Our Teenage Buddhist Exchange Students experience Hindu Temple & Muslim Mosque tonight

[1Tim215Mommy]

Since they have visited a Hindu Temple and a Mosque, are you planning a trip to a Catholic church and a Jewish Temple, too? Might as well be thorough

Going to a Catholic church and speaking with a priest (would be totally awesome if he spoke Japanese or another adult there did) might help them better understand the 1 God, 3 Persons concept.

Also, totally agree with RoseMary131.

My original plan was to finish off the evenings outings by going to a Catholic Adoration Chapel, but with the Hindus & Muslims being so hospitiable both took about twice as long than I anticipated and my baby was getting too fussy and needed to be taken home, bathed & put to bed. We still maybe able to fit in a trip to a Catholic Adoration Chapel, but if they already think the Trinity is the funniest idea ever I’m not sure I want to top it off by revealing the idea of a piece of bread being God. In Orthodoxy, one of our prayers includes this phrase, “I will not reveal your Mysteries to your enemies” not that I think these wonderful girls are God’s enemies, But I think if they heard it, it would close them off from Ever considering Christianity as possibly being the true Faith.

On Sunday, they will come with me to our Orthodox Church, then to the park & then to the mountains.

As far as Judisim, no I don’t think so. For one thing, to be Jewish, you have to be born to a Jewish woman and for another, the local Jewish Synogue charges huge fees for seating - per my daughter’s Jewish friend and I don’t have any where near the amount of money they require for 1 seat, let alone for all of us. It’s very isolationist and elitist.

 

[1Tim215Mommy]

Which Buddhist school of thought do they follow? I’ve never known any Buddhists nor read any Buddhist texts that claim Buddha is a God. Some Hindu’s on the other hand view Buddha as an avatar of Vishu.

I don’t know there were schools of thought in Buddhism as there are for Hinduism. These girls were born & raised Buddhist in Japan.

 

[1Tim215Mommy]

During a discussion with a Hindu lady friend of mine at work, I told her that Jesus rose from the dead and she told me that was the craziest thing she ever heard. End of discussion.

Yes, Christianity does sound crazy doesn’t it. Don’t they always say, ‘It’s either insane or it’s Truth!’

The Hindu Temple was really interesting, especially learning that the god depicted with an elephant head (symbolic of his attributes, not literally his appearance) is both god and the son of god…hmmm sound like someone we know? aka Jesus Christ

 

[1Tim215Mommy]

1. I don’t believe they were intentionally being rude 2. but I can see how someone who is completely foreign to the concept would find it funny. 3. Good thing you didn’t go into the other details with them.

1. Me either. 2. Me too. 3. Right.

 

[rossum]

I don’t know there were schools of thought in Buddhism as there are for Hinduism. These girls were born & raised Buddhist in Japan.

The majority of Buddhists in Japan follow one of the Pure Land denominations, Jodo or Jodo-shinshu. The next largest is Nichiren. Shingon and Zen are also present in some numbers. There are more denominations, but AIUI they are all relatively small.

All of these are Mahayana groups. The Theravada is not present in Japan.

rossum