Open debate with any non-Christian

Originally posted by Mayharm
He may have been a deist, but the quote was aimed at christianity. Had you not told me, I might have thought he was agnostic/atheist, which darfius in his opening post also requested not be debated.

All I'm saying is I'm seeing argumen ...[text shortened]... christian stuff, so dont let me stop you or anything...

MÅ¥HÅRM

one thing you don't seem to follow... Paine says what he is plainly and that certainly ain't a christian .
Deists aren't atheists or agnostics.
And since some of the Deist's arguments have been highjacked by christians in here ,I thought it was proper to show was a nonJudeo-Chistian believer thought.

Originally posted by frogstomp
one thing you don't seem to follow... Paine says what he is plainly and that certainly ain't a christian .
Deists aren't atheists or agnostics.
And since some of the Deist's arguments have been highjacked by christians in here ,I thought it was proper to show was a nonJudeo-Chistian believer thought.

Ooops! I must have "skimmed" after the 4th-5th paragraph, sorry 🙂

MÅ¥HÅRM

Originally posted by Mayharm
Ooops! I must have "skimmed" after the 4th-5th paragraph, sorry 🙂

MÅ¥HÅRM

That's understandable it was a large post 🙂

Originally posted by Metamorphosis
Well, I might qualify.

I've been a student of Buddhism for about 25 years, and a practitioner of Buddhist meditation for about that length of time. I have also taught meditation classes for the past 13 years, and am a practitioner of martial arts (shito-ryu karate, and wing-chun kungfu). I've received initiations in Tibetan Buddhism -- through the ...[text shortened]... fact, the word "Buddha" derives from the root word "budh", meaning in Sanskrit "awake"😉.

Metamorphosis: " Buddhism also does not assume that the core of human nature is "flawed", as Christianity does with the doctrine of Original Sin."

Oops, I do not agree. Can you show me where in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church it states "that the core of human nature is "flawed" ?

Originally posted by ivanhoe
Can you show me where in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church it states "that the core of human nature is "flawed" ?

Isn't that what Original Sin implies?

Originally posted by Metamorphosis
Well, I might qualify.

I've been a student of Buddhism for about 25 years, and a practitioner of Buddhist meditation for about that length of time. I have also taught meditation classes for the past 13 years, and am a practitioner ...[text shortened]... ves from the root word "budh", meaning in Sanskrit "awake"😉.

Metamorphosis: "Whereas Christianity asserts the existence of primordial evil in the form of the serpent, Buddhism holds that all such "evil" is the creation of the human mind via delusion and ignorance, and that the way through such delusion and ignorance is via cultivating the insight needed to wake up out of it."

You depict the Christian faith as if it were some Bugs Bunny story.

Roman Catholicism holds that such "evil" is the creation of the human mind (choice?) via delusion (straying away from or not being able to see the Truth?) and ignorance (not knowing the Truth ?), and that the Way (!) through such delusion and ignorance is via cultivating (studying, working, contemplating, medidating and praying ?) the insight needed to wake up out of it."

That sounds better allready, doesn't it ?

It is true that Christians assume that human beings are not able to save themselves in order to gain eternal life, but that doesn't mean they can lay back and leave everything to the "external entity" as you seem to imply.

By the way, does Buddhism teach people can "save" themselves and have eternal life in a state of happiness?

Does Buddhism have moral rules which people should obey ?

Originally posted by eagles54
Isn't that what Original Sin implies?

Does it ?

Originally posted by ivanhoe
Roman Catholicism holds that such "evil" is the creation of the human mind

Interesting. When my daughter was being prepared for her first communion, the priest asked if my wife believed in Satan as a manifest being. He was looking for an affirmative answer.

Originally posted by ivanhoe

Does it ?

I'm asking a question in hopes of learning something. Since you are in fact Catholic, I was thinking you might point me in the right direction.

Originally posted by Metamorphosis
Well, I might qualify.

I've been a student of Buddhism for about 25 years, and a practitioner of Buddhist meditation for about that length of time. I have also taught meditation classes for the past 13 years, and am a practitioner of martial arts (shito-ryu karate, and wing-chun kungfu). I've received initiations in Tibetan Buddhism -- through the ...[text shortened]... fact, the word "Buddha" derives from the root word "budh", meaning in Sanskrit "awake"😉.

Excellent work. I look forward to this discussion.

One question though - how does Buddhism appeal to the materialist? After all, materialists do not believe in the existence of anything outside our sensory perceptions and reasoning capabilities. Even Buddhism must postulate the existence of some kind of atma or soul.

Second - what is the difference between what you've said about Buddhism and Advaita philosophy? IIRC, Buddha's Enlightenment was that desire/attachment was the root of human suffering and cycle of rebirth. Many of the things you've written (One Nature, Illusion etc.) are IIRC part of core Advaita.

Third - where does Maya (Illusion) come from?

Fourth - If there is no inherent existence of the ego and all things are One and connected, how is it that all things do not attain Nirvana simultaneously?

Originally posted by eagles54
Isn't that what Original Sin implies?

Not exactly.

The core of human soul made "in the image and likeness of God" is fundamentally perfect; but has been subsequently wounded due an act of defiance (Original Sin - the term also refers to the wound itself).

The difference is like that between a baby born with a congenital defect and one that suffers an injury at some later time.

Originally posted by lucifershammer
Not exactly.

The core of human soul made "in the image and likeness of God" is fundamentally perfect; but has been subsequently wounded due an act of defiance (Original Sin - the term also refers to the wound itself).

The difference is like that between a baby born with a congenital defect and one that suffers an injury at some later time.

Thank you very much, lucifershammer. This clears up misunderstanding on my part.

Originally posted by eagles54
I'm asking a question in hopes of learning something. Since you are in fact Catholic, I was thinking you might point me in the right direction.

God created man in His image. Human nature as it is created by God is not "flawed" in any way. However sin, a human action, takes away our ability to see and experience our true nature.

Originally posted by ivanhoe

God created man in His image. Human nature as it is created by God is not "flawed" in any way. However sin, a human action, takes away our ability to see and experience our true nature.

And I thank you too, ivanhoe.

Originally posted by eagles54
Interesting. When my daughter was being prepared for her first communion, the priest asked if my wife believed in Satan as a manifest being. He was looking for an affirmative answer.

A better question would be whether someone renounces satan.

You can write books about what a "manifest being" really means, in particular referring to the existence and status of satan.

I also would have hesitated to answer this man's question .... know what I'm saying ?