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Attitude toward Buddhists

naturelovernaturelover
edited November 2010 in Buddhism Today
The Pew Foundation conducted an extensive poll of religion and religious attitudes in America. One of their findings was that Americans are just as prejudiced against Buddhists as they are against followers of Islam.

Scary.
«1

Comments

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited October 2010
    Now, where's that "Ignorance is Bliss" thread....?


    I wonder if they're Blissful....? :D

    (Who or what is "The Pew Foundation"....? Are they impartial...?

    EDIT: Just checked their website and am coming up with a big fat zero on trying to find info on this. Could you print your source, or a link to check please? Many thanks!)
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited October 2010
    http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Belief_and_Practices/religious-knowledge-questionnaire.pdf
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited October 2010
    Fine, that's the questionnaire....
    Where are the findings?
  • BonsaiDougBonsaiDoug Simply, on the path. Veteran
    edited October 2010
    We Buddhists are very much aware of the dangers of ignorance. ;)
  • naturelovernaturelover
    edited October 2010
    federica wrote: »
    Now, where's that "Ignorance is Bliss" thread....?


    I wonder if they're Blissful....? :D

    (Who or what is "The Pew Foundation"....? Are they impartial...?

    EDIT: Just checked their website and am coming up with a big fat zero on trying to find info on this. Could you print your source, or a link to check please? Many thanks!)
    Sorry, got it wrong. It was in this interview on PBS. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/religion/july-dec10/americangrace_10-11.html
  • ShiftPlusOneShiftPlusOne Veteran
    edited October 2010
    Well he says Americans feel just as negative towards Buddhists as they are against Muslims. It's a very general statement and not worth drawing any conclusions from.

    I am just as negative towards Muslims as I am towards Buddhists as well. That doesn't really mean anything.
  • shenpennangwashenpennangwa
    edited October 2010
    Americans feel negative in general.
    I read this study a couple of weeks ago and actually thought it was really funny.
  • cazcaz Veteran United Kingdom Veteran
    edited October 2010
    If you where sat next to a Buddhist on a plane I dont think the first thought into your head would be " Dear lord a terrorist "
    :)
  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran
    edited October 2010
    My Physed teacher thought America was fighting Buddhism in Iraq.
  • shenpennangwashenpennangwa
    edited October 2010
    shanyin wrote: »
    My Physed teacher thought America was fighting Buddhism in Iraq.
    I was once told not to go fight against America in Tibet.
    I laughed.
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited October 2010
    "This is different than what I know and believe, and so I do not like it."
  • NomaDBuddhaNomaDBuddha Scalpel wielder :) Bucharest Veteran
    edited October 2010
    nature lover wrote: »
    The Pew Foundation conducted an extensive poll of religion and religious attitudes in America. One of their findings was that Americans are just as prejudiced against Buddhists as they are against followers of Islam.

    Scary.

    Now, what do you expect from the most Christian nation in the world ?
    My guess is that those polls were taken 90% by fundamentalists, and, as a result, you get the religious intolerance as a result.

    If the same foundation did the same poll in my country, in the rural parts of my country, you would get the same results.
  • nanadhajananadhaja Veteran
    edited October 2010
    shanyin wrote: »
    My Physed teacher thought America was fighting Buddhism in Iraq.
    Wow so America did win the war in Iraq!:lol:
  • GuyCGuyC Veteran
    edited October 2010
    nature lover wrote: »
    One of their findings was that Americans are just as prejudiced against Buddhists as they are against followers of Islam.

    Scary.

    This sentence in and of itself is not necessarily scary. It might actually be a good thing...if prejudice = 0.

    Also, if prejudice against Buddhism < prejudice against Islam...would that actually be a good thing? Maybe for Buddhists, but what about Muslims?
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited October 2010
    shanyin wrote: »
    My Physed teacher thought America was fighting Buddhism in Iraq.

    What else would you expect from a P.E. teacher?
  • NirvanaNirvana aka BUBBA   `     `   South Carolina, USA Veteran
    edited October 2010
    Everybody in the gymn was Kung-Fu fighting.

    ____________
    Metta and bright blessings
    and the Apostles' Greed



    Seriously, I think the man was probably joking around with you, Shanyin.
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited October 2010
    Nirvana wrote: »
    Everybody in the gymn was Kung-Fu fighting.

    ____________
    Metta and bright blessings
    and the Apostles' Greed



    Seriously, I think the man was probably joking around with you, Shanyin.


    Lovely to see you back, Nirvy.
  • mantra0mantra0
    edited October 2010
    nature lover wrote: »
    The Pew Foundation conducted an extensive poll of religion and religious attitudes in America. One of their findings was that Americans are just as prejudiced against Buddhists as they are against followers of Islam.

    Scary.

    Impermanence: It will change.

    It might become a popular religion one day. You never know.
    Buddhism reached the West (Ancient Greece) before it went to the far east.
    It will set root again.

    Educated middle class Americans tend to embrace Buddhism (according to what I read). If the education and livelihood of Americans improve, I believe more will embrace this faith.
  • PietroPumokinPietroPumokin
    edited October 2010
    ok so buddhists, muslims, jews, blacks, gays, foreigners, french people, hippies, mexicans, people with bushy beards, happy people, intellectuals, oh... oh, ok, yeah
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited October 2010
    Pietro you forgot about their actual neighbors who hold the same beliefs as them but have a dog who barks :)
  • karmadorjekarmadorje
    edited October 2010
    shanyin wrote: »
    My Physed teacher thought America was fighting Buddhism in Iraq.

    No, no, no. You misheard him. He said: "...fighting nudists in Iraq." He was just trying to explain the Abu Ghraib photographs.
  • BarraBarra soto zennie wandering in a cloud in beautiful, bucolic Victoria BC, on the wacky left coast of Canada Veteran
    edited October 2010
    Pietro Pumokin wrote: »
    ok so buddhists, muslims, jews, blacks, gays, foreigners, french people, hippies, mexicans, people with bushy beards, happy people, intellectuals, oh... oh, ok, yeah

    A club I'm happy to belong to!
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited October 2010
    Quote:
    <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset" class=alt2>Originally Posted by Pietro Pumokin viewpost.gif
    ok so buddhists, muslims, jews, blacks, gays, foreigners, french people, hippies, mexicans, people with bushy beards, happy people, intellectuals, oh... oh, ok, yeah

    </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
    A club I'm happy to belong to!

    What the heck, can I tag along too :)
  • ShutokuShutoku Veteran
    edited October 2010
    I'm skeptical.
    Now granted Canada is different and tends to be more liberal and tolerant, but my experience is that Buddhists are generally very well thought of.

    I think that the Dalai Lama has done much good in this regard.

    I think the only other reason people would react negatively is if they have no idea at all what Buddhism is, and confuse it with Islam (not that I am saying dislike of Islam is good...just that it is prevalent right now)
  • HanzzeHanzze Veteran
    edited October 2010
    Beggars, everywhere Beggars! Don't they have any thing to do? What do they think where my money is coming from?
  • thehermitage99thehermitage99
    edited October 2010
    Some years ago, can't remember when but in the last five years or so I would say, some Christian religious group or other (can't remember which, sorry) were putting leaflets through doors advertising some meeting they were going to hold here in the UK.

    Inside the leaflet was a pictoral representation of what they believed in, garden of Eden / Heaven type image, Lions next to lambs, that sort of thing, but the representation of the 'Anti-Christ' was a Buddha image!

    I was going to challenge them over it but never got around to it; I believe the representation came about as they considered Buddhism to be 'evil' as it had no God figure within the religion.

    I put it down to ignorance and forgot about it until now.

    Funny eh?

    Bryan
  • TheswingisyellowTheswingisyellow Trying to be open to existence Samsara Veteran
    edited November 2010
    I have had some different responses from the people at my work. The writer states the "esoteric-ness" of Buddhism my be at issue. I would agree with this. Buddhism in many ways does not fit the western model of what a religion is supposed to be like. Many of its teachings are out side of the box. Also people who have talked to me about Buddhism often have really very little or no understanding of Buddhism. One of my co-workers said to me, "why would anyone sit and worship a fat guy". Such is the misunderstanding.
    Yours in the Dharma/Dhamma,
    Todd
  • HanzzeHanzze Veteran
    edited November 2010
    The swing is yellow wrote: »
    "why would anyone sit and worship a fat guy"
    So why?
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited November 2010
    Because the Buddha wasn't fat, and we don't worship him. Which is why the question is based on Ignorance.
  • nanadhajananadhaja Veteran
    edited November 2010
    federica wrote: »
    Because the Buddha wasn't fat, and we don't worship him. Which is why the question is based on Ignorance.
    :thumbsup:
  • NirvanaNirvana aka BUBBA   `     `   South Carolina, USA Veteran
    edited November 2010
    nature lover wrote: »
    The Pew Foundation conducted an extensive poll of religion and religious attitudes in America. One of their findings was that Americans are just as prejudiced against Buddhists as they are against followers of Islam.
    Sorry, but I searched and searched and all I found were similar numbers for the two groups. Pew published numbers expressing perceived scopes of difference and similarities between these two and the faiths of the participants in the surveys.
    See pages 1, 3, & 4 of this Pew publication for the findings.
    federica wrote: »
    Fine, that's the questionnaire....
    Where are the findings?

    What about these findings, put in a Venn diagram, over on our General Banter section, in a thread called Buddhism Wins? If Google searches reflect what questions are on people's minds more than a survey generated by who-knows-who, then I'd trust this Venn diagram more:
  • HanzzeHanzze Veteran
    edited November 2010
    federica wrote: »
    Because the Buddha wasn't fat, and we don't worship him. Which is why the question is based on Ignorance.
    So we do not care of them which are sitting in front of a fat buddha figure like in china for example... well there are many kinds of ignorance and it always comes back.
    Did you explain him, that you believe that the buddha was not fat? I guess you havnt seen him.
  • HanzzeHanzze Veteran
    edited November 2010
    nanadhaja wrote: »
    :thumbsup:
    Dear Ven. nanadhaja,

    to abstain form tattle would keep the reputation of Theravada higher. Just because many believe that a monk is a sant.
  • nanadhajananadhaja Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Hanzze wrote: »
    Dear Ven. nanadhaja,

    to abstain form tattle would keep the reputation of Theravada higher. Just because many believe that a monk is a sant.
    :confused:Please explain your last mystic comment Hanzze
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Individual sense of humour and variations in communication styles can easily be misunderstood online - this is the biggest area of weakness in this form of interacting with each other that I have found
  • TheswingisyellowTheswingisyellow Trying to be open to existence Samsara Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Hanzze wrote: »
    So we do not care of them which are sitting in front of a fat buddha figure like in china for example... well there are many kinds of ignorance and it always comes back.
    Did you explain him, that you believe that the buddha was not fat? I guess you havnt seen him.
    I was just trying to show that there is a great degree of misunderstanding, at least where I come from. All these Chinese restaurants here have these Hotei, those fat happy guys and people think they represent Buddha. People here in the states have more of a thesitic concept in mind when it comes to religion, so they think we worship fat happy little guys:p As Frederica stated it was a question based on ignorance.
    Yours in the Dhamma,
    Todd
  • HanzzeHanzze Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Attitude toward "Buddhists" -
    depends on attitude of "Buddhist" toward to others.
    Not becoming and not being - not rejecting and not passing is the resource of the Buddhadhamma.
    Not becoming nor not rejecting one can call him self a follower of the Buddhadhamma.
    Not being nor not passing one can call him self a follower of the Buddhadhamma.
    Not taking an opinion nor not disclaim an opinion, one can call him self a follower of the Buddhadhamma.
    Non violence, non hurting, non fighting, non conquering, non victory is the resource of a follower of the Buddhadhamma.

    Wishing real conquering a follower of Buddhadhamma conquers him self.
    Wishing real victory a follower of Buddhadhamma vanquishes him self.

    Nonaction is the source of all action.
    Non Buddhist makes one a real Buddhist.

    Let us just follow the Dhamma, everything else is man made and not free of suffering.
    If we love the Buddha, we can only do that.
  • HanzzeHanzze Veteran
    edited November 2010
    The swing is yellow wrote: »
    I was just trying to show that there is a great degree of misunderstanding, at least where I come from. All these Chinese restaurants here have these Hotei, those fat happy guys and people think they represent Buddha. People here in the states have more of a thesitic concept in mind when it comes to religion, so they think we worship fat happy little guys:p As Frederica stated it was a question based on ignorance.
    Yours in the Dhamma,
    Todd
    :) as I had heared, this Buddha ("fat") has its origin of a mixture of a larder-ghost and the leading sponsor of the Buddha. As people are much in believe and also in money they took this figure and made with the Buddha a believe object out of it. Everybody likes a sponsor like Buddha had. Nothing to reject, not different to us :-) if it helps to more peace. But it is only as I heard, so no truth.
    In respecting your opinion.
  • nanadhajananadhaja Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Hanzze wrote: »
    :) as I had heared, this Buddha ("fat") has its origin of a mixture of a larder-ghost and the leading sponsor of the Buddha. As people are much in believe and also in money they took this figure and made with the Buddha a believe object out of it. Everybody likes a sponsor like Buddha had. Nothing to reject, not different to us :-) if it helps to more peace. But it is only as I heard, so no truth.
    In respecting your opinion.
    The story I heard is that Hotei was a monk who did laugh a lot and was especially popular with children,handing out candy and mucking around a lot.Some people believe that he is in fact Metteyya.Maybe we will get a few more stories posted.
    A weird question I got asked once(sorry,but he was from the states)"Who made Buddha god?He also asked how long I had been a monk.At the time I was answering questions in a Thai temple-in Thailand and was wearing white trousers and a white shirt with long hair half way down my back.
    NOT LONG BACK HAIR.:lol:Hair that came half way down my back.
  • IronRabbitIronRabbit Veteran
    edited November 2010
    America - the USA - is a discriminatory entity. Christians even discriminate against other christians. Historically, Buddhists have been regarded as godless heathens and associated primarily with Asians (Chinese) and held in contempt by the vast fundamentalist christian body. Wherever education is emphasized in christianity there is a different level of tolerance and understanding but that is the minority. Among the ignorant it is perceived that Buddha is a fat happy false god worshiped by the misguided and those damned to everlasting hell. Amazing that it takes that sort of extreme to help them get through their delusional days......
  • NirvanaNirvana aka BUBBA   `     `   South Carolina, USA Veteran
    edited November 2010
    I still challenge the OP (Original Poster) to show the findings.

    Post #32 in this thread shows only that Americans assessed Buddhists and Muslims alike only in terms of the overlapping of perceived similarities and dissimilarities between themselves (the Poll-takers) and the two disparate religious groups.
    nature lover wrote: »
    The Pew Foundation conducted an extensive poll of religion and religious attitudes in America. One of their findings was that Americans are just as prejudiced against Buddhists as they are against followers of Islam.
    This is simply not supported by anything I can find that Pew published. I believe this just to be another case of somebody telling somebody about something he read and that person hearing a different nuance handing that "news" down the line.

    See pages 1, 3 & 4 of the published report of the Pew FORUM on Religion & Public Life.
  • StaticToyboxStaticToybox Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Saying nothing of the validity of the claims in the original post I wouldn't actually find this hard to believe at all. At least not among certain segments of the American population. I've been raised around some of these people. Folks who fear and despise (and don't want to learn about) anything that isn't evangelical Christianity.
  • NirvanaNirvana aka BUBBA   `     `   South Carolina, USA Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Why people who just sit around all day worshipping the fat guy want the rest of us to do all the work, pay all the taxes, raise all the children, and drink their tea rather than our coffee eludes me! And then they say we shouldn't even be able to come home and have a beer?

    Why don't they just get a job or go back to their ancient temples in Afghanistan?
  • Buddhism4allBuddhism4all
    edited November 2010
    The problem is that Christianity, Islam, Hinduism are all based on faith and belief while Buddhism is based on reason, experience which others conceive as against what they have been taught since birth. Hence the hostility. I think it's more a defensive mechanism than offensive.
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Yeah well, what can ya do? Best bet is to try and understand, to maintain a healthy view of beliefs, as conditioning... and contemplate on the fact that what a person holds dear to themselves (their beliefs) have much less impact than how they choose to speak and act toward other people and all life.
  • karmadorjekarmadorje
    edited November 2010
    Buddhism4all: I think that is a caricature of those faiths. There are faith elements in Buddhism and their are rational elements in the Abrahamic religions. "Hinduism" is a misnomer as there are a plethora of separate viewpoints, some such as Shankara's advaita are extremely close to Buddhist thought. Reasoning is extremely important to advaita practitioners. I think it is better not to create categories like this as they are a little too pat and don't really apply to these religions as actually lived and practiced.
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Oh, Reason! How we love to proclaim our faith in thee!
  • aHappyNihilistaHappyNihilist Veteran
    edited November 2010
    karmadorje wrote: »
    Buddhism4all: I think that is a caricature of those faiths. There are faith elements in Buddhism and their are rational elements in the Abrahamic religions. "Hinduism" is a misnomer as there are a plethora of separate viewpoints, some such as Shankara's advaita are extremely close to Buddhist thought. Reasoning is extremely important to advaita practitioners. I think it is better not to create categories like this as they are a little too pat and don't really apply to these religions as actually lived and practiced.
    what faith is there in buddhism? everything seems to be based on logic alone from what I've seen which admittedly isn't much
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Probably means faith in the sense of confidence, not the usual religious sense of the word.
  • TheswingisyellowTheswingisyellow Trying to be open to existence Samsara Veteran
    edited November 2010
    aHappyNihilist wrote: »
    what faith is there in buddhism? everything seems to be based on logic alone from what I've seen which admittedly isn't much
    Off Topic:
    I have great faith in the teachings of Lord Buddha:
    Faith:
    3
    : something that is believed especially with strong conviction.
    http://mw1.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faith
    With Metta,
    Todd
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