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Would You Trust A Buddhist ?

ShoshinShoshin No one in particularNowhere Special Veteran
edited August 2019 in Faith & Religion

A few weeks ago an article in a local newspaper had this to say ...New survey reveals which religions New Zealanders trust most - and least - after Christchurch shootings

​We used a five-point scale for responses - complete trust, lots of trust, some trust, little trust and no trust at all. We converted ordinal data (e.g. first, second, etc) into cardinal data (one, two, etc) by assuming equal intervals between categories to give a mean trust score.

We found that the most trusted religious group in New Zealand is a small non-Christian group: Buddhists.

Hmm I wonder if the results would be the same in other Western countries if a similar research survey was conducted...

Comments

  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran

    Not in the area I live in. Here in the Bible-belt region of the US, if you even hint at being a non-believer (of a higher power/god), you are not trusted and looked at as having no moral compass.

    adamcrossley
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    @Vastmind said:
    Not in the area I live in. Here in the Bible-belt region of the US, if you even hint at being a non-believer (of a higher power/god), you are not trusted and looked at as having no moral compass.

    I remember the first Buddhist forum I signed up to ( well actually it was the first forum I had ever joined...which is now closed down), there was a member who also lived in the bible belt, he was so fearful of the people in his apartment block finding out that he was practicing Zen, he would travel to the other side of the city to visit the Zen centre...He couldn't discuss the Dharma with anybody in his neighbourhood...

    It's sad that in this day and age Westerners should have to hide their spiritual leaning for fear of being ostracized by the community in which they live...

    adamcrossley
  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    I think buddhists are generally pretty trustworthy... any one who has taken the precepts can be relied upon not to kill, steal, be untruthful, which is a pretty good start.

    Shoshin
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    @Kerome said:
    I think buddhists are generally pretty trustworthy... any one who has taken the precepts can be relied upon not to kill, steal, be untruthful, which is a pretty good start.

    Yes one would think so, but precepts are broken, even by those who have been practicing for years ...

    I guess it's a case of...does one really trust one/the self to do the right thing...

    ...especially when one knows that the self has gotten 'itself' into strife time and time again... :)

    Maybe @lobster has a point...

    I do not trust my little self.

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @Vastmind said:
    Not in the area I live in. Here in the Bible-belt region of the US, if you even hint at being a non-believer (of a higher power/god), you are not trusted and looked at as having no moral compass.

    It’s an interesting one....i have grown up surrounded by atheists (both non-fundamental and fundamental) and, while I think they would trust a Christian, they just believe they are of a lower intelligence.

    VastmindShoshin
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran
    edited August 2019

    According to the survey Atheists are the fourth most trust by Kiwis

    Buddhists
    Jews
    Hindus
    Atheists/Agnostics
    Protestants
    Muslims
    Catholics
    Evangelicals

    Bunks
  • KundoKundo Sydney, Australia Veteran

    Wow Jews are 2nd? I live on the wrong side of the pond

  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    edited August 2019

    I was curious about this question in the US. I found something on general feelings towards differing religious groups.

    https://www.pewforum.org/2017/02/15/americans-express-increasingly-warm-feelings-toward-religious-groups/
    The article breaks it all down in finer detail and among 18-29 year olds Buddhists got the highest rating.

    BunksVastmindShoshinlobster
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