Let's start a new trend!

[Little Earth Stamper]

I've noticed a few guys around here who say things like "Even though I'm an Atheist, I still find the teachings of Buddhism to be far preferable to the western religions".

Well, I hate to tell you, but you are following old trends. Everybody and his mother has been turning to the inscrutable orientals for religious wisdom for about 30 years now. It's tragically passe.

The monotheistic religions are even more outdated, and even though some rogue movie stars have been trying to promote Kabbalah, the whole retro thing is totally overdone.

Don't even get me started on the neo-pagans.

The point is, I am completely bored of Europe and Asia, so I want you to join me in making Voodoo the next big thing for trendy rebels. If you could say things like "Even though I'm an atheist, I find the teachings of voodoo to be unusually beautiful".

I guess it doesn't have to be voodoo. It could be something like mexican astrology, or Kachina worship or Australian dreamtime if you prefer. We could even bend the rules and make it Zoroastrianism, if we can't agree to anything else.

[Philboid Studge]

Well, normally I'd jump right on the voodoo bandwagon (I'm highly suggestible), but I'm going stick with entheogens thank you. Unless you can score some of that zombie juice.

"Even though I'm an Atheist, I still find the teachings of Buddhism to be far preferable to the western religions"
Why "even though"? Buddhists are atheists, aren't they?

[HeWhoAsks]

I've noticed a few guys around here who say things like "Even though I'm an Atheist, I still find the teachings of Buddhism to be far preferable to the western religions".

Well, I hate to tell you, but you are following old trends. Everybody and his mother has been turning to the inscrutable orientals for religious wisdom for about 30 years now. It's tragically passe.
What's tragic is the idea that whatever is trendy (ooh, this religion is on no one's radar in the U.S., so it must be cool) is somehow valuable. Try criticizing Buddhism and see how far you get.

[Choobus]

Did we ever get the truth about these Raelian orgies, coz I'm still up for banging hot french birds in the name of god

[Sir Sin-O-Lot]

Did we ever get the truth about these Raelian orgies, coz I'm still up for banging hot french birds in the name of god
Yes, they're fun.

[Little Earth Stamper]

Who said Buddhism wasn't valuable? I've just been exposed to it plenty. I'm bored with it. Variety is the spice of life, you know.

[Kate]

Nope. Cinna-man :)

[Tenspace]

Dare I ask what the Herb of life is??
Herbalife (http://www.herbalife.com/hl/templates/templatepreportal/herbalife/index.jsp)? ::ducking::

Oh... their leaf only has three segments. :)

Ten

[Spurius Furius]

Dare I ask what the Herb of life is??
Herbalife (http://www.herbalife.com/hl/templates/templatepreportal/herbalife/index.jsp)? ::ducking::

Oh... their leaf only has three segments. :)

Ten
The only thing more annoying than someone trying to get you on the Herbalife bandwagon is someone trying to get you to come to Jesus. Actually.... they are both equally annoying! Does anybody think that we should consider multi-level marketing schems to be actual religions? They seem to have very similar characteristics.

[Spurius Furius]

I"ve never heard of herbalife. I assume it has nothing to do with Ganja (otherwise it probably would not draw such bitter criticism).
A. It is a multi-level marketing scheme for morons.
B. If it had to do with Ganja, you would have heard of it.
C. If it had to do with Ganja, I would try to take Bob Marley's advice "legalize it, don't criticize it"

[Tenspace]

Dare I ask what the Herb of life is??
Herbalife (http://www.herbalife.com/hl/templates/templatepreportal/herbalife/index.jsp)? ::ducking::

Oh... their leaf only has three segments. :)

Ten
The only thing more annoying than someone trying to get you on the Herbalife bandwagon is someone trying to get you to come to Jesus. Actually.... they are both equally annoying! Does anybody think that we should consider multi-level marketing schems to be actual religions? They seem to have very similar characteristics.
It's the other way around. Religions are the ultimate MLM schemes.

Ten

[DMofD&D]

Forget voodoo! Although I am an athiest, I find wicca to be an excellent resource in creating Dungeons & Dragons adventuers and spells. Theists can quote me on that!

[Little Earth Stamper]

Forget voodoo! Although I am an athiest, I find wicca to be an excellent resource in creating Dungeons & Dragons adventuers and spells. Theists can quote me on that!
The religions we learn about most in this society are the European pagan ones that provide the basis for wicca. that earth-mother celtic crap is so over. We're trying to stay ahead of the curve here.

Anyway, without Voodoo you wouldn't have cool monsters like Zombies. They can drain your levels with their touch! Next time you're cutting some power-gamer down to size with a Zombie Nightmare, remember you have voodoo to thank.

[Firesolved]

I've noticed a few guys around here who say things like "Even though I'm an Atheist, I still find the teachings of Buddhism to be far preferable to the western religions".

Well, I hate to tell you, but you are following old trends. Everybody and his mother has been turning to the inscrutable orientals for religious wisdom for about 30 years now. It's tragically passe.
What's tragic is the idea that whatever is trendy (ooh, this religion is on no one's radar in the U.S., so it must be cool) is somehow valuable. Try criticizing Buddhism and see how far you get.
lmfao Hmmm, if youre atheist and worrying about this "trend" of people being preferable to westren religions or w/e, just shoot yourself or become religious. This is just as fucking bad as some christian saying to me "Since you dont believe in god, youre gonna burn in hell forever." what the fuck dude...dont encourage that behavior...

[Another brick in the wall]

My biggest problem with Buddhism is that it teaches that suffering is the result of desire. So those people in Indonesia got hit with a tsunami because they wanted to catch more fish to build a better life? Many desires are perfectly legitimate: the desire for happiness, for food, for knowledge etc.

[Little Earth Stamper]

My biggest problem with Buddhism is that it teaches that suffering is the result of desire. So those people in Indonesia got hit with a tsunami because they wanted to catch more fish to build a better life? Many desires are perfectly legitimate: the desire for happiness, for food, for knowledge etc.
It's hard to deny the logic, though; Suffering is what happens when reality fails to match your desires. If you have no desires, you have no suffering.

I don't think they mean that desire causes supernatural forces to punish you.

[Another brick in the wall]

So if you're starving to death you should stop wanting food? I guess just have a Protestant mindset- work hard and good things will come. I think it would have been better to say that desire for excess causes suffering. If i'm not mistaken, this is what Buddha was getting at. He tried the one extreme of poverty living in the woods with almost nothing, and then he tried the extreme of living in decadence. In his final stage, he became the content fat man beloved the world over. I read somewhere that a student asked Buddha if there was a god and he answered "who cares?"

This is a bit of tangent, but the whole bit with reincarnation seems a little fishy. If there are a fixed number of souls (which I believe is what Hinduism and Buddhism teach) and the human population is increasing, where are the new souls coming from?

[Another brick in the wall]

In defense of Buddhism, I will say it has a good record of not causing wars.

[Another brick in the wall]

Look at me- I've been reduced to replying to my own posts! Help!