Tag: christianity

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Huh!? Images Our Society

Ugly evangelical Christians insult Buddhists and Muslims

Once again, Christian evangelists have abused Buddhists and Muslims, this time by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC):

Offensive poster from Campus Crusade for Christ

Offensive web page from Campus Crusade for Christ

The small text circled in red above reads:

“In a country where much of the population is M, much prayer and work is needed in this place. As our first team to be sent to this place, you will be reaching an unreached people group. This is a pioneer work where you will get to help start movement on their campuses! … …”

Please make a stand and tell the insensitive religious zealots that enough is enough. Check out and LIKE the Facebook page Say Yes to Religious Harmony.

It’s ok to discuss and compare religions but it’s a no-no to abuse others’ religion no matter how “well-intentioned” you are or how much you “love” them. How can you love someone when you don’t even respect the person in the first place?

Please stop offensive evangelism and unethical proselytism now.

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Dharma Quotes Our Society

引文：善待問者如撞鐘 —— 一段精彩的的宗教對談 (釋淨慧記錄)

昭慧法師應台灣神學院莊信德教授之邀，到台灣神學院進行佛學專題演講。

以下僅引座談會中的兩則精彩對話：

Question:

鄭仰恩教授 (台灣神學院學術副院長) 回應道：

「聽了昭慧法師的演講，有一種清新的感覺。基督教也有出世與入世的傳統，也面臨出世與入世之間的相互質疑。就緣起論與創造論來對比，西方有人認為創造論講的是 being（存有），緣起論講的是 non being（非存有）；前者是講『有』的哲學，後者是論『無』的哲學。」

Answer:

昭慧法師回應道：

「佛家並不講 being 與 non being，佛家強調的是『離於有無二邊』的中道。《雜阿含》262經中，闡陀向阿難說到他畏懼「無我」與「空」的教說，阿難引《佛為迦旃延所說經》：『如是正觀世間集者，不生世間無見；如是正觀世間滅者，不生世間有見』，所以如來離於二邊，說於中道。」

「佛家的『空』不等於『無』，因為『無』見將陷於一邊，這就時闡陀原先之所以會畏懼『空』的原因——他把『空』視作『無』而生起了斷滅的恐慌。而佛陀的離於二邊，說於中道，正好破除了『無』之邊見。」

Question:

鄭教授又問：

「在一般分類中，佛家是屬於自力宗教。但這並不是一個很理想的分類法，因為基督宗教也並非完全不講自力，但是基督教的宗教經驗，一定會講到與『祂者』相遇的經驗，而且這個祂者是個『全然的祂者』（holy other），從這裡來認識自己。請問：佛教有沒有對於 holy other 這樣的宗驗？」

Answer:

昭慧法師回答：

「佛家無論解脫道還是菩薩道，都是要透過自己的力量。當然，也透過明師與善知識的教導，信眾的護持、社會的支持，這是因緣和合的因緣生法，因此成就也不純粹是來自『自力』，但還是以自力為主軸。」

「至於與『祂者』相遇的經驗，在解脫道與菩薩道的正常道，是比較沒有，但是菩薩道中的方便道──念佛法門，把心念全然地繫緣在佛陀，而不是在自己。這種心念的運作機制，與基督教與 holy other 相遇的經驗不完全相同。原因是，即使念佛念到於定中見到佛陀的影像現前，甚至聽到佛陀說話，都依然知道這是『唯心所現』、是『因緣生法』，並非真實的 holy other 現在面前。這就是所謂的『念佛三昧』，它基本上還是自力的。但為何要把佛陀當做念茲在茲的對象？其功用在於無形中的潛移默化，在專注地向佛認同的過程中，逐漸地提升自己；在敬仰佛陀，以佛陀為典範，向佛陀看齊的虔敬心中，以精進力趨向佛道。」

文章出處：善待問者如撞鐘 —— 一段精彩的的宗教對談 (釋淨慧記錄)

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Our Society

Christian evangelists take advantage of the poverty, illiteracy and innocence of villagers in India

7 mins 22 secs into the video, Nabbi Ram Singh related his shocking observation:

“Once I was called to a village for some antenna work. When my two friends and I had finished their work, we passed a local church on our way to the car.

There were about 250 poor people waiting to go inside the church. 3 priests, in long white ropes, were ordering these people to step on pictures of different Hindu Gods, which they had placed on the steps of the church. This was to prove that they had renounced the Hindu Gods by converting into Christianity.

Later, it came to my knowledge, that they were also ordered to burn pictures of our Hindu Gods. My friends and I were very shocked, because if you stepped on pictures of Hindu Gods, it’s very difficult to return to the Hindu faith.

Poor people choose to become Christians, because the Church promised them advantages, things that would take the Indian government a long time to deliver, and they promised them healing from all diseases just by coming to the Sunday prayers in the church.”

Found via Fundamentally Wrong.