We Buddhists have been too circumspect in refuting Western religions. Maybe some of us think the Abrahamists have to work it out themselves. Maybe...but that hasn't happened. They just get deeper into the muck of their own self-righteousness and limited world view.
We can disagree without being disagreeable - but we mustn't be shy about voicing our disagreements. And part of that “voicing” should include “God talk” – even though Buddhists don’t believe in God. A couple of “for instances”:
For instance # 1
“We should appreciate God for giving us our lives.”
My response: "And what did we have (what were we) before God gave us life? What was the ‘us’ that God gave life to when he gave it to each of us before (obviously) we were alive to appreciate this gift? And why are we better off having this thing called life? What were we - before being granted life - that could have appreciated the difference?"
No one "gave" us life - we've always had it and always will. Each of us is alive (actually, "is alive again") because it was time for us to wake up (be reborn) from the sleep (dormancy) we were in after our previous life ended.
For instance # 2
I was once told that proof of God's existence is inferable, being based on the complexity of creation itself. "Only a Supreme Creator could have crafted such a mysterious and unfathomable work."
To which I would ask: "And what was It that, in turn, had created such a Supreme Creator? For surely such an awesome Supreme Creator must have, in turn, been created by Something even awesomer."
What too many people fail to appreciate is the fundamental Is-ness of the Universe. Put another way: It is what it is and doesn’t need to do anything; doesn't need to "accomplish" anything; doesn't need to go anywhere - It simply Is.
If something appears complex to us, we don't have to jump to any conclusion that a Superior Craftsman must have created it. All we have to realize is, we don't understand or see the underlying mechanisms which brought it about. It's okay - really it is - to say, "I don't understand."
Could this be true: The greatest power of God must be to create other Gods. In effect, that's the essence of Buddhism, which I'll restate: "The greatest power of a Buddha must be to create other Buddhas." [And Buddhists make no bones about that; that’s a given.]
For instance # 3
You don't have to look too hard to see how tightly the Abrahamists embrace the secular state. In fact, more than embrace statism, they worship it. The Zionist Jews sought safety in the creation of their own nation because they didn't feel protected while living as communities in other nations. There are Muslims who long for the re-establishment of a Caliphate in order to nurture the ideal Islamic society, as well as for protection against the imperialism of the infidels.
Then there are Bible Belt Americans - specifically the kind who refer to theirs as a Christian nation [“Love it or leave it.”]. The kind who don't have much use for diversity - at least, not religious diversity.
The Buddhists have a role model, on the other hand, which refutes all of the arguments of the statists. Shakyamuni Buddha was a prince who gave up his throne - who gave up his country - in order to reach out to as many as possible to preach his message. Shakyamuni’s message was: “Each of us truly stands alone, without family, without country, without home – without any assistance in our search for enlightenment. Except for that rendered by fellow seekers of the Way and, should we be fortunate enough, by Buddhas.”
The true state-of-being exists within, and the sooner we get rid of the sovereign national state, the more security each of us will have.
Imagine, for one thing, not having to flush trillions of dollars down the toilet by not having to maintain standing armies.
Imagine that.
Steven Searle for US President in 2012
Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party
"The sovereign state is the greatest enemy of Enlightenment. It seeks only its own perpetuation at the expense of everything else - even of life on earth if necessary" - Steve.
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