Think about like the worse of the worst. Dictators, war criminals, etc…

Especially those who never got punished in their past life when the crimes were conmitted.

  • ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.comEnglish
    1·
    1 day ago

    //temporary reply to two points in your comment. May edit and add more later, can’t save a draft of a comment!

    I’m sure that there are plenty of people who find a lot of positive aspects of religion. But there are definitely people who use it to abuse their power over others, in any religion. That is why I don’t choose to believe in anything supernatural.

    The same could be said about anything. I cannot understand generalize a category as large as religion as abusive. Joining a cult once doesn’t mean all religions are bad. Also, religion doesn’t equal supernatural and that very much depends on how you define supernatural.

    That’s why I’m trying to forge a path of respecting where Buddhism and Yoga come from, while not believing in the supernatural aspects. I don’t think it removes the culture, it just rejects the supernatural part.

    Buddhism is nothing without a belief in reincarnation. Buddha sought to solve the problem of death, old age, and sickness. You can’t do that if you don’t believe in his solution.

    Kind of feels like being Christian but not believing in God.

    • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      1·
      1 day ago

      Gotcha – hopefully this clarification helps:

      The way I understood Buddhism was that samsara involved reincarnation. I apologize if I’m mistaken. I really didn’t know much about Buddhism. My branch of yoga borrowed very heavily from Buddhism but was its own thing (advaita)

      I am generalizing that religion can lead to abuse. You’re right that other things can as well.

      To me supernatural means anything metaphysical, anything that cannot be disproven by observations in the physical world.

      At my yoga place, they had a Hindu priest who did fire puja from time to time. This has a social function, but the idea that it appeases actual gods that will help us is supernatural thinking, in my opinion.

      We mentally or physically chanted mantra. These are supposed to protect the mind, etc… I’m sure there is a real component to this. But the idea that a word invokes a literal god that will help you is supernatural in my opinion.

      There were indeed Christians who believed in Jesus’s teachings but not in the supernatural aspects. Stuff like love your neighbor, love your enemy as yourself, forgive people, help people, we are all human beings. They were called Gnostics and they were persecuted by authorities. (EDIT: I might be wrong about the name, but I have heard that they existed).