Teacher is a Roman Catholic Buddhist

[MJE]

A friend of mine whose daughter attends [a Catholic] High School was telling me the religion teacher explained to the Sophomore class (all girls)that he is " a Roman Catholic and a Buddhist" and went on about this. The student told her mother she wants to challenge him, after the grades are distributed. I could only think he could not recite the Apostle’s Creed w/ any integrity. This school is among the nations top High Schools in academics and it is not a diocesean school. s the Bishop could “correct” this, eh?

 

[Guar_Fan]

Buddhism isn’t something I know much about, but I have heard it described as a philosophy rather than a religion. Some forms of Buddhism acknowledges many gods or spirits, and some Buddhists pray to Buddha, but I think the variety of Buddhism that commonly is promoted in western countries such as the United States tends to be atheistic, or at least agnostic.

I would be curious as to how this person reconciles our Christian faith with Buddhism.

 

[Scott_Waddell]

MJE:

A friend of mine whose daughter attends St Mary’s High School in Portland, Oregon was telling me the religion teacher explained to the Sophomore class (all girls)that he is " a Roman Catholic and a Buddhist" and went on about this. The student told her mother she wants to challenge him, after the grades are distributed. I could only think he could not recite the Apostle’s Creed w/ any integrity. This school is among the nations top High Schools in academics and it is not a diocesean school. s the Bishop could “correct” this, eh?

If the bishop has oversight (I can’t quite decipher your meaning), yes he could correct it. Whether he will is another matter. Someone ought to contacted in any case because although as I understand it, some strains of Buddhism have no problem with the dual identification, Buddhism in general is incompatible with the Catholic faith.

 

[Della]

I can’t wait to hear how he thinks he can be both at one time.

Unless he is doing something contrary to the rules of the school, the bishop will not do anything. Your friend will have to go to the school administrator(s) to find out if what this man is saying to his class is acceptable or not.

 

[GoldenArrow]

Buddhism IS a religion. It’s basically a pantheistic religion. Remember “The Force” from the Star Wars movies? Well, the idea of “The Force” is based on something found in real religion, based on the Buddist idea of “Tao,” or “Yin and Yang.”

Buddhists believe that God is found literally within creation—pantheism–and basically that creation–that life–creates God. If creation were to be destroyed, then for a Buddhist, God would die. Catholics believe that God is everywhere but that he did not break of pieces of Himself into His creation. Also, Catholics believe God is infinite and that God will never die, that He always has been and always will be.

Buddists believe that Good and Evil are two distinct forces each with power of its own. Catholics believe that everything derives from love, and that evil is the absence of all that is good. Evil is a ruinated form of love. Satan is the absence of Love, and possesses all the ruinated forms of love, most of all Hate… For Buddhists, Evil is simply a necessary part of the Universe, necessary, if you will, to “bring balance to The Force.” Light and Dark are all part of God to a Buddhist. For a Buddhist, God is neither Good nor Evil, but both.

Buddhists believe in reincarnation, and that you can come back in different forms. Example: in this life you’re a human, but if you’re bad, you can come back a housefly in the next life. This is called Karma. Catholics believe in the one chance only deal: get it right in this life or go to Hell, or Purgatory. No second chances.

Buddhists believe that your soul goes through many, many reincarnations until it reaches the level of Ascended Master. When you soul is fully evolved you will stop reincarnating and then will exist in eternity, or something like that. Salvation is then, essentially, brought about without a Saviour, by the actions of you and you alone. Catholics believe in one Saviour, named Jesus Christ, and that salvation is through Him alone, and not through yourself.

Anyway … you can’t be a Buddhist and a Catholic. They’re two totally different religions, like mixing oil and water.

To me … this guy sounds more like a Theosophist, a believer in a very dangerous religion one-world religion called Theosophy, than a true Catholic.

By the way, George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars movies, calls himself a “Methodist Buddhist,” and there are rumors in Hollywood that Lucas practices Theosophy. I can’t say whether the rumor is true or not. I can say that the teacher’s beliefs sound very similar to those of Mr. Lucas.

Hope this helps.

God Bless you!

 

[m134e5]

MJE:

This school is among the nations top High Schools in academics

Sometimes the best academic schools are the least orthodox. People get full of themselves, and think they’re greater than God.

 

[Ahimsa]

Guar Fan:

I would be curious as to how this person reconciles our Christian faith with Buddhism.

It’s possible; it’s been done before, and is currently being done by many.

However, this is not the forum to discuss such things.

 

[Forest-Pine]

From a Buddhist perspective, it is possible to be Buddhist and a _________ (Christian, Catholic, etc) because Buddhism does not attempt to deal with the supernatural but with the here and now. From a Catholic perspective, one cannot be Catholic and Buddhist because Buddhism specifically excludes a belief in an uncreated, seperate and distinct, God.

Wasn’t it St. Thomas who had a similar belief in that he dealt mainly with questions concerning this world, answering that we could not guess at the answers concerning things outside it? Anyone inclined to the Buddhist mentality can find orthodox views within Catholicism and need not search outside the walls of the church.

As for whether the bishop can do anything, it depends on if the school is under his authority. There are many “Catholic” school that are independent private schools that do not answer to the bishop. This is usually done for one of two reasons: they wish to be more orthodox than the bishop, or they wish to be less.

 

[GoldenArrow]

From a Buddhist perspective, it is possible to be Buddhist and a _________ (Christian, Catholic, etc) because Buddhism does not attempt to deal with the supernatural but with the here and now.

Good insight!

So, this teacher should’ve said he’s a Buddhist Catholic, instead of a Catholic Buddhist.