Here is a man who was brought up in a Buddhist temple. During his youth “voices” had persuaded him to take his own life in order to enter into ‘the joys of the afterlife.’ But he failed in his suicide attempt. His Buddhist faith failed, also, to protect him in later life, as he took up working for a motion-picture company in making low-class pictures that featured sex and violence. He reacted violently when his wife studied the Bible and became a Witness. He burned her Bible. He thought that all people were dishonest, but he finally agreed to talk with a male Witness. Step by step, he changed his way of thinking. He was among the 727 baptized at the “Peace on Earth” assembly.

How quickly does a Buddhist make the changeover to become a real Christian? The time varies, but the following illustrates: A missionary called on a woman who had shown casual interest. She and her husband agreed to study the Bible. The woman had been a member of a new Buddhist religion, Omoto-Kyo, for some twenty years, and a large Buddhist altar stood in the living room. The woman told the missionary: “Since I stopped worshiping at this altar, I have received no punishment from my ancestors. The Bible is indeed true in saying that the dead no longer exist.” After eleven months she became a baptized Witness.