Questions regarding the LOO, STS and Religions

[unity100]

This doesn't agree with reality at all. Buddhist religious structure is a highly organized hierarchy. There are absolute leaders. For example the Karmapa, and the Dalai Lama. All wonderful people, very wise and loving. But make no mistake they are very much in charge.

I love Buddhism. I think it's one of the best preserved systems of knowledge concerning the divine there is. Why do you think that is? Because there are no rules?

you are classifying it wrongly.

buddhist organization is a highly organized hierarchy. but, buddhist organizations do not mandate or demand from their believers anything. they dont force you to be buddhist, they dont prevent you from quitting it, they dont even force any other rules to you.

buddhist monk organization is like an adept training organization. one may remember the school of life and school of death in egypt, which taught respectively in matters regarding life (medicine, engineering etc) and ethereal (philosophy, afterlife etc). ie, something similar to what adepts and priests were probably teaching immediately after Ra have done their egypt effort. they teach a certain refined method of their own devising. they dont claim the only path forward, they dont forbid anything else, they dont prevent you from leaving or joining, they dont even ask of you anything from you in your daily actions. its spiritual, and for inner world.

Not only are there gods and demons in Buddhism. There also exist various saints. And the prophets are essentially the holy men that still lead Buddhism today.

If we talk about authority, the Karmapa is the reincarnation of the buddha, and you're the reincarnation of John Smith from bloody Croydon... Does that feel like an equal power base?

first of all, existence of 'gods', is something plural, and, as far as i can see, a positive situation in nature. it means, different aspects and understandings of existence is recognized and respected.

secondly, it is much less efficient as a control tool. if, a negative entity comes up claiming to be prophet of a god, there are many other gods other than that one. with different approaches, tones, attitudes.

so in that, when compared to saying 'there is one god and i am his prophet, obey what i say', plural religions are less effective.

third, in any philosophy or social group, there can be entities who attempt to start negative social constructs. what matters is the suitability of the base philosophy for that kind of act.

take buddhism. it is about enlightenment, internal world, spirit. not anything material. it doesnt even tell you to share your bread with your neighbor. its almost totally about ethereal. so, what can you do as a negative controlling entity ? say 'in order to enlighten yourself, give me riches' ? the philosophy is totally irrelevant to what is being asked in that case even. so, it makes it much harder to fire up a negative social construct.

The four noble truths and the eightfold paths are NOT optional. It's true that in the west no one will hold you to it, but make no mistake, the suffering caused in the west by overzealous Christians is comparable to the suffering Buddhist warriors have caused in the past..

Religion is a reality that encompasses billions of people and many centuries. It does not fit in broad sweeping statements. You're trying to define one part of human nature as part of one religion and another part of human nature as part of another religion..

This is obviously nonsensical, people are all the same. There will be loving Muslims and violent Buddhists. Even though ALL their religions teach peace. Buddhist monks are on average without a doubt the best fighters among all of the monks.. Ever wondered why that is? Ever wondered why there are committees against child sexual abuse in Buddhist monasteries?

We don't like to think of Buddhists this way. But the truth is they're as human as the rest of us. A friend of mine has identified a principle... "The scumbag factor is a constant"... Meaning that no matter what selection of people you take, after a while a certain constant percentage will become scumbags...

Remember the point I made earlier, that religion is always better on the other side of the earth? I think you demonstrated that Unity.

again, if you compare to past, one would come up say that circa 15,000 bc, entities were clubbing each other in the head and stealing each others' belongings. and this was normal.

you are ignoring circumstances. the acceptable behavior pattern level of society circa 4000 BC, or circa 1560 AD, are much different from what they are now, and everything needs to compare accordingly.

circa 15,000 BC, amongst the mainly 2 d population of earth, with their frequency and understanding level, buddhism wouldnt have any place.

circa 1560 AD, buddhist monks from warrior monasteries would have killed people around them for this or that.

circa 2010 bc, however, is where we are at, and we need to think about current cirsumstances and current situations.

yes, there are loving entities everywhere. they can be found everywhere. but this doesnt alleviate the effect of negative religious constructs.

there were germans who were trying to smuggle people out of germany. there are even rumors of wehrmacht (regular german military), killing ss in the field when they cant be discovered, due to what ss were doing at the hands of nazis.

but, that doesnt change the fact that germans in majority supported nazis into power and beyond, and german army has been a tool at the hand of nazis for oppression and occupation.

muslim religion doesnt teach peace by the way. the only peace that can happen, is when all the world becomes muslim, by conquest or conversion, and any non muslim gets subdued and pays tribute. and this is written in stone in koran, so it is almost impossible to reform, as the egyptian reformers have found out in person.