How I Start a Conversation with a BUDDHIST
Greg and Amy discuss thoughtful approaches to engage Buddhists with Christianity by gently questioning their beliefs about guilt, suffering, and life’s ultimate goal. They highlight Buddhism’s lack of an effective answer to human guilt and contrast this with Christianity’s clear provision of forgiveness through Jesus. They also point out Buddhism’s ultimate aim—personal extinction or nirvana—and suggest that Christians ask whether this outcome truly satisfies human longing. Greg emphasizes Christianity’s historical reliability, contrasting it with Buddhism’s unverifiable claims. They encourage confident conversations about Christianity’s grounded, public truth claims.
#StandtoReason #Apologetics #Christianity #STRask #Worldviews #Tactics #Evangelism
————— SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION —————
If you’d like to submit your question ahead of time for the Stand to Reason broadcast, or if you’d like to submit a question for the #STRask podcast, fill out our form at https://www.str.org/broadcast.
————— FIND MORE FREE TRAINING —————
Website: https://www.str.org/
Stand to Reason University: https://training.str.org/
Stand to Reason Apps: https://www.str.org/apps
————— CONNECT —————
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STRtweets
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standtoreason93
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standtoreason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stand-to-reason/
————— GIVE —————
Support the work of Stand to Reason: https://str.org/donate
source
share with the one that they are the joy in Hebrews 12:2 all other worldviews fade away
love brothers that are positive irritants in our lives
Worshiping God is about remembering and embracing our true identity as a holy and loved Creation of God, extending that love to others, and allowing God's presence to fill our mind and transform our perceptions.
I think it depends. Vast majority of Buddhists worship Buddha as God. A divine being. It’s a ritual. In the west, white Americans who pick up Buddhism are kinda seculars.
As an ex-Buddhist, I think what you're saying is good for someone who isn't deeply into Buddhism, but not so effective for someone who really knows the religion. I've never encountered a Christian apologist who knows the religion well enough to offer good objections to it, sad to say.
Thanks, my brother from the UK became a Buddhist about 20 years ago. At the time I was totally happy for him, however having recently returned to Christianity I've started to see things differently. Trying to gain some resources to talk respectfully to him, I really like the apologetic approach of asking questions.
As an Asian from a Buddhist family who was graciously saved by the Lord and is now an evangelical Christian:
1. I think most Asian Buddhists (including most of my relatives) don't really have a deep knowledge of Buddhism (e.g. Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism). It's more of a general cultural belief about Buddha and Buddhism mixed in with other cultural beliefs, even subconsciously, such as Confucianism's rituals and respect for hierarchical family relations, and so forth. I say this because it's actually fairly straightforward to share the gospel with most Buddhists without needing to have a deep knowledge of Buddhism. Most Asians from a Buddhist background have the same or similar existential questions as most Americans or Europeans or other Westerners. In that respect, it's quite possible to share Jesus with them just like with any other human being.
2. For those who are more knowledgeable and even devoutly Buddhist, I think it's helpful to read evangelical scholars like Harold Netland and Win Corduan on Buddhism, because they're very knowledgeable about Buddhism as well as served as missionaries to Japan and India and worked with Asians in Asian cultures and subcultures within the US and Europe. Vern Poythress is a polymath who has written on many different things including Confucianism which is often helpful to know too. His wife also served as a missionary in Taiwan, while he has taught many Asian students. Their comments on Eastern beliefs are enlightening as well.
3. For me, the big thing that opened my eyes about Buddhisn was this. Buddhism is correct in seeing the fact of suffering and pain and in a qualified sense evil in this world, in that it rightly saw suffering and evil are pervasive, within us and around us. However, Buddhism's ultimate answer to suffering and evil is detachment from the world, from one's desires, from love and joy and so on, and finally from oneself in the end. Hence the eye opening bit for me was that Buddhism correctly diagnosed the problem of suffering and evil, but it incorrectly prescribed the wrong treatment of detachment. Or at least that it's treatment is like trying to get rid of the cancer by killing the entire person. Sure, it "works", but it doesn't save the person. Rather it "works" only because both the cancer and the person are now gone. And ironically "nirvana" itself (which means extinguishment as in extinguishing the light, that is, snuffing out the person like one snuffs out a candle) is a great evil or something along those lines.
I would like another video discussion of specific questions to ask that don't lead to religious relativism. This is helpful to me as I have been lacking in conversation tools that are of an objective quality.
Great discussion.