----- Original Message ----- From: "Gametech" <voltronalpha at hotmail.com> > I was recently commissioned to create a website for the Gyuto Wheel of > Dharma Monastery here in Minnesota for a group of Tibetan Buddhists > (refugees) They have a Monastery here in MN. I know little to nothing about > their religion but when I asked what's the goal here what do you guys > basically do the answer I got was: > > We try to teach Compassion and Love as well as promote Peace. The only way > of effective teaching is to demonstrate, near as I can tell they do. > > Now some look at it as propaganda other see it for something else. I'm not > going to 'argue' your opinion. I am curious though how you perceive people > like this to be practicing their religion to be hurting people and > destroying great civilizations. > > What I see are real world actions of placing emphasis on good things (I > don't know anyone who will argue against those things mentioned above Peace, > etc.) even if the tool they use (their religious practices and teachings) > are very superstitious or nonsensical. > > I think what is misunderstood about many people who practice religion is > that they don't always believe every part of the teachings, for many only > the underlying positive points are important (don't hurt other people, treat > others well, unconditional love, etc.). It's a persons free will that > determines what they believe, so maybe what you think is religion hurting > people is really just people believing dumb shit, which will still happen > rampantly without religion however you lose the benefit of them believing > other good things as a side affect of that belief (you can look at it the > other way around as well they want to practice these ideas and they find a > religion they can practice within that meets some goals for them) > > What is so Awfully wrong about religion that counter's in it's entirety the > good aspects of it? in short, the bad aspects of it. it seems to me that you're saying that when people do good things based on their religion, that's a point in favor of their religion, but when people do bad things based on their religion, that's not a point against their religion. and that people will believe "dumb shit," and act accordingly with our without religion, so religion's not to blame. but i can just as easily say that being compassionate, loving, and peaceful doesn't require any belief in "dumb shit," either. come to think of it though, it does seem difficult to pin anything like crusades, inquisitions, support of autocracy/fascism, destruction of indigenous cultures on the buddhists. only thing i've heard is that occasionally a monastery declares war on another monastery and they beat the crap out of each other. maybe i just don't know enough about that side of the world. *shrug* chris cunningham, np: pixies - "caribou"