mrmoderate

Buddhism is more of a spiritual philosophy than a god based religion. The Buddha himself was very opposed to his being referred to as a god and forbade images of himself to be made. That lasted for nearly 400 years before the big fat Buddhas started being made in his honor. The fact that they were fat is a tribute to The Buddha not wanting his image to be made. Since The Buddha ate just enough to keep him alive and healthy the fat Buddha is almost an anti-Buddha.

The Buddha himself was a teacher and so it stands to reason that his teachings be continually taught to others. I suppose this could be considered evangelizing if one thinks of Buddhism as a faith.

The Evil One

And Islam, and Scientology.

Evangelism is rarer in polytheism because pagans have the ability to assume that other people are worshipping the same gods under different names (so the Romans could say without a blush that the Britons worshipped Mercury and Athena) or even just a real god they haven't heard of yet. No need to evangelise.

Toto

Actually, the story is that the Buddha tried asceticism, and fasted until finally enlightenment hit him, and he realized that was not the way. There are statues of the Buddha with his ribs sticking out illustrating his ascentic phase. The well-nourished Buddhas show him after he realized that eating is OK.

I just realized that this is another parallel between the Buddha and Jesus. John the Baptist was an ascetic who lived in the desert and ate bugs. Jesus came after him, eating and drinking, so that people accused him of being a glutton and a drunkard, according to Matt 11:

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."

Fr.Andrew

(Fr Andrew): A 2nd coming?

spin

The churches around here recently all proudly announced "he has risen", which made me wonder what they would put on their outdoor billboards after he has breakfast. Now you are interested in his sex life. I don't look forward to reports of the toiletry habits.

Moses was supposed to come back to lead his people once again. And Malachi tells us that Elijah, who had been once, would be sent before the great and terrible day of the Lord.


spin

GakuseiDon

I think the Zoroasterists believe in a kind of a second coming, though it may be via the "seed of Zoroaster".

IIRC, don't Buddhists believe that there is going to be one more final Buddha?

Fr.Andrew

(Fr Andrew):

shunyadragon

I would have to go back and check, but I think human scrafice by Ireal's chosen is described in the OT as to have taken place at least several times.

Mistake on my part what I thought was sacrafice was the demand of God in 2Sam 21:6-9 to deliver bring seven sons of the people of Isreal and hand them over to the Gibeonites and hang them on the hill before the Lord.

They were put to death in the days of the harvest of the Barley.

This was more Godly vengence on the sins of their fathers than sacrafice.

But it is interesting that theywere offered up at the time of the harvest.