[Buddha-l] NYTimes.com: Let Us Pray for Wealth

[curt]

SJZiobro at cs.com wrote:
> Curt,
>
> Yes, you are missing something, namely, openess to the historical record.  For example, what are the Hindus and the Buddhists fighting over in Sri Lanka?  What are the Communists fighting over in Tibet?  Do you need more hints?
>
>
>   
If you contend that there are, somewhere hidden from our view because of 
deficiencies in the historical record, cases in which Hindus, Buddhists, 
etc, have extirpated other religions then there needs to be some 
evidence or at least reasoning to support that claim. In the cases of 
Christianity and Islam there is no doubt. We not only have smoking guns 
galore - but self-glorifying confessions from the perpetrators (and 
these confessions closely match up with the physical evidence).

At the very least there should some kind of clear evidence for the 
existence of a religion at point A in history - and then later on, at 
point B (and everything subsequent to it), no more evidence for it. It 
would be helpful if Buddhists, or Hindus, etc, could be shown to have 
been somewhere in the general vicinity during the interval from A to B.

India and China are not without historical records - and there is always 
archeology. Before other religions can be "assumed guilty" some case 
must be presented. Even circumstantial evidence (as outlined in the 
previous paragraph) would be a good starting point.

Curt Steinmetz