[Buddha-l] Unpopular Buddhist

[Richard Hayes]

Dan Lusthaus quoted a passage from Newsweek:

"80 percent of Americans say they believe that people of other religions can 
go to heaven. Despite the persecutions of the past, we have had a Quaker 
president, a Catholic president, and Mormon presidential candidates."

Actually, the USA has had two Quaker presidents: Herbert Hoover and Richard M. Nixon. As I recall, there have been four Unitarian presidents, who have paved the way for other non-trinitarian monotheists, such as Jews and Muslims. So far no other non-trinitarian monotheists have trod very far on the paved path to the White House. Oh, I forgot Obama, about whom I recently read that 49% of Republicans believe to be a Muslim.

The observation in the book that Dan mentioned that Buddhists are not popular in America certainly comes as a surprise. It had been my impression that Buddhists as a whole have a very favorable image among Americans, except among some of the most narrow-minded born-again Christians. But then my knowledge of American culture is pretty narrow, having been acquired almost exclusively in Canada and New Mexico, neither of which is in the heart of American mainstream culture. (Under Harper, though, Canada seems to be trying hard to become more American than America.) 

Richard