Buddah is against our God!

[The Night Owl]

So, there I was at a garage sale when I overheard a child pleading with his mother to buy him a small figurine of Buddah which he had picked out. For some reason, the child was taken by the statue and wanted it badly. The mother told the child to put the figurine down and said, "He's against our God." The child again pleaded with the mother and asked her to explain why he couldn't have the figurine. The mother blithely told him that he couldn't have that thing around the house because he might get confused.

How sad.

[noahmijo]

1. Yea didn't you know Buddha was a mass murderer

He ordered his followers to kill, slaughter and rape in a Holy Quest to take over Jerusalem.


Oh wait a minute....

See people this is how inbreeders and serial killers are born.

[rumpel]

2. This poor child has to grow up in ignorance....

:(

[Warpy]

7. Mebbe not!

After all, Mom's ironfisted fundy control is going to be all for naught when the larger world takes over. My guess is that by the age of 16, this kid will be sugary and obedient at home but follow his own wishes when he goes out the front door.

Mom is hopelessly ignorant and proud uvvit, apparently. The kid's got some hope. He may remember that Buddha statue later and check up on what's behind it.

[The Stranger]

43. Blowback is going to be something.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. Amazing. The kid can't even begin to question his religion.

Fucking insane. No one can think on their own anymore.

[filer]

6. Thinking is subversive.

Blind obedience is the order of the day.

[noahmijo]

8. Why else was religion created if not to subvert through fear and ignorance

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

12. Not ALL religions were formed that way...

but certainly all of our current western religions were.

[The Night Owl]

25. All religions are basically theories...

All religions are basically theories created in the absence of information about the universe.

[noahmijo]

26. Alright replace "religion" with "diety based religions"

[malaise]

11. On the contrary

the kid may now become way more curious about other religions. Parents try but they don't control their kids thoughts.

[maxsolomon]

4. it is likely that one of his followers taught Jesus

Buddhists had spread quite widely in the 500 years after his death. travelling to Mesopotamia would have been pretty easy for young Jesus, or even taking a boat to the Indus River.

[Warpy]

16. We Buddhists recognize a lot of things

in the Christian teachings. Even the admonition to pray in secret instead of shouting on street corners leads to a sort of basic meditation practice.

It's quite possible. Christ did represent a drastic departure from the rigid legalism of Judaism at that time, something that probably didn't develop in a vacuum. Some people have speculated that the Magi were actually wandering Buddhist monks who appeared later in his life and educated him.

Who knows? It's all pure speculation at this point. Too bad Mom is an ignoramus and too bad she's got so much company.

[maxsolomon]

20. and her indoctrinated children will breed, and so on

i can't remember where i heard about this theory, but it makes me think Jesus was pretty cool, despite his followers, and i mean IMMEDIATE followers: Paul, mainly.

i prefer the parables in the Gospel of Thomas.

[The Night Owl]

27. I think the basic point you are making is that...

I think the basic point you are making is that most religions are interconnected and intertwined in many ways. Considering that religions are interconnected and intertwined, I see no harm in teaching kids about all religions.

[StellaBlue]

5. IMHO religious indoctrination = child abuse

"our god" - does she even realize how barbaric and anachronistic and just plain SILLY that sounds? Like, our god, Yahweh, or our god, Apollo, or our god, Osiris.

:eyes:

Oh, wait, no, of course she wouldn't realize it sounds stupid.

:/

[The Night Owl]

Parents have the right to teach their kids what they want to teach them...

I just think that treating a Buddah figurine like it is radioactive teaches nothing and is an asinine way to respond to a child's natural curiosity.

[StellaBlue]

24. do they have the right to teach them that they really love them by hitting

them?

Telling little children they will burn in hell - emotional abuse.

I am not a moral relativist. I think religion is immoral and wrong. Religion is absolutely irrational. ;)

[SOS]

9. "He's against our God"

Uh, no he's not, but don't let facts confuse your small mind!

[JoDog]

31. The unintended meaning

of her words is hilarious. "Our God". Not just "God". Since she feels that she must specify which god she's talking about, doesn't that imply that she acknowledges that there is more than one god? "Our God" vs. "Their God" if you will?

But then again, many of these fundies worship Jesus as a god. Which technically makes them bi-theists or polytheists. A great thing to point out if you ever want to watch one turn purple right before your eyes.

[maxsolomon]

32. the Trinity is indivisible, so technically not Polytheism

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are the same diety, and inseparable. The nature of Jesus is one with the Father (Consubstantial), as established by the Catholic Church in like, 500 AD.

The Nicene Creed:

We believe (I believe) in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages. (God of God) light of light, true God of true God. Begotten not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary and was made man; was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose Kingdom there shall be no end. And (I believe) in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), who together with the Father and the Son is to be adored and glorified, who spoke by the Prophets. And one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We confess (I confess) one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for (I look for) the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen."

[The Stranger]

44. 1 + 1 + 1 = 1?

(Sorry, couldn't resist.)

:woohoo:

[maxsolomon]

47. essentially, yes

its NOT polytheism

but it is absurd

[The Stranger]

48. I love absurdity.

:woohoo:

[Fierce]

10. Eh, there's lots of things we won't buy because

it's against what we believe. I'm sure a lot of wingers could perform a drive-by judgment on me for what I say.

[The Night Owl]

14. I can understand the mother not buying the figurine...

What I can't understand is the mother's ignorant response to the child's interest in the figurine.

[Fierce]

29. Ignorant as in....

...she doesn't know about Buddha? Maybe you should have educated her, then.

Or ignorant as in, she was putting it in a way the kid would understand and you thought she should have said something else, even though you don't know the mother or the kid?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

30. Ignorant as in just plain stupid.

Frankly, I bet the kid was smarter than she was.

[Warren DeMontague]

13. Yeah, well, her understanding of religion and metaphysics goes as deep

as loyalty to the hometown sports team.

Go Jesus! We're number one!



Down with Buddha! He's against our god. Ninth inning, one out, two men on.

[Maraya1969]

15. And the Dali Lama would have great compassion for this child and

his mother.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

17. flip side...possible straw man...

What about those here who would boycott ANYTHING from ANY company that has ANYTHING to do with the current administration? Why is that ok and a mother not wanting something contrary to their beliefs in her home not ok?

sP

[The Night Owl]

18. See post #14

[ProdigalJunkMail]

19. Would saying this be ok?

"Son, that figurine represents a belief structure to which we do not adhere. I do not want you to bring that into our home." How old was the kid? Is it possible that Mom simply put into terms that a four year old can understand?

sP <---Devil's Advocate

[LWolf]

35. It would be ok in this circumstance:

Said from an educated position, the parent having some factual knowledge gained from independent study about Buddhism, and some facet that conflicts with the home belief system.

We don't really know if "he/it is against our God" means that Buddha or Buddhism conflicts with her faith of choice, or if she is parroting something said in the pulpit, without outside verification.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

36. If she is a Christian (and I assume she is but I have no facts)

then Buddha and the worship of Buddha and a figurine or statue of Buddha WOULD be inviolation of her faith. She doesn't need to understand Buddha to know that. Are you saying that the only people who should be able to make a decision regarding their religious preference for them and their family are those who have studied comparative religions? You really don't need to study another religion to know that it is against yours.

sP

[LWolf]

39. I'm saying that people should make informed choices.

Having been married to a christian family, having spent a decade in their biweekly services, having read their bible from cover to cover, and being the daughter of a buddhist, I personally didn't find that Buddhism violates the teachings of Christ. Whether or not they violate the political/religious positions of any particular denomination is something else, of course.

:shrug:

[ProdigalJunkMail]

40. the teachings of Buddha don't conflict with those of Christ

as far as I can tell. It is the worship that is the problem for most Christians and admittedly downright bigotry for some.

sP

[The Stranger]

46. Not necessarily. There are sects of Christianity that have no problem,

take no offense, and are not frightened by the Buddha, and may even be inspired by the Buddha.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

28. please respond to #19 n/t

[lectrobyte]

21. Sounds like they are following the ten commandments. I might

have phrased it a little differently, but I don't see the problem with not wanting a Buddha statue in your house if you take this one seriously:

You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

[Call Me Wesley]

22. Here's for the kid:

How sad and ignorant.

[htuttle]

34. I used to have a bong that looked just like that!

But on a more serious note, I always preferred the fat, happy, Chinese Buddha over the Indian one.

The Laughing Buddha is my favorite:

[Marnieworld]

42. I love that one too

My pug is named Buddha. I wish I knew how to post a picture of him.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

45. Not Buddha, though.

It's some Taoist god of luck.

[sakabatou]

23. My mom let my brother by a Buddha statue

We were religious back then, not so much now.

[sweetheart]

33. past lives

The kid remembers from past lives, and the mother is ignorant.

It will come back to the child when it is older, in a way that is
not intellectually deniable.

[Chovexani]

37. Wait'll he gets old enough

And she ships the poor kid off to that American madrassa in Jesus Camp.

Aw hell, I can only hope he smells the BS when he's older like I did and grows up to be a flaming gay Pagan. :silly:

[and-justice-for-all]

38. What an ignorant bitch...Religious morons

Need to get a true understanding of other religions instead of wearing blinders. Buddah is a happy fat man who is joyous in life; Buddah would kick Jesus's ass. That was a true expression of Christian stupidity and lack of tolerance.

[IChing]

41. Buddha says:

“Little by little a person becomes evil,
as a water pot is filled by drops of water...

Little by little a person becomes good,
as a water pot is filled by drops of water.

“More than those who hate you,
more than all your enemies,
an undisciplined mind does greater harm.”

“Our life is shaped by our mind;
we become what we think.

Suffering follows an evil thought
as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it.

Our life is shaped by our mind;
we become what we think.
Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.