Buddhist Is Buddhism Really a Religion.

[Akita Suggagaki]

You don't know what faith is.

Why don't you tell mew then?

 

[Zoii]

Silly? Lord Jesus was crucified at the behest of the Jews. Perhaps you should learn a little before commenting. John 1:9-13 "The true Light who gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.

Lord Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem because they rejected Him. That happened as history attests. Herod's temple was utterly destroyed with only a foundation wall standing. No, the Jews rejected Jesus then and most still do today. When they rejected Jesus, they were rejecting God.

I'm guessing you don't get on with people of other cultures and religions

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

The way I meditate for the past 40 or so years is a lot like Buddhist mindfulness except I do it in the context of what I believe is God’s presence. I sometimes use what used to be called an “[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]” ( really, look it up in the Enchiridion of Indulgences). “Lord, have mercy!” “Adonia”, “My Lord and My God” for me they are invocations rather than mantra. I use them when I need them. Otherwise I quite easily have inner stillness. There, I am attentive, exercising awareness of the presence of God. I am completely available for whatever God wants to do with me even if it seems like nothing.

“Quietism”? Maybe. I really don’t care. Buddhist? Passive nonjudgmental mindfulness but with a big difference - In God’s presence and still seeking God. It takes a lot of faith in what seems like a void. But I become sensitive to something subtle and deep. that is all I can say about it other than I believe it is a person rather than an impersonal purity of being.

 

[Aussie Pete]

I'm guessing you don't get on with people of other cultures and religions

Other religions not at all. Other cultures, it depends. I am not racist.

 

[Zoii]

Other religions not at all. Other cultures, it depends. I am not racist.

Pete it's a statistical fact that religious faith is very much determined by where you were born and the religion of your parents. A miniscule percentage is related to faith you discovered, independent of those factors. So if you are born in Saudi Arabia, you're likely to be Moslem, if born in the USA your likely to be Christian, and if born in India your Hindu. So for all your rhetoric and poor form towards other cultures and religions, the truth is that if you were born elsewhere, you'd be sprouting a completely different faith and claiming how Christianity was heretical

 

[muichimotsu]

If he didn't have a biological father, it's difficult from a scientific perspective to understand how he could be human at all, so I think its a moot point.

It's also likely that would mean Jesus was actually a woman if we're talking no father and parthenogenesis tending to female only.

 

[Aussie Pete]

Pete it's a statistical fact that religious faith is very much determined by where you were born and the religion of your parents. A miniscule percentage is related to faith you discovered, independent of those factors. So if you are born in Saudi Arabia, you're likely to be Moslem, if born in the USA your likely to be Christian, and if born in India your Hindu. So for all your rhetoric and poor form towards other cultures and religions, the truth is that if you were born elsewhere, you'd be sprouting a completely different faith and claiming how Christianity was heretical

And while death is the penalty for becoming a Christian in most Muslim countries and preaching the gospel illegal, yes, those born into Muslim families are likely to stay Muslim. Having said that, some preachers are working in some Muslim nations and some are converting to Christianity. Faith in Christ comes by hearing the gospel. Christians are routinely murdered in India for preaching the gospel and the authorities rarely intervene. To me it is stating the obvious that people will follow the beliefs that they grow up with. Why would they not? It's only when they hear something different, as I did, that they may accept Christ.

 

[muichimotsu]

Other religions not at all. Other cultures, it depends. I am not racist.

Said by everyone who tends to actually be racist. If you have to claim it, that kind of undermines your point. Same as with others claiming it.

 

[Aussie Pete]

It's also likely that would mean Jesus was actually a woman if we're talking no father and parthenogenesis tending to female only.

Wrong. Jesus had a father. God is "He"

 

[Aussie Pete]

Said by everyone who tends to actually be racist. If you have to claim it, that kind of undermines your point. Same as with others claiming it.

Wow. You know all about me without ever meeting me or knowing my life history. I married a part aboriginal woman. My children identify as aborigine although they don't look it. If that is racist, then I'm guilty.

 

[muichimotsu]

Wrong. Jesus had a father. God is "He"

Except if the father is not human or even necessarily was contributing in the human manner, then it doesn't lend credence to this idea except as a metaphor: adoptionism comes to mind, heard of it? Or is Unitarianism a curse word to you?

 

[muichimotsu]

Wow. You know all about me without ever meeting me or knowing my life history. I married a part aboriginal woman. My children identify as aborigine although they don't look it. If that is racist, then I'm guilty.

You can be racist and married to a person of color as a white person, it's called colonialism, or do you just think there's no bias in your mind about how you think people of color behave or how society treats them at large?

 

[FireDragon76]

Pete it's a statistical fact that religious faith is very much determined by where you were born and the religion of your parents. A miniscule percentage is related to faith you discovered, independent of those factors. So if you are born in Saudi Arabia, you're likely to be Moslem, if born in the USA your likely to be Christian, and if born in India your Hindu. So for all your rhetoric and poor form towards other cultures and religions, the truth is that if you were born elsewhere, you'd be sprouting a completely different faith and claiming how Christianity was heretical

All good points.

It's easy to forget that most of Europe converted to Christianity because they were literally forced to do so, they were not persuaded by argumentation. To somebody who soberly has that realization, it should lead to a great deal more humility in asserting some objective truth to Christian doctrines, rather than recognizing their cultural contingency.

Asian people often emphasize the shared humanistic values of religions, and de-emphasize arcane or divisive doctrinal distinctives. In this way I think they are much wiser.

 

[FireDragon76]

Wow. You know all about me without ever meeting me or knowing my life history. I married a part aboriginal woman. My children identify as aborigine although they don't look it. If that is racist, then I'm guilty.

Lots of European conquerers married natives and had children with them, that has nothing to do with whether or not they were bigoted chauvenists.

There was an old saying in the US during the westward expansion "save the man, kill the Indian". It reflected a Christian ideal that humanity had value in the abstract, but at the same time the Native American culture was regarded as degenerate and dangerous to the soul of the Indians.

 

[Aussie Pete]

You can be racist and married to a person of color as a white person, it's called colonialism, or do you just think there's no bias in your mind about how you think people of color behave or how society treats them at large?

You can believe whatever you like. It does not change the truth.

 

[FireDragon76]

Except if the father is not human or even necessarily was contributing in the human manner, then it doesn't lend credence to this idea except as a metaphor: adoptionism comes to mind, heard of it? Or is Unitarianism a curse word to you?

I think it reflects on how somebody that believes in virgin births and incarnation has little business criticizing a religion for believing that spiritual truths aren't defined by historicist argument. Both challenge our assumptions about the world in different ways. The real question for me is... "to what end?". As Jesus said, "you know them by their fruits".

Well, Christian fundamentalism clearly loses out in my mind, in that respect. Too much legacy of science-denial, colonialism, and a generally polemical and belligerent tone.

 

[muichimotsu]

You can believe whatever you like. It does not change the truth.

Ah, spoken like someone who doesn't really care about truth, just convictions masquerading as such. Dunning Kruger syndrome much?

 

[Aussie Pete]

Lots of European conquerers married natives and had children with them, that has nothing to do with whether or not they were bigoted chauvenists.

There was an old saying in the US during the westward expansion "save the man, kill the Indian". It reflected a Christian ideal that humanity had value in the abstract, but at the same time the Native American culture was regarded as degenerate and dangerous to the soul of the Indians.

Have you ever considered the possibility that the Christians had reason to believe what they did?

 

[FireDragon76]

Have you ever considered the possibility that the Christians had reason to believe what they did?

Of course they had reasons to believe as they did, and I have every right to judge those reasons by their fruits (cultural destruction, mental health and social problems among native peoples, and so on).

Christians such as yourself seem to have a real problem understanding deeper ethical issues and why some of us aren't going to accept a way of life grounded in violence, prejudice, and ill-will.

 

[FireDragon76]

And while death is the penalty for becoming a Christian in most Muslim countries and preaching the gospel illegal, yes, those born into Muslim families are likely to stay Muslim. Having said that, some preachers are working in some Muslim nations and some are converting to Christianity. Faith in Christ comes by hearing the gospel. Christians are routinely murdered in India for preaching the gospel and the authorities rarely intervene. To me it is stating the obvious that people will follow the beliefs that they grow up with. Why would they not? It's only when they hear something different, as I did, that they may accept Christ.

Australia is an historically Christian country, with common Christian cultural assumptions, so that really doesn't help your case. In countries such as the US or Australia, Christianity has a continuing significant monopoly on the religious imagination of the mainstream of society, outside of the counter-culture.

Furthermore, the notion of individual choice and human freedom you are working with is in itself a legacy of Christian theology/philosophy. In other cultures, it's self-evident that people believe what they are culturally conditioned to believe. And a sales pitch (the "Roman Road" "moment of decision" or what have you of Anglo-American evangelicalism) alone isn't going to undo that, which is why Christianity has generally spread through violence, coercion, or unethical inducements (such as offers of food, medicine, even weaponry or military aid, and so on).