As a practitioner of Chinese Buddhism- why do so many try to present Buddhism as Atheistic?

Pagan One: As a practitioner of Chinese Buddhism- why do so many try to present Buddhism as Atheistic?
I am sorry to tell you, but Buddhism is not Atheistic. Maybe this new western style of Buddhism coming up in the west is, but traditionally and culturally, Buddhism is not Atheistic. Buddhism has traditionally always believed in gods, demons, elementals, and national ancestors.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Mr. Fluffy
Because they don’t believe in God. I thought you atheists know that?

Answer by Rick
Then buddhism has come a long way from its founding principles.

Answer by Pull My Finger
Are you speaking for all schools of Buddhist thought, or only your own?

Answer by Muslim
OK, but really I did not think it was athiestic I thought it involved the worship of Buddah

Answer by Capsio
buddist does not exactly believe in gods, the believes in anothers things.

https://searchremagnified.com/?dn=glodgod.tk&pid=7POV4K08T&_=1326920296

Answer by Gazoo
Some Buddhists, particularly in Japan, don’t. Buddhism itself doesn’t say there are deities. You are free to decide for yourself.

Answer by Hope
I don’t know – must be as you say and just not being educated. Those that speak of Christianity and are not educated just pick it apart and pick the Bible apart without respecting that there is actually a human being on the other side of that avatar. Funny how humans react to fear, funny.

Answer by ThreeinOne
The world is in haste to find spirituality without God.

Answer by Multiverse Fairy
I know. It’s a religion that contains a philosophy, not a philosophy alone. Westerners believe in “Hippie Buddhism”, not the real McCoy.

Answer by Uh Yeah!
Buddhism is a philosophy more than a religion. While there are sects of Buddhism that do believe in gods, demons and whatnot, there isn’t one (or many) particular god(s) that all Buddhists believe in and many Buddhists don’t believe in ANY gods.

Answer by Man from the land of UZ
Some people who don’t quite understand a religion are willing to throw it in with another religion. It’s just ignorance. America is a melting pot for religions though. No religion stays pure in America, we have a problem with taking the things we like from one religion and mixing them with another. I wish people would learn about religions. And keep them pure. Instead of cross breading them. No wander most Americans seem stupid to the world. We take what they have and make into what we want.

Answer by Ginger
Ignorance, plain and simple.

Answer by John P (I’m only a bug)
Good morning, Kemet Angel.

Many Western Buddhists have a tendency of picking and choosing aspects of the Dharma that suit their personal opinions. Perhaps it’s a misinterpretation of the Kesamutti Sutta and stressing only certain parts. Or maybe it’s because they read the Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta and believe that since the Buddha left certain questions unanswered then it automatically means they are negated.

Personally, I tend to be agnostic in my practice and view the deities and demons as allegorical representations of positive and negative aspects in human nature. That is my personal belief as I understand the suttas. But, neither do I criticize those who hold them to be actual nor do I hold that Buddhism is atheistic even though certain traditions hold this to be the case. As H.H. the Dalai Lama explained at a talk in New York in 2006, there are 84000 teachings of the Buddha that can be used to validate almost any position; that one should not use one sutta in an attempt to disprove another. A person should follow one’s own heart when reading them. (paraphrased from The Blade of Wheel Mind Transformation teaching).

As Kusala Bhikshu stated: “When the Buddha was asked how the world started, he kept silent. In the religion of Buddhism we don’t have a first cause, instead we have a never ending circle of birth and death. In this world and in all worlds, there are many beginnings and ends. The model of life used in Buddhism has no starting place… It just keeps going and going.



“Now having said that… If you’re a Buddhist it’s OK to believe God was the first cause… It really doesn’t go against the teachings of the Buddha, his focus was on suffering… It’s also OK to believe science has the answer… Like the big bang theory, etc… Some Buddhist’s don’t even care how it all started, and that’s fine too. Knowing how the world started is not going to end your suffering, it’s just going to give you more stuff to think about.

 I hope you can see that God is not what Buddhism is about… Suffering is… And if you want to believe in God, as some Buddhists do, I suppose it’s OK. But, Buddhist’s don’t believe God can end suffering. Only the teaching’s of the Buddha can help us end suffering through wisdom and the activity of compassion.

“In his whole life and in all his teachings the Buddha never said anything about the One God of the desert.” (from https://www.urbandharma.org/udharma3/budgod.html )

May all be at peace.

John