LogFAQs > #960356593

LurkerFAQs, Active DB, DB1, DB2, DB3, DB4, DB5, DB6, DB7, DB8, Database 9 ( 09.28.2021-02-17-2022 ), DB10, DB11, DB12, Clear

Topic List	Page List: 1
Topic	Out of all religions, Buddhism is the one that makes more sense to me.
Twin3Turbo 11/25/21 10:53:51 PM #33:	This is a post I saved on Reddit from a long while back, but it pretty much sums up my thoughts: Don't make the naive mistake of romanticizing "eastern" religion. Monotheist god or no, Buddhism is full of spirits, demons, godlings, or whatever you want to call the "evil spirits" in Buddhist hell. It is not "atheistic." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_deities Its conclusions are based on the same magical thinking as any religion, and its followers can be just as wacky and extreme, even to murder for religion (Myanmar). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_thinking People in "the west" idolize this "not a religion" religion because they have no direct experience with it and its just as fundy and flaky followers, and all the other negative baggage that any western religion has. Yes, there is proselytism too. The newer sects have the same door-to-door routine as JWs, and use entrapment tactics where they invite you to dinner or something (always outnumbering you) without telling you that halfway through the meal they are going to pull out pamphlets and make their sales pitches. Old sects make money from being one of the few places you can have a grave, which is expensive. If you want a non-supernatural religion, I think you don't know what religion is. Gods are irrelevant; they are a product of that world view. Magical/wishful thinking (or "faith") is the defining characteristic. As a whole? It's wholly made-up viral nonsense just like any other magical thinking. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Buddhism Yes, there is this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_Buddhism but it only exists as an attempt at "safe religion" by wannabe atheists who really miss their magic, because the wishful thinking is still all there. You may disagree, that's fine, but in my 30+ years in Japan, I have never seen a Buddhist sect without its supernatural trappings or a Buddhist who doesn't believe in the afterlife/reincarnation and spirits. Zen is not free from this magical thinking either. It is my humble opinion that if you are atheist solely because you do not believe in gods you are missing the point. Yes, that is "what is in the dictionary," but is the worship of a god the only criticism you have of religion? If so, fine, I suppose. But isn't that just a minor technicality? Why is a deva OK but a god not? --- https://imgur.com/PHWbltB <cite>Twin3Turbo posted [p:960356593] in Out of all... [t:79779521]...</cite> <quote>This is a post I saved on Reddit from a long while back, but it pretty much sums up my thoughts: Don't make the naive mistake of romanticizing "eastern" religion. Monotheist god or no, Buddhism is full of spirits, demons, godlings, or whatever you want to call the "evil spirits" in Buddhist hell. It is not "atheistic." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_deities Its conclusions are based on the same magical thinking as any religion, and its followers can be just as wacky and extreme, even to murder for religion (Myanmar). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_thinking People in "the west" idolize this "not a religion" religion because they have no direct experience with it and its just as fundy and flaky followers, and all the other negative baggage that any western religion has. Yes, there is proselytism too. The newer sects have the same door-to-door routine as JWs, and use entrapment tactics where they invite you to dinner or something (always outnumbering you) without telling you that halfway through the meal they are going to pull out pamphlets and make their sales pitches. Old sects make money from being one of the few places you can have a grave, which is expensive. If you want a non-supernatural religion, I think you don't know what religion is. Gods are irrelevant; they are a product of that world view. Magical/wishful thinking (or "faith") is the defining characteristic. As a whole? It's wholly made-up viral nonsense just like any other magical thinking. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Buddhism Yes, there is this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_Buddhism but it only exists as an attempt at "safe religion" by wannabe atheists who really miss their magic, because the wishful thinking is still all there. You may disagree, that's fine, but in my 30+ years in Japan, I have never seen a Buddhist sect without its supernatural trappings or a Buddhist who doesn't believe in the afterlife/reincarnation and spirits. Zen is not free from this magical thinking either. It is my humble opinion that if you are atheist solely because you do not believe in gods you are missing the point. Yes, that is "what is in the dictionary," but is the worship of a god the only criticism you have of religion? If so, fine, I suppose. But isn't that just a minor technicality? Why is a deva OK but a god not? --- https://imgur.com/PHWbltB</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Topic List	Page List: 1