{"id":89310,"date":"2019-05-25T21:20:25","date_gmt":"2019-05-26T03:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=89310"},"modified":"2019-05-28T13:49:30","modified_gmt":"2019-05-28T20:49:30","slug":"who-are-the-extremists-in-sri-lanka-christianity-islam-or-buddhists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2019\/05\/25\/who-are-the-extremists-in-sri-lanka-christianity-islam-or-buddhists\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are the Extremists in Sri Lanka \u2013 Christianity, Islam or Buddhists?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Attack\non Buddhism\/Buddhists & Buddha is nothing new. The Buddhists are easy prey\nbecause both Christianity & Islam are institutionalized faiths with\npowerful funding, powerful countries & powerful organizations to back them.\nFrom \u2018Age of Discovery\u2019 the Papal Bulls, Christianization of lands to Islamization\nof lands, every Buddhist occupied land from Persia to Indonesia was stolen from\nthem by the sword. A stark contrast to the spread of Buddhism without a sword\nor forced conversion. The philosophy that spread is killing institutionalized\nreligions that thrive on rules, regulations and monthly tithe. The dana or\ngiving is all that the Buddhist philosophy promotes. If you cannot destroy the\nenemy externally attempt to do so within is the latest strategy to co-opt born\nBuddhists wearing Buddhist robes & employed to distort Buddha\u2019s teaching\n& take people along a wrong path. Their karma will haunt them. Buddhists\nare referred to as \u2018racists\u2019 \u2018extremists\u2019 \u2018fundamentalists\u2019 \u2018militants\u2019 \u2018terrorists\u2019\n& even \u2018clowns\u2019. Obviously, some people are very annoyed with the teachings\nof Buddha. Fundamentalism is described as A person who takes their religion so\nliterally and to such extremes that they contradict the very basis of their\nfaith. They typically believe in a literal, verbatim interpretation of their\nscripture\u201d. The last part is interesting. This means people are complaining\nabout Buddhist fundamentalists or extremists taking their scripture to the\nextremes\u2026 in other words they are against the Buddhists reaching nirvana \u2013 the ultimate\nextreme! That is rather odd isn\u2019t it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nshort, those that refer to people following the extremist side of their religion\nare called fundamentalists or extremists. Those that are claiming Buddhists\nplease answer how Christianity or Islam spread across the world, how they took\nover entire lands & how they forcibly converted, how iconoclasm a\nfoundation of their religion resulted in destruction of\nnon-Christian\/non-Islamic ancient artefacts and marvels? Are these not the same\nvandalisms we see taking place in 21st<\/sup> century? While over 600 years\nseparates Buddhism from Christianity & close to 1000 years separates\nBuddhism from Islam there is no shred of evidence to prove Buddhism spread by\nforce or with sword. The extremisms of Christianity & Islam is nowhere\nfound in Buddhism though the paid press and propagandists make every effort to\nshow otherwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Religious\nextremism derives from what cults or groups take out from the very books of\ntheir faiths. Whether it is in context or out of context there is not a single\nword found in Buddhas teachings to attack or kill another but there are plenty\nof verses that can be taken from Islam & Christianity which is what is being\nused for political Islam and militant Islam today and Christians are doing\nsame. While both Islam & Christianity EXTREMISM is taking whatever \u2018out of\ncontext\u2019 verses for their extremism \u2013 if Buddhists are described as extremists\nbased on their faith it only means Buddhists give up all materialism to attain nirvana.\nIt is quite laughable when people describe Buddhists as \u2018extremists\u2019 because\nextremism of Buddhism is quite the opposite of extremisms of Islam &\nChristianity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not\na single word in the Dhammapada tells any Buddhist to kill. Not a single word\nin Buddhas teachings have separated or categorized people or told Buddhists how\nto treat non-Buddhists. Buddhism spread by word of compassion and not by any\nweapon or force. This is what makes Buddhism stand out from how Christianity\n& Islam spread. This is why there are well-funded efforts to present notion\nthat Buddhism is violent though nothing in Buddhist texts speak of violence\nwhereas enough of clauses and statements can be taken out from Christianity\n& Islam to show violence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CHRISTIANITY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\nare the quotes from the Bible that speak of extremity which encourages people\nto follow extremes! Just imagine Christian fundamentalists following these\ncommandments to the word! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not think that I have come to bring\npeace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but with a sword. For I have\ncome to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a\ndaughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man\u2019s foes will be those of\nhis own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Matthew\n10:34-37 from Prince of Peace)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\ndo not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man<\/strong>, she must be\nsilent.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(St\nPaul\u2019s advice in 1 Timothy 2:12 and used to argue against women priests)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nis what the Lord Almighty says \u2026 \u2018Now go\nand strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them<\/strong>, but kill both man and woman<\/strong>, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and\ndonkey<\/strong>.\u2019<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(endorsing\ngenocide, from 1 Samuel 15:3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do\nnot allow a sorceress to live<\/strong>.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Moses\u2019s\ncall to kill witches, in Exodus 22:18)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And every one who has left houses or\nbrothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name\u2019s\nsake, will receive a hundred-fold, and inherit eternal life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Matthew\n19:29 a lot of inducement)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy is he who repays you for what\nyou have done to us \/ He who seizes your\ninfants and dashes them against the rocks<\/strong>.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Psalm\n137 on revenge)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\ncan kill a woman if she seizes a man’s private parts without his permission:<\/em><\/strong> Deuteronomy\n25:11-1: If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue\nher husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his\nprivate parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wives, submit to you husbands as to\nthe Lord\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(God\u2019s\ntest of Abraham in Genesis 22, in which Abraham is made to offer his son Isaac\nas a sacrifice; endorsement of female subservience in Ephesians 5:22) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slaves, submit yourselves to your\nmasters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the\ncruel.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1\nPeter 2:18)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\ndo not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be\nsilent<\/strong>.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1\nTimothy 2:12 St. Paul\u2019s advice)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For nation will rise up against\nnation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes\nin various places: all this is but the beginning of the sufferings.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Matthew\n24:7-8)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Render\nunto Caesar what is Caesar\u2019s.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Matthew\n22:21)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026the women should keep silence in the churches<\/strong>. For they are not permitted to speak<\/strong>, but should be subordinate<\/strong>, as even the law says. If there is anything\nthey desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in\nchurch<\/strong>\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1\nCorinthians 14:34-35) \u2013 shameful for a women to be in Church<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let a woman learn in silence with all\nsubmissiveness. I permit no woman to\nteach or have authority over men<\/strong>; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve<\/strong>; and\nAdam was not deceived, but the woman was\ndeceived and became a transgressor<\/strong>. Yet woman will be saved through bearing\nchildren, if she continues in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1\nTimothy 11:15) \u2013 so women are good to only give birth to children!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tell you, on the day of judgment men\nwill render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you\nwill be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Matthew\n12:36-37) \u2013 when killing is justified<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ISLAM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now\nlet\u2019s imagine Islamic fundamentalists\/extremists following their commandments\nto the word! No wonder that Islamic terrorists are screaming \u2018Allahu Akbar\u201d and\nterrorizing the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nQuran contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers\nfor the sake of Islamic rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The notion of jihad martyrdom is extolled in the Quran,\nQuran verse 9:1-11. And then in the Hadith, it’s even more explicit. This is\nthe highest form of jihad \u2014 to kill and to be killed in acts of jihad.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quran\n(2:191-193) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And slay them wherever ye find them,\nand drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of\nMuslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers]\u2026 but if desist, then lo!\nAllah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until persecution is no more,\nand religion is for Allah.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(authorizes\nkilling of others and encourages fighting until religion of Allah prevails)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quran\n(2:216) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fighting\nis prescribed for you<\/strong>, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye\ndislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad\nfor you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(showcases\nviolence as virtuous while contradicting fighting is for self-defense)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quran\n(8:12) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve<\/strong>. Therefore, strike off their heads and strike off every\nfingertip of them\u201d<\/strong>  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hadith\n1:13<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have been ordered by Allah to fight\nwith people till they bear testimony to the fact that there is no God but\nAllah.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hadith\n1:35 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nperson who participates in Allah\u2019s cause (namely, in battle). . will be\nrecompensed by Allah either with reward or booty or will be admitted to\nParadise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hadith\n9:4 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wherever you find infidels kill them<\/strong>;\nfor whoever kills them shall have reward on the Day of Resurrection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quran\n(5:33) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The punishment of those who wage war\nagainst Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only\nthis, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet\nshould be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be\nas a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a\ngrievous chastisement\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ibn\nIshaq\/Hisham 484: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allah said, \u2018A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives<\/strong>. A slaughtered\nenemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of this world,\nits goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them\nto manifest the religion.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BUDDHISM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddhism\ndoes not have \u2018commandments\u2019\/orders. His Teachings were not revealed by\ncoercion or ordering. His Ten Precepts are to be taken voluntarily for one\u2019s\nown benefit and for that of others. A Buddhist goes to the Buddha, Dharma and\nSangha for guidance (sarana) not refuge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The course Buddha has advised Buddhists\nto follow are<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thou\nart well advised not to take the lives of living beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thou\nart well advised not to take what is not given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thou\nart well advised not to engage in sexual misconduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thou\nart well advised not to commit perjury (speak falsely when questioned as a\nwitness).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thou\nart well advised not to speak divisively (separating those who are united).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thou\nart well advised not to speak harshly (offensively).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thou\nart well advised not to speak frivolously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thou\nart well advised not to covet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thou\nart well advised not to harbor ill-will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thou\nart well advised not to hold wrong-views<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other 5 Precepts preached by Buddha\nare<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstain\nfrom taking life unnecessarily<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstain\nfrom taking things not given<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstain\nfrom immoral actions<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstain\nfrom false speech<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstain\nfrom intoxicating liquors and drugs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstaining\nis not an order. Karma awaits that chooses not to. It is however, their choice.\nThe decision to do good or bad is a person & the good & bad karma will\nfollow as a result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-violence\nis at the heart of Buddhist thinking and behaviour. There is not a single line\nin 423 verses (Dhammapada) on the Buddha\u2019s doctrine that refer to fighting,\nviolence or killing. Never has Buddhism waged wars or killed in the name of\nBuddhism. The Buddha denounced all forms of violence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\ntimes when priests told people that God can be approached through them only and\npriests were dominating and applying rules upon people, and the Truth was to be\nfound only through them, Buddha showed how people could find the Truth on their\nown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nBuddha asked loving-kindness to be extended not only to men, but even to all\nanimals. His doctrine was that we suffer misery because we are self. Our\nunlimited desires lead to misery. The way out is to give up the self. Just as\nthe body changes our mind, consciousness changes. Selfishness comes from\nholding on to self. If we know that there is no self we will be happy. He spoke\nagainst animal sacrifice. He said that God is a superstition invented by\npriests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conquer the angry one by not getting\nangry; conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the stingy by generosity, and\nthe liar by speaking the truth\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Verse\n223]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The one who has conquered himself is a\nfar greater hero than he who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do\nnot believe in anything simply because you have heard it<\/strong>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do\nnot believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do\nnot believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious\nbooks. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do\nnot believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not believe in traditions because\nthey have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and\nanalysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to\nthe good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All that we are is the result of what\nwe have thought: it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts. If\na man speak or act with an evil thought, suffering follows him as the wheel\nfollows the hoof of the beast that draws the wagon\u2026. If a man speak or act with\na good thought, happiness follows him like a shadow that never leaves him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To enjoy good health, to bring true\nhappiness to one\u2019s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and\ncontrol one\u2019s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to\nEnlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles<\/strong>. Then the victory\nis yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or\nhell.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An insincere and evil friend is more to be\nfeared than a wild beast<\/strong>; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil\nfriend will wound your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthe sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions\nout of their own minds and then believe them to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Buddhists were to take compassion to\nthe extremes as advocated in the teachings of the Buddha the world would indeed\nbe a beautiful place and nature, flora and fauna would be protected. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are no lines in Buddha\u2019s teaching\ncalling Buddhists to take up arms, to indulge in violence, to kill (except in\nself-defence).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So\nwho are the extremists\/fundamentalists and how dangerous are those that take to\nthe extremes of their scriptures?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Christianity and Islam divided the\nworld between believers and nonbelievers<\/strong>, who is to be saved and who is to be damned. Both have declared wars in\nthe name of their religion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both\ncontinue to uphold the sanctity of the Church and State (though they claim\ncontrary). Those that recall the Dark Ages, Reformation would realize that 2.3\nChristian population of Europe was murdered. The Napoleonic Wars, African slave\ntrade which claimed 10million, the colonial conquests saw the murder of 20m in\nthe Americas alone. It is estimated that the 20th century alone killed\n250million people of which Muslims are said to be responsible for less than\n10million. Christians have much to account for. World War 1 claimed 20m, 90%\ninflicted by Christians. World War 2 claimed 90m 50% inflicted by Christians.\nThe 6m Jews were killed by Christians and not Muslims! There is no end still.\nAmerica is the only country ever to have used nuclear weapons twice upon one\ncountry. Today, many Christians are realizing the truth and are taking a more\npractical view to life which cannot be said of the increasing\nmilitant\/political Islam now being aggravated by West using as a geopolitical\nintervention tool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddhists\nmust refuse to be shouted down by well-funded propaganda. Buddhists have not\ncaused historical or contemporary deaths using religion that run into millions\nby both Christianity & Islam. Isolated cases promoted via media denouncing\nBuddhism and Buddhists should not be accepted because none of their actions quote\nBuddhist texts unlike Christianity\/Islam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nhave been no bloody wars to spread Buddhism. Therefore, those that ridicule\nBuddhists as fundamentalists\/extremist are essentially laughing at Buddhists\ntaking the teachings of Buddha and the Dhammapada to extremes and in reality it\nis something to be proud of because what is wrong in treating all equally, in\nfinding the Truth, to love nature and not indulge in animal sacrifice and find\noneself. Perhaps the clowns that ridicule Buddhists need to read about Buddhism\nfirst! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nworld would be dangerously compassionate if Buddhist extremism prevailed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All tremble at violence; all fear\ndeath.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting oneself in the place of\nanother, <\/strong>one should not kill nor cause another to kill.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shenali D Waduge<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Attack on Buddhism\/Buddhists & Buddha is nothing new. The Buddhists are easy prey because both Christianity & Islam are institutionalized faiths with powerful funding, powerful countries & powerful organizations to back them. From \u2018Age of Discovery\u2019 the Papal Bulls, Christianization of lands to Islamization of lands, every Buddhist occupied land from Persia to Indonesia was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1498,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1498"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89310\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}