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- From: mjmh@crsa.bu.edu (Michael J M Holmes)
- Newsgroups: alt.callahans
- Subject: Re: Another introduction...
- Message-ID: <102469@bu.edu>
- Date: 18 Nov 92 17:08:59 GMT
- References: <OLSON.92Nov17000905@husc8.harvard.edu> <102356@bu.edu> <Mf2R8Hi00awS07DF5q@andrew.cmu.edu>
- Sender: news@bu.edu
- Organization: Boston University Center for Remote Sensing
- Lines: 59
-
- In article <Mf2R8Hi00awS07DF5q@andrew.cmu.edu> ml5a+@andrew.cmu.edu (Mark Beirne Lively) writes:
-
- > Relgion again... Oh well it was bound to show up.
- > I am a Christian and I do my best to live up to the ideals and
- >teachings. I do my best to love everyone and to my knowledge I hate
- >noone. I am not perfect and I often wind up hurting people almost never
- >through conscious intent(I am not perfect) But usually through
- >thoughtless.
-
- "I can definitely appreciate what you say." /* puts down his purply
- Grape Crush. "Although I am not a Christian, you sound like the
- type of person who is more capable of showing understanding and
- acknowledgement of 'being human.' I, too, can make mistakes,
- although I do *my* best to live up to my life principles - which
- for me, are mostly Buddhist or humanist in nature."
-
- [deletions - a thoughtful discussion of his personal religious belief -
- deleted for space]
-
- > I'll leave on this thought. Fundamental Christianity and Buddhism are
- >very similar in one respect. Fundamental Christians believe that all
- >people deserve to go to hell for eternity. Buddhist belive this has
- >already happened(Well not quite for eternity just for a very very very
- >long time)
-
- "I just want to point out that Buddhism, like Christianity, has
- developed a lot of 'flavors' over the years. Also, a lot of people
- in 'Western Cultures' are introduced to Buddhism (or Taoism, or
- Confucianism, etc) through the writings of translators - and some
- of these may not quite have gotten the full idea"
-
- "From what I have read, learned, and discussed, I haven't really
- encountered the idea that Buddhists believe we are already in hell.
- In fact, their concepts of heavens, earth, hells, and nirvana are
- not really comparable to Christianity."
-
- "Many Westerners get a little confused with the idea of 'dukkha'
- which I have often seen translated as 'suffering' - maybe that's
- where people get the idea that Buddhists think we're already in
- 'hell' - but the concept is not the same."
-
- "But there are similarities in Christianity, Buddhism, and many
- other religions - emphasis on striving to be a better person, on
- caring for others, on making the world a better place because of
- what you do, rather than in spite of it. Although not all
- religions state this explicitly, they seem to be inherent in
- them, and in the way many believers practice them."
-
- /* pauses. "I am *no* expert in Buddhism, or Christianity; so
- I may have made some misinterpretations. But I do have some
- experience or background in both religions, and that is what
- I base my previous words on."
-
- "But I appreciate your thougthfulness. Mike, his next drink
- --
- ========================================================================
- Mike Holmes mjmh@crsa.bu.edu "Happiness Will Prevail!"
- Boston University Department of Geography (a truly GREAT place to work!)
- ========================================================================
-