Church Planting Institute Japan

The Church Planting Institute in Japan is being held this year from November 6-9, 2007. More information at jcpi.net and japancpi.com

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[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.

[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!

[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.

[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.

[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]

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.

[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.

[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.

[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.