Another reason Buddhism doesn't get a pass.

[miaharun]

I am an Atheist/Buddhist if it makes sense. I practice Buddhism but doubt Karma and rebirth. I still believe in it because it helps me to be a better person. Your one of the very few "Atheists" i have come across on this forum who are actually polite towards others. You understand and practice the word "empathy"

Nobody "practices" any religion, they swallow and follow.

A lawyer practices, a student practices, a musician practices, a sports player practices. 

No sorry, any kind motif you point to to justify holding your club label, can be found in all religions in some description. Buddhism is no more a cure for 7 billion humans than Hinduism, and I hate to tell you this, but Buddhism is nothing but a spinoff of Hinduism.

No, sorry see that is your problem. "Empathy" is in evolution, and so is cruelty. You are hiding behind your label to avoid criticism by using "don't pick on me" as a dodge. Buddhists do not deserve anymore a taboo than Muslims or Christians.

Nobody is talking about taking your human right to believe what you want. But no, you don't get to set up censorship either. If you are more worried about getting offended, than the actual physical violence and tribalism all religions set up, then to me, your priorities as a human, suck.

Civility isn't about never getting offended. Civility is what you do when someone offends you. Now please don't pretend Buddhism is perfect because it is not. I am quite ready to point out the transgressions of Asia and the Orient too. 

Nobody is or at least should not advocate violence to their fellow human beings. But nobody has a right to decide for everyone what is or is not offensive. As an atheist I have been equated to monsters like Hitler and Stalin and Po Pot. That does insult me, no not the right to make bullshit claims, but the logic is insulting to me. 

If we all got to censor everything we don't like, all 7 billion humans could easily think of things we'd rather not hear. "Empathy" is not about censorship. Empathy is knowing that you can handle getting offended in non violent ways.

I will not give Buddhists a pass either. We are the same species, and what matters more to me, is non violence, not someone pissing me off with mere blasphemy.

No one here asked you to give Buddhists a pass. No one here said it is any sort of cure, No one here said it is perfect. Your assumptions. I am terribly sorry if i made you mad about all this. Almost everyone here is treating Buddhism with words like "Bullshit, Nonsense etc etc". Do i become violent ? No. I must say i do not care. I have tried to correct or respond to posts. To me "Empathy" means putting myself in the shoes of another person. If i say something to a person which will hurt or injure that person in anyway i would not say it. Not everyone here will have "evolved" to take the word "empathy" as you do.

May i try to explain what i mean by practicing,

"The Buddha himself is revered not as a deity or supernatural being but as a very special kind of human being. He was a human who achieved the ultimate in development of his human potential. The Buddha taught that this achievement is within the reach of every human being, and he spent his life teaching a practical methodology which, if followed with purity of mind and great diligence, would enable others to reach the same objective. In other words, he taught a method rather than a doctrine. When questioned about the validity of his teachings, the Buddha did not refer to the higher authority of a deity. He explained that his teachings were based on his own direct personal experience, and he invited all who were interested to test for themselves whether the method he taught was effective." - religioustolerance.org

There, "interested to test for themselves". That is not forcing anyone. Example "Thou shall not". If i stop practicing "following" it , nothing is ever going to happen to me. I can go to the extent of making a point to you by calling Buddha an idiot. It was just to make a point, it means nothing, just words. All what matters are your thoughts. If your thoughts are pure nothing can go wrong. Like you rightfully stated in a previous post, if a child steals a loaf of bread suffering from hunger it is not considered a misdeed. Stealing is considered wrong however if your thought is for the right reason it is not.

[robvalue]

If you don't care about other people though, karma isn't going to make any difference to you. The person you "become" in the next life, or the animal you become, is not you. It's nothing to do with you, except by some arbitrary labelling.

So all the bad things that will happen to this other being will still be of no concern to someone who only cares about themselves.

I know karma is also supposed to make bad things catch up with you in the same life, but there are perfectly rational explanations for why things catch up with you. And they don't always, so karma must have some blind spots.

[The Grand Nudger]

So, Mia, you back to tell us how you'd be pushing old ladies into the street if you weren't a buddhist?  I have that about right, yeah?  If it weren't for buddhism, you'd be all like:

"Rape and pillage!"

eh? No, no...wait, we both know that's ridiculous and we've discussed it before. Nevertheless, when your faith is criticized for it's immorality you have a habit of falling back to "helping you to be a good person" despite agreeing, many times..in no uncertain terms, on these boards, that buddhism isn't at all related to any of the above. You're not a rapist, or a pillager, and you don't want to push old ladies into the street. I've asked you all of these questions..haven't I? In fact, if it weren't for the whole karmic rape business you seem like a solid guy. Seems to me buddhism is -keeping you- from being as good a person as you would be without it.

[robvalue]

In the interests of science, I just pushed over eight old ladies in the street. Only four got run over. I think I got away with it, but I'll keep you posted if anything bad ever happens to me for the rest of my life.

[The Grand Nudger]

Watch out for rough men named Steve.  Karma has a bit of thing for rape, and you're going to deserve it.  Or, at least...that's what a buddhist told me karma was about.

[miaharun]

You have misunderstood me, I didn't state that i don't care about others. I said i don't care about what others say about Buddhism. It is not going to hurt them or me. "If" there is a next life that person will benefit from the good i do. Even though none of "me" will be there i am still concerned.

[robvalue]

I know you do care. But if the purpose of karma is to encourage people to do good things, it has a deterrent/incentive system that selfish people won't care about. So it fails. It only works on people who already care about others and so don't need it.

[miaharun]

Rape was just an example sir. I cannot get over the fact that some innocent person would be raped by coincidence. That is a horrible thing. And no they don't deserve it.

[The Grand Nudger]

They aren't getting raped by coincidence..and they do deserve it, or so you told me.  In fact, the only person who's really a victim in your karmic rape scenario..is the fucking rapist...now -that- is horrible.

Tell me again how buddhism helps you to be a better person because I sure as shit don't see it.

[miaharun]

I know you do care. But if the purpose of karma is to encourage people to do good things, it has a deterrent/incentive system that selfish people won't care about. So it fails. It only works on people who already care about others and so don't need it.

For selfish people, if they believe in it, they will know their actions can have consequences in this life itself hence they might try to avoid.