Students Learn to Contrast Buddhism and Christianity
Last week, SCCS sixth graders rose to the challenge during an assignment where they explored the beliefs of Buddhism while learning to defend Christianity. After watching a video about the life of Buddha and reading articles about the core beliefs of Buddhism, students opened their Bibles and found Scripture to address each of the Buddhist beliefs.
“My goal for this assignment was that students would walk away with a basic understanding of Buddhism and be equipped to defend their own Christian faith,” shares Miss Fay. “We are reading a biography on Hudson Taylor, a missionary to China, so Miss Hovey and I wanted to give the students a little background of what Taylor was facing spiritually. I also wanted my students to practice defending their faith against other religions using scripture. My students need to be able to give a reason for what they believe to any person they meet, no matter what religion that person believes. People will not listen to them if they have no evidence; therefore, they must use scripture as their source.”
The class has been studying the book of Romans and looking at what happens to mankind when we attempt to remove God. They have discussed how other religions have arisen out of a desperation to better and “save” oneself. All religion is focused on what man can do, and Buddhism falls under that category. For this lesson, students analyzed Buddhism in light of man’s depravity.
“I think that it is important for students to learn how to defend their faith, especially at a young age,” continues Miss Fay. “I want each of my students to be able to articulate what they believe and why they believe it. If their only reason to believe in Jesus is that it’s what their parents raised them to believe – it is not enough. This will not be solid ground to stand upon when they grow older and experience trials or persecution. If I can encourage students to examine themselves now and explore proof from scripture to back up what they believe, this will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”
As students flexed their critical thinking and apologetics muscles, they were asked to make this assignment personal and consider their own beliefs.
“This is a very important time in one’s life where we are forced to examine what we believe about life, ourselves and most importantly, God,” shares Miss Fay. “Sixth grade was the time in my life that I really began asking myself if I was a follower of Christ just because my parents were, or if I had really made a confession of faith for myself. I love challenging this age group to think critically through all the things they’ve grown up hearing about the Bible, Jesus, our response to Him, and whether or not the head knowledge they’ve gained through church has transferred over into their hearts. I enjoy teaching sixth grade and the opportunities of discipleship I encounter daily.”
