Buddism is no longer a religion?

[Equality72521]

I recently heard that Buddism is no longer considered a religion? Does anybody know about this? I found it to be a rather shocking discovery and was wondering if this is actually true.

[Chester]

Yep, they downgraded it to a "sect". Just about the same time that they came out and said that Pluto was no longer to be considered a planet. Remember that? It was the same guys, I think. It’s a trend towards making things smaller and more cozy. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of it.

[Equality72521]

Ah. Well, that's slightly upsetting.

[blazeofglory]

Maybe it is upgraded to something higher and as such Buddhism is something that is higher philosophically higher. Religions are often mutually conflicting and we come across clashes of ideals when it comes to religions.


To be irreligious oftentimes synonymously taken as being sinners. This is totally a wrong notion and one can rise above religious boundaries and feel at one with the spirit of universality wherein you can not find divisions caused by religions and any other fanatic beliefs.

Maybe Buddhism is something like that.

[aabbcc]

The problem is in the definition of the word "religion". Depending on how do you view it, buddhism can, but it does not have to, fit into its boundaries. It is generally more considered a kind of practising philosophy than religion, even though it shares many formal elements with religions.

Frankly, I also never really considered it a religion - in the best possible sense.

[Equality72521]

Hmm. Well...I'm curious as to who determines what is and isn't a religion? Like is there some organization that declares these things or what? Who made it official?...Maybe I should look into that...

[Rexel Matador]

The individual decides whether they consider something to be something. I am a Buddhist and I am personally very happy to consider it my religion, but religion as a term doesn't have the same negative connotations for me as it does for some. If I had grown up in a strictly religious household and come to feel oppressed by the religion imposed upon me, and then discovered Buddhism, viewing it as an alternative to all that, I might be less keen to consider it a religion. For me, I came to it as an alternative to a complete lack of a spiritual dimension in my life, and as such I am very happy to consider it a religion. The point is it really doesn't matter. To quote Birmingham punk rock band D'Corner Bois: "A rose by any other name is still a f***ing rose!" What an insightful bunch they are.

[Hypercrit Htd]

Din no one tell you religion not politically correct? Religions steal money and kill people! Buddha a nice guy sitting under tree at peace!

[Rexel Matador]

Religions don't steal money and kill people. Tyrannical governments misappropriating religious ideas and doctrines for their own selfish ends steal money and kill people. And that includes so called Buddhists - e.g. Burma!!

[DeafDumbBlind]

Religions don't steal money and kill people but religion/s can give a man the right to do so in the name of god.

[Hypercrit Htd]

Religion don't give people rights-they can take-that is free will but true freedom come from God. That why Buddha freedom fighter-sat under tree to become free.

[DeafDumbBlind]

Religion don't give people rights-they can take-that is free will but true freedom come from God. That why Buddha freedom fighter-sat under tree to become free.

Let me rephrase what i meant earlier. Man will/have/can use their religion to justify their actions, like claiming someone else's land to be their own because their god said so. For example, the exodus from the bible. :sick:

[JBI]

Guys, I'm not a mod and all, but seriously, much of what you guys have been saying has been a) off topic, and b) somewhat inappropriate. The generalizations of the theft of religions, or of religious freedom fighters has nothing to do with the subject at hand. In fact, this stereotyping of Buddhism itself which seems to be going on above here can be taken as perhaps somewhat racist, and uninformed, if not plainly ignorant.

Personally, I have never heard of this 'downgrading' or 'renaming', and can't find any evidence of Buddhism not being recognized by the world as a religion, though perhaps the original poster could tell us where he got the information from. My networking of news is rather thin, and, unfortunately, quite ethnocentric, so perhaps I missed something.

[NickAdams]

Does this mean that a Buddhist, who is an American citizen, can be drafted into the military?!

[Chester]

Well, first there would have to be a draft. But, yes, from what I've heard, they'd actually be moved to the front of the line. That's the word I've been getting on the street anyway.

[blazeofglory]

Buddhism in point of fact is the only one something, I do not want to name it like ideology, philosophy, religion or any other creeds that is totally clean of all these labels and dogmas. The Buddha or I say not " the" Buddha for there were not other Buddhas, rose above all ideologies. He was a man of compassion and I do not all him by God.

[Hypercrit Htd]

Let me rephrase what i meant earlier. Man will/have/can use their religion to justify their actions, like claiming someone else's land to be their own because their god said so. For example, the exodus from the bible. :sick:


They dont only only use "bible" to "justify actions". They use morals. My morals better than your morals.

[JBI]

They dont only only use "bible" to "justify actions". They use morals for example-religion of liberal-religion of morals. My morals is better than
your morals.

a) what do either of your statements have to do with anything, and b) men can steal territories in the name of their country or their culture just as easily as they can in the name of religion. Japan had a huge conquest over the south-pacific in World War 2, and they are predominantly Buddhist, or so I am told (I know they have an idiosyncratic Shinto religion, but it is, I am told less significant than Buddhism). Religion and war can be related, but generally have nothing to do with each other. The French and the English were both Catholic, but that didn't stop them for fighting a war for how long? 116 years?

Since that is out of the way, can we please get back to the topic? Does anyone have a source that agrees with the original post, or is this a rumor?

[Hypercrit Htd]

a) what do either of your statements have to do with anything, and b) men can steal territories in the name of their country or their culture just as easily as they can in the name of religion. Japan had a huge conquest over the south-pacific in World War 2, and they are predominantly Buddhist, or so I am told (I know they have an idiosyncratic Shinto religion, but it is, I am told less significant than Buddhism). Religion and war can be related, but generally have nothing to do with each other. The French and the English were both Catholic, but that didn't stop them for fighting a war for how long? 116 years?

Since that is out of the way, can we please get back to the topic? Does anyone have a source that agrees with the original post, or is this a rumor?

You just answer your own question. Those country use religion derived moral back up wrong interpretation of religion. Some country use moral alone-they say people immoral so okay to kill them steal land. Again, a judgement on ground of moral.

It not rumor that some Buddhist call religion philosophy.This can easy be found on Google.