[Buddha-l] Liberal versus Strict?

[Margaret Gouin]

On Sun, November 4, 2007 10:29 am, Erik Hoogcarspel wrote:
> Nowadays the only growing church is the pentecostal movement. I
> believe that the heavy demands also make islam attracktive for some
> westerners.
>
I have wondered too about the attraction of 'strict' religion. I have been
speculating on whether this is because you always know where you are with
a strict religion. There's a book of rules. You obey them, you get
rewarded. You disobey them, you get punished. There are a set of
people--rabbis, imams, pastors, whatever--who tell you exactly what is
what. And so you are relieved from the dreadful uncertainty of day-to-day
life. You don't have to think about what is the ethical thing to do in any
given situation, because your book and your leader tell you exactly what
to do in all situations like that. You don't have to think about your
responsibility because you don't have any responsibility except to obey
the rules and the diktats of your spiritual leader. And so on.

In a liberal religion, you have to make your own decisions and choices,
and in the course of doing so you take on the responsibility for your own
'religious' (spiritual) destiny. That is scary.

This doesn't just apply to the Semitic religions. I know more than a few
Westerners who practice Buddhism who think similarly (i.e. they turn
everything into strict rules that 'have' to be followed); but then more
than a few who don't. It doesn't depend on the religion, it depends on the
person. For some people, the presence of uncertainty in Buddhism--that you
are expected to be making your own choices according to each situation--is
precisely what they can't handle. For me it's one of the things that I
value most.

Additional note: A year or so ago I saw where a Shaivite guru living in
Hawai'i had written a 'creed' for followers of Shiva, rather along the
lines of the ten commandments. It struck me as unusual--I've not heard of
any other Hindu 'creeds' but I'm not very familiar with Hinduism. Perhaps
the fact that he was American-born influenced his need to establish a
creed--or perhaps his (largely Western convert) followers needed a creed
to follow so they knew they were 'doing it right'?

Margaret

-- 
Margaret Gouin
PhD Candidate
Centre for Buddhist Studies
Department of Theology and Religious Studies
University of Bristol (UK)