[Buddha-l] "The Demise of Buddhism in Asia"

[Curt Steinmetz]

Below is the first portion (half or so) of a fascinating book review - 
the whole thing can be found at:
http://www.bswa.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=42506&topic_id=3919&forum=9

The Demise of Buddhism in Asia - An informative book review
Reviewed by Allen Carr
June 2008
LankaWeb

Peoples of the Buddhist World by Paul Hattaway, Piquant Editions, 
Carlisle, 2004.
Reviewed by Allen Carr

Some Western drug companies spend millions of dollars developing and 
marketing a new drug only to have the health authorities later discover 
that it has dangerous side-effects and then ban it. Needing to recover 
their investment and unable to sell their drug in the West some of these 
companies try to market their dangerous products in the Third World 
where public awareness of health issues is low and indifferent 
governments can be brought off. Some might say that Christianity is a 
bit like this.



Having lost much of their following in the West, churches are now 
beginning to look for opportunities elsewhere. Of course the Islamic 
world is out of the question. Even the most optimistic evangelist knows 
that the chance of spreading the Gospel amongst Muslims is nil. The 
obvious targets are Africa, India and the Buddhist countries of Asia. 
There are now several evangelical organizations dedicated just too 
evangelizing Buddhists. The Asia Pacific Institute of Buddhist Studies 
in the Philippines offers missionaries in-depth courses in Buddhist 
doctrine, the languages of Buddhist countries and the sociology of 
various Buddhist communities – the better to know the enemy.

The Central Asia Fellowship is geared specifically to spreading the 
Gospel amongst Tibetans. The Overseas Missionary Fellowship is 'an 
acknowledged authority on Buddhism' and 'is available to conduct 
training sessions and seminars, give presentations and speak on how 
Christians can work effectively in the Buddhist world.' The Sonrise 
Centre for Buddhist Studies and the South Asia Network are both on-line 
communities providing missionaries with detailed, accurate and 
up-to-date information useful for evangelizing Buddhists. Make no 
mistake, these are not small ad-hock groups. They are large, 
well-financed, superbly run organizations staffed by highly motivated 
and totally dedicated people and they are in it for the long haul.

A book called Peoples of the Buddhist World has recently been published 
by one of the leaders of this new evangelical assault on Buddhism. The 
book's 453 pages offer missionaries and interested Christians a complete 
profile of 316 Buddhist ethnic and linguistic groups in Asia, from the 
Nyenpa of central Bhutan to the Kui of northern Cambodia, from the 
Buriats of the Russian Far East to the Sinhalese of Sri Lanka.

There is a detailed breakdown of the size of each group, how many call 
themselves Buddhists and how many actually know and practice it, which 
languages they speak, their strengths and how to overcome them, their 
weaknesses and how to take advantage of them, an overview of their 
history, their culture and the best ways to evangelize them.

The book is filled with fascinating and beautiful color photos of all of 
these peoples, many of them little-known. It makes one very sad to think 
that these gentle, smiling, innocent folk are in now in the sights of 
worldly-wise missionaries determined to undermine their faith and 
destroy their ancient cultures. However, Hattaway book is also 
interesting for the lurid glimpse it gives into the bizarre mentality 
and the equally bizarre theology of the evangelical Christians. In the 
preface Hattaway asks, "Does it break God's heart today that hundreds of 
millions of Buddhists are marching to hell with little or no gospel 
witness? Does it break the Savior's heart that millions worship lifeless 
idols instead of the true, glorious Heavenly Father?"