Skin Color and Religion

Timely

I have been a Buddhist for many years and this has only occured a few months ago. For some background I am white, male, and I live in the United States of America. I study Buddhism and respect it as a sacred belief system. I was in a conversation with a few friends and we started talking about religion, One person said they were an atheist another said they were Catholic and I said I am a Buddhist. My catholic friend looked at me and said "how can you be a Buddhist your white." I was wondering if anyone else has faced this problem? Do people take White Buddhists seriously?

federica

OMG....

First of all, Buddhism isn't a sacred 'Belief' system, because you're not required to 'believe' anything on blind faith....
It's a system, the purpose of which is to show you what suffering is, and how to transcend it.

Secondly, you could ask a Christian why they aren't Arab. Jesus came from that neck of the woods, and wasn't white either.
so what's their point.....?
AFAIK, most (but certainly not all) members here, are caucasian.

I think skin colour is of the highest irrelevance, when it comes to any practice....
And everyone I've ever told I'm Buddhist, has taken me seriously.
And not only am I white, I'm a short woman too.....!

SherabDorje

I'm white, Western, and all the white Western Buddhists and Eastern nonwhite Buddhists I've met have taken me seriously. I don't discuss it much with strangers, but I've never had an experience like that.

In my OPINION, for someone to say "You can't be Buddhist because you're white" is one of the most absurd things I've ever heard. It's a very very ignorant thing to say.

Jeffrey

Just tell him that it is not unusual to have white buddhists.

Malachy12

My professor in Transcultural Nursing informed us that the majority of Muslims in America are black, the majority of people from middle eastern countries are Muslim, but the majority of Muslims overall are Asian. Mind blowing eh? It doesn't quite fit the stereotype. So, just remember... the people you spoke with probably had their own stereotype as well.

zidangus

Your friend must have a very strange outlook on the world, if they believe that a persons beliefs is dependant on the colour of skin.


With Metta

fivebells

@Timely, what's the problem, exactly? Why are you concerned that this guy doesn't understand your connection to Buddhism?

Timely

I don't see a huge problem in saying belief system instead of just system. While you don't have to believe in something you could consider discovering a state of lasting happiness a belief.

vinlyn

I've had a couple of situations that were similar. First off, even while living in Thailand, there were quite a few Thais who couldn't understand how I could be Buddhist since I was an American. I didn't hear that often, and when I did it was never in any angry sense, or anything like that, but the issue was mentioned out of curiosity a number of times.

Also, when I was principal, one of our physically handicapped students (I mention that because it may relate to her being a Born Again Christian and so fervent...also 14 yo) said that she had heard I was Buddhist and wanted to know if it was true. Usually I didn't talk about the issue with students, but she was VERY persistent. Ultimately she said, "Why would you belong to an Asian religion?" In return I asked her, "Why would you belong to a Middle Eastern religion?" She got the point. :eek2:

Mostly, my experiences have been positive, but when not, I think it's just a case of stereotyping.

zidangus

Yes at the end of the day it is down to stereotypes, which are founded on a lack of exposure, in this case your friend has a lack of exposure to Buddhists who were white, hence they cannot understand why anyone who was white would be a Buddhist, the same in Thailand I would say vinlyn, the Thais who were surprised you were a Buddhist, probably have not met any Farang who are Buddhists, hence they are surprised by this.


With Metta

compassionate_warrior

Tiimely, you're obviously new here, you've missed all the "Is Buddhism a Religion, a Philosophy or Psychology?" threads, and closely related topics, plus scads of thread on "belief or no belief", "rebirth or no rebirth", etc. etc. ad infinitam. This is not your fault, of course, but it's just kind of funny. Such a newbie! Kinda cute.

OK, onward to your main question: your friend was just plain ignorant. Are all Christians White? Centuries of missionaries have seen to it that all those Euro-whatevers who consider themselves Christian might actually be in the minority globally. That would be an interesting census to take. Next time you see your friend, ask him how New Guinea tribesmen, Chinese/Taiwanese, Native Americans (including most of South America's Natives and most Hispanics), smatterings of Southeast Asians, Pacific Islanders, and tens of thousands of Native Africans could be Christians. But there they are, defying your friend's logic!

*sheesh* :rolleyes:

Timely

vinlyn thank you for your post. I do not talk about my religion very often. In the situation mentioned I was speaking to friends and it was said in a surprised tone not angry. I do not mean to anger or upset anyone by this discussion. I was just curious if anyone else had heard of this before. Where I live I am the only Buddhist and received most my education by book or Internet.

Timely

compassionate_warrior I like your post alot.

Arjquad

Skin color is the least important thing in my mind. I have meet people of all races that have been any number of religions and I don't question their beliefs for why there Muslim or Hindu because there white.

compassionate_warrior

In a nutshell; religions aren't color-coded.

Arjquad

In a nutshell; religions aren't color-coded.

Agree, I have beliefs with Shinto and I can't tell you how many times I have seen someone say that unless your Japanese you can not practice or have beliefs with Shinto. True it is next to impossible to practice outside of Japan but I try. I just think that race doesn't matter since religions don't work that way, and if it did then the white person (can't think of his name right now) who was ordained as the first white Shinto priest is not true or allowed.

Mountains

"how can you be a Buddhist your white."

How can you be a functional adult in a modern western society if you're that ignorant?

zidangus

You would be surprised what some people in the modern western society think.


With Metta

vinlyn

Whoa. Why do you say that only about Western society?

Arjquad

You would be surprised what some people in the modern western society think.


With Metta

I think that every society has misconceptions about other societies.

Mountains

I didn't mean to imply that ignorance was a western phenomenon. But (I assume) the situation we're talking about here took place in a western society, and thus the person involved is part of that society. Nobody has the lock on ignorance.

NOTaGangsta

"Yall bettah learn Chinese!" he he

Malachy12

@NOTaGangsta NI HAO!

NOTaGangsta

@NOTaGangsta NI HAO!

阿彌陀佛

Malachy12

@NOTaGangsta 船尾 ... lol

Spock

Maybe its because stereotyping is a very human thing.

I don't think it's too shocking a comment. Pretty normal infact but a wee bit ignorant I suppose

NOTaGangsta

@NOTaGangsta 船尾 ... lol

Jeez, I don't want to sit at the back of the boat!