Church Planting Institute Japan

[eisuke90210]

Christianity is a false cult that has NOTHING to do with the true teachings of Jesus Christ. You evil Xtian missionaries are truly the most shameless liars and deceptive devils. Jesus (peace be upon him) warned us of you when he said: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are." [Matthew 23:15] Death to Protestant Evangelicals & Fundamentalists!

[jondesu]

BTW, I should also point out that a large portion of the 300+ attendees at this upcoming CPI conference will be Japanese pastors and church planters. Not Americans or Europeans or any other gaijin, but Japanese. They see the pain in their own culture, and they want to make a difference. Why don't you tell them how beautiful the Japanese culture is and that they're ruining it? These are people that truly love their country, and want the best for it.

[jondesu]

Wait... you're telling me not to practice my religion because I should be tolerant of other religions? Do you not see how absurd that logic is?  Evangelism is one of the most important things a Christian can do (it's referred to as the Great Commission), and it's a GOOD thing. We're not out to destroy every other culture. There are a lot of good things to learn from the Japanese. Their religion is not one of them. There's a reason 80% of them have claimed that they have no personal religion.

[socksumi]

Fine to minister to the willing but if practicing your religion includes imposing or pressuring it on others then your belief system is inherently intolerant indeed. It's one thing to allow others to come to you but to organize an strong campaign to convert others away from their own beliefs is wrong. Would you like it if the Muslims (or others) tried to convert your family and friends and told you it was a "good thing"?

Realize this too that Buddhism is not really a religion.

[socksumi]

I have known so many Japanese and I can tell you they are not lost. They may be atheist because of a strong reverence for reason and science and modernity but their morality and social mores retain a strong Buddhist influence.

And your religion is NOT superior to theirs (Buddhism or Shintoism) and I;m not endorsing these beliefs over yours either. This has never been proven in theory or in practice. History will bear that out.

[jondesu]

When was it suggested that there was any imposing or pressuring? The missionaries in Japan spend years there developing friendships and relationships in order to share their beliefs. It is not some in-your-face sales pitch, it's a true caring relationship. That, btw, is what Christianity is. A deep, true relationship with Christ. There are many who refuse to consider it a religion as well, because it is not focused on morality, but on relationship.

[jondesu]

You're very insightful. Did you also know that Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, especially among teens? I think there's a problem there.

Besides, if you knew that someone was going to die an awful death, and that all that they had to do to prevent it was change something about their behavior, and if you didn't tell them that they would die, wouldn't it be horribly irresponsible not to tell them? Criminal even?

That's why Christians feel compelled to share the Gospel.

[socksumi]

Japan's suicide rate is a little beside the point. It is well down the list compared to many countries. Sorry but it is not relevant as I'm sure that is NOT the reason you choose Japan to proselytize. Be honest.

Sorry but you don't know someone is going to die an awful death. You know nothing about any given individual. You are targeting your faith indiscriminately at anyone.

How would you feel if Japan ran an aggressive campaign in the US to convert your family and friends to Buddhism?

[jondesu]

I wanted to comment specifically on this one, btw. I believe (as have Christians since the early church) that anyone who does not trust Christ as their savior, accepting His sacrifice for them, will suffer the consequences of their sins and spend eternity separated from God (the ultimate meaning of Hell), which is the worst possible fate imaginable. Thus, while we may not always know personal information about each person we choose to share the Gospel with, the motive is always clear.

[jondesu]

Seeing things from our perspective would change a great deal of things when it comes to your opinion of Christian evangelism, I believe.

Since you seem to intend to be tolerant, but have so far chosen to exclude Christians from your acceptable level of tolerance, please take a moment to access your perception of this issue. I think you'll find it makes a big difference to understand why we do what we do.

[socksumi]

Sorry, but I do include all beliefs (including Christianity) in my "acceptable level of tolerance"... As long as those beliefs are themselves tolerant. Are yours tolerant? I have been threatened with hell for being an atheist by certain Christians who proclaim (without prove) their pinched view of existence as the only acceptable belief system. I speak only of fundamentalist Christians as such a threat would be unthinkable to any moderate Christians who I know (one of whom I am married to).

[socksumi]

You say "I believe". That is fine but what you need to understand is that everyone has beliefs which need to be respected as long as they themselves tolerate the beliefs of others. Does Christianity tolerate other beliefs? It make me wonder as you said -- "which is the worst possible fate imaginable". Please explain what you mean by this. Exactly what is this fate? If it IS some horrible punishment for failure to believe then that definitely disqualifies Christianity from being tolerant.

[socksumi]

I think you need to be tolerant of the belief systems in other cultures. The Japanese (a beautiful people, I love them) can teach us a thing or two regarding wisdom, spirituality and culture. They ARE an advance civilization and your desire to impose your own belief system on them is (I believe) arrogant and condescending.

But I forget; we are dealing with fundamentalist Christianity. It's doctrines are rigid and there IS no room for tolerance (only HELL) for those who believe differently.

[socksumi]

Japan (currently) is one of the most advanced, civilized, low crime rate countries in the world.

It should come as no surprise that they are also the most atheistic. There is a strong correlation indeed. Just leave them alone.