Given some of the ignorant and biased comments against Buddhism in a thread last week (titled something like "give me some dirt on Buddhism!"), particularly by one poster who seemed to think that Buddhists were the spawn of Satan, I felt that this should be given attention here:

story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&u=/ap/tsunami_temple_sold

Buddhists Sell Temple for Tsunami Victims Tue Jan 11, 3:11 PM ET   World - AP Asia BURNABY, British Columbia - A small Buddhist congregation has sold one of its temples to raise money for victims of the Asian tsunami. Abbot Thick Nguyen handed the Canadian Red Cross a check Monday for $405,000, representing the entire proceeds from the sale of the Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation's temple in Mission, east of Vancouver. The temple had been on the market for a year to raise funds for building a bigger temple in Mission. The abbot told the congregation on New Year's Day he had decided to accept the top offer and donate the proceeds to tsunami relief. "When the abbot made his announcement, a lot of people dropped their jaws, but after a day went by everybody began supporting him wholeheartedly," said Dr. Vi Liet Nguyen, a family physician and temple board member, in an interview in the Vancouver Sun. The abbot said through an interpreter that the donation to tsunami relief is partly to thank the people of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia who in the 1970s accepted him and others as refugees fleeing from the Communist government in Vietnam.

ETA: the thread title is, of course, from A Fish Called Wanda:
Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis): Aristotle was not Belgian, the principle of Buddhism is not "every man for himself", and the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked them up.

Seems some people don't even know who The Buddha was
or what his name means.
If one studies his life, one will know exactly
what Buddhism is.

Dont call me stupid.

I dont get one thing about Buddah. I heard it was said that eating was for sustenance only. If that is true. Why was he so fat?

Quoted: ......seemed to think that Buddhists were the spawn of Satan.....

Spawn of satan........maybe.  

Pagan definitely.

Quoted: I dont get one thing about Buddah. I heard it was said that eating was for sustenance only. If that is true. Why was he so fat?

Oh man, you Kharma will be smited for eternity.
I heard it was glandular

Quoted: Quoted: I dont get one thing about Buddah. I heard it was said that eating was for sustenance only. If that is true. Why was he so fat? Oh man, you Kharma will be smited for eternity. I heard it was glandular

Glandular   Thats what my fat ex in laws used to say as they stuffed their faces.

Seriously though. I wondered about the eating thingy.

Quoted: I dont get one thing about Buddah. I heard it was said that eating was for sustenance only. If that is true. Why was he so fat?

You never know what you'll have to sustain.....

He tried starving himself, and he tried stuffing his face
to see if that brought happiness.
Most people didn't like seeing Buddha as a walking
skeleton, so they made all those statues of him
sitting all fat and happy.
They totally missed the meaning. Dumbasses.
There is at least one statue of him as a skeleton,
but its hidden away somewhere remote.
Also, the Hindus with their tens of thousands of
gods, made Buddha a god against the wishes of Buddhists
as some sort of revenge.
I'm not a Buddhist, but there are some interesting
lessons in Buddhism.

Quoted: He tried starving himself, and he tried stuffing his face to see if that brought happiness. Most people didn't like seeing Buddha as a walking skeleton, so they made all those statues of him sitting all fat and happy. They totally missed the meaning. Dumbasses. There is at least one statue of him as a skeleton, but its hidden away somewhere remote. Also, the Hindus with their tens of thousands of gods, made Buddha a god against the wishes of Buddhists as some sort of revenge. I'm not a Buddhist, but there are some interesting lessons in Buddhism.

I wondered if it was a biased representation of him. Kind of like the long haired white Jesus image many have in Christianity. Cultural bias I guess?

religion is the opiet of the masses

Quoted: religion is the opiet of the masses

If God did not exist we would find it necessary to create him.

Quoted: religion is the opiet of the masses

I thought that was Oxy?

Quoted: religion is the opiet of the masses

Wow. I never heard that before. What does it have to do with Buddah?

Quoted: Quoted: religion is the opiet of the masses Wow. I never heard that before. What does it have to do with Buddah?

Nothing.

Courtesy of Pol Pot.

Quoted: Quoted: ......seemed to think that Buddhists were the spawn of Satan..... Spawn of satan........maybe.   Pagan definitely.

it always makes me chuckle when people toss around terms like "pagan" and "heathen" without knowing what they mean.

look up "pagan", and its ancestor, "pagani".  buddhism certainly does not qualify.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: ......seemed to think that Buddhists were the spawn of Satan..... Spawn of satan........maybe.   Pagan definitely. it always makes me chuckle when people toss around terms like "pagan" and "heathen" without knowing what they mean. look up "pagan", and its ancestor, "pagani".  buddhism certainly does not qualify.

The laugh's on you.

My source of the word pagan comes from the Bible which defines anyone worshiping a god other than God (Yhvh, or "I am") of the Bible is pagan.

Quoted: Dont call me stupid.

why on earth not?

I've met sheep that coul outwit you.

I've had dresses with higher iq's

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: ......seemed to think that Buddhists were the spawn of Satan..... Spawn of satan........maybe.   Pagan definitely. it always makes me chuckle when people toss around terms like "pagan" and "heathen" without knowing what they mean. look up "pagan", and its ancestor, "pagani".  buddhism certainly does not qualify. The laugh's on you. My source of the word pagan comes from the Bible which defines anyone worshiping a god other than God (Yhvh, or "I am") of the Bible is pagan.

ahhh...HOMEWORK TIME!!!  [

the word "pagan" is neither hebrew, greek, nor aramaic.  ergo it is not "from the bible."  it is "from a translation of the canon."

your homework:

give the chapter and verse of the text (not a commentary or concordance)

give the original, untranslated word.

find the origins of the english word "pagan", and its etymological/philological ancestry.

find 3 academic sources that define the english word "pagan".

all in good fun.  

[and NO HELP from the hun!   ]

[ETA:  one nitpick--YHVH or IHVH is correctly represented in all caps, per hebrew grammar]

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: ......seemed to think that Buddhists were the spawn of Satan..... Spawn of satan........maybe.   Pagan definitely. it always makes me chuckle when people toss around terms like "pagan" and "heathen" without knowing what they mean. look up "pagan", and its ancestor, "pagani".  buddhism certainly does not qualify. The laugh's on you. My source of the word pagan comes from the Bible which defines anyone worshiping a god other than God (Yhvh, or "I am") of the Bible is pagan. ahhh...HOMEWORK TIME!!!  [ the word "pagan" is neither hebrew, greek, nor aramaic.  ergo it is not "from the bible."  it is "from a translation of the canon." your homework: give the chapter and verse of the text (not a commentary or concordance) give the original, untranslated word. find the origins of the english word "pagan", and its etymological/philological ancestry. find 3 academic sources that define the english word "pagan". all in good fun.   [and NO HELP from the hun!   ] [ETA:  one nitpick--YHVH or IHVH is correctly represented in all caps, per hebrew grammar]

sirensong's right...

Quoted: [and NO HELP from the hun!   ]

I've never called on help from Eric.  

[ETA:  one nitpick--YHVH or IHVH is correctly represented in all caps, per hebrew grammar]

I was spelling in english not Hebrew.  The word pagan is used in the NIV translation, but here are the words used in the KJV that represent pagan.

idolatrous
heathen
polluted
Chemarims
nations of the world (in context means non-Christians, unbelievers, etc...)

A pagan by Biblical discernment is the word to describe those who choose, or by ignorance follow/worship a god other than God.  So instead of pagan, then I guess buddhists are what is listed in bold.  
Nit pick it to your hearts desire!

Quoted: Dont call me stupid.

[kevin Klein]It's k.k.k.k.k.k.k.ken c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.coming to k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.k.kill me....[kevin klein]


EPOCH

Buddha is dead.  Mohammed is dead.  Marx, Lenin and Stalin are dead.  L. Ron Hubbard is dead.  There are caves full of dead Dali Lamas.  The deserts of the world are sprinkled with the dust of other false Gods.

Jesus lives.

Quoted: Quoted: Dont call me stupid. why on earth not?

"Oh I'm sorry...calling you stupid would be an insult to STUPID PEOPL!"

(Hint, we're quoting a movie.)

Quoted: Buddha is dead.  Mohammed is dead.  Marx, Lenin and Stalin are dead.  L. Ron Hubbard is dead.  There are caves full of dead Dali Lamas.  The deserts of the world are sprinkled with the dust of other false Gods. Jesus lives.

Tell me about it. He stole my hubcaps the other day.

Or are we talking about a different Jesus?

Quoted: Quoted: [and NO HELP from the hun!   ] I've never called on help from Eric.   [ETA:  one nitpick--YHVH or IHVH is correctly represented in all caps, per hebrew grammar] I was spelling in english not Hebrew.  The word pagan is used in the NIV translation, but here are the words used in the KJV that represent pagan. idolatrous heathen polluted Chemarims nations of the world (in context means non-Christians, unbelievers, etc...) A pagan by Biblical discernment is the word to describe those who choose, or by ignorance follow/worship a god other than God.  So instead of pagan, then I guess buddhists are what is listed in bold.   Nit pick it to your hearts desire!

i should have clarified.  the "no help" proviso was more intended for the hun than for you.  i don't mean to imply that you would seek or need assistance.  but eric is...generous...with his scholarship.    i wanted you to answer.

i'm glad you mentioned "heathen", because that is a perfect example of my point.  originally, "heathen" was an old english term that was used to describe the society and culture of the ancient britannic peoples who populated the moors of what became england.  later, the term was co-opted to describe any socially backwards natives, and by the time of the KJ translation, it had been altered even further, and was commonly used to describe the earth-centered faith systems as exemplified by the druids.  originally, the word had no spiritual connotations.  imagine the difference between the "democrat" JFK, and the "democrat" john kerry.  same word, but vastly different implications.

"pagan" is an even more precise term.  for example, adherents of shinto would be classified as pagan, but zoroastrians certainly would not.  

i'm not trying to argue with your belief system, i'm just trying to help you clarify your language.  muslims are not christians, even though they acknowledge christ as a spiritual leader.  by calling buddhists "pagan", you made the same mistake as calling muslims "christian".  precision of language is the means by which we can all disagree, but still maintain a coherent dialogue.

and regarding the nitpick, there is no english equivalent for the tetragrammaton.  the closest thing is the name "Jehovah".

cheers.

ETA:  your homework grade...INCOMPLETE!  

Quoted: I dont get one thing about Buddah. I heard it was said that eating was for sustenance only. If that is true. Why was he so fat?

Lotsa people have a problem practicing what they preach.

Lots of em.

In every religion.

I know because I have met quite a few.

Muslim, Christian, Jew, Hindu, you name it.

And I make this statement as a dyed in the wool Christian.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Dont call me stupid. why on earth not? "Oh I'm sorry...calling you stupid would be an insult to STUPID PEOPL!" (Hint, we're quoting a movie.)

]
Is there a history of insanity in your family?

Quoted: Dont call me stupid.

Lighten up Francis.

Quoted: Buddha is dead.  Mohammed is dead.  Marx, Lenin and Stalin are dead.  L. Ron Hubbard is dead.  There are caves full of dead Dali Lamas.  The deserts of the world are sprinkled with the dust of other false Gods. Jesus lives.