[Buddha-l] Buddhism, the second largest religion in the world

[Alex Wilding]

Someone D wrote:

*     I am happy to see you liked my little quiz.

*      I have also heard from some that feel that it is easy

*      for someone to score high on that test.  I have also 

*      heard from a few who said it is difficult to score above

*      3.  The ones who could not score above 3 were

*      fundamentalist type Christians.  In one of your earlier 

*      posts you said that you could not score high on this quiz.

*      Perhaps that is why you are so quick to find fault, because

*      you felt "left out" in not being counted as Buddhist.

I got a very low score. I could easily have scored highly if I'd gone for
the answers that were "obviously" wanted, but I preferred to think about the
questions. I have been "officially" Buddhist for some 34 years, and in that
time I have been moderately committed to practice and study, so I don't need
the reassurance of something like this, and I hope you will have more
respect for me than to project your speculations onto me. I found the
questions, at least in some cases, absurdly, even shockingly stupid.

Take point 1, for instance:

*     "I only believe in things I can see, hear, taste,

*     touch, or smell."

How could I answer anything but negatively to this? I have to function in
the world! I believe, for instance, that someone wrote that website. I
believe the sun will rise tomorrow. I believe in Special Relativity. I
believe I will die. I believe my wife is fond of me. I believe my son is in
Tokyo and my daughter in Leeds. I believe I was born on 12 November. None of
those things are accessible to my five physical senses.

As another example, the sentence for point 2 was so badly formed I could not
even tell what I was supposed to be reacting to.

Or point 9:

*     "Sometimes it is best to let things happen, rather than

*     trying to force certain things to happen"

How could anyone answer anything but positively to that? It means nothing.
Sometimes it's best to do that. Sometimes not. Duh.

I'm only annoyed with myself for wasting so much precious time and mental
effort on such childish trivia.

No, not true - I'm annoyed that you sound as if you are trying to speak for
Buddhism in general, and foist your ill-formed thinking on the rest of us.

Alex Wilding

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