For many reasons, I'm going to be vague about this, but let me explain the situation. I belong to a church. This church is part of a group of churches in the local area. The "group" (as a whole, so not just my church) owned a local property that they often used for (spiritual) getaways. For example, when I was younger, my church took us to this property over the weekend a couple of times and much to my spiritual benefit! Some might assume the worst about such situations, but this was actually, sincerely, a wonderful place for me - nothing bad happened there, we genuinely learned about God and about Jesus there. It was at this place that I sent my prayer about the fighting, about the hate-filled life I was leading. That prayer to God is what set in motion everything that led me to as good of a place as I am right now. I still have a ways to go, we all always will, but I have improved so much through God's grace in that situation, I can hardly describe it.
So I was upset to hear that they didn't have the money to keep the property and might have to sell it.
They ended up having to sell it. Surely there were a number of people interested in this property, it was a beautiful building with plenty of woods and stuff.
Apparently, according to this paper, the property was originally purchased years and years ago for the purpose of training for church leadership. For a long time now, this property has been used to welcome people of various backgrounds to help people develop awareness in the world, or something.
And so they sold the quote "holy" property to Buddhists.
They did so hoping to remain faithful to the original intent of the people there. Buddhism doesn't sound very much like training for Christian church leadership, but what do I know?
Look, the fact is, this is highly non-Christian behavior of them. People today like to think that Buddhism isn't that bad in Christian terms since, hey, at least it promotes peace, right? Nothing can be bad if it promotes peace! But it can be. Jesus didn't come to Earth to bring peace, but a sword. Also, at the end of the day, though Buddhism may teach some nice-sounding values, the belief still denies Jesus Christ, and the Father. It still teaches things contrary to the Holy Bible, and that's dressed-up blasphemy. Blasphemy sounds like a harsh word, but let's be honest with ourselves here, it still is. You don't have to run around and burn churches and make band logos with inverted crosses in them to be blasphemous. It's all wrong in the eyes of the Father, and now this property that was originally used to bring people to God is now being used to lead people away from Him.
I can hardly believe that information about a Buddhist center looking to "chant" "Buddha's name" was located anywhere on a paper given to me at my church. I do not hate Buddhists, I don't hate anyone, but I cannot respect the belief itself. I can't accept that the place that helped rekindle my relationship with the true and living God is now owned by people seeking to worship lies. Then the "group" of churches, the one which released the statement, have the nerve to gleefully write that a Buddhist center will be established on quote "holy" ground.
They call this, and I quote, "exciting and extraordinary", claiming that the spiritual quest of Buddhism mirrors our own. IT DOES NOT!!! I mean no disrespect to Buddhist people here, even though I know how this will sound, but Buddhism as a belief is blasphemous lies set forth by the adversary, deceptive, denying the truth that he's always trying to hide. The only difference is, Buddhism doesn't look as bad to unfocused eyes because it teaches some nice values.
The statement suggests that they fully embrace the fact that Buddhists will own the quote "holy" property, and have no intent to do anything about it. This always looks like love to unfocused eyes, because you're "being respectful" by being "tolerant" and not pushing your views which they clearly do not want to hear. This is not love. True love is spreading the word of God, true love is prohibiting other beliefs from spreading whenever possible, because God is truth, Christ is our savior, and Hell as bad as it sounds awaits anyone who doesn't see those truths. Avoiding the truth is lying, a principle which almost anybody recognizes, and by being silent, people are allowing the lost souls to go to Hell. That doesn't sound very much like love to me. Don't be ashamed to spread the word! It's like when your parents took something harmful away from you as a child. You wanted it, but it would have hurt you. Out of love, parents take sharp, harmful things away so that their children will be safe and happy. We are to do likewise with our friends, with others in this world. They want something else, but it WILL hurt them. Our duty is to spread the word so that they can be safe in God's love. This sounds like hatred, but it IS NOT. It's love, it's concern for our neighbors, it's hope that others can have the grace of God in their lives, too. This isn't hatred. It's love.
May God bless you all according to His perfect will. May God help our local group of churches. They are severely misled as it is. Maybe they will see it and repent, just as I did. God's will be done. In Jesus' name. Amen.
The statement ends with a prayer from a reverend from many years ago who wanted the property to bring forth good fruit for the kingdom of God. You can't imagine how sad reading that makes me.
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