Thailand is the Most Religious Country in the World

[EyesWideOpen]

Here are the five precepts of Buddhism. So if you look at these precepts,

and look around at what actually happens in Thailand, then Thailand

considering itself to be a deeply devout Buddhist country becomes the

ultimate exercise in hypocrisy....

1. The Five Precepts

   • Not killing or causing harm to other living beings. This is the fundamental ethical principle for Buddhism, and all the other precepts are elaborations of this. ...
   • Not taking the not-given. ... ( stealing / scams )
   • Avoiding sexual misconduct. ...
   • Avoiding false speech. ...
   • Abstaining from drink and drugs that cloud the mind.

[Lupatria]

Thailand - 94% of people state that they are religious in the country

Wrong percentage. 100% practice and worship BAHTISM!

[cms22]

Said it many times. Thai people are not religious. They are superstitious.

[Lupatria]

Said it many times. Thai people are not religious. They are superstitious.

You can blame this on evil spirits.

[bbaxter]

A typical driver in Thailand will run you over in the Lotus parking lot, but screech to a halt for animals crossing the road. You are what you do, not what you say

[kinmaew]

Most religious while at the same time will run you over on the road i.e. they don't wait for pedestrians, ME first I am bigger - Nice "Religious" values.

[Thaddeus]

"Researchers from Pew Research Centre also conducted a survey that states atheism will decline globally in the next 35 years except in the West."

That's an out and out lie! A survey cannot make a statement, never mind what the intention is. Atheism is on the rise GLOBALLY.

Thank God for that.

[Gandtee]

Was Saudi Arabia and Pakistan included in this poll? I think not.

[lovelomsak]

No it isn't.. the Philippines is the most religious country in the world - if devout Christians count

Saudi Arabia....I think they kill you if you are not religious

It makes one wonder how many muslim nations were in this poll...

I was thinking the same thing.

I was wondering too. The muslim have their own pray rooms in airports. I think this research didnot include muslim nations. Maybe muslim not considered a religion huh

Edited April 14, 2015 by lovelomsak

[Lovekorat]

I have the greatest respect for the Buddha's teachings. They are more a way to live your life than a formal fire and brimstone religion.

But Thailand religious.

I think not.

One of His teachings is..."everything is not self"

I have never been in a country where to Many, 'everything' is self.

Not all I might add, but it seems the majority

Money greed corruption...not quite what He taught is it.

Oh they can make their merit ok and say look at me, but then look for the next opportunity to screw someone.

Even some of the monks seem to be at it. Saw one with an iPhone 6 the other day. How does that work?

Thailand religious? Pure hypocrisy, but I suppose if they say it enough they will believe it

I am afraid the Buddha has left the building as far as Thailand is concerned.

Sorry for the cynicism.

[digibum]

What exactly is religious?

While I agree with the fact that Thailand's version of Buddhism is a looooooong way from actual Buddhism, what religion is actually true to itself? And how many people consider themselves religious but routinely breach basic tenants of the religion?

And for those who think that Thais have perverted Buddhism, they have, but so has every other religion. Do we really believe Christ was born on December 25th? Wasn't that simply the adoption of a pagan holiday? Didn't the early Christians "adopt" things into the religion to make it more palatable to new converts? What part of the Bible talks about Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny?

Oh, but we're all good Christians, untainted like those silly Thais. Such idiots giving money to monks who aren't supposed to even touch currency. Good thing our ministers are pure and only need $60 million jets for religious purposes.

The reality is that Thais think they're practicing Buddhism. This is what they know. Whether you believe their views to be logical, well intentioned, or self-serving is really not of consequence in terms of whether they believe themselves to be religious.

[diks]

"When it comes to education and religion, people with no education are most religious"

Now there's a thing.

It's why the powers that be want to keep the populace uneducated.

[bheard]

Obviously here the context of 'being religious' is being equated to being good, as something to be proud of.

Clearly this is not the case. Religious people tend to be the most war like, the most bigotted and the most arrogant.

It also means they believe in things unproven, not real, like ghosts, even holy ghosts. spirits, holy spitrits, and life after death. How bizzare is that.

Nah, not something to be proud of I reckon.

And when one looks at the behaviour of most Thai buddhists, one despairs!

[ggt]

Don't confuse "religious" with "spiritual"...

[Manbing]

Thailand is religious for sure.

The fact that many religious people commit all sorts of abuse, sins and crimes does not take away from religiosity. It just makes them hypocritical.

[Thakkar]

The headline confuses "religious" with "superstitious"

Superstition is belief in supernatural phenomena that have no factual or rational basis, while religion is...oh, wait.

Never mind.

T

[jamesjohnsonthird]

A guide to the perfect Thai idiot ( แนะนำคนไทยไร้ปัญญา )

by Dr. Sawai Boonma, a former economist at the World Bank.

http://sawaiboonma.c...fect-thai-idiot

.............We present Thailand as the land of smiles full of gentle Buddhists. We regularly give alms to monks and often make donations to temples, believing that those are selfless acts for the welfare of others. Deep down, however, we do that only because we wish to get something in return – to go to heaven or have a richer next life. It is a trade, pure and simple, nothing kind or selfless about it. Few of us give for the sake of giving. We are basically very selfish.

Every time we go to the temple or attend a Buddhist ceremony, we duly accept and recite the Five Precepts as a guide to our daily lives; but we leave them there, as we always make promises without ever intending to keep them. Actually, we understand little about Buddhism. Even among the ranks of the monks, most do not know the teachings in-depth and lead their lives accordingly — all they know is how to conduct ceremonies from which they earn easy income. This reflects something deeper — we are generally lazy and like to take short-cuts to the “sabai” (do-nothing) state. Lottery tickets, therefore, always sell out at premium prices; prostitution is rampant and young women readily marry foreign pensioners.

We love to talk but rarely listen. Even when we do, we often fail to hear, as we never learn to think critically. We cannot put up with different points of view nor can we work cooperatively. Many of the over 30,000 Buddhist temples were built next to one another because when we disagreed with one, we just built another. That cooperative movement has never been successful here is another indication of our inability to tolerate different points of view.

We readily forgive, so we believe, as our most common utterance is “mai pen rai” (it doesn’t matter) when someone makes a mistake. But that is only a reflection of the culture of indifference and ready rationalization. We can always cite a well-known proverb, a famous poem or a sage’s sharp utterance to justify everything we do.

We complain so much about corruption. But we do little about it. Worse, we keep electing the same corrupt politicians because they have money and influence from which he hope to benefit. Survey after survey shows that the majority of us do not mind corruption as long as we get something out of it. One of the surveys last year showed that almost 85% of us believed that cheating was a normal business practice, making us practically a nation of thieves. When I raised the matter in this column, I received the angriest responses from fellow Thais, using expressions so colorful that they should not be printed nor uttered within earshot of other humans.

This long-running self-deception has created so much moral deficit, to employ Joseph Stiglitz’s terminology, that has put Thailand into a state of moral crisis for some time now. Some of the symptoms of this state are the economic crisis of 1997 and the protests culminating in last week’s events. Of course, we will never admit this, for we are perfect and will continue to be very angry when a foreigner utters something non-complementary about us. But I do hope that the events of last week shock most of us into reexamining ourselves, our values, and start reducing the moral deficit as well as trying to generate some moral surplus: doing more genuinely voluntary work for the common good similar to the street cleaning carried out by Bangkokians last weekend, but on a regular basis.

[MaxLee]

[Psych01]

This bit makes me laugh, bolded and italic part is most interesting.

Interestingly, the data shows that religion is on the rise. People age 25 to 34 are the most religious. When it comes to education and religion, people with no education are most religious, with 80 percent stating they are religious. Those that have attended secondary school or university were also highly religious with 60% of those polled being religious.

[soalbundy]

"When it comes to education and religion, people with no education are most religious"

Now there's a thing.

Are you saying that the pope is thick ? or in on the scheme

[baboon]

The reality is that Thais think they're practicing Buddhism. This is what they know. Whether you believe their views to be logical, well intentioned, or self-serving is really not of consequence in terms of whether they believe themselves to be religious.

Deep down inside, I very much doubt they do think they are practicing Buddhism. Not many I encounter can answer even the most rudimentary questions on the subject.

As for it being all they know, well, that is entirely their choice - the information is all out there if you want to give Facebook a rest for five minutes...

Edited April 14, 2015 by baboon

[NongKhaiKid]

Aargh just had a frightening thought, are we seeing the stuff that a TAT promotion is made of ?

[Thaddeus]

Just quoting this to take it to the top of page 3.

[gk10002000]

Take this with a very large grain of salt. While Thais can be seen outwardly "practicing" religion, I think on a survey they answer yes because Buddhism is basically the law in that country.

[johnnytuc]

the most religious......and the most hypocritical !

[yogavnture]

my understanding is that Buddhism isn't a religion. its a set of beliefs. Buddha himself proclaims hes no god

[Bluedan]

Said it many times. Thai people are not religious. They are superstitious.

Well religion IS superstition....belief in supernatural without any evidence.

Having said that, scholars such as Richard Dawkins don't cnsider Buddhism to be a religion at all since it does not involve belief in a god like deity. It's more akin to a philosophy at least in its original unadulterated form.

Of course all religions/ spiritual beliefs are open to manupiulation, modification etc. Thai Buddhism seems very far fetched from the original teachings of the Buddha. How many Thai Buddhists don't believe in ghosts, or shun materialism?

I would guess that degree of religiosity ...if defined by belief in the supernatural above, would be uniformly high where there is poverty, lack of education or state indoctrination or no separation between church/mosque and state. In Saudi Arabia apostasy is a crime punishable by death....that certainly encourages non believers to hold their tongues on this topic.

[mojorison]

The hub of god?

[Toscano]

Buddhism is an ancient philosophy . What Thai people practice is Pagan , practicing old customs in the name of Buddha , far removed from the philosophy it takes its name from .

The religion practiced is open to abuses of every kind . My wife , a practicing Buddhist , ( I call her the most Christian person I know ) tells me that Thai people do what they like , no matter that they are causing a nuicance or great offence to neighbours , or even members of their own family . Religion is one of the greatest evils of all time , being religious today is not a virtue .

[dominique355]

Most religious or most superstitious?