Damn, even Buddhists can be anti-gay-equality?

Religious groups warn against 'diverse' family bill

2013/09/07 21:59:41

Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) Buddhist and Christian representatives and the leader of the Unification Church in Taiwan warned on Saturday against a bill to be sent to the Legislature that would legalize various forms of civil partnerships, including same-sex marriage.

The bill was drafted by the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights, which pushes recognition of civil partnership rights for all couples, irrespective of gender.

The amendments to the civil code also call for legal recognition of the rights of a group of more than two people to form a family whose members are not related by blood.

Members of several religious groups expressed their opposition to the bill Saturday, saying at a press conference in Taipei that it would be detrimental to "traditional family values."

Buddhist Master Shih Ching-yao said that while he respects same-sex couples, he also hopes they respect the traditional family value of the union of one man and one woman.

The union of one man and woman is nature's rule, Shih said in arguing against passage of the proposed legislation.

Chen Chih-hung, a pastor, said he worried that legalization of same-sex marriage would worsen the decline of Taiwan's birthrate and contribute to sexual promiscuity by the younger generation.

Chang Chuan-feng, head of the Unification Church Taiwan, echoed Chen's view, urging the government not to pass a bill that he contended would encourage promiscuity in Taiwan.

Chien Chih-chieh, secretary-general of the alliance, responded that non-traditional family forms are an international trend and have been in existence in Taiwan for years, and she said the government should safeguard their rights through the legislation.

She also dismissed the association between same-sex relationships and AIDS, saying the prevention of the viral disease lies in preventing unsafe sexual behavior rather than discouraging gay relationships.

(By Chen Chih-chung and Scully Hsiao)

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Permalink Reply by Ray R. on September 9, 2013 at 12:45pm

So let me get this straight , because they believe in compassion , " temperance " , and reason , the religion of Buddhism is true ? Buddhists , aside from believing in karma , believe in souls and spirits . I would say that this may qualify as beliefs not based on evidence . Your logic , sir , is unsound .

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Permalink Reply by Lewal on September 9, 2013 at 9:41pm

I didn't mean that, I was just asking which beliefs you're expecting evidence for. I probably don't have to tell you there are different kinds of Buddhists. Unlike in a lot of religions, the differences in schools of thought can mean much more than those of, say, different Christians' stance on angels. So while the Dalai Lama may "cater" to Mahayana-- which may revere him in a much different light-- and practice accordingly, he's in a very real sense, not a very religious man. The same way some would say Buddhism isn't a very religious religion. It stands out for very real reasons, so it's certainly not "just another flavor" of woo.

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Permalink Reply by Unseen on September 9, 2013 at 10:03pm

One has only to think of the difference between Indian Hinayana monks, Japanese Zen monks, and Shaolin monks.

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Permalink Reply by Unseen on September 9, 2013 at 7:26pm

Well, generally speaking, Buddhism is quite a bit more tolerant than the Abrahamic religions.

Some of their metaphysical beliefs are somewhat alignable with contemporary physics like string theory.

However, none of it is based on scientific fact or even speculation grounded on scientific fact.

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Permalink Reply by Adam on September 9, 2013 at 11:28am

Westerners always have this paradisiacal utopian romanticized idea of eastern religions. They seem to view them as this spiritual and mystical religions with these worldly and earthly connection to each other. That's all BS and wrong. Easterners have very conservative cultural traditions as well and just like all religions, Buddhism is also intertwined with its cultural background. Therefore its not very surprising they are not very progressive in ideas that seem like cultural taboos in many parts of the world. Westerners like to see them as "peaceful", but in reality they can be just as violent as other religions. They may be a lot more "peaceful" than the Abrahamic faiths, but they are no way near the angel Westerners make them out to be.

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Permalink Reply by Ray R. on September 9, 2013 at 12:47pm

Spot on , Adam .

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Permalink Reply by Pope Beanie on September 9, 2013 at 3:56pm

Makes sense. Most western Buddhists I know are pretty liberal, probably because they're predisposed to reflecting more counter-culture than traditional culture.

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Permalink Reply by Kairan Nierde on September 9, 2013 at 7:31pm

It's just another form of racism: orientalism. (P.s. don't ever use the word oriental unless you're talking about fast food) People are people, not mater how "exotic" we paint them to be.

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Permalink Reply by Pope Beanie on September 9, 2013 at 8:36pm

It's just another form of racism: orientalism.

Except in this case, the spin is positive? But it is stereotyping, at least.

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Permalink Reply by Unseen on September 9, 2013 at 8:00pm

Long ago I read a story about Buddhist monks who saw a kitten separated from its mother cat who was wet and cold in the snow, and no monk would save it because kittens were pleasurable to hold and they were sworn to forgo pleasure. I think it may have come from The Lotus And The Robot, a book critical of Eastern religions, though it's written by Arthur Koestler, a Christian.

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Permalink Reply by Lewal on September 9, 2013 at 10:34pm

Not always. I wouldn't say Sam Harris saw David Carradine in Kung Fu and then just up and decided "Welp, I like Buddhism now!"

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Permalink Reply by Logicallunatic on September 9, 2013 at 8:46pm

Buddhism is to the other religions what marijuana is to heroin. But The Dalai Lama can say pretty stupid things. When the economic collapse hit Europe he was in the middle of a tour here and he said the people should forgive the bankers who caused the mess. Methinks he should tell that to the people made homeless from mortgage defaults.