Why are you not a Christian

[Darius871]

Originally posted by Blake
Why, when I can effortlessly will myself out of such a mindstate, if I wish?

Because visual & tactile hallucinations are nothing more than chemically explainable tricks of the mind merely interpreted to be supernatural experiences by people who started out looking for supernatural experiences. In reality you're in the same boat as the Christians you look down upon.

[Nostromo]

Originally posted by Darius871


I must say, if you're serious about experiencing sensations a thousand times more powerful than "bright light, a glow, a warmth," then what you really need is about 100 mg of Haloperidol with each breakfast.

I can think of a couple of sensations a thousand times more powerful than seing a bright light... Like getting head from mademoiselle Fannie...

[Darius871]

Originally posted by Nostromo


I can think of a couple of sensations a thousand times more powerful than seing a bright light... Like getting head from mademoiselle Fannie...

...so by simply kneeling down, closing my eyes, and purging my mind of all concerns about the pursuit of personal pleasure, I can get free BJ's? Where do I sign up???

[Blake]

Originally posted by Asher

Leave it to a philosopher to express the opinion that original thought means you must never be an opinion others may have.

I think you've mistaken the process of thinking for oneself with having an opinion that other people may have as well. They are very different things.

I am an original thinker in that I don't align myself with any theology -- atheist nor theist, etc. The fact that my resultant opinions from original thought may be shared by many others doesn't discredit the process those thoughts and opinions came from. When I am told or taught something, I challenge it and investigate it myself to the best of my ability. That's helped me a lot especially in my profession, because I dig into every aspect of it and work things out myself instead of just reading the blanket statements in textbooks. It leads to a deeper understanding.

My approach to belief is simple:

Believe that which you find unreasonable to deny.


At my point, it would be unreasonable for me to deny that the Buddha was the wisest man who ever lived (or at least the first to attain that level of wisdom and thus far, only those who have followed his path having attained equal wisdom and skill as a teacher).

And secondly, it would be more than unreasonable to deny that I can actually learn something valuable from the Buddha's teachings.

That is why I am a Buddhist. Because I believe that the Buddha was the wisest man who ever lived, the most skilled teacher, and the best role-model for me. It would involve a deep delusion, for me to think that I am better off not following those teachings, even after recognizing their quality. Something like; "I am surely better off as an independent fool, than someone who associates with the wise".

I understand completely, why those who do not recognize the quality of the Buddha and his Teachings, do not wish to follow them. That is fine, after all...

"It is proper to doubt. Do not be led by holy scriptures, or by mere logic or inference, or by appearance, or by the authority of religious leaders..."
-- The Buddha

[Blake]

Originally posted by Darius871


Because visual & tactile hallucinations are nothing more than chemically explainable tricks of the mind merely interpreted to be supernatural experiences by people who started out looking for supernatural experiences. In reality you're in the same boat as the Christians you look down upon.

I reiterate. These things are not goals of the Buddhist path, and while they may be experienced, they are to be let go of and no special meaning attributed to them, they have no supernatural aspect, they are as natural as seeing green when your eyes are pointed towards a (typical) tree.

And, why should I pop a pill to achieve an effect on my brain which I can achieve with greater ease and control with the power of my mind alone?

[Asher]

You're killing me here, Blake. The cornyness is overwhelming. I'm happy you find your true inner peace, that Buddha is AWESOME, etc. But you're a bit overly enthusiastic about it, it sounds to me like you're trying to convince yourself more than others.

[Blake]

I'm not really any more enthusiastic about Buddhism than say a Buddhist monk.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by BlackCat
Ehrm, doing the right thing; support the weak; be good to others is basic human acts

Not necessarily.

[MrFun]

Re: Why are you not a Christian

Originally posted by Jon Miller

This is not suppose to be a debate thread

Anyway, I'm Christian.

[Bosh]

Responses like "It is all BS" aren't all that useful, please say why it is BS, if you think so.

To side-step the thread-jack
The basic "Jesus died for our sins" bit just doesn't make any sense to me. Why does an omnipotent diety have to jump through hoops and get nailed to things. Why not just have an omnipotent diety just snap is fingers instead? I get that's its symbolic or what not, but it seems rather pointless otherwise.

There's a lot of other things to, but the fundemental idea that Christianity is based on just doesn't make any sense to me.

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Blake


I reiterate. These things are not goals of the Buddhist path, and while they may be experienced, they are to be let go of and no special meaning attributed to them, they have no supernatural aspect, they are as natural as seeing green when your eyes are pointed towards a (typical) tree.

And, why should I pop a pill to achieve an effect on my brain which I can achieve with greater ease and control with the power of my mind alone?

Do you think it's possible Blake that you have faith in Buddhism and that it is this faith allows you to experience the direct personal proof of Buddhism? In which case your success in the teachings of Buddha need not necessarily be different from the success Christians or adherents to other religions can find when they have faith?

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Bosh

To side-step the thread-jack
The basic "Jesus died for our sins" bit just doesn't make any sense to me. Why does an omnipotent diety have to jump through hoops and get nailed to things. Why not just have an omnipotent diety just snap is fingers instead? I get that's its symbolic or what not, but it seems rather pointless otherwise.

There's a lot of other things to, but the fundemental idea that Christianity is based on just doesn't make any sense to me.

QFT. It's hard to accept that an omnipotent being is incapable of forgiving the selfish imperfection of his creations until after he incarnates himself and lets them kill him. wtf?

[Blake]

Originally posted by Geronimo


Do you think it's possible Blake that you have faith in Buddhism and that it is this faith allows you to experience the direct personal proof of Buddhism? In which case your success in the teachings of Buddha need not necessarily be different from the success Christians or adherents to other religions can find when they have faith?

No, because Buddhism is the absence of faith.

But also, faith in logic, inference, reason. Blind faith in that kind of process, is abandoned too. Abandon it all, equally. Just observe what is there. Let go of the senses. Observe what is there. Let go of thought. Observe what is there...

That is Buddhism. The process of letting go and just being.

Where does faith come into letting go of things?

You mean that if I have faith that I can let go of something, that I don't need to desire that it fulfill me, that then I can let go of it? Probably. In the same way, that if I don't have faith that I can ride a bicycle, I wont be able to ride the bicycle, I wont even try, because I "know" I'll fall off.
But that doesn't mean you need faith to ride the bicycle...

[onodera]

Originally posted by VetLegion


So... you turn the other cheek?

*slaps onodera*

Well, mostly compatible. I prefer the Old Testament way of "an eye for an aye, a tooth for a tooth".

*slaps VetLegion back*

[Bhruic]

I like to think that I have a great deal in common with Christians. They disbelieve in hundreds of deities, dozens of different religions and faiths. I just happen to disbelieve in one more than they do.

Bh