W,

It has been a while. A belated happy new year to you. Thanks for posting the link. I had the article emailed to me without a link.

You may be correct in saying that because the military regime are identified that it is not Buddhists responsible. However the article also states that:

“…is part of a wider campaign by the regime, also targeted at ethnic minority tribes, to create a uniform society in which the race and language is Burmese and the only accepted religion is Buddhism”

I’d figure that if they want the only accepted religion to be Buddhist that they must be Buddhists. However you are correct. I don’t know they are Buddhists for certain. The monk who burnt down the Church was presumably Buddhist but I have heard of an Anglican priest who didn’t believe in God so anything is possible. It worked well for the alliteration in any event. ( :

“This may seem like a picky point, but this is precisely how racial and religious vilification works. In previous posts you have objected to others making claims about christians attacking gays, arguing that because attacking any minority is against christian teaching, it is unfair to talk generally about christian wrongdoings.”

Do you mean when I object to Christians being accused of condoning the actions of baseball wielding thugs because they consider homosexual behaviour a sin with my response being that another Christian teaching is loving neighbours and that doesn’t include baseball bashing? If so I’d draw the distinction as I believed that the aggressors are Buddhist (although I now concede they might not have been) while the Christians were accused without being the actual aggressors.

You commenced the post with “Could we have the rhetoric toned down a notch, please.” Obviously that invites a perusal of your posts to see if you are in a position to be throwing stones. I haven’t done so. How confident are you?

Clarification: By "here" I meant in OLO.
Leigh: Just like any other the article may not be correct

Where you have belief in gods or religion you have conflict. Religion or belief in gods is the worship of the ego. To worship a god requires complete self obsession , other people are an irritant because they are not as special. Further more the fact that deities of superstition such as god are not universal polarise the fact that each and every religion is based on a culture of lies and deciet. The spreading of such beliefs is dependent on dishonest predatory behaviour. All of course lead to conflict. Even when those of other religions are rounded up and ethnically cleansed as following false gods then sectarianism kicks in and new waves of violence sweep nations. For those who have visited both a Catholic and a pentecostal or Baptist church in the past year and have talked to people know the animosity and contempt Christians have for each other. Praying for secularism to fall so religion can go to war. The ego's of each god worshipper are simply far to big for there to be room for another on this planet.

Both the Christians and Buddhists in Burma are in the wrong. If they had any sense they would give up religion. If they dont then they have nothing to complain about.

I should add that an old Thai Christian friend used to say all to often that Buddhists are devil worshippers. With that sort of sentiment being preached in Asia ( I have heard it preached here too) why be shocked when a Christian antagonist is punched in the nose?

West

You have just written the biggest load of unsubstantiated garbage I have ever read. I don’t know where to start.

Where did you get your information from? What reliable source are you quoting?

In my 30 as a Christian I have had some minor disagreements with other Christians, but I have never experienced the "animosity and contempt" that you so authoritatively say is evident amoung Christians.

You say that every religion is based on lies and deceit. How do you know? Do you know everything. Do you knbow for sure that there is no God? Can you guarentee that? If you can't then how can you make such a sweeping statement?

It seems to me that somewhere along the line you have had a bad experience with Religion. I can think of no other explanation for such bitterness.

Thankyou Proverbs you demonstrate my point. You attack me on the basis of your beliefs but are not willing to prove god to substantiate or justify yourself first.

It is my belief that God exists, but I quantified all my statements with phrases "in my opinion" or "I believe" or "in my experrience". You made no such statement. Everything you said in your post you did so as if it were fact. I just want to know, on what basis do you make the following statements and do you have any evidence to back it up?

"Where you have belief in gods or religion you have conflict. Religion or belief in gods is the worship of the ego. To worship a god requires complete self obsession , other people are an irritant because they are not as special. Further more the fact that deities of superstition such as god are not universal polarise the fact that each and every religion is based on a culture of lies and deciet. The spreading of such beliefs is dependent on dishonest predatory behaviour. All of course lead to conflict."