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From Buddhist to Lutheran:
It started at a rodeo
I am MIT: 100 percent Made In Taiwan. Growing up in Taiwan, I was raised to believe that I was a Buddhist.
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However, I never even studied Buddhism. Unlike the Bible, there was no Buddhist holy book to read. So I called myself a Buddhist, but I only had a vague idea what that meant.
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My parents would take me to temples from time to time for worship. We burned incense. We presented offerings to the Buddhas. But as I looked around, I could see all kinds of different gods housed in the same temple. So when I held the incense to pray, I wasn’t sure who I was praying to. I also remember being terrified of the graphic paintings and sculptures portraying the 18 levels of hell. The images of people being tortured in hell by demons gave me nightmares. I did not feel loved or protected by the Buddhas. What I felt was the constant pressure of being watched, judged, threatened, and terrorized.
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E-news exclusive
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Have you ever wondered how Forward in Christ finds members to highlight in "Confessions of faith"? Sometimes they find us! Julie Wen found FIC's executive editor, James Pope, at the 2025 Lutheran Women's Missionary Society Convention in June and shared her story with him. Do you have a story to share?
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I am a pastor’s wife by choice and a football fan by necessity: I have a husband and two sons. As I ponder my life in the parsonage and my perspective of the game, I see many similarities. The apostle Paul likened the Christian life to a race. It seems more . . .
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A father is actively applying for job openings in a different state. The postings offer better wages and hours, more time with family, and just a short drive away from elderly parents. He reads about how persistently Abraham prayed for the welfare of his nephew Lot . . .
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“The gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18 English Standard Version).
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How do gates “prevail”? After all, gates are not offensive. They aren’t weapons of war. If anything, gates only restrict people from . . .
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