But You Came From A Christian Country!

[gampaan]

My simple observation after living in a "christian " country, and seeing the interaction between people and then seeing the same thing in Thailand, I'll take the Buddhist country every time.

[Brucenkhamen]

My simple observation after living in a "christian " country, and seeing the interaction between people and then seeing the same thing in Thailand, I'll take the Buddhist country every time.

I wouldn't consider Thailand any kind of example of what a Buddhist country should be, many Thai cultural norms fly in the face of Buddhist values, still it can be a welcome change from the West... for a while.

[Jimjim]

Too true, Brucenkhamen. It's the same in many countries.

[ThaiPauly]

When I visit Temples what strikes me is that the very young children know how to behave and what to do.

In the west if a child goes to Curch they have to listen to sermons and sing hymms. Once they are able to make their own choices they seem to them reject it. They do not want to spend their Sunday Mornings in Church.

Here people can come and go as they please, make merit and feel good about themselves. I am also amazed at how many Thai Youths I see on a visit. I am sure that more people in LOS visit Temples than British visit Churches in the UK for instance

One thing that struck me from reading this thread was that I had never really considered is that there was not one diffinitive book about Bhuddism like the Bible.

Now thats cool.

But in the end it's about how you conduct your life, the Bhuddst way is not that far removed from the 10 comandments, but I ffel more comfortable with Bhuddism, and a big factor int hat was because I could never get my head round the fact that the earth was supposed to have been created in 7 days. I never belived it, so if I don't belive that then I have a problem with the religion.

Bhuddism lets ME be ME.

I have also experienced "Perceiving" not by me but by a life long monk who knew exactly what I was thinking, that blew me away!

[jamesc2000]

Bhuddism lets ME be ME.

That why I find Buddhism so appealing too!

It allows some people to be themselves and people like me to be a totally different person!

A nicer, kinder and sometimes funnier person!

Now that's universal appeal! But enough about me,

Buddhism is Cool as you said!

[rychrde]

JimsKnight, your last point is so wrong that it only proves how the violent 'believers' who are the 'leaders' of the philosophy will go to any lengths to pervert the original teachings. It's not since the Reformation that the perversions started (actually many corrections were made then), but more like the year 325 AD.

why 325 AD? what happened then? [edit] doh!! the Council of Nicene and the Nicene Creed :-)

I'd have put it at 449 AD when pope Leo asserted the supremacy of Rome over all other christian sects and declared that Rome was to be the centre of a spiritual empire. A vision that Roman Catholicism still holds to, whatever its feeble and dishonest attempts at reconciliations. It was the time when the old and fading, yet still wealthy, roman aristocracy gave its full backing to this new non-pagan religion as a way to regain former glory and power. About 80 years later the platonic academy in Athens was terminally shut down and its lands stolen by Justinian. Greek philosophy had lost to christian theology - a sad day in world history.

Back to the original question, I personally had never believed in christianty. Being taken to church made me feel sick and the whole thing made no sense to me. I had my own ideas and my own meditations. Only years later did I come across buddhism and recognised in it much of my own thought, with the additions of more powerful practices. Still boils down to the old platonic ideal of 'know thyself'.

That is also my litmus test for any cult or religion. Does it want you to discover yourself or just become another slave with the mark of their doctrines?

rych

Edited July 22, 2007 by rychrde

[sabaijai]

Let's keep the Christian history discussion to a minimum please. Remember this is a Buddhism forum.

[buffcoat]

I was brought up in the UK in a Christian family regular chuch attendance ,youth group the whole thing.When I was in my 20's I read the Bible and discovered all the things that are never preached (with good reason).

After a lot of soul searching I abandoned the religion and the cultural conditionong that went with it.

I now follow a different (older) spiritual path that does not claim to be the only truth and happily co-exists with Buddhism as many of it's precepts are similar.

I have never yet come across a Buddhist who uses his belief to justify violence to non-believers, sadly cannot say the same of Christianity or Islam (which share the same source).

So whilst I am not a Buddhist I found myself far more in tune with it than any other belief system.

In my own opinion (not worth a lot I know) if Buddhism had spread through the West and Middle East and not the Judaic spin offs the world today would be a better place.

[geriatrickid]

I went to a Church of England school where we had unintelligible church services and said grace before & after meals. The procedures were insincere and forced upon the students. Perhaps, after experiences like that, a faith which is not imposed or dictated is more alluring.

Perhaps what appeals to Christian converts is that Bhuddism allows one to question without recrimination. I think the only other organized religion that incorporates and encourages deep probing questions like Bhuddism is Judaism. Perhaps this is why their respective religions have lasted so long despite often inhospitable environments. Many of their adherents are of the faith because they have 'thought" it out for themselves.

Another characteristic that may support the faith's resilience and long term strength is the lack of prosletyzing, again like Judaism. No one bangs on your door on saturday morning at 8 am trying to push their beliefs.

As I am an agnostic, I have no use for religion particularly this that are fixated upon adherence to illogical and nonsensical doctrines. Christianity for me was Judaism light, invented for those that could not live within the multitude of rules and code of conduct that left a lot of wiggle room for followers to discuss and interpret as set out in the Old Testament. Bhuddism and Judaism require thought and reflection. Islam is too rigid and has yet to experience the questioning and openess that Christianity underwent after many centuries of struggle. Evangelicals of any faith require iron clad rules and march forward like army ants consuming anyone in their way. Bhuddism is open and far more understanding of differences than many religions and for those that require such an environment, they find a welcome home within the Bhuddist heart. They need never fear being beheaded for blasphemy or burned at the stake or shunned for doubting.

[JimsKnight]

PeaceBlondie,

I hear your view, the Reformation was bad for Christianity as a whole.

If its such a perversion (325 AD) and against 'Gods Will' / Jesus' message' then why wasn't a great change made to correct it?

I think the argument about Christianity 'loosing the original message' in the formulative years is a conspiracy theory and nothing more. Some people had a case of sour grapes and whined a lot, now, when its PC to contradict the old established religions people who've read Dan Brown books suddenly become convinced its all a lie and jump into Bhuddism as a refuge.

I object to how suddenly a whole bunch of former Christians suddenly seize Bhuddism as a platform against Christianity.

Violence used with Religion as a crutch?

Humankind will use any convenient excuse for conquest and violence, Religions just a nice excuse that gets abused by warmongers and conquerors. People make wars not religions.

Bhuddism is an Eastern/Oriental religion by eastern people for eastern people. I think westerners, as a rule, who jump on the Bhuddism bandwagon have got to spend a lot of time amongst the oriental people before they can start lambasting Christianity.

[PeaceBlondie]

Trying to keep in-depth discussion of church history out of this (even though it bears direct impact upon the testimonies given in this topic), it helps me to think of Christianity's origin being on the continent of Asia, started and spread by non-Europeans who were born in Asia. It became thoroughly Europeanized and was spread as a part of the European cultural experience. If Buddhism were to have been the state religion of England for the last 2,000 years, ........

[garro]

Bhuddism is an Eastern/Oriental religion by eastern people for eastern people. I think westerners, as a rule, who jump on the Bhuddism bandwagon have got to spend a lot of time amongst the oriental people before they can start lambasting Christianity.

What a silly thing to say. If that is the case then only Arabs should be Christian. I have been Buddhist for the majority of my life and there has been Buddhists in the West since the late 1800s. Buddhism is very much a Western religion now too.

[jts-khorat]

Not wishing to label myself as a Buddhist, by far; rather an Agnostic that still knows much to little.

But the reason why Buddhism is so fascinating as a concept to many Westerners and for me personally is that it is based on 'self-responsibility'; the concept of Kamma makes immediate sense to us. As one other poster puts it, "Buddhism lets me be".

There are many misconceptions about Buddhism and its teachings; one other poster exemplies this by stating there is "not one deffinitive book about Bhuddism like the Bible"; read the Tripitaka... therefore it might be that many Westerners dangling with Buddhism do so with a rather romanticized version pretty far away from the truth.

Edited July 30, 2007 by jts-khorat