Witnessing to a Budahist?

[TruthGiver]

Can anyone give any advice on how to witness to a Budahist or recomend any web articles that might speak to them? Thanks!

[HeartlandGal]

I could write a book on this. I volunteer to teach bible study or rather introduction to what Christianity is, to international students, the majority of which are from Japan (although we have many other countries also). Most Japanese have buddist or shinto background as a part of their culture even when they don't consider themselves followers. However, many do consider themselves Buddist because thier families are and that is how they are raised.

I can offer you some simple things to start with. First is to inquire what their beliefs are. For example you might ask "Does buddism have a heaven?" (keep in mind there are different denominations within Buddism)... "How does one get to heave" and "Who decides which level of heaven and hell?"...

Keep in mind that the very very basics of what they are taught.. is that you do good and this is tallied up and the bad you do is also tallied up (picturing a big scale- we use our hands to demostrate it)..Then we explain that the Christian bible teaches us that being good vs being bad is NOT a way to heaven. It would also be so hard to try to keep track of when you are good and when you are not, and the mystery of not knowing where you will go when you die. Then we talk about the freedom we have as Christians to know that when we die we will go to Heaven.... This is where you start with the very basics of the Gospel. Jesus is God, he came to earth as a human and lived as a human but he was perfect, that he died and that he came back to life and so on....

If the person you are reaching out to already has alot of knowledge of Christianity, then you can still start off asking them questions about Buddism and then in the same way, as they answer you speak about what the Bible teaches. Not in a debate kind of way... more as in a sharing of information kind of way if that make sense.

Oh and lots of prayer...

I really could write a book! However, alot depends on the person you are reaching out to. Where they are from how they were raised and so on.

[HeIsEnough]

I really could write a book! However, alot depends on the person you are reaching out to. Where they are from how they were raised and so on.

:nod

It is quite difficult to reach the 'strong' ones. The guy I talked to was obviously 'prepared', though he could not address basic questions on life. I'd a thought he wanted to beat me up when we were done talking. :lol This guy was strongly arrogant, but that could just be incidental. Be prayed up. Here (http://www.intervarsity.org/ism/article/1769) is one to start.

[TruthGiver]

Thanks HeartlandGal and HeIsEnough for your responses! I had to speak with her before I was able to read your post, but I followed pretty much exactly what you said HeartlandGal. I am at work so it is hard to really get into a really good detailed discussion about it, but hopefully I said enough to make her think.