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

[L.S. Cousins]

Stan,

>As stated, Lance, I agree.  Nonetheless, in India there are areas 
>where either Muslims or Hindus persecute Christians.

Well, that's a whole other issue. One hears a very different story 
from Hindu sources. But in any case persecution is not what we are 
discussing.

>  >2. I fail to understand how Communists fighting to control their
>>colony in Tibet has anything to do with whether Buddhists
>>historically try to extirpate other religions.
>
>The Communist Chinese invaded Tibet, as you know, and have expended 
>much labor in destroying the Tibetan culture, which includes its 
>religion.

If your point is that the Marxist religion has a very bad record too, 
then I agree with you. Indeed, I would also agree that the Christian 
religion as a whole has much improved in this respect over the past 
century.

>  >3. Again it is difficult to see how persecutions by the Communist
>>government in China have anything to do with the point.
>
>Communism, besides being a political ideology, is also a religion 
>inasmuch as it has its doctrines, symbols, hierarchy, rituals, etc. 
>They have tried to extinguish Christianity, Buddhism, and other 
>religious communities wherever they are in power. Where they fail to 
>extinghish a religion they heavily control it.

Agreed. But that is not evidence that Buddhists do anything of the sort.

>   >4. I don't understand the reference to Korea.
>
>There were Christian persecutions in Korea at one time.  I believe 
>it was around the 17th century or the 18th century.  There one had 
>non-Christians striving to extinguish Christians and Christianity 
>from the Hermit Kingdom.

I think this is the same issue as with the Tokugawa.

>  >5. The only valid point here is the reference to the Tokugawa
>>shogunate, assuming one accepts that the Shogunate was Buddhist. But
>>we should note that this was a response to a rather vicious campaign
>>of murder and destruction carried out by 'Christian' military forces
>>across Asia. Unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that violence is
>>infectious and Christian/Muslim violence has sometimes infected other
>>religions on their frontier.
>
>I think your reading of the situation differs from mine.  At least 
>in Japan the Christian armies were defending themselves.  I know of 
>no vicious Christian military campaigns in China or Korea.

I don't know of vicious Christian campaigns in Korea or in China 
(unless one counts the 19th century General Gordon and his 
opponents). But one has only to look at the map of Asia in 1600 and 
compare it with that in, say,  1750 to realize that Christian 
economic and military power had advanced widely across the islands of 
southern Asia. Given the way in which conversion to Christianity 
could be used as an excuse to establish economic and political 
control, it is hardly surprising that the more ruthless Asian rulers 
took preemptive action. One has only to read such works as de 
Queyroz's _The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon_ (English 
trsl by S.G.Perera). The way in which he praises the systematic 
destruction of Hindu and Buddhist religious sites makes it all too 
clear.

>  >It is regrettable that many generally well-meaning Christians and
>>Muslims are unwilling to acknowledge the degree of violence in their
>>history.
>
>It is regrettable, as well, that many generally well-meaning 
>Buddhists, Socialists, and Communists fail in the same manner.

It may be true that some Buddhists fail to acknowledge the violence 
that has occurred at various points in Buddhist history. But that 
doesn't mean that all is equal. There is nothing in the history of 
Buddhism to compare with e.g. the 300+ year military campaign of the 
Crusades against the Muslims.

Lance