A Buddhist discussion forum on the Dhamma of Theravāda Buddhism
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Issues and ideologies related to nationalism and communism -- both quite godless -- were responsible for far more slaughter in the 20th century than religion.m0rl0ck wrote:It pales, Nothing whips humans into a killing frenzy faster than god and religion. Politicians will always claw their way to power, but to get people to kill each other with real zeal politicians need god.
Yes, any ideology could be used. The reason religious ideology is so often employed is that it stands ready for service, is a tried and true method to dehumanize enemies and lends moral superiority. After all, those not of god are evil and killing them is not only not a sin, but a service to god.Cittasanto wrote: sure but you can use any ideology for that. Create a sense of self and other within the group, and you can produce the same effect, or not depending on the aim behind the ideology and how it is used.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_a ... His_own.22" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;When they discovered, from the admissions of some of them, that there were Catholics mingled with the heretics they said to the abbot “Sir, what shall we do, for we cannot distinguish between the faithful and the heretics.” The abbot, like the others, was afraid that many, in fear of death, would pretend to be Catholics, and after their departure, would return to their heresy, and is said to have replied “Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius - Kill them all for the Lord knoweth them that are His”
If you are referring at least partly to the nazis, hitler was just the inheritor of martin luthers anti-semitism which if you read his remarks on the subject were at least partly motivated by religion. Communist regimes killed a lot of people, but my bet for sheer over all historical body count is still on religion and god. Nationalism seems to be gaining ground on the leader tho.Ñāṇa wrote:Issues and ideologies related to nationalism and communism -- both quite godless -- were responsible for far more slaughter in the 20th century than religion.m0rl0ck wrote:It pales, Nothing whips humans into a killing frenzy faster than god and religion. Politicians will always claw their way to power, but to get people to kill each other with real zeal politicians need god.
I dont know which age you are talking about. People kill each other for god every day on this planet.Cittasanto wrote:Hi m0rl0ck
have you ever wondered why religion tends to reflect the morality of the age?
Yes, well, antisemitism wasn't the cause of WW II. And of the approx. 60 million war casualties, approx. 20 million were soldiers and 40 million were civilians (and of the approx. 11 - 17 million civilians who were killed as a result of Nazi ideological policies, 6 million were Jewish).m0rl0ck wrote:If you are referring at least partly to the nazis, hitler was just the inheritor of martin luthers anti-semitism which if you read his remarks on the subject were at least partly motivated by religion.Ñāṇa wrote:Issues and ideologies related to nationalism and communism -- both quite godless -- were responsible for far more slaughter in the 20th century than religion.
anym0rl0ck wrote:I dont know which age you are talking about. People kill each other for god every day on this planet.Cittasanto wrote:Hi m0rl0ck
have you ever wondered why religion tends to reflect the morality of the age?
Bummer......eternal life
Don't say this. There is a great no. of people living happily due to this belief. Every religion can have - not necessarily does have - the intended effects: contentment, confidence, peace and happiness. Also the current "western" living conditions, negative and positive ones, have been conditioned by christianity.alan wrote:Belief in a "God" is certainly the dumbest and most useless idea to ever pollute the human realm.
Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:It doesn't matter too much what else you believe in or don't believe in, as long as you believe that you alone will inherit the results of volitional actions of body, speech, and thought done by yourself.
"Master Gotama, is stress self-made?"
"Don't say that, Kassapa."
"Then is it other-made?"
"Don't say that, Kassapa." ...
"'The one who acts is the one who experiences [the result of the act]' amounts to the eternalist statement, 'Existing from the very beginning, stress is self-made.'
'The one who acts is someone other than the one who experiences' amounts to the annihilationist statement, 'For one existing harassed by feeling, stress is other-made.'
Avoiding these two extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma via the middle:
From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications.
From fabrications as a requisite condition comes consciousness.
From consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-&-form.
From name-&-form as a requisite condition come the six sense media.
From the six sense media as a requisite condition comes contact.
From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling.
From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving.
From craving as a requisite condition comes clinging/sustenance.
From clinging/sustenance as a requisite condition comes becoming.
From becoming as a requisite condition comes birth.
From birth as a requisite condition, then aging & death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair come into play. Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress & suffering.
SN 12.17
How do we end up then looking at a block of society and history that includes all Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and look at their actions from the exact opposite perspective? Does it really matter what a person believes, or does it matter how they act? There are countless Monotheists who have done great good in this world. They should not be lumped in with the "evil" part of their society.Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:The crucial point is accepting full responsibility for one's own actions according to the teaching of Kammassakatta Sammādiṭṭhi. It doesn't matter too much what else you believe in or don't believe in, as long as you believe that you alone will inherit the results of volitional actions of body, speech, and thought done by yourself.