The Dalai Lama; One of the most evil men on Earth?

[HashemEchad]

Suppose just for a few minutes that there is only one truth, one true religion. What would be the ramifications if it were true that the precepts of only one religion this were true? Don’t think yet about which one might be true, if ony one is true, but just let yourself suppose for five minutes what the ramifications are if only one religion holds truth about spiritual reality. The very thought may be incredibly upsetting to you, but if you can get past the emotional repsonse and use logic, what would it mean?

The Jews after all claimed and I would hope still claim that there is only one God and He revealed Himself to them as His chosen to be His people among all other nations. Does that upset you? It does not upset me. It so happens that I agree with them, but if they are wrong, the claim does not bother me a bit. The Mormons, Jehovahs Witnesses claim to be the only sects to have all the truth. That does not upset me either. The Buddhists are relativists and whether or not they are right or wrong their religion does not upset me.

The title of this thread is a bit bizarre, but if the Jews were right, the Tibetens, Zens, and others are wrong.

There are only two religions that claim that their way is the ONLY right way, for EVERYONE: Islam, and Christianity.

Judaism does not teach that Judaism is the only true religion for Gentiles. We teach it is the right way FOR JEWS. This is because God gave us a Covenant which we are to follow.

But He gave Gentiles the Noahide Covenant, which involve keeping 7 laws of basic morality. Mostly all Gentiles automatically keep those laws anyway.

Only Christianity and Islam have this “our way is the only truth” mentality. No one else does.

What I always found curious is that they are also the two religions that have shed the most blood in the name of their beliefs.

 

[HashemEchad]

Okay…my sentence wasn’t constructed properly. I am a “religious one” and my friendships and co-worker relationships are without “hidden motives.” I’ve had engaging conversations with my Muslim co-workers (one of the more devout ones was surprised that some Christians pray 5 times a day as well - Daily Office) and I’m quite close with a couple of Orthodox Jews who, for some reason, are less bothered by Christians who believe and practice their faith, including evangelization, than non-Orthodox Jews.

That’s because Jews who truly do know and follow their faith (Orthodox Jews) have nothing to fear from those from other faiths who evangelize. Annoying at times, yes…but we have nothing to FEAR. The non-religious Jews fear, because they know they are not even secure in their OWN religion.

 

[Tic_Toc]

There are only two religions that claim that their way is the ONLY right way, for EVERYONE: Islam, and Christianity.

Judaism does not teach that Judaism is the only true religion for Gentiles. We teach it is the right way FOR JEWS. This is because God gave us a Covenant which we are to follow.

But He gave Gentiles the Noahide Covenant, which involve keeping 7 laws of basic morality. Mostly all Gentiles automatically keep those laws anyway.

Only Christianity and Islam have this “our way is the only truth” mentality. No one else does.

What I always found curious is that they are also the two religions that have shed the most blood in the name of their beliefs.

Yes, indeed.

 

[rlg94086]

That’s because Jews who truly do know and follow their faith (Orthodox Jews) have nothing to fear from those from other faiths who evangelize. Annoying at times, yes…but we have nothing to FEAR. The non-religious Jews fear, because they know they are not even secure in their OWN religion.

Exactly. The same could be said about people of just about any faith - Catholic, non-Catholic Christian, Atheist (yes I know that isn’t a religion ), Buddhist, etc.

As a Catholic, I don’t feel threatened at all by non-Catholics…unless they are pointing a gun at me.

 

[Pilar]

Do you have a source link that compares humanitarian relief between religions? I would be interested in seeing how various denominations contribute relative to their number of adherents.

Thanks.

You may find the following Red Cross article interesting International Committee of the Red Cross

An exerpt from it reads:

Christian NGOs are active in virtually every country in the world.
While Jewish and Islamic NGOs primarily serve members of their own religious
communities, Christian organizations tend to have a more global outreach: to
assist those in need regardless of their religious affiliation. Within the world
of Christian organizations, there are sharp differences between those — primarily
with Catholic and mainstream Protestant traditions — which separate
assistance and evangelization and those which, as primarily evangelical groups,
see their humanitarian work as an integral part of their missionary activities.

 

[notself]

Thanks for the link. I found this quote which seems to leave out the fact that the Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the USA. As such it should be the largest NGO contributor. It would be sad if it were not.

In the US, the Catholic Church is the largest non-public provider
of human services to poor families.

I understand that Christians may offer the most dollars of NGO’s for relief. Christians live in predominately wealthy countries and have the most dollars to donate. I would like to see a comparison between number of members of each faith and the dollars expended in relief by that particular faith. I think that would be interesting to know. I tried to find some study, but couldn’t.

I know during the floods, ice storms, and tornados which have plagued the Ozarks, it was Baptists coming from all across the South who helped with food, clothing, tree removal and other services. The Baptists were the largest group to help with Katrina. Of course, we are in Baptist country.

 

[thecoach]

Well, the below link isn’t a lawsuit settlement, but then again, the folks in Sri Lanka might not have that option:

wwrn.org/article.php?idd=16867&sec=52&con=29

A Sri Lankan buddhist might be wondering when the last time there was a Catholic conviction for sexual abuse. Of course since the Catholic population in Sri Lanka is low, you likely wouldn’t hear about it. I’m sure it’s the same regarding hearing about a Buddhist monk paying a lawsuit settlement here in the US.

My point is that your point could be a bit misleading.

LOL.pales in comparison against the suits in one diocese alone!

 

[grandfather]

There are only two religions that claim that their way is the ONLY right way, for EVERYONE: Islam, and Christianity.

Judaism does not teach that Judaism is the only true religion for Gentiles. We teach it is the right way FOR JEWS. This is because God gave us a Covenant which we are to follow.

But He gave Gentiles the Noahide Covenant, which involve keeping 7 laws of basic morality. Mostly all Gentiles automatically keep those laws anyway.

Only Christianity and Islam have this “our way is the only truth” mentality. No one else does.

What I always found curious is that they are also the two religions that have shed the most blood in the name of their beliefs.

Hashem,
Thank you for your statement and opinion. I asked a qeustion of you that you did not answer. Suppose that one religion was the only correct one.

 

[Tic_Toc]

Hashem,
Thank you for your statement and opinion. I asked a qeustion of you that you did not answer. Suppose that one religion was the only correct one.

I can’t know what Hashem would say, but I think what Hashem has been saying is that he doesn’t think that, and that you have been rather intolerant of other religions, even if there is truth in all of them.

 

[deb1]

Only the religious ones who have this motive.

I had some friends, Baptist, who told me that their particular church taught them something called friendship evanglization. They sought friendships merely to convert someone. I’ve always had a visceral reaction against this practice. It just seems dishonest. We could start a whole new thread on this subject, as this type of ‘friendship evangenlization’ annoys me also.

Personally, I would love it if everyone was Catholic. But my desire to be friends with someone is not dependent on their eventual conversion.

Back to the subject of the thread…I find it hard to believe that anyone could find the Dalai Lama evil. Simply because he is not Christian does not mean that he doesn’t have wisdom or that he is a bad person. If Pope John Paul II liked him, that is good enough for me.

 

[deb1]

I can’t know what Hashem would say, but I think what Hashem has been saying is that he doesn’t think that, and that you have been rather intolerant of other religions, even if there is truth in all of them.

I thought Hashem was a female? I might be wrong, but I’ve enjoyed his/her other posts on this forum and I seem to remember Hashem talking about modest dress on another thread. But I could have posters confused.

 

[grandfather]

I can’t know what Hashem would say, but I think what Hashem has been saying is that he doesn’t think that, and that you have been rather intolerant of other religions, even if there is truth in all of them.

Who’s on first!

 

[Eden]

LOL.pales in comparison against the suits in one diocese alone!

Why does your profile say “Catholic”, thecoach? I assume from your hostility and your reference to “your house” vs. “our house” that you are not Catholic. So, why the intention to mislead? If you Google “Sexual Abuse by Buddhist Monks”, you’ll find many examples of abuse. Please research more thoroughly before using cliche arguments against the Church.

 

[Danny_OC]

Only read some of the first page posts, but…

A man can condemn gay marriage, abortion, and small families until he’s blue in the face. Until he accepts God, he is no ally of ours.

 

[HashemEchad]

Hashem,
Thank you for your statement and opinion. I asked a qeustion of you that you did not answer. Suppose that one religion was the only correct one.

I can’t answer that, because in our theology, the question can only be answered for Jews.

We believe there is one correct religion, but only for US. For Gentiles, we believe as long as they follow basic laws of morality, they go to Heaven.

So in our worldview and theology, there cannot BE one true religion that applies to everyone.

The question you asked me presupposes an acceptance of the Muslim and Christian view, which is that there is only one true religion for all people.

 

[HashemEchad]

I thought Hashem was a female? I might be wrong, but I’ve enjoyed his/her other posts on this forum and I seem to remember Hashem talking about modest dress on another thread. But I could have posters confused.

Yes I am female!

 

[notself]

I can’t answer that, because in our theology, the question can only be answered for Jews.

We believe there is one correct religion, but only for US. For Gentiles, we believe as long as they follow basic laws of morality, they go to Heaven.

So in our worldview and theology, there cannot BE one true religion that applies to everyone.

The question you asked me presupposes an acceptance of the Muslim and Christian view, which is that there is only one true religion for all people.

Buddhists believe that Buddhism is not for everyone. Each person has the capacity and goals that may be different from another. We also believe that if anyone lives a life of morality and kindness, they will reach heaven. There is a saying among some traditions that there are 84,000 paths to Nirvana.

HashemEchad, I agree with you. It appears that only Christians and Muslims believe their religion is the only true religion for every person on earth. Of course this belief is the cause of much stress between Sunis and Shia on which form of Islam is the correct one and I believe that Christians also have substantial tension about which denomination it the true one. Any concept that is explained in words is limited. Words, dogma, teachings are the fingers pointing to the moon. They are not the moon itself.

 

[Danny_OC]

… as long as they follow basic laws of morality, they go to Heaven…

What principles do you operate under in your religion that you do not see as applicable to gentiles like us?

 

[deb1]

I can’t answer that, because in our theology, the question can only be answered for Jews.

We believe there is one correct religion, but only for US. For Gentiles, we believe as long as they follow basic laws of morality, they go to Heaven.

So in our worldview and theology, there cannot BE one true religion that applies to everyone.

The question you asked me presupposes an acceptance of the Muslim and Christian view, which is that there is only one true religion for all people.

Catholics believe in Invincible Ignorance. basically Invincible Ignorance states that if, through no fault of his/her own, an individual does not accept Christianity then God will judge him/her on how well they followed the natural laws that God places on all our hearts. My definition is very bad so please google the term.

None of us are in the Dalai Lama’s heart. We do not know why he is not Catholic, so we are not in a position to judge him. He seems to be a good person and unless he is secretly involved in something horrible, I would say that he is a long way from being evil.

 

[deb1]

Yes I am female!

I am just so darned smart that I shock myself.