Blaspemy laws not just in the big three.

[robvalue]

Indeed, people need to not let their beliefs and religion define them. They need to appreciate that they aren't just right because they say they are. If they have an issue, then there are proper ways to complain. Nothing anyone could say to me would make me physically attack someone.

[Minimalist]

because our species was ignorant back then.

Much of it still is.

[Brian37]

Indeed, people need to not let their beliefs and religion define them. They need to appreciate that they aren't just right because they say they are. If they have an issue, then there are proper ways to complain. Nothing anyone could say to me would make me physically attack someone.

Having been bullied as a kid, you can understand the reaction of wanting to fight back. But if all someone is doing is calling you names, the only context is when you are captive. If you are not, and can respond, or walk away, then you become the bully if you insist on taboos as the majority.

We are all minorities depending on geographics. But we are all still humans regardless of geographics. Being a majority or minority will never change that we are the same species.

[vorlon13]

Seems like enforcing blasphemy laws in regards to Buddhism would fuck up your kharma ??

But what do I know ?

[robvalue]

Yeah, I was bullied relentlessly at school, for about 10 years. There was only one time I ever hit someone, and I'm not proud of it. Stupidly enough the guy I hit was sort of my friend, but was hitting me in the stomach about 10 times a day at school. I tried every method to get him to stop including teachers, but nothing worked. In the end I socked him one in the gut really hard. That stopped him.

There, that's my history of violence.

[tantric]

Okay, to more clear. When the Soviets burned churches and sent priests to gulags, was it because of atheism? Is that a stain on your tribe? No. That was Soviets murdering priests for political power. Multiethnic nations need some creed to hold them together, be it religion or Communism. This creed then becomes an excuse for oppression, and, given human nature, it is often taken to extremes. This is no different from the fortunately failed flag burning amendment or "Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain". It has NOTHING to do with Buddhism and everything to do with local politics. The Buddha even predicted this problems and said some stuff about it, but it didn't help much.

OTOH, no one in America seems to have a problem with using Buddhist religious images to sell crap. It does bug me. What say we make a commercial featuring Jesus on the cross, all bloody and gross, and have one of his followers come up and put neosporin and band-aids on him and make him all better. How would that go over? I'd find it amusing. Or better yet.....a commercial for the new Ronco Nail-Remover....

[Brian37]

Seems like enforcing blasphemy laws in regards to Buddhism would fuck up your kharma ??

But what do I know ?

Karma is as much a superstitious word as prayer. The truth of reality is sometimes bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people, and no matter what all of us die in the end so our luck will always run out at some point.

Karma is merely another form of justifying revenge, just like the concept of hell. It is another anthropomorphic idea justifying our species narcissism.