In our busy lives, people spend almost all of their time doing things that are not only unrewarding but destructive to their spiritual lives. The first and grossest might be dealing with a blockhead, illogical rule-oriented bureaucratic system; more damaging is that daily we go to jobs where we serve the whims and egotisms of others, usually in a capacity where 75% of our time is devoted to compensating for the inadequacy of others and the pretense required to maintain it. "But not everyone in the committee understands why the doorknob must turn to the right - do you have a visual aid?" We can go on: when you get home from your paper-pushing, ass-kissing job, you get to deal with paying bills, fixing the technology that you own that failed, and buying exciting products. If you're lucky, they let you out on Friday and Saturday night to get drunk so you can be humbled and guilty feeling by Monday, which ensures better subservience.

http://www.anus.com/zine/articles/buddhism/

What does any of this have to do with Buddhism or Christianity?

the presumption that the world is bad and one can only achieve meaning in life by doing acts of good to the less fortunate.

Where is that doctrine to be found in Christian teaching?


In simplest terms, Christianity is negativity and passivity coupled with low self-esteem


That is a very broad statement, and probably is not true by any stretch.

a product for the dumb just like Christianity. Either that, or Buddha was a drama queen long ago and he still is, having come up with nothing better than that the best way to live is to avoid contact with external reality.


These religions are products for the "dumb"? That has to be about the silliest thing in that whole article. Are we to take Buddhists and Christians as dumb compared to those peoples of Africa and and Latin American who practice various shamanistic rites?

These religions are products for the "dumb"? That has to be about the silliest thing in that whole article. Are we to take Buddhists and Christians as dumb compared to those peoples of Africa and and Latin American who practice various shamanistic rites?

They're only dumb compared to the mighty vikings! Hail Wotan!!88

These religions are products for the "dumb"? That has to be about the silliest thing in that whole article. Are we to take Buddhists and Christians as dumb compared to those peoples of Africa and and Latin American who practice various shamanistic rites?

Logical fallacy on your part: that these religions are dumb does not automatically imply that shamanistic rites are smart.

What does any of this have to do with Buddhism or Christianity?

You have to read the rest of the article :)

There are two main traditions in Buddhism, Hinayana (and its modern form, Theravadi) and Mahayana. The former emphasizes the attainment of Nirvana through meditation, and adheres to the view that enligtenment can only be achieved by a select few. While Hinayana and Theravadi Buddhism share a strong anti-materialism with Christianity, there is no notion of "equality" or "slave morality" akin to what Nietzsche attacked in Pauline Christianity.

In contrast, Mahayana Buddhism teaches that Nirvana (and ultimately, Buddha-hood) can potentially be achieved by all. Because of this egalitarian view, Mahayana Buddhists are more concerned with acts of charity and good works, and are much more likely to be politically active in leftist causes. I suppose that the egalitarian teachings of Pauline Christianity can be equated with Mahayana Buddhism, though many would argue that Mahayana is a corruption of Guatama Buddha's teachings.

Mahayana the buddhism of the Tibetians is a corruption of Buddhism, its the Catholic Church of the religion.

Buddhism( and Taoism) as you said in their orthodox forms do not strictly speaking believe in good and evil.

Mahayana the buddhism of the Tibetians is a corruption of Buddhism, its the Catholic Church of the religion.

Buddhism( and Taoism) as you said in their orthodox forms do not strictly speaking believe in good and evil.

Since they believe in the ultimately unreality of the world, Buddhists consider worldly vices to be vanity and immaturity rather than evil per se. There are certain strains in Christian mysticism that adopted the same view (Eckhart being the most important), but by and large Christian "asceticism" has always been more outwardly rather than inwardly focused. The worst offender in this regard, by the way, is not Catholicism or Orthodoxy but Calvinism, which is all about keeping up appearances and finger-waving condemnations of your neighbor's (rather than your own) sins.

Logical fallacy on your part: that these religions are dumb does not automatically imply that shamanistic rites are smart.


In the context of this article, the statement implied that there was something particularly stupid (about Christianity and Buddhism) in contrast to non-Buddhist and non-Christian varieties of religion. It also attempts to reduce those religions to a "product" for the stupid when in fact Christian and Buddhist societies have produced rich and complex literature and systems of the thought. It seems that whoever does not share the author's values is automatically branded a sort of idiot.

The worst offender in this regard, by the way, is not Catholicism or Orthodoxy but Calvinism, which is all about keeping up appearances and finger-waving condemnations of your neighbor's (rather than your own) sins.

America and England rose to power under( the admittedly strict repressive and puritanical) creed of Calvinism and have declined as its fallen from favor.

What exactly is your beef with Calvinism, I would not want puritans controlling the government but I think society nowadays could do with some greater emphasis on self discipline, order and honesty.

Mahayana the buddhism of the Tibetians is a corruption of Buddhism

Mahayana is not limited to Tibetan Buddhism. Theravada is less popular than Mahayana, if I remember correctly.

The worst offender in this regard, by the way, is not Catholicism or Orthodoxy but Calvinism, which is all about keeping up appearances and finger-waving condemnations of your neighbor's (rather than your own) sins.

America and England rose to power under( the admittedly strict repressive and puritanical) creed of Calvinism and have declined as its fallen from favor.

What exactly is your beef with Calvinism, I would not want puritans controlling the government but I think society nowadays could do with some greater emphasis on self discipline, order and honesty.

The Anglican Church is not Calvinist , though there have been Calvinist elements within it like the Puritans, there has not been a popular Calvinist trend since the 1600s. As an ex-Anglican (Protestant Episcopal) I can assure you the Church is more like Lutheranism or Catholicism than Calvinism. In the 1800s the Anglo-Catholic Oxford movement actually rose to some prominence. And the USA was never a majority Calvinist society.

Mahayana is not limited to Tibetan Buddhism

No but Tibetian buddhism is the example of it best known to most people.

Theravada is less popular than Mahayana, if I remember correctly.

Yes but there are also less Protestants then Catholics, quanity in religion tends to be inversely proportional to quality :D.

The Anglican Church is not Calvinist , though there have been Calvinist elements within it like the Puritans, there has not been a popular Calvinist trend since the 1600s.

But England went from backwater to world power under Elizabeth Tudor and Oliver Cromwell, that was a very Calvinist period in English history.

And the USA was never a majority Calvinist society.

But the NE commercial elite were for a long time.

This is from the C of E's own site:

Central to worship for Anglicans is the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, also called the Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper or the Mass. In this offering of prayer and praise, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are recalled through the proclamation of the word and the celebration of the sacrament. Other important rites, commonly called sacraments, include confirmation, holy orders, reconciliation, marriage and anointing of the sick.

Not very Calvinist.



http://www.cofe.anglican.org/faith/anglican/