This is Just Like My Childhood…

Sell him a western-fashioned materialistic value structure?

Wooohoo iPods and Nikes all around!

This man must know about Jesus
Can you think of some ways to help him.

Well, I think its pretty obvious. He’s been “knowing Jesus” and Buddha is ticked off and has knocked him down. My advice would be to stay the heck away from Jesus.

Here is a man of India.
He is praying to his god.
His god cannot help him.
This man must know about Jesus.
Can you think of some ways to help him?

Ooh, ooh! (raising my hand and waving frantically) Yes! Go to his country uninvited with preachers and priests backed up with lots of soldiers who have weapons far superior to anything the locals have, give them some diseases that they have never been exposed to, show off our technological superiority and wealth, tell the common people that our culture is superior in this way because our god is the right one and theirs is the wrong one, give them food and medicine and selll them junk that they never needed before, make them envy our technology and wealth, in the meantime strike secret deals with their leaders to plunder their natural resources using them as cheap labor, foment enmity between different groups that used to get along, start orphanages where the kids can be indoctrinated into believing in our god and in our superiority, send them out as the second wave of preachers and priests still backed up with plenty of soldiers, obliterate their language, their art, their music, their poetry, their love of their own country, teach them to fear death and feel guilt about sex, and finally praise them for seeing the true way to god even though they can’t be entirely worthy because it took them so long, unlike us who had it right the first time.

Then we will have helped him.

Richard…. wrong answer.

How do we know? Too many words.

Here’s the right answer:

Bollywood Jesus, the MUSICAL!

Send the man a free copy of “The God Delusion?”

Siamang,
What a reprehensible abomination is that video! The implication that the filthy, ragged and diseased cripple is cured is the most vile lie among so many lies. Ughh! I need a bath.

I like how he starts to dance at the end!

All Praise the Power of Bollywood!

What Richard Wade said.

But most importantly, melt down that Buddha and shape it into Jesus, then worship Jesus!

Actually according to Christianity you aren’t supposed to make graven images of any sort. That includes Jesus. While you’ll still see pictures of Jesus you will see very few, if any, Christians actually worshipping the image itself.

You have to tell him that he is going to burn in hell forever. Maybe make a website for these heathens. Call it GodHatesBuddhists, maybe the folks at Westboro could help.

I came across this image a long time ago. I can’t remember where, but the source claimed it was a page out of a child’s Christian coloring book.

Actually according to Christianity you aren’t supposed to make graven images of any sort. That includes Jesus. While you’ll still see pictures of Jesus you will see very few, if any, Christians actually worshipping the image itself.

Check out Mexico some time. There are hundreds of statues of Mary that are reputed to do miraculous things, from weeping tears of blood to curing the sick. Their shirines are littered with flowers, money, even bottles of tequilla, anything of value to be left as tribute and offering for favors. It isn’t just about the person the statue is supposed to represent. It has to be that statue. These people probably think the Chucky movies are real.

I’m confused. Is that man’s god really little? It’s just that he’s lying down in front of that cool statue and looking at the ground so I guess his god must be ant sized or something. We could help him by buying a magnifying glass for him but I’d be concerned that he’d use it to direct the suns rays at his god so it bursts into flame.

Maybe Jesus is the name of the local optician. “Hey, short sighted guy, yeah you lying down near that statue. Go see Jesus for a free eye exam. Buy one pair of glasses and get a second one free.” I hope that helped him.

I came across this image a long time ago. I can’t remember where, but the source claimed it was a page out of a child’s Christian coloring book.

You’re right. It seems uncannily familiar to me, as if I’d been given this same coloring book as a child.

This is a man of India (or so we suppose). He’s not praying to his god. Buddha is not a god. He’s a man who’s supposed to have discovered some great truths, put them into practice and offered them to the world. If he’s done everything right, he’s now in a place called Nirvana. There he can’t hear you, even less answer your prayers. I’m not an expert in Buddhism, but I think this is how it goes.

Now, obviously, the man is misguided. He should definitely pray to Bastet, and perhaps then he’ll be graced with a blessing from her; that is, a cat will come to him and rub its head on his ankles. Which is more than enough to brighten up the day of a poor suffering man.

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”
-Buddha

Ok, I may be wrong about this, but if this man is in India, would he not be much more likely to be worshipping Brahma, Vishnu, or Shiva (Hinduism) OR reading the Quran (Islam)?

Not that the producer of this cartoon would care and not that Christian children would know, but does anyone know the actual percentage of Buddhists in India?

No, Spurs Fan, you’re exactly right. India is about 80% Hindu, 15% Muslim, with the rest being divided among other major world religions and local ones. There are more Christians than Buddhists in India.

But it’s a propaganda coloring book for children. Facts or a sober assessment of reality aren’t really top priorities here.

Thanks chancelikely….the fact about Christians outnumbering Buddhist in India really hits the nail on the head of the problem: Facts are not important.

Thanks Hoverfrog, for a good laugh.

NyCatheist, right on, the Buddha is reputed to have said many similar things.

Spurs Fan and chancelikely, yep, the coloring/intoctrination book doesn’t give a rat’s ass about correct information. Even the statue is a Japanese style Buddha figure, something you won’t find in India.

Whatever. The devoted practice of ignorance leaves such artifacts of nonsense in its wake everywhere.

Check out the ghost image from the opposite side of the page. It looks like people holding streamers from a departing ocean liner. What the heck is that?

These people are on the Titanic.
Most of them are going to die in ice water.
Their god cannot help them.
Oh wait, that’s our god.
Never mind.

Christophe Thill,
Yeah, you have it generally correct. Some Buddhists in various regions in a way worship the Buddha as a deity, but it’s still not exactly the same as the Western notion of a deity.

I’m going to burn some incense for Bastet. Maybe my cat will rub my ankle and cheer me up. She only wants affection when she wants it, not when I want it. But that’s a cat, and that’s why I like them. Freethinkers.

That image looks like something out of a Sunday school lesson book. I read many of them as a kid, and the sentiments were similar: How can we save the heathens who don’t know Jesus?

Answer: give money, pray, give money, grow up and be a missionary. Oh, and don’t forget to give money.

This pic reminds me of a joke I heard:

—
Eskimo: “If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?”
Priest: “No, not if you did not know.”
Eskimo: “Then why did you tell me?”
—

So how can we help that man in front of the statue? Simple. Prevent people from telling him about Jesus

It’s from a Christian coloring book dated 1954.

The coloring book was named “Listen and Do”.

A poll based on it can be found on the WWGHA site.

Karen said,

That image looks like something out of a Sunday school lesson book. I read many of them as a kid, and the sentiments were similar: How can we save the heathens who don’t know Jesus?

Answer: give money, pray, give money, grow up and be a missionary. Oh, and don’t forget to give money.

Yep. That’s about right. Even has a section on how to tithe.

Actually according to Christianity you aren’t supposed to make graven images of any sort. That includes Jesus. While you’ll still see pictures of Jesus you will see very few, if any, Christians actually worshipping the image itself.

That was my joke, though I suppose the whole golden calf thing might be a little random for today.

Actually…

In Hinduism, Buddha is regarded as the ninth incarnation of Vishnu, following Ram and Krishna. (source)

So, just introduce him to Jesus, who is also considered to be an avatar in (some forms of) Hinduism. Problem solved.

Yep. That’s about right. Even has a section on how to tithe.

Ha! That’s funny. Nice to know my memory is still sharp. 1954 is before my time, but I bet this one or something close to it was still in use in my Sunday school days.