this is what i deal with in NY

[David Jamieson]

Religions are cults. All religions of all faiths. But, does that make them evil?

Is a cult evil because it's a cult?

What is a cult anyway?

Could it be said it is at least a few people who believe in and adhere to the same tenets as defined by a particular doctrine or dogma which in turn states a belief that cannot be qualified or quantified in any other way than to be faithful to it?

Cults can be family, guidance, character development, a system of morality and many other beneficial things to the people who function within them.


They are often born of schism, like the JW's were but point to the bigger underlying point of belief. In the case of cults such as the Christian cults are, there is a lot of good stuff that comes out of them and people look to them because they do not feel it is within their power to contain themselves in the social construct and need to find that containment in the sub society of a cult.

Cults are dangerous in context to those who do harm. Like the shining path cult, or Jim Jones koolaid party, or in more recent memory, the messianic cult of David Koresh.

a small cult can grow into a huge global religion. In fact, they have! Despite of the teachings of those who laid down the word. Particularly contrary to Christianity are group worship churches, altars, icons, saints, etc, you name it and there is a contradiction to it in the words attributed to Jesus.

every stone of every built christian church on the planet can be refuted out of existence by the attributed teachings of Jesus himself.

Pretty amazing eh.

so, If you want to talk about just how far down the rabbit hole the Abilene paradox goes, cults and their churches are a perfect example! lol

This doesn't make Christianity bad. Not in the least. I find the teachings to be quite beautiful. As I find of all religions really. I also find it curious that the underlying message has nothing to do with the superfluous constructs heaped on top of them such as priestly intercession, churches, tithes, congregations, nuns, etc etc etc etc. All vehicles of men who wish to be the golden calf themselves!

[YouKnowWho]

... buddhism, ...

Buddism:

beginner level - you inhale positive energy (happiness, love, ...) and exhale negative energy (sadness, hate, ..).

intermediate level - you inhale positive energy and exhale positive energy.

advance level - you inhale negative energy and exhale positive energy.

[David Jamieson]

Buddism:

beginner level - you inhale positive energy (happiness, love, ...) and exhale negative energy (sadness, hate, ..).

intermediate level - you inhale positive energy and exhale positive energy.

advance level - you inhale negative energy and exhale positive energy.

meaningless cryptic allegorical nonsense.

we are men.

we act like men.

we have always acted like men.

religion and the tenets of love merely temper us and keep us from spiralling into chaos and death.

In zen buddhism, you just breath, inspire/expire and be. Be a human being. Be what you are.

[YouKnowWho]

we are men.

I won't go to heaven until I can save all the souls in hell. Sure feel good to talk like God.

[David Jamieson]

I won't go to heaven until I can save all the souls in hell. Sure feel good to talk like God.

You're in heaven now...if you want it!

[Lucas]

You're in heaven now...if you want it!

Or Hell!!!!!

[Scott R. Brown]

... he may want to call himself a buddhist but nothing about his behaviour suggests he actually is a buddhist... not of any sect i know...

I just love it when people who do not practice a specific religion think they have enough understanding of it to criticize those who do practice it.

if you dont follow the rules of christianity you arent a christian... personally, i think all christians are hypocrites... and i think 99.9% of buddhists who arent born into it are frauds who prolly believe they actually are buddhists... the ones who are born into it are mpore likely to subscribe to its basics but even then, most dont...


saying "im a christian" doesnt make you a christian...

unbuddhist... complaining about it on a public forum is even more unbuddhist...

Since you are neither by your own admission, do you not see the narcissism of your attitude? You presume to be critical of religions you clearly do not understand.

Perhaps spend a little more time introspecting into your own imperfections instead of projecting your own unrealistic expectations onto to others and then criticizing them for not living up to your flawed ideals.

a good christian dont post picturs of neked woman on internet

Uhhhh, yes they do!

besides, most people dont know much about their religions,

Clearly neither do you!

....they just do their thing and wear the label... the majority get caught up in the superficial details and miss the goods altogether... like focusing on the finger, not the celestial bodies its trying to show you...

Aside from the repeating a mysterious sounding Asian platitude of which you clearly have little understanding, how are you any different than these people? There is superficial understanding written in your every post concerning religions!

and creationism as a whole, i feel is a dangerous crutch for weak hearts... they preach accountability yet have no idea what accountability is if they are willing to submit to faith based ideals... to lean on something other than eachother... and the worst, to be so weak that you believe you need divine intervention of sorts...

You don't understand faith! Everything is based upon faith. Your grandfather should have also given you Plato. In the dialogues Socrates attempts to demonstrate that all knowledge is based upon principles that cannot be rationally defined. That is, definitions of any kind are based upon a kind of "faith"!

This is the foolishness of those who criticize the "faith" of others! They do not see that the foundations of their own belief systems are also based upon faith. Which is why it is more profitable for one to introspect into themselves FIRST, before they presume to be critical of what they do not understand in others.

you make alot of assumptions about A) what i know about buddhism and how i know it a... i dont remember telling anyone on here very much at all about my philisophical beliefs... ive said a few things i dont believe, thats all... so for you to assume that means i feel i have it all figured out, well, that just makes you look like a retard..

And yet you too have made a lot of assumptions of Ed or Mike or David or whoever! All you have done is demonstrate to others how little you understand. Why do you "presume" to understand others and then comment that others are "presuming" about you? You have done nothing but presume from your first post! Perhaps apply the same principles you expect from others towards yourself first!

i can only speak on what i know... i know what it is to grow up with a very catholic side to my fam... i thought i was a buddhist once... but then i actually learned alot about buddhism, many sects... im no buddhist... i like some basic principles from many areas of spiritual thought, but none as a whole grab me as being more about truth and less about control... for the majority anyways... rank and filers do not deserve my respect, that goes without saying... but i take it further than that... but that doesnt mean i feel im above all that and have all the answers... i take after the other side of the fam... my grampa gave me carl sagans the cosmos and an aristotle book when i was 9... from then on ive put alot of time into understanding physics and spirituality... to such an extent that i dont see much difference between the two alot of the time... science and philosophy... the two most important topics imo...

I would posit you understand little of either

Buddism:

beginner level - you inhale positive energy (happiness, love, ...) and exhale negative energy (sadness, hate, ..).

intermediate level - you inhale positive energy and exhale positive energy.

advance level - you inhale negative energy and exhale positive energy.

Super advanced level - Recognizing that positive and negative energy are false forms created by mind, there is no distinction drawn between the two, so no transformation from one false form to another false form is necessary, because transformation is merely apparent not actual.

[YouKnowWho]

Super advanced level - Recognizing that positive and negative energy are false forms created by mind, there is no distinction drawn between the two, so no transformation from one false form to another false form is necessary, because transformation is merely apparent not actual.

From 六祖 (Liu Zu):

Since our heart (mind) is not a mirror, the dust (evil) will not have any chance to attach on it.

[Drake]

First mistake to make as an atheist is to say that all the religions are wrong and that they're cults.

You aren't a valid authority to make that call, as you have no more of a clue about the reason of life than anyone else. It makes you look like a big nasty donkey ass. You don't like christians telling you about jesus, yet you go out of your way to throw in your two cents about what YOU believe. What kind of *******, ignorant hypocrite does that make you out to be?

And if you want to know the difference between a cult and religion, there are more than enough places to find out the exact, accepted definitions of what separates the two.

I am an atheist, and if someone wants to worship a big, pink bunny, then by all means, when I die and am greeted by a pastel colored rabbit, I'll admit I'm wrong. But in the meantime, I am not going to tell someone they are wrong just because they don't believe what I do. Isn't that the same **** you accuse christians of doing?

Note: This was aimed at DJ, if you folks were unable to put that together

[Scott R. Brown]

from 六祖 (liu zu):

Since our heart (mind) is not a mirror, the dust (evil) will not have any chance to attach on it.

.........

[Scott R. Brown]

First mistake to make as an atheist is to say that all the religions are wrong and that they're cults.

You aren't a valid authority to make that call, as you have no more of a clue about the reason of life than anyone else. It makes you look like a big nasty donkey ass. You don't like christians telling you about jesus, yet you go out of your way to throw in your two cents about what YOU believe. What kind of *******, ignorant hypocrite does that make you out to be?

And if you want to know the difference between a cult and religion, there are more than enough places to find out the exact, accepted definitions of what separates the two.

I am an atheist, and if someone wants to worship a big, pink bunny, then by all means, when I die and am greeted by a pastel colored rabbit, I'll admit I'm wrong. But in the meantime, I am not going to tell someone they are wrong just because they don't believe what I do. Isn't that the same **** you accuse christians of doing?

Note: This was aimed at DJ, if you folks were unable to put that together

Except that your post, "....makes you look like a big nasty donkey ass" too!

So the question is, "What is one to do?"

You're an donkey ass if you do and a donkey ass if you don't!

[David Jamieson]

Looking back, I apologize to anyone who was offended by my ferocity.

[taai gihk yahn]

if u r an atheist, then, de facto, u ARE saying that everyone who believes in a god of any sorts is wrong; however, it is then up to you to go make a point of emphasizing it or not; personally, I find the whole notion of god-belief to just be, well, silly and I have very specific reasons for this, but I seldom articulate them, because there's really no point! I am not interested in "converting" anyone else t my point of view, because what difference would that make? and certainly, I firmly respect everyone's right to believe whatever they like- however, it doesn't mean that I have to respect that belief, per se - you can believe in the big pink bunny, and I am all for protecting that belief, even tho I personally find it idiotic; but, and here's the thing, I can find it ridiculous, but it doesn't mean that I have to tell that to someone that - in fact, typically, I avoid discussing my belief system, because it seems to make a lot of 'believers" uncomfortable - they either try to convince me I am wrong (as silly as me trying to convince them they are wrong), or just become uncomfortable, especially by the fact that while my lack of belief often bothers them, I do not find myself bothered by their belief, I just think it's silly; but again, I don't bring it up because I don't see the point of doing so - I will never "compromise" w a theist (like "admit" that I may be wrong, because I firmly believe I am right), and don't expect them to come over to my point of view;
I am also a Buddhist, offcially speaking, because I took refuge w a monk (Abbott Ming Gwong of Chuang Yen monastery in upstate NY); if u haven't taken refuge, u r technically not a Buddhist; altho u can still practice as one just as well...

[TenTigers]

I LOVE Chuang Yen Monastery! My ex and I said our vows there. I also Lion Danced at their opening-the Dalai Lama fed me two lai-sees. I bit his head! LOL
Have you ever been to the Mahayana Temple near Windham? I pass it every time I go skiing, but never stopped in.

[taai gihk yahn]

I LOVE Chuang Yen Monastery! My ex and I said our vows there. I also Lion Danced at their opening-the Dalai Lama fed me two lai-sees. I bit his head! LOL

that's VERY cool about lion dancing for the Dalai Lama! and yeah, I heard that opening was huge in terms of who attended; how did you get hooked in there?

it is a great place (in fact, just stopped by this past October for the first time in a few years); I first did a 7-day retreat there in ~'98 - my sifu had stopped in the year before and met the Abbott who "challenged" him to come to a retreat, so sifu said, "ok, if I can bring some students", not telling the Abbott the his students were not Chinese! so the first year we went, the whole 7 days was pretty much in Chinese and in a way the presence of non-chinese was a bit of a challenge for them as well, in terms of how to accommodate us - they felt responsible for us, that it was their responsibiity to get the "teaching" to us because we made the effort to come there, so they had to figure out how to translate on the fly, which was generous of them (of course, now they have a comprehensive English-language program);
over the years there have been several Abbotts, each ran the seshin a bit differently; one in particular was a pretty "heavy" dude, he has a retreat center in Taiwan that has something like 100,000 members or some crazy big number like that - he taught a form of what was essentially Vadjrayana Ch'an (!) - a lot of VERY esoteric visualization / chanting to Zhuen Ti Boddhisatva w all kinds of "protection" seals and the like;

Have you ever been to the Mahayana Temple near Windham? I pass it every time I go skiing, but never stopped in.

didn't even know it existed; what's it called?

btw, check out the USSD thread - I've been "watchlisted" by the jack-booted thugs in their legal department