Going to China has really opened my eyes to just how universal religion is. Religion is a major social institution which highly influences our lives. As a Christian, I was very much interested in learning about the religion by which most Chinese' practice; Buddhism. The Unites States is a country founded on Christian principles and so we live accordingly; well most of us do. As a nation, we have formed the idea of morality according to those principles.
Nevertheless, it was interesting to learn that similar to Jesus, Buddha also had disciples; which are shown in the picture above.
Additionally, while visiting the Jade Buddha Temple, we were privileged enough to witness people's praise and worship. The customs and practices of Buddhism are very different from that of Christianity, but still very meaningful and intriguing. People lit in scents, and bowed their heads in repitition before entering the actual temple. I think that the praise and worship experience is one that should be private between God and his people, and its not an act that should be turned into a spectacle. However, we were able to film and take pictures. I found that to be kind of weird.
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