Jay1 wrote:Oh, I see, I am a troll because I disagree. Please forgive me for pointing out that Buddhism is not special, it has its extraordinary beliefs and its violent followers just like any religion. How hard can it be for yal to understand this simple fact? I will continue on my Buddhist path as before* but this site is obviously filled with, albeit well-meaning, ignorant people. Honestly, I've met more humble, reasonable atheists in atheist's forums!
I guess,
* Thankfully, I realized the truth of the Buddhist's teachings before I joined this site.
You're not pointing out that Buddhism "isn't special"; you're trying to equate Buddhism and Christianity as being equally flawed or superstitious or violent or destructive, and you're doing it in a weirdly tone-deaf manner. You're more than welcome to challenge or criticize us, but posting common-knowledge facts about types of Buddhism none of us practice or just calling us arrogant is not the way to do it.
The fact is, Buddhism
is less violent and superstitious, both in theory and in practice, than Christianity. I'll change my mind when you can show me the verse in the Dhammapada where the Buddha says, "As surely as I live forever, when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders," like your God did in Deuteronomy; when you find a discourse where the Buddha prescribes the death penalty for disobedient children or homosexuals, I promise I'll redact the statement.
As for superstition, it's true that both our religions have holdovers from a time where people did not understand how the world really worked - the difference is that Buddhism has largely abandoned those things while most Christians haven't. If you are a Christian and you have abandoned the 6,000 year-old Earth or the virgin birth or many of the other untrue statements in the Bible, then I commend you! But sadly, you're in the minority.
So please, continue to constructively criticize anything we say, really - but don't pretend that Buddhism has anything close to the history of violence, oppression, and hatred that other religions or Gods that you follow do.
Gain and loss, status and disgrace,
censure and praise, pleasure and pain:
these conditions among human beings are inconstant,
impermanent, subject to change.
Knowing this, the wise person, mindful,
ponders these changing conditions.
Desirable things don’t charm the mind,
undesirable ones bring no resistance.
His welcoming and rebelling are scattered,
gone to their end,
do not exist.
- Lokavipatti Sutta
Stuff I write about things.