PSA: Buddhism is a religion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Regarding UU-- I suppose one could say that its belief system is actually very old-- pre-Nicean Creed when "it was decided" that to be Christian you had to believe in the Trinity. Those early Christians that argued against this requirement (and there were many) were early Unitarians. And UU churches can touch on many early religions, not just Christianity. So the lack of "years in service" I wouldn't say is what makes UU questionable as a religion-- it's the lack of a required common belief. I consider it a religion as I go every Sunday and I sit in a pew and tithe and listen to hymns and sermons that very much inspire me to be a better person and do good in the world. My kids attend Sunday School and learn about not only previous UU leaders, but other religious leaders and traditions of many faiths. (I was raised Methodist, so I expect my kids will understand far more about Buddhism that I do!) Anyway, that feels like religion to me. But if the technical definition requires a common belief, maybe it isn't. Rather than give answers, UU churches say "we aren't really sure-- but we support you as ask your questions."

Thanks for explaining UU to me, I didn't know so much about it!

And actually, I'm not sure that common belief should be a requirement for what defines a religion - or if it is, that common belief should be very abstractly defined and open to extremely broad interpretations. Otherwise every major world religion would falter, because even in the faiths that have strongly enforced doctrines, there is a huge variance in how those doctrines are interpreted. From what you've described of your experience as a member of UU church, I think I'd consider that a religion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Regarding UU-- I suppose one could say that its belief system is actually very old-- pre-Nicean Creed when "it was decided" that to be Christian you had to believe in the Trinity. Those early Christians that argued against this requirement (and there were many) were early Unitarians. And UU churches can touch on many early religions, not just Christianity. So the lack of "years in service" I wouldn't say is what makes UU questionable as a religion-- it's the lack of a required common belief. I consider it a religion as I go every Sunday and I sit in a pew and tithe and listen to hymns and sermons that very much inspire me to be a better person and do good in the world. My kids attend Sunday School and learn about not only previous UU leaders, but other religious leaders and traditions of many faiths. (I was raised Methodist, so I expect my kids will understand far more about Buddhism that I do!) Anyway, that feels like religion to me. But if the technical definition requires a common belief, maybe it isn't. Rather than give answers, UU churches say "we aren't really sure-- but we support you as ask your questions."

Thanks for explaining UU to me, I didn't know so much about it!

And actually, I'm not sure that common belief should be a requirement for what defines a religion - or if it is, that common belief should be very abstractly defined and open to extremely broad interpretations. Otherwise every major world religion would falter, because even in the faiths that have strongly enforced doctrines, there is a huge variance in how those doctrines are interpreted. From what you've described of your experience as a member of UU church, I think I'd consider that a religion

Good point! I was just thinking today about how the Jesuits question everything the Catholic Church says-- they are still Catholic, but they question the Catholic doctrines. the Jewish faith also seems to encourage testing and questioning.

[Anonymous]

You know what I like about Buddhists? They don't want to blow people up in the name of Buddha. Not even the Buddhist Extremists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know what I like about Buddhists? They don't want to blow people up in the name of Buddha. Not even the Buddhist Extremists.

FYI, it's the Buddha. Buddha is a title, not a name. It was used in Hinduism long before it became Gautama's title. It derives from "buddhi", which is a complex word but can basically be defined as a kind of cosmic, discriminating intelligence and generally means, "Awakened One".