Dear K*****,

I have not taken the time nor effort to learn about these other religions and therefore cannot really answer your question.  My initial reaction is that atheism goes beyond just denying gods -- it is a philosophy of holding everything open to criticism.   So what do these   religions say about the beginning (how the world came to be)?  Do Buddhists hold Buddha as just a wise man?  If they hold truths as "true so far" then I don't have a problem with these religions.  I do have a problem with monolibricity (one-book living) however.

Darwin Bedford
www.atheists.net


At 11:07 PM 9/29/2002 -0400, you wrote:

        Darwin,
I just wanted to know your stance on athiest or religions alien to Islam/Judaism/Christianity such as
Buddhism, Hinduism, Bahai, Paganism, Shinto, Krishna, Shamanism, Animism and others is? I am a
Buddhist and do not believe in any god, afterlife or salvation- I am Buddhist simply because it is a
healthy and productive way of living that allows you in concentrated thought to cultivate your mind
and awareness of the meaning of life. Many polytheistic religions like Hinduism and Paganism simply
replace forces of nature or emotions with named dieities- they will admit that these gods do not
exist or they are metaphorical- of course none of them are as disabling or offensive as the three
monotheistic gods. Looking at the three religions (Islam, Christianity, Judaism) one can see the
obvious similarities and one could even wager that they are the same religion retold three different
ways with different names for key figures. My idea is that Jesus was an actual man, but he had
visited China or India and learned Buddhism, brought back his Buddhist beliefs and taught Buddhism.
All of Jesus's teachings (Which are described in detail in the Bahai religion) are athiest, he never
once mentions or notes a God(S) but he promotes several Buddhist ideas. OF course, Christians do not
follow these ideas anywhere near as devoted or skillful as the typical Buddhist but they are present,
mixed with false diety bearing ideas. What you have to take into account is that many religions are
nothing like the most popular ones- some are even athiest! Thanks for your time.
                                                                                                                        K*****