Why do christians think Buddha is a god?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

Are they just misinformed? Or maybe they can't conceive of a religion without a god, and assume that Buddha must be a god like Allah or Jesus.

I told one guy who informed me that I was going to hell if I "worshiped Buddha and meditated" that he was wrong. I informed him that Buddha is NOT a god. He is revered as an enlightened person, NOT a god.

This idiot redneck's answer: "Ooohhhhhhhhhhh...."

I live in Redneckistan. :banghead:

I don't think they would get the concept that you can be a Buddhist and an atheist as well.

[hlthe2b]

1. Well, there is also the issue of Buddhism being considered...

one of the "great religions," which seemed to contradict my understanding of it as a way of life, a philosophy and a way of being, rather than a religion. But, that, I guess could be attributed to semantics

But certainly you should not be surprised that there is an absolute lack of understanding of comparative religions. Within many Christian denominations (NOT ALL, by any means), there is such a singular focus and attempts to paint all other religions as "wrong" and its followers doomed to hell.

[Skip_In_Boulder]

2. Simple answer - Ignorance

[mwb970]

11. +1

It seems that adherents of Religion A often get the tenets of Religion B wrong, presumably through inattention and ignorance.

[sakabatou]

48. +2

[Kurmudgeon]

3. I don't think about Buddha.

However, I known enough of Buddhism to know that they wouldn't think that calling an uninformed person an idiot was enlightened behavior.
Maybe you should practice up some more.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

6. what would you call them?

This guy was the most anti-education person I have seen in decades. There are many more like him here. Education and knowledge and books are the ENEMY to them. Their children will abandon them and not respect them. His children flip him the bird behind his back, and I had to buy the twelve year old a dictionary and sneak books to the wife and kids.

He wants to handicap his kids, to be ditch diggers. I asked him why he would want to cripple his kids -- he had NO ANSWER. It's all about being a negative, abusive control freak.

I can see this guy eventually killing his wife and kids to keep them from leaving him. I mean this seriously. I have not seen the wife and kids in months, and I am sure he forbade them from seeing me. I'm sure if I went to his house he would pull a gun on me and tell me to leave.

And there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.

[snagglepuss]

7. I don't think the Buddha would mind since he taught infinite compassion.

Nor do I think it incomprehensible for people to think the Buddha is a god, given that people see his 'statue'.
Lastly doesn't Theravada Buddhism have deities people worship like the Goddess of Compassion?

[Kurmudgeon]

39. I don't assign names to people. If it's as dangerous as you surmise, seek someone in authority.n/m

[DeadEyeDyck]

36. namaste

[sudopod]

dupe

derp

[sudopod]

58. Is telling someone they're going to burn in hellfire forever acceptable?

I mean, I can see someone getting a bit cross about it. I really doubt you'd have a poker face if someone at work decided to cast you into the hypothetical abyss because they had decided your beliefs aren't right.

[RagAss]

59. Actually, I bet you don't know a thing about Buddhism.

[Kurmudgeon]

62. Never said that I did. n/m

[KT2000]

4. Here is my take:

People who are judgemental, as I believe many christians are, see "others" as failed versions of themselves. Their frame of reference is themselves and since they have a religion that has a god - so does every other religion. There is not a lot if research that goes into judging others.

[RandySF]

5. To someone mostly ignorant of Buddhism, it might seem that way

I remember visiting the "Big Buddha" in Hong Kong and seeing people who looked to me like they were praying. How would you expect someone will little training to take it?

[sensate2000]

8. Don't be too judgemental

A lot of the rituals in Buddhism, especially among lay people, looks like worship. Statues, offerings, altars...

[mopinko]

16. relics, flags, prayer bells, temples, rituals.

there is a temple in sri lanka that has a relic that they claim is the tooth of the buddha. on the full moon they have a parade where they carry the tooth through the village. everyone comes, lots of flowers and decorations and all. everyone who has an elephant rides their elephant.

i mean, come on. pretty much the same thing. imho, religion is about the yearning for a big silver back ape to lead our tribe. the whole supernatural being thing is just an explanation for why we don't have that any more, but still yearn for it and replace it with something, the morays etc, that we cannot see.

i don't mean that disrespectfully. but if you look around the world, how many cultures don't have a leader that is not there any more, but who i followed nonetheless? they all conform to the norms of that place. they all look like the people of that place. they all "intercede" for people in some way.
i think this is as basic a human yearning as food. or sex.

[Cherchez la Femme]

23. An honored, unique person is not a god

And see my post http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=214x273393#273421
The original Buddhist religion started out godless;
people being people, as the religion spread through large territories they put in what they needed -- a Godhead,
in fact, many.

Many need temples, churches, synagogues to go to as we don't feel the entire earth is a holy place; we also need a figurehead, someone/something to focus upon that usually looks kinda like us but is different, better, more attuned to 'reality' than we are.
In fact, someone/thing with unlimited power and complete knowledge of Life, the Universe & Everything.
We also need ritual, we use it in our daily lives but especially in religion; it makes it special, it makes it holy.

In fact I'd go as far as surmising that if we didn't have a figurehead, if we didn't have temples to worship in, relics to honor and remember, flags to remind us of prayer, if we didn't have ritual
that religion would never really get off the ground.

Those needs are hard wired into most of us, for whatever reason -- probably trying to feel that we have some control over our lives when in fact we have none -- but that's just MO.


Me, I'm perfectly OK with Siddartha's Buddhism,
the no-god version.
Some, most, need an invisible sky-god who's always ready to --if we're good enough, or sacrifice enough, or worship the entity to suffice it's demands, or pray hard enough-- fix whatever problems we have in our meagre, ultimately unimportant lives (unlike Zaphod Beeblebrox)

Otherwise, what use is prayer

especially when prayer is our only hope?

It's the human condition.

[old mark]

K&R-Most people who think they are christians know little about their own

religion, and care less about the beliefs of others.


mark

[old mark]

9. K&R-Most people who think they are christians know little about their own

religion, and care less about the beliefs of others.


mark

[get the red out]

10. Most Christians won't even read the whole Bible

and put it into context so I guess they can't be bothered to learn anything about any other spiritual practices. IMO, that's the biggest problem with Christianity, they want to be told what to think and not have to figure any truths out for themselves.

They have forgotten, or never learned, that prior to the printing press peasants didn't even read their own scriptures but were REQUIRED to believe what the Priests told them to believe. Reading and learning are hard-fought privileges that they would just as soon throw by the wayside rather than be bothered with. It is really detrimental to their religion and to our country, and considering that so many Christians are so easily convinced that their God wants the US to make war on non-Christians, it is detrimental to the entire human race.

[Atman]

12. We have very narrow constructs regarding "religion."

If it's a religion, it must involve a god. Now, of course, Buddhism isn't a religion, but it always gets lumped in when discussing such matters. It's just ignorance.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

18. I thought it could be called a religion with no gods, if you like.

There are hungry ghosts, and the revered ones are enlightened people like Buddha and Kwan Yin.

[trotsky]

13. The same reason they think atheism is a religion. n/t

[WolverineDG]

14. Perhaps it's because of all the temples & statues that people worship at

same reason many think Catholics worship the saints & the Virgin Mary.

But this thread is nothing more than another excuse to bash Christians & call them all "idiots", rather than to discuss the distinction between "worship" & "reverence."

dg

[Manifestor_of_Light]

19. I have many problems with Christianity as a whole.

I do know some good people who are Christians.

[darkstar3]

30. Can't be blessed if you're not persecuted, huh?

Of course, it's not my book anymore, but as I understand it that particular part of the Bible offers other ways to blessings. Perhaps instead of searching for persecution wherever you can, you should try meekness.

[WolverineDG]

32. Can't be superior to others unless you're jumping to conclusions about them?

Perhaps instead of pinning people's dislike for you on what you believe, you should consider how you treat them. :think:

dg

[darkstar3]

33. Now you're accusing me of jumping to conclusions?

Look at your first post in this thread. Not only did you jump to a conclusion about the OP, but you also managed to show once again that giant chip on your shoulder that we've talked about before.

Perhaps if you didn't spend so much time looking for offense and persecution, you'd have more time to contribute something useful.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

42. I have too much self esteem to be a Christian.

I got real sick of preachers standing up and telling me I am a worthless piece of excrement just because of two people in a fairy tail eating fruit. These preachers don't know me. They don't know a damned thing about me.

My mistake was taking their fairy tale crap seriously, so I left. I couldn't stand the horrible feelings of depression I had. Christianity is a death cult. Scaring the crap out of people and controlling them through fear. Original sin is false; the solution, substitutinary atonement, is not needed.

I think Christianity persecutes people when they are sitting there in the pews. Authority figures telling people they are just not good enough, never will be, every little stray thought is a sin, blah de blah...

Impossible standards to achieve. Some people kill themselves over those impossible standards.

Like I said, I left.

[greyl]

45. Spoken like most every post-Christian Buddhism hobbyist. nt

[Manifestor_of_Light]

41. I spoke the truth to this guy and he didn't like it.

I corrected his misconceptions that he spouted that obviously came from Fox Snooze.

And he was always in pain with a big grimace on his face when I corrected him.

[LiberalEsto]

15. Because many Christians think religion=deity

In other words, it's not a religion if it doesn't have a god.

Of course a great many Christians also believe that it's not a religion, if it isn't THEIR religion.
Or their particular BRAND of Christianity.

If a religion happens to have a Goddess, it must be a heathen or devilish cult.

And if it has more than one deity, it must be a heathen or devilish cult.

[randr]

17. I think of religion as a subscription to a reality club

Different strokes for different folks.
While I do not profess to any religion I can recognize a Christian when I meet one.

[_ed_]

20. Christians don't even realize that they are not monotheistic

How ridiculous is it to call yourself a monotheist and then start talking about the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? Christians don't know anything about their own mythology, much less anyone else's.

[Deep13]

21. I was under the impression that in some versions he was a god.

Buddhism is a pretty diverse group. I know that many do not diefy Buddha, but I was under the impression that some did.

[Cherchez la Femme]

22. To be fair

there are many branches of Buddhism that have Gods (Tibetan for one),
or at least avatars (which we in the West seem to know little about other than computer games).

It can get confusing unless one 'drinks deep' and examines both the origins of that religion (Siddhartha Gautama himself) and also the beliefs of the different branches, as Buddhism dispersed across the land.

But you of course are quite correct, as the Gautama Buddha realized his truth: there is no god.

[ZombieHorde]

24. I worked with a girl who thought the Dali Lama was a Muslim.

She was Catholic, so I told her the DL was like the Pope, but for Tibetan Buddhists. She then asked me if there was any real difference between Buddhism and Islam. My head exploded.

[Vehl]

26. :))

She then asked me if there was any real difference between Buddhism and Islam.

:scared: sometimes people make me worry about the future of this world.!

[Vehl]

25. Abrahamic religious tradition is different

From the Dharmic religious traditions. In the former, "god" takes center stage. In the latter God does not..even when he does(in certain schools of Hinduism) it is with many qualifiers(or fine print) which categorically state that God is but a personification of an idea/concept and is but a means to an end and not an end by itself.


even the term "religion" used in the west/english language has a heavy Abrahamic religious undertone to it..so much so that sometimes I believe that Hinduism, Buddhism , jainism...should stop using that word to describe their philosophies.

A good alternative for Hinduism (which is not a term used by Hindus, but only by outsiders) would be Sanatana Dharma. This is oft used by Hindus nowadays.
Buddhism could simply be Buddhism...same for Jainism. These three are more of a way of life/idea than a "religion" in the Abrahamic sense.

[Iggo]

27. Because atheism is a religion.

Or something.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

34. Nope, atheism is non-belief.

[DeadEyeDyck]

37. that would make Atheism a religion

whereas I see it as not indulging in any religion.

Actively NOT doing and act is much different that not acknowleding the acts validity.

[Iggo]

38. My definition: Non-existence of a belief in a god or gods.

Not a lack of belief. Not disbelief.

(By the way, I was kidding before. I meant that Buddha as God made as much sense to me as atheism being a religion.)

[dimbear]

28. Misinformed. Buddha's place in Christianity is as a saint.

The Roman Catholic Church twice elevated Buddha to sainthood, but strangely this elevation was later rescinded. Hard to guess why.

[Warpy]

31. Not really. Saints go to paradise and serve a god

Buddha gained enlightenment and ceased to exist.

Unless you're one of those sects that claims he's reborn every generation.

[jeepnstein]

29. I have to laugh...

when I hear a preacher talking about "worshiping Buddha". That's not the point of Buddhism as far as I can tell from my brief experience with it. I will say that my study of Buddhism really did help me discipline my prayer life.

I'm a Christian. I also think it's worthwhile to at least know a bit about other folks' religions, you know, in case you ever have to talk to one of them and not sound like an idiot. My hillbilly accent does enough of that for me on it's own.

Buddhism isn't my thing. I'm not going to go around beating Buddhists over the head with my Bible or anything because that isn't very smart or productive. There are some folks in the Christian church that don't see it that way and tend to make a nuisance of themselves. And there are some folks who are opposed to Christianity sometimes exhibit the same boorish behavior. That's the way of the world I guess, some people just can't get through life without a hassle.

[azul]

35. Maybe they are afraid of the offspring

when Gods make love in their minds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deK8sLklGDM

[Bad Thoughts]

40. Buddha plays same symbolic function as Christ

Anyone who went into a Buddhist temple would obviously notice the statues of Buddha, and would likely equate it with other images/idols in religions with which they are familiar. The "rednecks" of whom you speak would be wrong to say that Buddhists regard the Buddha as a deity. However, I would not fault someone for making comparisons between between the Buddha and Christ in terms of their place in religious practice or in the construction of theological knowledge. Indeed, as both are presumed to have brought metaphysical truths to light, they are comparable figures.

[greyl]

44. Exactly. They are both Prophets of Revealed Wisdom which can Save Divinely Flawed Humans. nt

[Vehl]

46. No. Buddha is not a prophet...and no he did not teach "revealed" truths

You seem to be looking at Buddhism through an Abrahamic religious lens.

Buddha is the "founder' of Buddhism. However he is not a prophet. He advocated self-realization/enlightenment Not revealed wisdom.

self-realization/enlightenment of the Dharmic religions and The revealed truths of the Abrahamic religions are not only very different, but are the polar opposites.

[greyl]

50. The Path of Awakening equals The Road to Salvation.

(not exactly equals, but essentially equals.

They both further the damaging myth that humans are born divinely flawed, and should follow this here ultimate prescription to be happy/content and make it to the next, vastly more important realm after their life as mere mortals ends.

[Vehl]

53. no

They both further the damaging myth that humans are born divinely flawed, and should follow this here ultimate prescription to be happy/content and make it to the next, vastly more important realm after their life as mere mortals ends.

I'm afraid you are way off the mark here. It would suffice to say that you need to read up a bit more on the Dharmic religions, as you seem to have gotten even some of the most basic core philosophies wrong.

regards

[greyl]

60. I'm afraid you've given me nothing to chew on.

Your reply is a standard one, applicable to virtually any argument, with no specifics or persuasive commentary whatsoever.

I believe it is you who needs to better understand Buddhism, other salvationist religions, and human history.

[white_wolf]

43. Doesnt Mahayna Buddhism view Buddha as a godlike figure?

I know there is a sect that is very prominent in Japan (Pure Land I think) that believes if you call upon the name of Buddha 3 times during your life in faith you will be reborn in his realm and achieve enlightenment there. I know Theravada Buddhism doesn't belive in a God, but I'm pretty sure Mahayana does.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

47. I looked it up on Wikipedia.

That says that Mahayana Buddhists don't worship Buddha, but do worship the other bodhisattvas (enlightened beings). I used to go to a Chinese Mahayana Temple and I don't remember any difference in the reverence shown to Buddha and Kwan Yin.

I thought the main difference in Theravada and Mahayana is that in Mahayana, enlightened beings are encouraged to stay on earth to help other beings become enlightened instead of going to Nirvana.

[greyl]

49. Answer in the form of a question: "An omnipotent divinity ...

endowed with numerous supernatural attributes".

Who is the Mahayana Buddha?

“Devotional” Mahāyāna developed a rich cosmography, with various Buddhas and bodhisattvas residing in paradise realms. The concept of the three bodies (trikāya) supports these constructions, making the Buddha himself a transcendental figure. Dr. Guang Xing describes the Mahāyāna Buddha as "an omnipotent divinity endowed with numerous supernatural attributes and qualities ... is described almost as an omnipotent and almighty godhead."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana

[Lydia Leftcoast]

51. We don't if we know anything about Buddhism

:-)

In popular Buddhism, people pray to some of the incarnations of the Buddha, particularly in Jodo Shu and Jodo Shinshu varieties that revere Amida (Amitabha), or to one of the bodhisattvas, but that's more like people praying to saints in Catholicism. It doesn't mean that they think the saints are gods.

[spin]

52. Most Christians know very little about Christianity ...

Stephen Prothero wrote an excellent book on the subject "Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know--And Doesn't".

From the review at Amazon.com

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Prothero (American Jesus), chair of the religion department at Boston University, begins this valuable primer by noting that religious illiteracy is rampant in the United States, where most Americans, even Christians, cannot name even one of the four Gospels. Such ignorance is perilous because religion "is the most volatile constituent of culture" and, unfortunately, often "one of the greatest forces for evil" in the world, he writes. Prothero does more than diagnose the problem; he traces its surprising historic roots ("in one of the great ironies of…history, it was the nation's most fervent people of faith who steered Americans down the road to religious illiteracy") and prescribes concrete solutions that address religious education while preserving First Amendment boundaries about religion in the public square. Prothero also offers a dictionary of religious literacy and a quiz for readers to test their knowledge. This book is a must-read not only for educators, clergy and government officials, but for all adults in a culture where, as Prothero puts it, "faith without understanding is the standard" and "religious ignorance is bliss." (Mar.)
http://www.amazon.com/Religious-Literacy-American-Know---Doesnt/dp/0060859520/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1300471499&sr=8-6

[YankeyMCC]

54. I can say this about my experience

It does seem a common mis-conception, born of unfamiliarity I would guess for the most part.

I know that when I spoke openly about not believing in gods I encountered a lot of hateful and hurtful responses, the most emotional example perhaps being my mother telling me I was not her son.

When I started studying Zen Buddhism she and others seemed very happy, and when I went through Jukai (accepted the precepts) her whole attitude towards me changed.

I have repeatedly, in response to questions from her and others in the family, that although I call Zen my 'religion' I do not regard Buddha in no way divine in fact one thing that won me over was one of the teachers saying "There's nothing magical about this".

That in fact I'm still atheist.

Still I don't think she quiet gets that, like most people she can be very selective about the facts that get through her belief filters.

I always talk honestly about it but I don't try to force it through those filters.

[Taverner]

55. Because many followers of religion are ignorant

They think they already have "the truth" so they will not learn about any other people who say they have "the truth"

[AsahinaKimi]

56. I had a student from Japan

I was helping them with English, and asked him once about Japan and how Buddhism and Shinto work together. His answer was interesting in that, while most Japanese are Buddhists and follow Shinto, most Japanese tend to be more into Shinto, and are more superstitious then they are religious. He explained that when a person comes into the world, or gets married, it is preformed by a Shinto Priest. New cars are often "blessed" (more like being given good luck then an actual blessing) by Shinto Priests, as are new houses. But when death comes, it falls to the Buddhist Priest. Buddhism in Japan comes with death.

They say it is bad taste to give a gift of white flowers, simply because white flowers are used at Buddhist funerals. The Buddhist bells are rung at new years, 105 times to rid the person of his earthly desires.

Most people in Japan practice Shinto all of their lives. The concept of when receiving food, one says "Itadakimasu". This is a sort of thanks, to where ever the food came from, and who planted or harvested the food. The idea of going to a Shinto shrine, and tying your wishes and desires on a certain tree to hope they come true. This again is superstitious, but Shinto and not Buddhism.

Sometimes both cross over, as in with the Daruma doll at New years. The Daruma represents a Buddhist priest, however when one paints in one of the eyes, and asks for a wish, one is to wait for the wish to come true, before painting in the next eye. This is very Shinto like.

Shinto was once was about the spirits in all things, the stones, the land, the mountains, everything was alive and had a spirit. Now, of course no one believes this, but Japanese people know there is something to it, for why do some crops grow, when others don't grow as much. They believe in the spirits of the land, even though they admit they don't.

I love learning about Shinto and Buddhism as my father taught me.. and it is so very different then other kinds of beliefs in the world.


I should note that Japanese are very pragmatic too. With the problems in Japan, many Americans were tweeting (on Twitter) to Please pray for Japan. Japanese who read this, were
adamant in saying, "We don't want your prayers, we need your physical help!" Many were angry that all some people would offer up were their prayers. As one friend put it, "You can not eat a prayer, nor will it keep you warm at night, when the snow falls!"

[Odin2005]

57. Unfortunately a lot of Buddhists DO treat him as a god.

[greyl]

61. Why do many post-Christian Buddhists look down smugly upon wayward Christians?

(that's a rhetorical question, btw. The reason is fairly easy to figure out, and even understandable)

It's just that that looking down smugly upon, doesn't exactly appear to be reverent Buddhism at its finest.

Does it?

[SammyP]

63. they dont know about him

Most christians are some what close minded. They know god is the right way and don't bother to try and understand other people opinionated worshiping an idol is a sin