Not sure if you realize my half witted atheist friend but I'm saying that you have the right to believe in whatever. Don't rain on people's parade just because they believe in God. Buddhism is still a religion numbnuts. I am not saying we should tolerate intolerance. What would classify as that? Would respecting smeone's religious beliefs be tolerating intolerance? Of course to a narrow minded Atheist it would be tolerating religious intolerance right? Its funny how you people try to twist things in order to sound like you have all the answers or that your the victims of some religious conspiracy that Christians are creating in order to push their religion on you. No one is doing that. I am Christian and I would never force my beliefs upon you. I wouldn't try to stop an Atheist protest because I respect other's rights in this country. Their god given rights. I am friends with a few Agnostics and Atheists and never once have I told them that they are evil or that I am completely right. I listen to their views and I respect them. Even if they are opposite of mine. See that's called tolerance. The true meaning of unity is to be tolerant of each other's differences. No matter what religion you are, what political side your on, and what race, sexual preference you are. So don't accuse me of preaching tolerance of intolerance. Obviously our take on that subject differ. I am saying respect for all no matter what one believes. Tell me where you see the intolerance in that? Then I will read your reply and explain to you why your a close minded person that needs to listen and learn instead of trying to act like you know it all. See I post because I want to learn. Thats why I have questions at the end of my posts because I want to hear points of view from every side. Thats what it means to be an american. To use my rights, not to be taken for granted and abused, but for me to express myself and to get other sides to the table. Despite your posts I would still be willing to hear your view on things.

As for your comment that Buddhism is Atheist. Wow, I guess you scored one for the good guys right?

Perhaps you had me confused with someone else. I'm not raining on anyone's parade.

Atheism doesn't mean non-religious, it just means without a belief in God.

So calling me a half-witted, close-minded atheist and numbnuts is being tolerant? Really? I guess I learn something new everyday.

I too, like to post to hear other points of view to constantly reform my beliefs. This is a benefit of mine to be an atheist, that I can review the evidence of multiple beliefs and choose what I see as right, not accept something from authority (faith).

I was just clearing up a misconception.

SOME sects of Buddhism are atheist.

Others are not.

That big fat smiling guy is the deity for some sects isn't he?
http://www.phoenixorion.com/phoenixo...size/41304.jpg

No, at least not ones that aren't completely deviant to the teachings of Siddhartha Buddha and the original ancient Buddhist texts.

But that would be equivalent to basing Christian teachings on Mormonism. Mormonism can be argued as a split from Christianity. Similarly, Buddhists who worship Siddhartha Buddha as a god should be considered deviant from the original teachings of that very man.

Most major sects consider him a man that simply became the first 'awakened' (or, attainment of Buddhahood/enlightenment). The closest to Buddha-as-a-deity is followed in the Mahayana tradition (Tibetan) which to a degree added upon the original teachings, but even they don't consider him a "god" even though there is a supernatural-like aspect to his being.

It's true FX. If you kiss his belly, you shall receive enlightenment.

That aint so bad. Not like being told to kiss something else where the sun don't shine.

OhDear

I wasn't talking about Buddhist who think Buddha was a god.

Actually the real Buddha was skin and bones. He got really skinny when he gave up the temporal pleasures of the aristocratic family lifestyle for ascetic practices of consuming as little as possible. He became malnourished and had a physical collapse, which led him to the conclusion that ascetic practices are only self-destructive, and finding a "Middle Way" between sensual indulgence and asceticism was a path to enlightenment.

I wasn't necessarily talking about that specifically either. Buddhist teachings are actually, in a way, contradictory to the God-concept and not just neutral to it. A God not only implies a 'first cause' (therefore contradicting to some Buddhist concepts of cyclical existence) but also implies something as inherently existing (which, of course contradicts the idea of the "oneness" of the universe, as well as the idea of everything being dependent-arising).

Heres an interesting article I found from August 2004. For those skeptics of the supernatural and religious faith you should especially read this one.


Baby Survives 30-Foot Fall Without Injury In New Mexico

MELANIE DABOVICH
Associated Press Writer

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- It could be seen as a lucky landing, but the father of 2-year-old girl who fell 30 feet from a Santa Fe hotel window without major injury said his daughter was saved by a miracle from God. ``Her guardian angel let her down easy. We think that there was definitely some supernatural intervention,'' said Jeffrey Shaver of Edmond, Okla., a devout Roman Catholic who is vacationing in New Mexico with his wife, Amy, and their five children. ``I think that when a child drops 30 feet you usually don't have a good ending.''
Shaver said his daughter was playing with her twin sister in their room at La Fonda Hotel on Tuesday morning when she climbed up on the window sill and leaned on the screen. The screen tore, and the toddler fell straight down to the concrete, landing on her diaper.
Amy Shaver was in the restroom and Jeffrey Shaver was busy preparing breakfast and didn't know their daughter had fallen until their other children alerted them.
``Her twin sister was crying, saying 'Baby fell,' and our 10-year old looked out the window and saw her on the ground,'' he said.
Shaver said he initially couldn't believe what had happened.
``I kept thinking, 'Did she get out with the bellman?' We didn't hear anything at all,'' Shaver said.
The child's fall from the third-story window could have been fatal, said Santa Fe Deputy Police Chief Eric Johnson.
``It is a pretty severe fall. An adult could have broken bones and back and neck injuries from that height,'' Johnson said. ``She must have landed just right.''
A witness told police the child stood up on her own after the fall and began to cry, Johnson said. Officers arrived shortly thereafter and stabilized the girl until medical personnel arrived.
``We were just very pleased to see that she was able to walk away,'' Johnson said.
Because of soreness, Jeffrey Shaver his daughter wasn't walking around much Wednesday but was otherwise getting back to being her normal self despite all the attention.
``She really doesn't know what's going on. The staff at the hotel gave her balloons and other people gave her a bear, but she really hasn't verbalized anything about (the fall),'' Shaver said.
The family plans to head back to Oklahoma soon.
``She likes to play with our dogs and play dolls with her sister, but she also likes to get into things,'' said Shaver, who described his daughter as fearless. ``In fact, she tried to get on the window sill again today.''


Heres Some questions for you:

1.So I ask anyone to come and try to debunk this claim that God had a hand in this.

2.How could this child survive a 30 foot fall? Not only that, how could this child walk away without injury?

3.Atheists of this website, explain this to me. Try to use your logic and breakdown this "Miracle In Mexico". Is it Miracle or not?