Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.
Defending Buddhism?
buddhafoot
Veteran
Defending Buddhism?
I have seen a number of people on our site talking about parents or loved ones, that are not Buddhists, having a difficult time dealing with you becoming a Buddhist. Most especially, when dealing with Christians.
It also seems like there is a lot of frustration, by some, who feel they can't explain why they have decided to make this change, or even sometimes, explain some of the teachings of Buddha.
I know that growing up with the bread and butter of Christianity being shoved down my throat, I would have to say that I know much more about the teachings of the Bible than I do of the suttas of Buddha. But, how does one get passed this? To simply say, "I am a Buddhist." means nothing. It means just as much as those who say they care Christians, but by their speech and actions, you couldn't tell what they believed in.
What has drawn you to Buddhism? Is it just that you needed a break from a Christian god? Is your attachment to "Buddha" more an act of rebellion? Or is it a seeking for truth?
When you were a Christian before this, did you actually know anything about Christianity? And does just knowing something about a belief or practice, mean that "this" is what you are? I can cook - does this make me a chef? Because you have meditated, does this mean you are a Buddhist?
What are the Four Noble Truths?
What is the Eightfold Path?
What does it mean to follow these teachings and precepts? What does it mean to ignore these teachings and precepts but still call yourself a Buddhist? What is a Buddhist and why do you have to have a label for yourself? In Christianity, if you had so many other things in your life, in regards to a Christian god, but did not have love - you amounted to so much "tinkling cymbols and sounding brass".
I just thought that I would try to start a topic to make people stop and look at what they are doing and why they are doing it. Does the teachings of Buddha come into play in your daily life? Couldn't you actually be "nothing" and still follow Right View, Right Thought, Right Livelihood - and I'm not going to give the rest of them away.
-bf
I have seen a number of people on our site talking about parents or loved ones, that are not Buddhists, having a difficult time dealing with you becoming a Buddhist. Most especially, when dealing with Christians.
It also seems like there is a lot of frustration, by some, who feel they can't explain why they have decided to make this change, or even sometimes, explain some of the teachings of Buddha.
I know that growing up with the bread and butter of Christianity being shoved down my throat, I would have to say that I know much more about the teachings of the Bible than I do of the suttas of Buddha. But, how does one get passed this? To simply say, "I am a Buddhist." means nothing. It means just as much as those who say they care Christians, but by their speech and actions, you couldn't tell what they believed in.
What has drawn you to Buddhism? Is it just that you needed a break from a Christian god? Is your attachment to "Buddha" more an act of rebellion? Or is it a seeking for truth?
When you were a Christian before this, did you actually know anything about Christianity? And does just knowing something about a belief or practice, mean that "this" is what you are? I can cook - does this make me a chef? Because you have meditated, does this mean you are a Buddhist?
What are the Four Noble Truths?
What is the Eightfold Path?
What does it mean to follow these teachings and precepts? What does it mean to ignore these teachings and precepts but still call yourself a Buddhist? What is a Buddhist and why do you have to have a label for yourself? In Christianity, if you had so many other things in your life, in regards to a Christian god, but did not have love - you amounted to so much "tinkling cymbols and sounding brass".
I just thought that I would try to start a topic to make people stop and look at what they are doing and why they are doing it. Does the teachings of Buddha come into play in your daily life? Couldn't you actually be "nothing" and still follow Right View, Right Thought, Right Livelihood - and I'm not going to give the rest of them away.
-bf
0
Comments
You're right, BF, we do see a lot of people who appear to have a problem being accepted in their difference, particularly from parents. And your points are important.
I think, too, that it is the quality of difference that is at issue, far more than religion, philosophy or, even, sexual orientation. I notice that the tone and content of our replies to those who bring us their wounds from the battle between the generations is generally not didactic or critical - of either 'side'. We do not try to give 'ammunition' in some polemical battle. Elohim will post sutras and links for information. You, BF, will make some inappropriate joke. Fede will open her arms like an Earth Mother. Each of us will bring what we do best - just like the Magi at the manger.
And what we do best is to support each other!
Does Simon have you guys figured out, or what??
Great post, BF. I am going to give it some more thought and post later today!
So - how come Elohim and Fede get to do the cool stuff and I'm excreted under the heading "Comic Relief"?
-bf
I asked myself, "What is really there to defend?"
My answer was surprisingly, "The more I look at it, the more I really don't know."
When it comes to Buddhism, I definitely feel that it offers us the best path for the realization of 'Truth', and certainly the cessation of suffering, but that doesn't mean that I should segregate myself behind those beliefs. It isn't by hiding from the world that we achieve 'Awakening', it is by understanding it.
That is a very interesting point though, and I never thought of it in that way. It generally seems to me that people promulgate their own views to the exclusion of all others simply out of attachment, but I guess it could also be because these well-meaning people are trying to convince themselves of their own conviction. The whys, the hows, the labels of any religion, what do they all really mean?
I suppose that it can be very difficult when we commit a large portion of our lives to an idea or belief that we never really have complete faith in, or truly understand. I certainly know that I have had many 'religious' beliefs in my twenty-seven short years. I have spent years studying and practicing this and that, only to conclude that it just wasn't for me. It wasn't until I finally began my study and practice of Buddhism that I said, "Ah, this is the right one for me." However, I definitely have my bad days where I doubt everything just as much as the next guy (apparently I'm not a sotapanna yet
It has always been my philosophy that if something isn't worth my attention, then I leave it be. There is no need to even waste time refuting it unless it is genuinely going to help someone. (Although, I do have my moments of bad jokes, or even being overly critical... I'm only human!) If something is worth my attention, however, then why not try learn something from it? To be honest, I have never liked Christianity, and I certainly never gave it a real chance, but I have recently seen a lot of wisdom in relatively unknown Christian mystic's works, as well as others, that have really got me thinking.
I don't necessarily want to be 'right', and I certainly don't want to just prove others 'wrong', I simply want to cultivate my own wisdom because that has always been my goal in life - my "Holy Grail" if you will. If my own views, beliefs, and theories are wrong, then I will discover that and lean from it; if my own views, beliefs, and theories are correct, then I will discover that and learn from it.
What really matters most is what it means to us personally. The Buddha himself never refuted other 'religions', he instead refuted Wrong Views. Perhaps when it comes right down to it, sometimes the best words are no words at all.
"One should speak only that word by which one would not torment oneself nor harm others. That word is indeed well spoken.
"One should speak only pleasant words, words which are acceptable (to others). What one speaks without bringing evils to others is pleasant."
— Thag XXI
Perhaps it is in this spirit that the Dalai Lama advised people not to simply "convert" to Buddhism:
"The Dalai Lama, in France for a series of conferences, told France Inter radio that people were better off sticking with the religion they grew up with.
"In the 1960s I met people who had changed religion and then, later in their lives, experienced many problems because of that," the Buddhist leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner said.
"I also met a young Tibetan woman who said 'I've become a Christian in this life but I will be a Buddhist again in the next life'," he said.
"So I think it is best, if one is a believer, to keep the religion with which one was brought up, which one is used to, which is familiar," the Dalai Lama concluded."
- Dalai Lama Says NOT To Convert To Buddhism
and
"I believe that the French, who are Christian by culture and ancestry,
should remain Christian. It is better to stick to your own traditional
values.... It is only if, after mature reflection, you believe that Buddhism
could offer you more than Christianity that you should become a Buddhist."
According to the Dalai Lama, Buddhism and Christianity have many points in
common -- "the same philosophy of love for the other, the aspiration to
lift the human being above his vices, compassion and forgiveness."
- From Dalai Lama against fashion for Buddhism in Europe
This of course doesn't mean that we should not follow the Buddha's Path, and that all Paths are ultimately equal, but it does mean that we should not simply 'jump ship' if we have been raised in a different faith. Careful study, practice, and consideration are certainly needed first. I was not born or raised "Buddhist", so much of this is new to me. I have only been practicing seriously for a few years compared to the whole of my life.
In my mind, there is nothing wrong with seeing what is valuable in all walks of life, and that is exactly what I try to do. One day, perhaps soon, I will be a "pure Buddhist", but for now I am simply a person who is trying to learn all that he can so that his choices are the most informed they can be.
I think that when "defending" our beliefs to others, caution should always be maintained. It could very well turnout that what we are defending is simply a mirage. You know, even science can be a 'belief'. When I was in school, I was taught that Pluto had only one moon and that there was only nine planets in our solar system. It was not a "maybe", but a "fact". Now, as I read the news what do I see? Oh, Pluto has three moons, and there just may be a tenth planet... one named after Xena?!?!
Now, was I deceived? Was I conned? No. Not at all. When I defended that postion, I was merely defending a conventional truth, a mirage. I just was ill-informed by others who were also ill-informed. Once they were better 'informed', so was I.
Everything is not always what it seems.
"Sabbe satta sukhita hontu!"
Jason
While I did a bit of rambling, the ultimate question in my own mind was, "Why do I have to justify or defend Buddhism?"
Last week I was having a religious discussion with a couple of guys at work. I was able to state what I thought and what I felt - and was never asked, "So.. are you a Buddhist or something?" I also never felt the need to put the label of "Buddhist" upon myself. They still don't know what I practice or what I believe.
I think sometimes we get caught up in having to identify ourselves with something (yet another form of attachment or labels) when discoursing with others. I think Buddhism could be reduced to "Teachism" or "Practism" because it's not about the person that is being followed, but the teaching and the practice.
Maybe we're Truthists....or Pathists, or maybe we're nothing at all...
-bf
Against buddhas!
KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!
Whew!
Does anyone feel as uncomfortable as I do?
-bf
My faith persisted and I soon began reading ahead in my history book as I often do and reading about Enlightenment Age philosophers. I found them to be fascinating especially Renat Descartes (sp?) method of doubt. I started reading about philsophers going further back through time until I arrived at the Axial Age. (Buddha, Confuscius, Greeks)
I found quickly that Buddha in particular once had many of the same doubts and questions that I had at the time. What was the meaning of life? Why do I suffer?.... I wasn't long until I picked up a book on meditation and I soon became disenchanted by Christian beliefs. I especially was at odds with Chrsitianity when it came to homosexual rights. This is what really drove me away (I'm not gay by the way)
So here I am over a year later becoming more and more intrigued by Buddhism. An Agnostic Buddhist would be a proper title I suppose. And defending Buddhism is nothing I'll have to worry about since I see nothing to defend. And nobody to defend it from...
My family is Christian, and they except my choices, even without fully understanding them. I have a daughter, who I have not pointed toward any particular religion, prefering that she be exposed to many different paths so she can choose what is right for her on her own. We even celebrate Christmas with the family, and I have been known to attend Midnight Mass on occasion, just to see the ceremony. Oddly enough, even though my parents are Christian, I was not "raised" Christian, rather I was allowed to make my own choices on whether to attend church and was never chastized for beliving what I wished.
Anyway, it's just about bedtime for me and so I'll stop rambling now. It is nice to meet you all and I look forward to getting to know you all better with time.
Why do you, if you have Christian relatives, feel that you need to defend Buddhism.
Buddha doesn't care.
-bf
When I first said to my family that I did not worship God, it was admitedly a bit of a shock. Especially to my Uncle (who is thankfully now divorced from my Aunt, he was always verbally abusive), who often tried to tell me that I was going to burn in Hell and other such nasty horrible things.
I simply choose not to argue, not to raise my voice, and if they press the matter to simply walk away. I do the same to strangers I meet should they ask politely about something dealing with my personal beliefs for some reason, then I in return speak politely and explain myself, but if they are rude I do not return the favor. I simply choose not to become apprehensive on the matter.
There is no reason, nothing about it that needs to be defended. If they are going to be offensive, they will remain offensive, and no amount of talking will turn them around.
I think, as a Buddhist, that keeping your internal peace and demonstrating outward peace to angry Christians might teach them something about their own path that seems to be escaping them.
-bf
As long as it's done with compassion and Right Angle.
-bf
I was raised by 2 catholic parents and forced to attend sunday school until grade 8. It was freshman year of high school (I'm a senior now) when I realized that I didn't believe in the catholic religion at all. I was atheist for a while before I discovered buddhism, and I still do consider myself an atheist because I don't believe in a god. I consider buddhism more of a philosophy than a religion anyway. For me, finding buddhism was about self-discovery. I learned many of buddhas teachings through experience before I knew of them (suffering, how nothing in the outside world can give us true happiness.) Then after lots of suffering, once I discovered buddhism I became more and more into it. Not for any reason other than to find inner peace within myself and stop living in delusion & fear. I've been meditating for around 2 months and I already feel happier than when I started. I'm still a baby learning to crawl but I'm determined to continue my practice and reach inner peace.
I've always wanted a religion that didn't make me change my lifestyle, and Buddhism seemed to fit this, whereas most religions have set rules you MUST obey, and I'm not really into most of it. I did change things in my life when I "converted" to Buddhism though I've always felt that when I did I enjoyed the changes and can see that they made me a better person. I used to kill bugs without a second thought, and I used to steal when I couldn't afford to buy. I still have to work on not killing some bugs, but even when I kill a mosquito I feel bad now.
I do have troubles explaining Buddhism to people, but it's usually only to those who already have a religion. Buddhism is different. It teaches you to think rather than accept, and to question rather than to blindly agree. There is no god in Buddhism which always seems to be the shocker for most people. My dad was befuddled when I told him that I didn't believe in any god. He apparently always thought Buddhists worshiped a god (which seems to a common misconception). After I told him Buddhism didn't have a god he went off on the "pre-programmed" Christian replies that you get from just about any Christian that you talk to.
I guess after all the subtle bashes to Christianity in my post you may think I'm grouped as a "rebel Buddhist" but I'm not. I know the most about Christianity as I was raised Christian. Most religions I have studied are sects of Christianity (my favorite was Deism), and most people I have religious discussion with are Christian. I DID, however, go through a period where I went through the Bible searching for things that didn't make sense, and googling all the problems with Christianity, so I guess I may have a slight resentment towards the religion, but it's mostly because I hate how many people follow Christianity simply because they were raised to. I once asked a girl why she was Christian and she said "I dunno". I then asked if she ever questioned Christianity and she said "Why would I?" The conversation just proceeded with her pretty much telling me she grew up on the religion and that she kept with it because it was just sort of the popular thing to do, and she figured it couldn't be wrong.
I love Buddhism because it asks you to question it. That is something most religions don't, and probably shouldn't, do.
--I hope I was actually on topic with your post. I may have just kind of ended up ranting there but I tried to answer your questions
What this is about is using Buddhist teachings to realize them in practice. They only give a direction, and the path has to be walked. That is where the true teaching lies.
1. The end of suffering attracted me to buddhism, or should I say , a tv documentary about some theravadin monks that I saw when I was a kid, and impressed me.
1a. No, the attachement to buddhism is not a form of rebellion against christianity. It's more like...gaining a sense of I really am, without reporting myself to a higher supernatural power.
2. Before buddhism, I was an orthodox christian, and yes, I knew quite a lot about christianity, mostly because I have had Religious Education classes in school ( I still have them...those classes will be with you 'till the end of the high-school).
2a. No, buddhism is just something like a label that I attached to myself. I really know very little about buddhism, and the buddhist practice.
2b. Maybe...don't know here. Meditation , in my country is a thing that will label you as a buddhist or as a freak...so, don't know...
3. + 4. These are the roots of buddhism as far as I know.
5. For me, it means that is a simple form, with or without a background ( I refer to the way you apply the percepts in real life...if it's just a small talk or a small action), and I don't really put them at heart. I just do what I have to do, without ignoring other people's needs.
5a. I don't know what it means...maybe hypocrisy? People could say that I ignore Buddha's teachings, but still, I know little about it, and I do things that will not increase the suffering of the people around me.
5b. A buddhist is just an individual like other individuals. About the labels, it's just the EGO that has to make itself somewhat unique from other EGOs.
5c. ahm...Can you rephrase it, please (the one with the sounding brass) ??
6. Yes , I can be Nothing and follow the Eightfold Path. But still, I feel the need to be different from other people who live in my corner of the Earth.
Not change your lifestyle? I hope you don't really mean that.
This is exactly what I meant. I'm sorry if I caused confusion.
I just dislike how certain religions make you do stuff such as "If you're Jewish, you cannot eat pig". I agree, pigs are dirty animals, but why take it that far without any other justification? Just the overall feeling that I must do EVERYTHING a religion says I should even if I don't agree has always turned me off. However, Buddhism seems to be unique in that if you don't agree with something, then you simply just forget about it. I know a lot of Buddhists are vegetarian, but it isn't a written law, it's just a suggestion. Some Buddhists will become monks and devote everything to Buddhism, and while I think this is the only way to become truly enlightened, it isn't pushed. I like that I can add my opinion into Buddhism, and I'm still accepted in the Buddhist community. If I went to a Christian church and said that I felt like worshiping Mary as a god because I find her to be worth it, I would get berated as they can ONLY have one god. From what I've learned the "pure" forms of Buddhism do not have a god, though some sects worship Buddha as if he was one.
Going off of my last post because I've gotten to thinking about religion again: I've never understood how many other religions (mainstream, such as Christianity) say that you shouldn't kill, but as a member of the faith you feel no remorse when it's an animal. Christianity (or maybe it's Catholicism) goes so far as to say that "animals do not have souls". I find that this statement is ridiculous. A recent memory comes to mind when I think about this that I'd like to share.
My neighbor is what I call a "hardcore Christian" that follows "the book" with all that's in his power, and tries to convert me back all the time because "not having a god is just the wrong thing to do". One time he was at my house though, and he *literally* went up to an ant hill with a GULF CLUB and was about to start beating the hell out of it before I stopped him. He asked "Why should I stop?" and I said "Why kill those ants? Especially if they're doing nothing but living. They weren't even near you, you went out of your way to kill them." ... he found nothing to be wrong with this.... That, I find to be disturbing. I know not all Christians would do that, but it seems that their religion justifies the killings because "animals don't have souls :crazy:"
If you look at the first chapter of Genesis, which contains the later, more sophisticated creation myth, you will see that Yhwh says: "See, I give you all seed-bearing plants that are upon the whole earth, and all the trees with seed-bearing fruit; this shall be your food." (Gen 1:29) It is implied, as the rabbinical scholars teach, that meat eating was not the Creator's intention for humans. Once meat-eating became the norm - and we must understand that the early writers had little notion of the real evolution of human diet from hunter-gatherer to farming - it became necessary to set rules, particularly for hygiene (although pigs are not dirty animals - very clean if given the chance) and for 'humanitarian' reasons. Today, a number of Jewish scholars are worried that our growing understanding has caused us to understand that kosher slaughter methods are not as 'humane' as they can be. It is important to understand that we are commanded, in the Torah, to be 'humane' but are never commanded to eat meat! Buddhism does not impose vegetarianism or veganism on its followers.
The matter of 'souls' is a vexed one. You may like to reflect that the Christian and Jewish writers have changed their minds on the subject a number of times over the centuries. Pre-Second Temple Judaism appears to have been very ambivalent as to whether there was such a thing. Thomas Aquinas taught that women's souls were inferior to men's because they developed later in the gestation period. The Christian Council of Trent (1545-1563) had to make it clear that it was heretical to state that women did not have souls. Modern theologians remain unclear as to what, precisely, they mean by 'soul' in a culture which, more and more, understands human beings holistically. The popular view of 'soul' as a sort of ghost inhabiting a fleshy house is as absurd as belief in unicorns or leprechauns - but people still cling to their superstitions.
I don't know about that. If you don't agree with something, I don't think the answer is to forget about it. The Buddha gave teachings for a reason, and while the answer isn't to simply accept everything without examination, simply dismissing something wouldn't be beneficial either.
"And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs." (Gen 9:2-3)
-New King James Bible (1983)
This is near your quote, and seemingly overlooked by a lot of people. Like I said, I went through the Bible and found issues with it. The next lines immediately following that quote say
" But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood." (Gen 9:4)
Which by these lines, though sounding contradictory, are (as I understand) talking about killing humans, but not animals.
"And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man." (Gen 9:5-6)
If you want to discuss Genesis, we will need to distinguish between the various threads, the J, E, P and D writers, setting them in their historical contexts. I was quite clear when I said that the Gen. 1 hymn is a later text and I was suggesting that it demonstrated a development of understanding. We need not be deceived by the old nonsense that Genesis has a single author or was written at a single period. Because it is a patchwork of different stories from different periods and different cultures, we cannot necessarily use juxtaposition or closeness in the text until we have determined to which thread a text belongs.
I doubt whether this is an appropriate place to engage in this sort of analysis but, if it is interesting or new to you, may I suggest Harold Bloom's The Book of J as a good introduction and a delightful read?
As our Aussie friends would say: "No worries!"
I can relate. I was raised by a mother who could be labeled as a Christian fundamentalist. I shared the same beliefs until my early 20s. Then, for reasons I won't bother expounding on I became atheist. For many years I didn't reveal this to any family member. I told myself I wanted to 'spare them from the pain', but really I wanted to spare myself from the pain.
If one cannot explain the teachings of the Buddha, then perhaps it is best to not try to explain why they follow the teachings of the Buddha. Perhaps in this case it would be best to ask oneself why they are following teachings they do not understand well enough to explain. I am not saying one has to have intimate knowledge of every sutta, but certainly one would at least require an intellectual understanding of the 4 noble truths and 8fold path before they could decide whether or not they made any sense or were worthy of practicing diligently.
Learn more
To say "I am a Buddhist" does mean something. To the person with little to no knowledge of Buddhism it may not have any meaning, but to the person who self identifies as Buddhist because they understand the teachings and have applied them in practice and found that the claim of the Buddha that they would lead to the end of suffering is true it has a lot of meaning.
Speaking only for myself my initial interest was a purely intellectual one. Having been raised as a fundamentalist Christian I viewed eastern religions as 'of the devil' and therefore refused to learn anything about them lest the devil invade my mind and lead me away from the "One True God'. Upon becoming atheist I no longer had such shackles on my mind and decided I would like to dispel a little ignorance about the eastern religions. Most of the stuff with eastern religions I regard as nonsense. Myth, superstition, rites and rituals that are practiced with no understanding etc. Codified beliefs of people who lived hundreds or thousands of years ago accepted by the masses for cultural or familial reasons.
I found lots of this in my cursory examination of Buddhism as well. One doesn't need to look very far to find 'cultural Buddhists' who do not meditate, but self identify as Buddhist due to circumstances of birth.
Beneath all that though, I found the 4 noble truths. At first I rejected the very first noble truth which was translated as 'Life is suffering'. To me the wording was way too absolute. Clearly there is suffering in every life, but it's not *all* suffering. There are happy moments too. For reasons I don't completely understand I dug a bit deeper and found an explanation of the 4 noble truths that made sense. Then I considered them intellectually. Upon examination I could find no fault with the first 3, they seemed self evidently true. The 4th noble truth is that the 8 fold path is how we bring suffering to an end. I didn't really believe that entirely, but it did make sense that applying it would lead to less suffering so I expended a small amount of effort to put it into practice and see for myself what the result would be. And that was it. It did not take much time at all for me to realize, by direct experience, this path would lead to much less self imposed suffering.
In other words, it just plain 'works'.
Oh yes, I knew a lot about Christianity. I read the Bible from cover to cover many times and in multiple translations and read through commentaries and examined the history of the church protestant, catholic and 'heretic'. It was this intense examination of Christianity that lead me to atheism
Yes they come into play in daily life. To me Buddhism is living. It is through the 4 noble truths and practice of the 8 fold path that I can truly live and experience life/reality as it actually is. One layer of greed, hatred and delusion stripped away after another. It is the mind trained to be able to concentrate and then that concentration focused on whatever arises so it can be 'known' in a nonconceptual way. It can be seen for what it really is. Without permanence, unsatisfactory and without self. Reality can be seen without the filters of delusion (ignorance), hatred (aversion toward what we regard as unpleasant) and greed (attachment to what we regard as pleasant). It is the way to cease endlessly chasing after that which we like, but doesn't last. It is the way to cease running away from that which we do not like, but that ultimately catches us. It is the way to stop being ignorant of the vast majority of what we experience, but do not notice, because we do not regard it as something to like or dislike.
Yes, if you were the Buddha
At the same time I do think to practice the 8 fold path and benefit from it and not give credit where it is due is a bit selfish. Freud|Einstein|Muhammad didn't figure it out and set up a system of monks and nuns to preserve it and teach it for 2600 years so we could learn of it today, the Buddha did as far as we know so why not give credit where it is due?
I still have many doubts and poorly-thought out answers regarding my practice, but my response to my own doubts, and the barbed questions from my more religious relatives is, essentially:
"No worries!"