Ridding society of religion

As far as the nation goes, the U.S. Constitution prohibits Congress from making a law respecting the establishment of religion, or a law prohibiting its free exercise.  But as far as society is concerned there is a concerted effort by secularists, using the media, to rid society of religion, in general, as if secular knowledge is a higher kind of knowledge.  This means, for example, that the Christmas holiday needs to be put into the trash can of history with other religious holidays.  It also means that we should treat religion as unscientific and irrational and those who practice it as crackpots.

Unfortunately, secularists are just as devoted to the ideology of secularism as is the Buddhist, Jew or Christian devoted to their religion.  It is not off base to say that there is a cold war going on between secularists and those who practice a particular religion.  Just  look at the recent efforts of secularists to make it politically incorrect to wish someone a “Merry Christmas,” and politically correct to say, “Happy Holidays,” which doesn’t imply religion.

What the ideological secularists have done,  which the U.S. Constitution cannot do, is to make is socially incorrect to practice religion (maybe with the exception of Islam since a number of major universities are helping Islam to find its own ‘safe space’ by which to practice sharia—which is a bit odd I must say).

As the reader of The Zennist knows, I do not like “secular Buddhism.” I look upon those who advocate secular Buddhism as trying to force Buddhism onto a Procrustean bed which ends with a complete distortion of Buddhism simply because the secularists lack an adequate Western analogue for Indian Buddhism.

I hasten to add, I am not sure secularists even understand what religious devotion means or that Buddhism, for example, may not be a religion in the Western sense of the term.  Buddhism is, in Indian thought, a “dharma” but now try to define dharma.  Western scholars have so far found no adequate Western equal for dharma.

In any event, there is a concerted effort by secularists, using the media, to rid society of religion at least to devalue it.

Comments

[Susan]

Bodhiratna--thank you for that eye-opening material! Obviously, sharia law will NEVER become law in the USA. (With effective contraception in every drug store here, we can't even illegalize millions of abortions!) Obviously, however, it would be cruel and unreasonable to exclude every Muslim from emigrating to the US. But when here, they can't be permitted to violate human rights and especially the rights of US citizens (female genital mutilation or killing someone over a book.)

[Susan]

If I hear one more lame performance of Imagine it'll be too much. Anyone with beliefs has religion. Confining religion to "Organized Religion", in pews with sacraments is just a ploy for styling oneself superior to the superstitious masses. Astounding at what the scientific atheists believe. The old Mahayanists, who had no god outside themselves, generated an infinite swarm of fictitious entities. They definitely had too much time on their hands. Now, since Darwin pretty much killed the Adam & Eve story--and subsequently the need for a savior, what do I have left but colorful poetry? Every day I see these PhD. engineers bowing down to statues, wearing their robes with the little plastic clip indicating that they've Taken the Precepts and think "Who are they kidding?" I've been thru 6 years of sutra study, and the shifu is still teaching "mindfulness" every chance he gets. Do you know what that is? It's like a retarded kid concentrating on the clock to learn to tell time--every time he does it. Or figuring out how to brush his teeth every time so he can avoid putting his eye out. No, after all these years--plus the only good teacher we ever had being stolen away--all the practice amounts to is vegetarianism & free labor. For the average Buddhist, that's the Path.

[bodhiratna]

"What the ideological secularists have done, which the U.S. Constitution cannot do, is to make is socially incorrect to practice religion (maybe with the exception of Islam since a number of major universities are helping Islam to find its own ‘safe space’ by which to practice sharia—which is a bit odd I must say)."

Good article!

Maybe these secularists who push islam into the West, and now in the US, like to see sharia law practiced in the US,
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/09/james-m-arlandson-thirty-shariah-laws-that-are-bad-for-all-societies

I also saw a comment about the rules of sharia from that same jihadwatch.org site:

Sharia Law:

• Theft is punishable by amputation of the right hand.

• Criticizing or denying any part of the Quran is punishable by death.

• Criticizing or denying Muhammad is a prophet is punishable by death.

• Criticizing or denying Allah, the moon god of Islam is punishable by death.

• A Muslim who becomes a non-Muslim is punishable by death.

• A non-Muslim who leads a Muslim away from Islam is punishable by death.

• A non-Muslim man who marries a Muslim woman is punishable by death.

• A man can marry an infant girl and consummate the marriage when she is 9 years old.

• Girls’ clitoris should be cut (per Muhammad’s words in Book 41, Kitab Al-Adab, Hadith 5251).

• A woman can have 1 husband, but a man can have up to 4 wives; Muhammad can have more.

• A man can unilaterally divorce his wife but a woman needs her husband’s consent to divorce.

• A man can beat his wife for insubordination.

• Testimonies of four male witnesses are required to prove rape against a woman.

• A woman who has been raped cannot testify in court against her rapist(s).

• A woman’s testimony in court, allowed only in property cases, carries half the weight of a man’s.

• A female heir inherits half of what a male heir inherits.

• A woman cannot drive a car, as it leads to fitnah (upheaval).

• A woman cannot speak alone to a man who is not her husband or relative.

• Meat to be eaten must come from animals that have been sacrificed to Allah – i.e., be Halal.

• Muslims should engage in Taqiyya and lie to non-Muslims to advance Islam.

The list is enough to scare the bejesus out of ordinary right thinking American!

Those in the West and those in the US who are don't want their culture, law or religion destroyed should keep this topic as an ongoing discussion. And they should not be like Jane and Joe of America who only simply look forward to watching football, drink beers and eat junk food at micky D, lol

Bodhiratna