I got dizzy watching old family vhs tapes ( past Christmas experiences) ... the camera man couldn't hold the camera steady. So, I went for a walk around the block to clear my head and look at the stars. I saw another figure approaching and smoking a cigarette. I felt a strong urge to talk to this person and find about more about them. I had no idea who it was but I sensed he had no particular place to go and so we struck up a conversation about Kurt Cobain ( former lead singer of Nirvana). The guy was wearing a Nirvana shirt. I discovered he was a buddhist and was only 16 years old. I asked where he learned all this stuff and he said: " my mom." We talked about Jesus being the only way to God and how the gentiles' sacrifices were sacrificed to demons. Even though his cell phone rang 3 times, he never answered it. He said he was really interested in our conversation. If you went out for a walk tonight, would you be ready to defend your faith against Buddhism ? I had to go find some books and rediscover the religion. It basically means this:
1. God is irrelevant because you create your own destiny
2. Nirvana is the goal ( a state of enlightenment)
3. Sins are the cravings you have and can be dealt with by self effort
4. Buddhists have noble goals ( the eightfold path) however... what are the motives behind those behaviors ?
* see " So what's the difference ? " by Fritz Ridenour
This guy's name is Ben Lewis and lives down the street from me so I am hoping to talk to him again. I think he would listen and I am praying that God will open his eyes to the beauty of Christ. I Peter 3:15 says we are supposed to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within us. Are you ready ?
By the way, I came home and we had real interesting discussion about world religions at our house.
