Summary of Basic Beliefs of Various Religious Faiths With people from at least 62 different nationalities currently living in Cleveland and Bradley County, you are going to find a great diversity of cultures and of religions in our community. It is important for you and your team to be aware of the different faiths you will encounter among those whom you will be trying to reach with the Gospel. This section gives a brief background and explanation of the some prominent belief systems you may encounter. Always remember that, as Christians, our responsibility is to represent Christ first and foremost . When you meet people, always be considerate and friendly, asks questions and listen to the answers to try to know everything you can about the person and his/her beliefs BEFORE you try to witness to them. And allow them to ask questions. When you answer, try to refer them to Scripture and to focus their attention on Jesus Christ and His work. Avoid confrontations or controversies of any kind. And please concentrate on planting the seeds of the Gospel; do not worry about the harvest. That will come in time. Tips for Relating with Persons from Any Religious Faith 1. Ask questions and listen to answers before you speak. them? (i.e., if a Mormon says they practice Mormonism Try to understand and work to befriend people before because of an emphasis on family values, point out that you try to present the Gospel. Christ offers ultimate adoption as a child of God.) 2. Remember that just as in Christianity, each individual 3. Keep it personal. Sliding into a theoretical debate will practices his or her religion differently. Very few people rarely change anyone’s perspective. Your story of how practice the pure unadulterated ideal of a specific Christ has changed your life is your most valuable tool. religion. When talking to people who claim to be 4. Do not laugh at or criticize another viewpoint. People are Buddhist, Hindu, etc., do not attack the principles you misled, and some cults and religions may strike you as may know of the religion. Ask questions to discover ridiculous. But people place their eternal souls in the where that person is on their spiritual journey. Did they care of these beliefs. Laughing them off will not touch choose their religion, or is it primarily a cultural anyone’s life. The devil prowls like a roaring lion, identifier? What aspects of their religion helped them seeking whom he may devour — by making cults and choose to practice it and what does Christ have to offer false teachings seem reasonable and redemptive. Religious Faiths Buddhism Other key doctrines: • Eternal Life : Believe nothing in life is permanent. Founded by Siddhartha Gautama, a prince from northern • Souls : Individual selves do not truly exist, but in India, near modern Nepal, who lived from 536 - 483 BC. relation to others. We are all related to a greater whole Buddhism was founded as a form of atheism : rejecting the of consciousness. belief in a permanent, personal, creator god (Ishvara) who • Karma controlled the eternal destiny of human souls. This is an : An impersonal law of moral causation impersonal religion of self-perfection where the ultimate (karma) determines all. “What goes around comes around.” end is death and is closely related to the New Age • Movement. The goal is eventual assimilation into a great Reincarnation : Souls continue on an endless cycle of whole of spirituality, losing your “self.” human suffering, being reborn until they are able to There are three main schools within Buddhism: live a perfect life. The goal of life is to break out of Theravada (doctrine of the Elders), Mahayana (Greater this cycle by finally extinguishing the flame of life and Vehicle), and Vajrayana (Tantrism or Lamaism). The entering the permanent state of pure nonexistence: Buddhist belief system is founded on four Noble Truths, The Nirvana. (Many believe Nirvana is achieved when Noble Eightfold Path, and several additional key doctrines. perfect life is accomplished.) • The four Noble Truths are: 1) Life is full of suffering, 2) Buddha : Buddha was the only man believed to have Suffering is caused by craving, 3) Suffering only ceases achieved nirvana. He is not a god/deity, but a role when cravings cease, and 4) This can be achieved by model. following the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Key question: Ask how one is supposed to achieve the Path refers to: right views, right aspirations, right speech, perfection of the noble 8-fold path? (We, as people, are right livelihood, right conduct, right effort, right imperfect , and can only improve with the help of Christ.) contemplation, right mindfulness. When Witnessing To Buddhists • Theosis (literally, “divinization”), the gradual 1. Avoid terms such as “new birth,” “rebirth,” process by which Christians become more and more “regeneration,” or “born again.” Use alternatives like Christ. such as “endless freedom from suffering, guilt, and • Equal authority of Church Tradition and Scripture sin,” “new power for living a holy life,” “promise of • Discouragement of individuals interpreting the Bible eternal good life without suffering,” or “gift of apart from tradition unlimited merit.” • The perpetual virginity of Mary 2. Emphasize the uniqueness of Christ. • Prayer for the dead 3. Focus on the gospel message and do not get • Baptism of infants without reference to individual distracted by details of Buddhist doctrine. responsibility and faith 4. Understand Buddhist beliefs enough to discern • The possibility of salvation after death weaknesses that can be used to make the gospel • The possibility of losing salvation appealing (see “Bridges for Evangelizing Buddhists” and “Jesus and the Eightfold Path”) Witnessing to members of Eastern Orthodox churches: 5. While using bridge concepts (see “Bridges for Most Orthodox beliefs are in agreement with Roman Evangelizing Buddhists”) be careful not to reduce Catholic beliefs —and many are in direct conflict with the Christian truth to a form of Buddhism. Buddhism Bible— . Similarly, when witnessing to members of the has been good at accommodating other religions. Do Eastern Orthodox churches you may follow the same not say “Buddhism is good, but Christianity is principles as when witnessing to Roman Catholics: easier.” 1. Remember that salvation does not depend on church 6. Share your own testimony, especially your freedom membership, but comes through faith in Jesus Christ from guilt, assurance of heaven (no more pain), and (Eph. 2:8-9). personal relationship with Christ. 2. Pray and trust in the Holy Spirit to use the gospel 7. Prepare with prayer. Do not witness in your own message to reach the hearts and minds of those who strength. are lost. 3. Share a testimony of your personal faith in Jesus Eastern Orthodox Church Christ as your Lord and Savior. Your testimony of The Eastern Orthodox Church is not a single church but what Jesus has accomplished in your life can have a rather a family of 13 self-governing bodies, denominated by great impact on them. Keep your testimony short. the nation in which they are located (e.g., the Greek Avoid using terms that are unfamiliar to Easter Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, etc.). They are united in their Orthodox, such as: “walked the aisle,” “got saved,” understanding of the sacraments, doctrine, liturgy, and and “born again.” church government, but each administers its own affairs. The 4. Share the assurance of salvation that God's grace five largest Orthodox bodies in the world are: Russian (70 to gives you. Make sure that you communicate that 100 million), Romanian (over 15 million), Greek (over 13 your assurance is derived from trusting Jesus and not million), Serbian (over 8 million), and Bulgarian (over 7 from your good works or your ability to remain million). There are over 6 million Orthodox people in the faithful (1 John 5:13). United States. 5. Give them a Bible and point them to the New The head of each Orthodox church is called a “patriarch” Testament. Point out texts that explain salvation. or “metropolitan.” The patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul, (Rom. 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9, 13; John 3:16; Eph. 2:8- Turkey) is considered the “ecumenical” or universal 9.) patriarch. He is the closest thing to the Pope in the Roman 6. Avoid getting bogged down with secondary issues Catholic Church, however, while the Pope is known as “the that are not central to salvation. vicar of the Son of God”, the bishop of Constantinople is 7. Keep the gospel presentation Christ-centered. known as “the first amongst equals”. He enjoys special 8. Be patient. As with Catholics, they need to be lead honor, but he has no power to interfere with the 12 other to salvation through Bible study and that takes time. Orthodox communions. Hinduism Basic Beliefs: Originated in India around 1500 BC - 2500 BC. An • Like the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox estimated 1.5 - 2 million Hindus practice in the US. In Church claims to be the one true church of Christ, Hinduism, no single creed or final truth exists. Hinduism and seeks to trace its origin back to the original originates from a pagan background in which forces of nature apostles through an unbroken chain of apostolic and human heroes are personified as gods and goddesses. succession. • These gods and goddesses are commonly worshiped with Trinity prayers and offerings. • The Bible as the Word of God There are two types of Hinduism: Popular Hinduism, • Jesus as God the Son, characterized by the worship of gods through offerings, • No justification by faith rituals, and prayers, and Philosophical Hinduism, characterized by a complex belief system practiced by those Islam who study ancient texts, meditate, and practice yoga.