American Buddhists celebrate 100 years in Utah
Buddhists have been in Utah for a century, yet we haven’t heard a peep about them, no terrorist threats or acts, no mega-temples designed to intimidate everyone, no advocates infiltrating our governments and law agencies, no clamoring to destroy our federal government and replace it with their own religious order. There is no Buddhist shrieking about victimhood and “Buddhismophobia,” no Buddhist thugs in the streets bullying nonbelievers, and no Buddhist families murdering their daughters for becoming “Westernized.”
Here we discover the behavior of people who actually DO follow a religion peacefully and with class.
Buddhists celebrate 100 years of walking the path of enlightenment in Utah
A few decades after Mormon pioneers fled religious persecution and settled in Utah, another group arrived to seek work while holding strong to its ancient beliefs.
Buddhism arrived with the Japanese railroad laborers, the miners and the farmers. Far from home, Japanese immigrants clung to their culture and their faith.
By 1912, small groups of believers following the Jodo Shinshu branch of Buddhism began holding services in their homes. As the groups in Ogden, Salt Lake, Corinne and Honeyville grew, they rented spaces until the members could raise the funds to build their own temples and meeting houses.
This year, Buddhists marked a century of faith in Utah, and celebrated with a conference, “Walking the Path of Enlightenment.”…
3 thoughts on “American Buddhists celebrate 100 years in Utah”
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Just coincidence.
I don’t think it’s because they’re Buddhists but probably more because of Japanese don’t-rock-the-boat cultural values. There are Buddhist terrorists (e.g. Aum Shin-somethingorother with their sarin gas in the subway). Human evil is the reason they do these things, “God told me to do it” is the justification they give to absolve themselves of guilt.
What about Muslims? Are 19,866 deadly terror attacks by Muslims since 9/11 “just coincidence” also? You know, just asking.
Islam is obviously a “religion” of violence, blood lust, submission and conquest; whereas, Buddhism isn’t. I wonder if the dearth of violence and death related to Buddhism over the past two or three millennia, as opposed to the 270,000,000-400,000,000 slaughtered in the name of Islam over the past 1,400 years, really have anything to do with religion? Or, is it all just “culture”?
I find it interesting how pc/mc equivocators always come up with what they consider a counterbalance to the rampant, every-day, never ending atrocities of Islam. There’s McVeigh, Brevick and Koresh which are always brought up and there’s always one or two instances of some other person doing something evil in the name of their particular superstition. However, take them all together for all of history and they’re hardly a speck on the wall compared to Islam. Note that Muslims slaughter as many people in an average week or less than McVeigh and Brevick. That’s average, every week.
Thank you. If you read my commentary carefully you will see that I say “Buddhists in Utah.” I did not raise up the issue of Buddhists anywhere else, when I stated at the end that these particular people behave peacefully.
That being said, while Buddhism is not all that it is cracked up to be ([url]http://www.truthbeknown.com/buddhism.htm[/url]), and its history is not devoid of violence, the fact is that Buddhism is a far more peaceful and enlightened ideology overall than are any of the Abrahamic religions, including and especially the one I am alluding to here, Islam.
What I have stated here, however, [i]does [/i]apply also to the American Buddhist community in general: We most assuredly find none of those antisocial, sociopathic and violent behaviors among American Buddhists, whereas they are a constant presence within Islam.
The reason for this difference is most definitely because of the ideology itself, which in this case is an ethnic Buddhism reflective of Japanese culture. This fact of the vast differences between ideologies is understood when one studies these various philosophies, religions, sects and cults in depth.
For example, the Buddhist texts are not packed full of insulting commentary and violent exhortations against nonbelievers, and although sexism is unfortunately common within Buddhism, even in the U.S., it pales in comparison to that of Islam.
Buddhism also places a value on being in a calm, meditative frame of mind, which is indeed peaceful. It does not call on its believers to disparage, hate or slaughter infidels.
In contrast, below are verses from the Koran that have been followed as ETERNAL EDICTS by millions of devout Muslims over the past 1,400 years. It is these “radical” Muslims themselves who have been “taking the verses out of context” and using them to commit and justify violence. There is simply nothing comparable within Buddhism.
UNBELIEVERS
“This Book is not to be doubted…. As for the unbelievers, it is the same whether or not you forewarn them; they will not have faith. God has set a seal upon their hearts and ears; their sight is dimmed and grievous punishment awaits them.” Quran 2:1/2:6-2:10
“God’s curse be upon the infidels! Evil is that for which they have bartered away their souls. To deny God’s own revelation, grudging that He should reveal His bounty to whom He chooses from among His servants! They have incurred God’s most inexorable wrath. An ignominious punishment awaits the unbelievers.” Quran 2:89-2:90
“Lord…Give us victory over the unbelievers.” Quran 2:286
“Lord…give us victory over the unbelievers.” Quran 3:148
“I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads, strike off the very tips of their fingers.” Quran 8:12
“Let not the unbelievers think they will ever get away. They have not the power so to do. Muster against them all the men and cavalry at your command, so that you may strike terror into the enemy of Allah and your enemy…” Quran 8:59
“When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them.” Quran 9:5
“Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate.” Quran 9:73
“Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal firmly with them. Know that God is with the righteous.” Quran 9:123
“Believers, take neither the Jews nor the Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another…” Quran 5:51
“He that chooses a religion over Islam, it will not be accepted from him and in the world to come he will be one of the lost.” Quran 3:85
“Let not believers make friends with infidels in preference to the faithful – he that does this has nothing to hope for from Good – except in self-defense. God admonishes you to fear Him: for to God shall all return.” Quran 3:28
“Garments of fire have been prepared for the unbelievers. Scalding water shall be poured upon their heads, melting their skins and that which is in their bellies. They shall be lashed with rods of iron.
“Whenever, in their anguish, they try to escape from Hell, back they shall be dragged, and will be told: ‘Taste the torment of the Conflagration!'” Quran 22:19-20
“Muhammad is God’s apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another.” Quran 48:29
“Those that deny Our revelations We will burn in fire. No sooner will their skins be consumed than We shall give them other skins, so that they may truly taste the scourge. God is mighty and wise.” Quran 4:56
“Let not the unbelievers think that they will ever get away. They have not the power to do so. Muster against them all the men and cavalry at your command, so that you may strike terror into the enemy of God and your enemy…” Quran 8:59-60
“Believers, know that the idolaters [non-Muslims] are unclean. Let them not approach the Sacred Mosque after this year is ended.” Quran 9:28
“The unbelievers among the People of the Book [Bible] and the pagans shall burn for ever in the fire of Hell. They are the vilest of all creatures.” Quran 98:6
WOMEN
“They ask you about menstruation. Say: ‘It is an indisposition. Keep aloof from women during their menstrual periods and do not approach them until they are clean again; when they are clean, have intercourse with them whence God enjoined you….'” Quran 2:222
“Women are your fields: go, then, into your fields whence you please.” Quran 2:223
“Men have authority over women because God has made the one superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen parts because God has guarded them. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and forsake them in beds apart, and beat them.” Quran 4:34
“A male shall inherit twice as much as a female.” Quran 4:11
“Call in two male witnesses from among you, but if two men cannot be found, then one man and two women whom you judge fit to act as witnesses…” Quran 2:282
“[Forbidden to you are] married women, except those whom you own as slaves.” Quran 4:24
SUMMARY OF KORANIC QUOTES REGARDING WOMEN
Menstruating women are unclean, and men must stay away from them. Women are men’s “fields,” and men can have sex with them whenever they want. Men are superior to women and have authority over them, while women must obey men or risk being beaten. A woman is worth one-half of a man. Muslim men can own sex slaves.