remember during a brief discussion on this topic with Thusness):

Thats right. Good observations.

Of course, we also have to take into accounts of things, such as miracles, such as the promise of salvation and the fear of eternal condemnation, and so on.

Bible is 'simple' -- or appears to be simple, in that all you have to do is have faith, and be saved. It sounds like a simple message that appeals to the masses, thats why Christianity is now the most popular religion in the world.

And what about hell? Don't all of us fear being forever condemned in a lake of fire? That's why, fear is part of it.

For Buddhism, we have a very rich philosophy and is very practical to all our lives... still, it requires certain kinds of conditionings for people to turn and look upon Buddhism... for me I'm fortunate, because my mom brought me to Buddhism at a very young age. But not everyone are so fortunate.

Thusness also said that it's a cycle, that Christianity is now growing in the East, and that more people will look into Buddhism in the future. I can't remember what exactly he said but quite interesting.

Also, Buddhism is truly the religion that can bring peace... if one knows how to apply the Buddhist teachings. Buddhism is essentially a very practical religion, and the Buddha does not make difficult philosophical proposition, all are simple truths and observable in every moment. The key is: observe, be mindful of reality all the time. It's not philosophy, and he taught that there is only one thing he teach: the cause and the end of suffering. You have to read from reliable books from experienced and enlightened masters to point the way to true practice that can lead to enlightenment.

As for Emptiness, Emptiness should only be taught when one is sincere and ready and wishes to understand Emptiness. There are some people who cannot accept Emptiness, and for these other expedient means are required. For example, Buddha-Nature/Tathagatagarbha exists principally to describe emptiness in terms that those frightened of absence of identity can handle. At some point in time a practitioner will need to understand Emptiness, even just conceptually, to make progress. To a beginner, you can't tell him to read the philosophical books of Madhyamika to understand Emptiness.

You can only refer them to relevant books that explains Emptiness in a very simple and straightforward manner, and that can link the teachings of Emptiness to one's daily life and how one can experience liberation through this viewless view. There are many such books written skillfully by enlightened masters, which you can refer them to.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by annoy-you-must @ Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:39:21 +0800

annoy-you-must — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:39:21 +0800

Originally posted by An Eternal Now:

BTW, just curious, what do you think is the reason that youth are attracted to church?

It seems many youngsters are quite committed to church events :) I wonder if Buddhism are doing equally well for youngsters here, though of course it is improving over the years and some effort is done to promote Buddhism to younger people.

But I think, usually those attracted to Buddhist teachings, (of course with a few exceptions as seen in this forum, including myself), are still those who are middle aged and above..

So what do you think is Buddhism lacking in creating the 'passion for Buddhism' in youth? And why have the churches succeeded in attracting youth? (and I don't mean those who just join church events with friends and see see, but those really involved and committed in their activities weekly or even more)

In my personal opinion people tend to get more inclined towards the church rather than Buddhism is mainly because Chirstian's teachings are much more straight-forward or easier to learn as oppose to Buddhist's teachings.

Somehow, to find myself 'in Heaven under the glorious love of God' sounds much more easier than to be 'in Nirvana where there is no real cessation of self because there is no true entity known as self in the first place'.

'To love God and find God's love in me' sounds like a much more straightforward path to happiness than to 'detach the roots of attachment after realising that the true nature of all things is empty of inherant nature'.

When someone is facing a personal crisis, it's just so easier to say that 'God is testing you' rather than to explain the complex idea known as 'Karma' which even Buddhist themselves don't totally understand.

People approach religion mainly to find peace, after facing stress in schools or the workplace. We certainly don't approach religion to find more stress in thinking why 'all compound phenomenon don't truly exist'. Admittedly, I'm one of those who is simply too lazy to ponder on questions like this.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by Fengyun1991 @ Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:45:34 +0800

Fengyun1991 — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:45:34 +0800

Last time the first thing i will tell them this

" hey , i am a buddhist, thank you very much but no thanks "

Haven't been approached by christians since i have started to go deeper into the learning of dharma.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by An Eternal Now @ Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:04:32 +0800

An Eternal Now — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:04:32 +0800

Originally posted by sanath:

Quite humorous, it looks familiar though...

Who's that knocking on the door?

A Buddhist's Guide to Evangelical Christianity

About six months ago there was a knock on my door and I opened it to find two evangelical Christians there. I knew they were evangelicals because they had that fake friendly smile on their faces, which all evangelicals have when they are trying to convert someone.

This was the third time that month that evangelists had come knocking on my door and disturbing me so I decided to teach them a lesson. 'Good morning' they said. 'Good morning' I replied.

'Have you heard about the Lord Jesus Christ'? they asked. 'I know something about him but I am a Buddhist and I'm not really interested in knowing more' I said. But like all evangelists, they took no notice of my wishes and proceeded to talk about their beliefs.

So I said, 'I don't think you are qualified to speak to me about Jesus'. They looked very astonished and asked, 'Why not'? 'Because', I said, 'you have no faith'. 'Our faith in Jesus is as strong as a rock' they insisted. 'I don't think it is' I said with a smile.

'Please open your Bible and read the Gospel of Mark, chapter 16, verse 16, 17 and 18' I said and while they flicked through their Bibles I went quickly inside and came out again. One of them found the passage and I asked him to read it out loud. It said, 'He who believes and is baptized will be saved but he who does not believe shall be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe in my name. They shall cast out devils, they shall speak in tongues, they will handle snakes and if they drink poison it will not hurt them and they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover'.

When he finished I said, 'In that passage Jesus says that if you have real faith you will be able to drink poison and not die'. I took a bottle of Lankem from behind my back, held it up and said, 'Here is some poison. Demonstrate to me the strength of your faith and I will listen to anything you have to say about Jesus'.

You should have seen the looks on their faces! They didn't know what to say. 'What's the problem'? I asked. 'Is your faith not strong enough'? They hesitated for a few moments and then one of them replied, 'The Bible also says that we must not test God'. 'I'm not testing God', I said, 'I'm testing you. You love to witness for Jesus and now is your big opportunity'. Finally one of then said, 'We will go and speak to our pastor about this matter and come back and see you. 'I'll be waiting for you' I said as they scurried away. Of course they never came back again.

Here is a bit of advice. Keep a copy of this Bible reference and a bottle of Lankem ready and every time the evangelists come to your door to harass you give them this test. You might like to have a polanga ready as well.

(Taken from E-sangha forum)

From http://zencomp.com/greatwisdom/ebud/beyond/beyond01.htm

Beyond Belief

A.L. De Silva

1. Preface 2. Critique of Christian Arguments for God's Existence 3. Why God Cannot Exist 4. God or Buddha - Who is the highest? 5. Fact and Fiction in the Life of Jesus 6. A Critique of the Bible 7. Buddhism - The Logical Alternative 8. How to answer the Evangelist 9. Conclusion

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by ~b1RD_m4N~ @ Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:15:10 +0800

~b1RD_m4N~ — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:15:10 +0800

no harm visiting different faiths to discover the difference between religions. We should not feel forced into believing something, its always a personal discovery.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by sanath @ Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:32:45 +0800

sanath — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:32:45 +0800

Quite humorous, it looks familiar though...

Who's that knocking on the door?

A Buddhist's Guide to Evangelical Christianity

About six months ago there was a knock on my door and I opened it to find two evangelical Christians there. I knew they were evangelicals because they had that fake friendly smile on their faces, which all evangelicals have when they are trying to convert someone.

This was the third time that month that evangelists had come knocking on my door and disturbing me so I decided to teach them a lesson. 'Good morning' they said. 'Good morning' I replied.

'Have you heard about the Lord Jesus Christ'? they asked. 'I know something about him but I am a Buddhist and I'm not really interested in knowing more' I said. But like all evangelists, they took no notice of my wishes and proceeded to talk about their beliefs.

So I said, 'I don't think you are qualified to speak to me about Jesus'. They looked very astonished and asked, 'Why not'? 'Because', I said, 'you have no faith'. 'Our faith in Jesus is as strong as a rock' they insisted. 'I don't think it is' I said with a smile.

'Please open your Bible and read the Gospel of Mark, chapter 16, verse 16, 17 and 18' I said and while they flicked through their Bibles I went quickly inside and came out again. One of them found the passage and I asked him to read it out loud. It said, 'He who believes and is baptized will be saved but he who does not believe shall be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe in my name. They shall cast out devils, they shall speak in tongues, they will handle snakes and if they drink poison it will not hurt them and they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover'.

When he finished I said, 'In that passage Jesus says that if you have real faith you will be able to drink poison and not die'. I took a bottle of Lankem from behind my back, held it up and said, 'Here is some poison. Demonstrate to me the strength of your faith and I will listen to anything you have to say about Jesus'.

You should have seen the looks on their faces! They didn't know what to say. 'What's the problem'? I asked. 'Is your faith not strong enough'? They hesitated for a few moments and then one of them replied, 'The Bible also says that we must not test God'. 'I'm not testing God', I said, 'I'm testing you. You love to witness for Jesus and now is your big opportunity'. Finally one of then said, 'We will go and speak to our pastor about this matter and come back and see you. 'I'll be waiting for you' I said as they scurried away. Of course they never came back again.

Here is a bit of advice. Keep a copy of this Bible reference and a bottle of Lankem ready and every time the evangelists come to your door to harass you give them this test. You might like to have a polanga ready as well.

(Taken from E-sangha forum)

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by yamizi @ Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:17:42 +0800

yamizi — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:17:42 +0800

Originally posted by Uncreated:

Not all Christians are like that.

I read the Bible too,used to go to church,but I'm not a Christian.Going to church

can let me make new friends.Once they started to proselytize,I listen quietly and

respectfully.This is basic courtesy.No need to feel uneasy.I even took part in a

Catholic Mass before.Everyone thought I had changed my faith.lol

But if those Christian proselytizers start to behave like badgering salepeople,

their efforts become counterproductive.I think most of them know this.It is better

to post your proselytizings online,so that people can choose whether to pay attention

to you.

We Buddhists must bear in mind non-Buddhists are sentient beings too.They

have the Buddha nature too.Would Buddhas and Bodhisattvas get peeved by their

proselytizings?

Yeah!

Finally see a buddhist enjoy going to church!

Which church service had you been to?

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by Uncreated @ Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:54:53 +0800

Uncreated — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:54:53 +0800

Not all Christians are like that.

I read the Bible too,used to go to church,but I'm not a Christian.Going to church

can let me make new friends.Once they started to proselytize,I listen quietly and

respectfully.This is basic courtesy.No need to feel uneasy.I even took part in a

Catholic Mass before.Everyone thought I had changed my faith.lol

But if those Christian proselytizers start to behave like badgering salepeople,

their efforts become counterproductive.I think most of them know this.It is better

to post your proselytizings online,so that people can choose whether to pay attention

to you.

We Buddhists must bear in mind non-Buddhists are sentient beings too.They

have the Buddha nature too.Would Buddhas and Bodhisattvas get peeved by their

proselytizings?

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by yamizi @ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:43:36 +0800

yamizi — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:43:36 +0800

Originally posted by Display Name:

Why not you invite justdoit77 to go your church to return the bible. From his post, I sense that he doesn't mind going.

Why need to go to such extend in the first place?

Don't let other people's problem be our problem!

And putting into recycle bin is consider very considerate already. I'm sure they can be reborned into better paper products for the welfare of humankind. =)

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by Display Name @ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:55:04 +0800

Display Name — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:55:04 +0800

Originally posted by googoomuck:

No Buddhist who understands Buddha's teachings think that other religions are wrong. Buddha has spoken out strongly for better understanding and respect among people of different faiths.

I read the bible and books of other religions during my free time. I have a few bibles given by friends and people I hardly know. All I need is one copy. I keep the other copies because of sentimental values. I don't destroy them. In some hotels, there's a bible in each room. There may be hotels that has a book about Buddhism in each room. I don't throw away religious books because it's not of a particular faith. It's for anyone who wants to read it.

Why not you invite justdoit77 to go your church to return the bible. From his post, I sense that he doesn't mind going.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by Beyond Religion @ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:51:59 +0800

Beyond Religion — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:51:59 +0800

Originally posted by googoomuck:

There you are ! This is not the way of a Buddhist. You should have given it away to someone who might need it.

That was the first thing I told the Christians... to give that to people who might need it, but they insist that I should keep it and read it.

Originally posted by googoomuck:

No Buddhist who understands Buddha's teachings think that other religions are wrong. Buddha has spoken out strongly for better understanding and respect among people of different faiths.

I read the bible and books of other religions during my free time. I have a few bibles given by friends and people I hardly know. All I need is one copy. I keep the other copies because of sentimental values. I don't destroy them. In some hotels, there's a bible in each room. There may be hotels that has a book about Buddhism in each room. I don't throw away religious books because it's not of a particular faith. It's for anyone who wants to read it.

I did not throw away the materials. I did not throw them into a 'normal' dustbin to be incinerated like common rubbish. I put them into a paper recycle bin... The materials will be put into better use after it is reborned as recycled paper.

In a manner of speaking, I am giving the materials to people who might need it, and doing my little part to save the earth in the process.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by googoomuck @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:03:36 +0800

googoomuck — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:03:36 +0800

Originally posted by justdoit77:

The evangelist force him to take one. Then how, you want him to stand at some shopping centres to psycho stranger to take the bible ah? The strangers must be surprise why this buddhist is preaching christianity to passerby. lol

come to think of it, I still have a bible at home, don't know how to handle it. Anyone want bible? AEN, you want to read bible?

No Buddhist who understands Buddha's teachings think that other religions are wrong. Buddha has spoken out strongly for better understanding and respect among people of different faiths.

I read the bible and books of other religions during my free time. I have a few bibles given by friends and people I hardly know. All I need is one copy. I keep the other copies because of sentimental values. I don't destroy them. In some hotels, there's a bible in each room. There may be hotels that has a book about Buddhism in each room. I don't throw away religious books because it's not of a particular faith. It's for anyone who wants to read it.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by justdoit77 @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:08:45 +0800

justdoit77 — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:08:45 +0800

To add on, I think christian get their new recruits from free thinker mostly.
Potential buddhist are all who has the chance to get to know buddhism.So as the number of free thinkers reduce each day by the effort of all the religions, things will change.

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by justdoit77 @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:05:14 +0800

justdoit77 — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:05:14 +0800

Originally posted by googoomuck:

There you are ! This is not the way of a Buddhist. You should have given it away to someone who might need it.

The evangelist force him to take one. Then how, you want him to stand at some shopping centres to psycho stranger to take the bible ah? The strangers must be surprise why this buddhist is preaching christianity to passerby. lol

come to think of it, I still have a bible at home, don't know how to handle it. Anyone want bible? AEN, you want to read bible?

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by googoomuck @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:47:24 +0800

googoomuck — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:47:24 +0800

Originally posted by Beyond Religion:

There is a 5th option.... Quietly accept the Bible and then put it into the paper recycle bin.

I did just that during one Good Friday Holiday. I was in a shopping mall minding my own business when a group of Christians passed me some evangelist materials. They insisted that I accept the materials no matter how hard I refused. In the end, I shut my mouth, accepted these materials and dumped them into a nearby recycle bin.

Christians are happy that I 'accepted' their materials. I am happy coz the Christians left me alone... and Mother Gaia is happy about the recycling.

Problem solved

There you are ! This is not the way of a Buddhist. You should have given it away to someone who might need it.

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Beyond Belief

A.L. De Silva

Contents

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by ~b1RD_m4N~ @ Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:15:10 +0800

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by sanath @ Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:32:45 +0800

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by yamizi @ Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:17:42 +0800

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by Uncreated @ Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:54:53 +0800

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by yamizi @ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:43:36 +0800

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by Display Name @ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:55:04 +0800

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by Beyond Religion @ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:51:59 +0800

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by googoomuck @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:03:36 +0800

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by justdoit77 @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:08:45 +0800

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by justdoit77 @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:05:14 +0800

How to politely decline invitations to church? replied by googoomuck @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:47:24 +0800