World Religions in a Nutshell (18 page)

Witnessing to a Buddhist

You:
Hi. How are you doing? My name is [your name here].

Dasbala:
Good. I’m Dasbala.

You:
Good to meet you, Dasbala. I have a question for you. What do you think happens after someone dies?

Dasbala:
I think that they are reborn as someone else.

You:
Do you believe in God?

Dasbala:
I’m a Buddhist. Most Buddhists don’t believe in a personal God or any divine being. Generally, we don’t worship anything.

You:
Are you an atheist?

Dasbala:
Oh, no. I do believe in some sort of life force that created everything.

You:
So what’s the point of being a Buddhist?

Dasbala:
The goal is to reach the state of Nirvana. This word
means “to extinguish” or “to blow out of existence.” It means
to get rid of the ego or self.

You:
Do you believe in a place called Heaven?

Dasbala:
No, Nirvana is very different from the Christian concept of Heaven. What exactly this is, Buddha never really
put into words, but we know that it is a release from suffering, from desire, and from the finite state of self. Buddha himself was not certain what lay beyond death. He didn’t leave any clear teaching on the afterlife.

You:
So you don’t have any hope of everlasting life?

Dasbala:
No. Not really. I know a little bit about Christianity, and what we have in Buddhism is different in that it doesn’t offer any form of redemption, or forgiveness. There’s
no hope of a Heaven, or a final Day of Judgment. Buddhism
is really a moral philosophy.

You:
So how are you doing morally?

Dasbala:
I’m doing okay.

You:
Dasbala, let’s suppose that there is a Heaven, just for a moment. Do you think you are good enough to go there? Are you a good person?

Dasbala:
Yes. I believe that I’m a good person.

You:
How many lies do you think you have told, in your whole life? I don’t mean “white” lies. I mean real lies.

Dasbala:
Perhaps six.

You:
Six. So, what do you call someone who tells lies?

Dasbala:
They are human beings, with weaknesses...everyone tells lies.

You:
Yes. But what would you call
me
if I told lies?

Dasbala:
A liar.

You:
Have you ever stolen anything, in your whole life, even if it was small?

Dasbala:
Yes, I have. But they were only little things, and it was in the past—when I was younger.

You:
What do you call someone who steals things?

Dasbala:
A thief.

You:
I know that you don’t believe in a personal God, but have you ever used His name in vain?

Dasbala:
Yes, I have. Once or twice.

You:
God gave you eyes to see the beauty of this incredible creation, and ears to listen to good music. He gave you taste buds to enjoy all the wonderful foods. He lavished His kindness upon you, and then you have taken His holy name and used it as a cuss word to express disgust. That’s a very serious crime in His eyes—it’s called “blasphemy.”

Dasbala:
I know it’s wrong to do that.

You:
Jesus said, “Whoever looks upon a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Have you ever looked at a woman with lust?

Dasbala:
Yes, I have, many times.

You:
Dasbala, you’ve admitted that (and I’m not judging you) you are a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, and an adulterer at heart; and you have to face God on Judgment Day whether you believe in Him or not. The Bible says that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire, and that no thief, blasphemer,
or adulterer will enter Heaven.

Dasbala:
I don’t believe that there is a place called Hell. Hell is on earth. It’s karma.

You:
If I stood in front of a judge and said, “Judge, I know that I am guilty of murder, but I don’t believe in the electric chair,” it’s not going to change anything. My unbelief doesn’t change reality. So, does it concern you that if you died right now and God gave you justice, you would end up in Hell forever?

Dasbala:
Yes, I suppose it does.

You:
Do you know what God did for us, so that we could avoid Hell?

Dasbala:
I know that He sent His Son to die on the cross.

You:
That’s right. God became a morally perfect human being, Jesus of Nazareth, and gave His life as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. We broke God’s Law (the Ten Commandments) but because Jesus paid our fine on the cross 2,000 years ago, God can dismiss our case. He can commute our death sentence. The Bible says, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God proved His great love for you through the cross. Then Jesus rose from the dead, and defeated the power
of the grave. Dasbala, if you repent and trust the Savior, God will forgive your sins and grant you everlasting life. Does that make sense?

Dasbala:
Yes. I never really understood that before.

You:
So, Dasbala, where would you go, according to the Bible, if you died right now?

Dasbala:
I think I would go to Hell.

You:
What are you going to do about it?

Dasbala:
I will definitely think about what you have said.

You:
Please do more than think about it. Hell is very real. You must repent and trust the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Dasbala:
Yes, you are right.

You:
When are you going to do that?

Dasbala:
I would like to do that now.

You:
Okay. You pray and ask God to forgive your sins, and put your trust in Jesus, and then I will pray for you.

Dasbala:
Okay. “Oh, God. I am sinful. I have done these things. Please forgive me for them. I hope you will do that. I trust Jesus to help me from now on and to keep me clean. Thank you. Amen.”

You:
“
Father, may this be the day of salvation for Dasbala. May this day be the day he is forgiven and cleansed of all sin. Please raise him up as a testimony to your incredible salvation. Bless him and his family, and keep them in health. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” Give me a hug, Dasbala. I have a booklet for you called “Save Yourself Some Pain.” It will help you to grow as a Christian.

Atheism

One dictionary definition of the word “religion” is: “A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.” That rightly describes the ardent atheist’s cause. Despite protests to the contrary by its faithful adherents, atheism is a form of religion. In 1961, the Supreme Court described “secular humanism” as a religion and said that a religion need not be based on a belief in the existence of a supreme being.

What are known as the “new atheists” have an
unwavering
faith that there is no evidence for the existence of God, and their numbers are quickly growing in the United States and Europe. Some even meet regularly for fellowship, where among other things they talk about their belief that God doesn’t exist. Though they consider themselves intellectual, the Bible calls the professing atheist a “fool” (see Psalm 14:1). This is because he
knows
intuitively that God exists. He
suppresses
the truth in willful ignorance: