Discrimination

NirvanaNoob

Discrimination Has anyone here faced discrimination because you are buddhist or any other religion??

Jason

I did in high school.

I was a Satanist for the first two years and Pagan for the last two. I discovered that most teachers do not like that, and neither do "Dean of Students" for that matter. I never made a big deal of what I was, but it was more the way I looked that bothered them. I had very long hair and I often wore te shirts with my favorite bands on them - Slayer, Iron Madien, Megadeth, Overkill. Nothing too inappropriate, I was just your average fourteen year old who loved heavy music.

The "Dean" called my mother once to "inform" her that I was a teribble student and was interested in some very bad things - funny since my report card that semester was all A's and B's! My mother gave him a good ear full and mentioned how he was just judgemental. He was after my ass the rest of my three years there.

Turns out that some idiot killed another girl with some other idiot before I even moved to that city. Not only did I slightly resemble one of them, but they were also "Satanists". (I was the materialist kind at that point and not the literal devil-worshipper of my youth. That, however, did not matter since nobody knew what the hell the difference was anyway.)

I managed to get through it alright though. I didn't let it bother me too much. I made some friends and had some good times regardless of the discrimination. Hahaha, if they could see me now! An upstanding Buddhist who does not drink, get high, or even smoke anymore.

Instead of getting to know me and helping me to discover myself they just ended up pushing me further into depression and rebellion. Go figure eh?

Jason

NirvanaNoob

what is the difference between the materialist and regular?

NirvanaNoob

Oh yeah almost forgot, Slayer Megadeth and Iron Maiden rule!! (Although I am into more newer stuff)

Jason

Well I was in high school from 1992-1996

1.) Satanism - devil-worship: The actual belief in Satan as a real entity. Sometimes seen as God's opposite, or His creation-gone-wrong.

2.) Satanism - material: Basically it was a 'religion' developed by Anton LaVey. It was "materialist" because they did not believe in anything other than right now. No God, no devil, no right or wrong, no afterlife, etc. They just called themselves Satanists and used Lucifer in their rituals to get attention. Materialists believe in getting as much pleasure as you can in life before you die because this is all there is, or ever will be.

I started off as 1.) and then evolved into 2.) during high school.

Jason

Simonthepilgrim

From superstition to hedonism to balance, Elohim: the path of the arahat.

Jason

Simon,

Hahaha it sounds good when you put it that way! I thought it was more like the path of a very impressionable kid. I should have said that to my teachers when they said I wouldn't amount to anything.

KnightofBuddha

When I told kids last year at school I was Buddhist, they thought it was pretty funny especially since I was a vegetarian at the time (I am doing 6 months off and 6 months with meat this year). I wasn't really picked on for it but I had little jokes made of me. It didn't bother me though!

buddhafoot

I haven't found that I've been discrimenated against for being Buddhist.

In fact, I don't believe I've told anybody.

Just like when I was growing up Christian - I never really talked about it.

How many times did you go through life - as something other than a Buddhist and have to say, "Oh Hey! Did I tell you I'm a Christian? No? Really? Well... I am. I'm a Christian! Praise God for Christians. Most Christians - like me because I'm a Christian - usually tell people when they're Christians. Like me! Because I'm a Christian.

I find it doesn't really come up very often - if at all. Unless, I'm just looking for an opportunity to tell them about it.

-bf

Celebrian

When I was wiccan, i told a friend. somehow it got around, and ever since then i have been constantly picked on (about the topic). You know, random people i don't even know coming up to me asking "Are you a witch?" "Can you cast a spell on me?" "oh em gee, don't curse me!". I wasn't ashamed of my religion, so i told people who asked the truth. Probably not a good idea. No matter how much you try to explain the religion to a 14 year old, hollywood has already done too much damage. No way i was going to get the message that "Just because i am wiccan doesn't mean i am a witch" through to anyone -_-. I also endured discrimination from a teacher, and it was aweful. The thing is, i never did anything different, i was just like every other person in the grade. It was just the fact that I was different on the inside. I haven't told many people I am Buddhist yet, just a few close friends when the conversation arose^^. once again, I have nothing to hide, and i am open to questions. So far, the school community seems much more accepting ^^ although, i still have one friend who insists im going to hell :P

well, thats my little story ^^

TraceyLinMiller

I was born in New Orleans, La and since it is infamous for voodoo, i have had men refuse to date me because of it. Does this count as religous discrimination although I don't practice voodoo, I almost practiced its parent religion though, Yoruba.

Simonthepilgrim

Funny, isn't it, that those of us who practise the Ancient Mysteries are asked to "cast spells" but I have never heard anyone ask a Christian, at a party, to change the water into wine or raise the dead as a trick!

Frizzer

Spot on Simon!
Quite a few years ago my friends got wind of the fact that I was into paganism, druidism and traditional witchcraft (folk magic, etc rather than ceremonial witchcraft). Most of them were fine about it, my longest friend was actively opposed to it but we agreed not to discuss it.
To be honest, I wasn't at all phased by it, I just accepted it. We were at a party once though and a couple of them started winding me up - saying to random people "have you met Adrian? He's a witch!" which was unnecessary. I got a bit annoyed and had a go at them, and completely by coincidence the light bulb blew and the room went dark! One of my friends started going "Fear the witch, he's put out the Sun!!"
This of course was hilarious to me so I just said that I'd do worse if they carried on taunting me. Funnily enough it was never mentioned again !

buddhafoot

Simonthepilgrim wrote:

Funny, isn't it, that those of us who practise the Ancient Mysteries are asked to "cast spells" but I have never heard anyone ask a Christian, at a party, to change the water into wine or raise the dead as a trick!

I've been to parties where the wine flowed like water - and you were sure that the person that passed out on the floor had died...

Then they pull that Lazarus trick on ya and start partying all over again...

-bf

Palzang

I occasionally encountered some discrimination in Mongolia because many people there have no idea that there are Buddhists in America, so seeing an American in monk's robes really did a number on some people's minds, especially since we wear Tibetan style robes rather than Mongolian style (deels). One time we were driving back from Sainshand, the capital of Dornogov (Eastern Gobi) Province, to Ulaan Baatar, and we stopped for lunch in the town of Choir (pronounced "Cho-yer"), which is a Mongol hick town if there ever was one. In addition to my robes, I was wearing a T-shirt with a crossed dorje on the front. There was a woman standing out in front of the cafe sucking on a cigarette. She gave me and the other American monk the onceover and muttered something in Mongolian. Our translator said, "She thinks you're Christian monks from America." I gave her a look like I'd just stepped in something, and she, somewhat taken aback, slunk off.

But this was a rare occurrence. Usually the worst reaction we got was blatant curiosity. The only really bad reaction we got the whole time we were there was not from a Mongolian but from, of all people, the French ambassador's wife! We visited a friend's ger (yurt) camp east of Ulaan Baatar, and she was there also. She immediately laid into us, saying we should be expelled from the country and blah-blah-blah. She obviously had us mixed up with Mormon missionaries. I mean, who would we be there to convert? In a Buddhist country? I thought she was funny, but my cohort was dreadfully insulted. I just told her, "Yeah, we're here to conquer Mongolia," which she somehow didn't find funny at all. Hmmm... But after she stormed off, our host informed us that not only did she treat everyone she came into contact with like that, but that the ambassador was being reassigned to Beijing the next day. So I figure we had the last laugh on that one!

Palzang