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I don't think you know what Liberals are. You are a Buddhist, you support pro-choice and gay rights...Over here that would make you a lefty.

MuckaMcCaw(1970) Clarified
1 point

I don't know about that, I think its pretty darned common actually. Politics being another example. Even things like sports and music can get bogged down by this. Extremists exist in all topics, I believe.

MuckaMcCaw(1970) Clarified
1 point

That's a tough call, really. Religions themselves are a form of philosophy, so the question is what exactly differentiates a religion from a more "mundane" philosophy?

Deities are not necessary for religion, and even if they were, Buddhism has room for them. The two things I consider to be universal amongst religions is some sense of faith based teachings and an explanation for the after life. And Buddhism both does and does not have those, it depends on the school of Buddhism being employed. Even amongst Zen Buddhists (which is just one branch of Mahayana Buddhism) there can be a sharp divide between the highly spiritual and arguably religious Zen practitioners and those who are more "practical" and arguably non-spiritual.

Due to the huge variety of practices within Buddhism and its intertwining with other religions in many parts of the world, I would say it can be practiced as a religion OR as a non-religious philosophy.

Thank you.

The comparisons are silly. Theism has long been the default state of most of the world, it is the majority stance in most nations, even in the modern world. Most theists take their theism extremely seriously, and the idea that someone could not believe in some kind of God is a bit of a culture shock for so many.

Things like skiing and golf just don't have the kind of global thrall and personal importance that theism implies.

Plus, "atheist" is a very old word that was initially used as an insult by theists. As time went on, it earned its place as a legitimate philosophical doctrine.

Suicide is very selfish, perhaps one of the most egocentric thing someone could do.

It is one of the most personal decisions one can make, but that is not synonymous with egocentrism. It ultimately depends on why they are doing it. Many feel they are not worthy of being in this world, and that is hardly egocentric, if anything, its the opposite.

Because there are people all around them that love them and want what's best for them.

This is not always true.

And if you truly want what's best for them, maybe you should consider that suicide would really be that. Some people may experience their hopelessness indefinitely. They may genuinely have no interest in living anymore. If this is the case, is it not SELFISH to want them to stay alive, to suffer indefinitely and not exercise their ultimate freedom of choice just so YOU don't have to deal with pain of them dying. I'm sorry, but in those cases, THAT is the selfish attitude.

Besides, EVERYONE you know will die at some point anyway. Whether it is by their own hand or not doesn't make much practical difference.

A permanent answer to a temporary problem,

And if the problem is not temporary?

MuckaMcCaw(1970) Clarified
1 point

Buddhism does not require deities, but they are compatible within it. Often, Buddhism will morph with local religions and incorporate their pantheons. Thus, while Buddhism is formally atheistic, in many parts of the world it is practiced in an essentially polytheistic or sometimes even monotheistic fashion.

3 points

What makes you think the Big Bang Theory posits that the Big Bang came from nothing? This has rarely if ever been suggested by the cosmologists supporting the Big Bang. The only people who seem to believe this notion of the Big Bang are those who don't believe in it.

MuckaMcCaw(1970) Clarified
1 point

While questioning the existence and basic effect of gravity would be silly, its actual nature has all kinds of questions for physicists.

3 points

I don't hate, generally. That said, many GOP pundits, politicians and followers exhibit some variety of: heartless, scientifically-ignorant, self-important, fear and hate mongering, insulting, topic avoiding, lower-class detesting bullies.

And I don't like those types of people very much.

MuckaMcCaw(1970) Clarified
1 point

Oh no! Not change! Not the inevitible. Keep fighting your battles. I'll keep considering you someone who will eventually get washed away with the tide. The world is much more beautiful than your closed eyes will see.

MuckaMcCaw(1970) Clarified
1 point

I believe in being exposed to everything I can be at least once. It does not mean I will embrace it all, but I crave knowldge. The more you know about the world around you, the more you are prepared for it. And one should be prepared. Globalism has brought a lot of money and technological and cultural advances to the world. It brought you Buddhism. It brought this conversation. It is inevitable. If you aren't prepared for it, you will fall behind the rest of us who are. Your negativity is a crutch.

MuckaMcCaw(1970) Clarified
2 points

But you can be expected to rally against it. Whatever aspects of British culture you cling to are simply a tiny fragment of the whole package. One that was not always extant and will not always be. Its all an illusion, because, like anywhere else, there have always been many cultures within the British Isles, and they have always been affected by outside forces in one way or the other. And that's just like anywhere else. The countries that have fought against multi-culturalism have suffered greatly (N. Korea as the best modern example), whereas many that are embracing it, say, Canada, are wealthy and healthy. Tradition is only of value when it actually solves problems. When it fails to do so, or those problems are no longer an issue, it is just clinging to the past instead of embracing the ever changing world that is our inescapable reality.

2 points

You don't see it as clinging to your culture? Considering it has changed constantly over time, and will continue to do so, like any culture, is this not inviting suffering into your life?

Then it seems quite odd that you would bathe yourself in pride and indulge in hatred for other cultures. Is it possible you have studied much but learned little? Or does your pride in British culture overwhelm your interest in Buddhism?

2 points

Wow. So you haven't gotten too far in your studies then.

2 points

Aren't you a Brit who studies Buddhism?

2 points

Here is a laymen friendly article that covers it in much more detail and accuracy than the video FromWithin posted:

http://earthsky.org/space/what-if-the-universe-had-no-beginning

2 points

The math rules out the singularity we always assumed preceded the Big Bang, not actually the BB itself. Reporters have had a hard time telling the difference, but astrophysicists have not. Read what they say about it, don't go by quippy little newsbites.

Herculites- Everything IS in constant change, though different things change at different rates. The Universe is constantly spreading, the continents are in perpetual motion, and adult body has few of the cells in it it had at birth, the personality continually adds new information and experience to it. The universe IS change, and how anyone in the modern era can deny that fact is beyond me.

3 points

Killing babies IS wrong. However since a baby is defined as an infant that has gone through the process of birth and abortion is all about terminating the fetus BEFORE birth, this has nothing to do with abortion. Use your words correctly, or people get confused.

4 points

Not really. We have the highest levels of religious evolution-deniers in the Christian World.

Meanwhile, if your hypothesis had merit, we would expect the highly atheistic nations of Scandinavia to be a wretched wasteland. Instead, they have some of the highest standards of living and levels of happiness on the planet.

Try again.

MuckaMcCaw(1970) Clarified
1 point

If you hate school, being a pharmacist might be a problem for you. You need a doctorate to be a full-fledged pharmacist. And that's a whole lotta schooling. That said, you shouldn't hate school. Its good for you.

3 points

...which wouldn't change the rate at which certain particles decay.


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