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Not in persecution of gays. You xtians have the lock on that one. We Buddhists don't care if someone is gay.
Well, actually His Holiness "can't condone" homosexuality - even though he also obviously does not condone persecution of gays. And of course, Tibetan Buddhism is only one form of Buddhism. If I were a Buddhist I would probably not "condone" the authority of His Holiness.
But, the question is; Is homosexuality condoned or acceptable within Buddhist precepts?
Buddha did not leave any teachings on homosexual behavior or orientation.
Also, each Buddhist is encouraged to examine and test for themselves the truth of any religious teachings before accepting them. Unlike xtianity, where you're pretty much brainwashed from birth and required to swallow the dogma whole in order to be considered a "real" xtian, a Buddhist must decide for his or herself what is truth and what is not, and not depend on someone else's assurances whether an action is right or wrong.
Buddhism is most concerned with whether an action is helpful, based on good intentions and freedom from harm. Thus, a specific act can sometimes be either permissible or not permissible, depending upon its context.
I've read lots of comments from people who say they are anti-gay because their church disapproves of it, or they believe the Bible tells them to be anti-gay. I can't help but think, "Really? Is that all it takes? Are you unable to think for yourself?"
Why do some people blindly follow orders without questioning them? I can't imagine surrendering my ability to think and evaluate things on my own. I would feel like I've joined a cult if I did that.
Obviously, I'm not a religious person, but I do like to try to understand why so many people are religious.
Thanks.
Actually, I don't buy everything my church professes. They think drinking is literally sinful, I think of it as a bad idea for me personally, but I will not condemn others who drink. In fact, when I first became a member of this church, I drank occasionally. As a single man, I saw nothing wrong with having a drink or two--but drunkenness was another story. However, even if someone were to get drunk, it's not really my place to judge them, it's my place to serve as a GOOD example, and you don't do that by berating others for their sins. They don't hear you--they tune you out when you get preachy. Heck, so do I.
I think anti-gay christians would be anti-gay whether they were christian or not. They seem to see everything that is different than them as wrong, and they interpret scripture to support their beliefs.
People who do not interpret scripture their way are wrong, people of different religions are wrong, and people who have a sexual orientation that is not like their own are wrong.
IMO, these kind of people gravitate to the kind of church that already supports their narrow minded view of the world.
^
You're probably right, since most of the anti-gay rhetoric comes from the deep South conservative religious culture. Whereas in the Northeast, religion is very prominent but people are far more open to homosexuality because the culture (regardless of religion) is far more rooted in a notion of "live and let live".
People just create an image of God that looks a lot like themselves.
Buddhism is most concerned with whether an action is helpful, based on good intentions and freedom from harm. Thus, a specific act can sometimes be either permissible or not permissible, depending upon its context.
This sounds like relativism. Is there a difference? If so can you explain the difference in the context of Buddhism?
Buddha did not leave any teachings on homosexual behavior or orientation.
Also, each Buddhist is encouraged to examine and test for themselves the truth of any religious teachings before accepting them. Unlike xtianity, where you're pretty much brainwashed from birth and required to swallow the dogma whole in order to be considered a "real" xtian, a Buddhist must decide for his or herself what is truth and what is not, and not depend on someone else's assurances whether an action is right or wrong.
Buddhism is most concerned with whether an action is helpful, based on good intentions and freedom from harm. Thus, a specific act can sometimes be either permissible or not permissible, depending upon its context.
Wow Zuggie, would you like me to show you some of the violent brainwashed examples of Buddhists I shared with the Funkster. He's was up there on the self-righteous scale as well when it came to his religion. They are as identical to christendom when it comes to faults, hate and brainwashing. Take my sister-in-law who is from Thailand. She is constantly badgered by her monks back in Thailand calling on the phone begging her to fork over more $$$dough$$$ for the cause. Seems to me all these religions have their stinky sides. Come on Zuggie, even the Queen of England goes to the Loo!!!
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We Buddhists don't care if someone is gay.
