1. Hinduism and Buddhism offer much more sophisticated worldviews (or philosophies) and I see nothing wrong with these religions.

Comment #123649 by RachelAB on February 7, 2008 at 12:50 pm

I am currently reading (parts of) Brian Victoria's "Zen at War." It is a rather disturbing read. If you think there's nothing wrong with Buddhism, please read that book.

Japanese Zen was an active participant, including furnishing the ideological underpinnings, for Japan's agressions against its neighbors. On top of that, it took until the 1990s for some of the Zen sects to apologize for their role in those wars (including WWII). This is a clear example of Buddhism not escaping the "surrendering the mind" charge that The Crucified mentioned above (and also that it's often a matter of timing, as Hitchens said in the same chat, when religions become dangerous).

It is also interesting to read in Victoria, how some of the famous Japanese Buddhists, such as D.T. Suzuki, practiced double talk: They would say one thing to their US American audiences and something entirely different to Japanese listeners. "Peace" in America and "war as a religious practice" in Japan.

2. Hinduism and Buddhism offer much more sophisticated worldviews (or philosophies) and I see nothing wrong with these religions.

Comment #113119 by RachelAB on January 18, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Hinduism: The caste system - talk to any Untouchable and they'll tell you what's wrong with Hinduism...

Buddhism is a bit tougher because many of those societies were closed and there are a lot of myths about the benign nature of this faith. Granted, they didn't have crusades but Buddhists have supported wars, have uttered double talk and double standards. (Please see Meera Nanda's article at http://www.butterfliesandwheels.com/articleprint.php?num=161 for more details...)

Plus, the premise of obtaining wisdom, reaching enlightenment, through contemplation appears utterly irrational to me. There is nothing in Buddhism that ensures that this "wisdom" is checked against reality or any other resemblance of a scientific method. Also, skepticism is only encouraged so far, "skeptical doubt [or] a suspicion that the practice doesn't work" is considered a hindrance to reaching enlightenment.

Why do so many atheists feel a need to defend Buddhism and Hinduism? There are a ton of beliefs in these religions that are just as evidence lacking as things in Christianity. For starters, if Jesus didn't live (see Brian Flemings' movie), do you really think a guy who lived about 500 years prior to that was real? What happens to Buddhism, if there was no Buddha?

If we want to pick and choose from Buddhism that which is consistent with our current worldview, we are doing the same as Christian apologists. We cannot ignore the parts of Buddhism that are mythical and consider it a religion consistent with rational thought. The ideas of karma and reincarnation are as central to Buddhism as Jesus' resurrection. And they are just as much without evidence as that...