Opus 2013-60: Religion and Culture: Poverty and Suffering

Last time I wrote on the topic of Religion and Culture I touched on the ideas of the Greens that put Gaia above grandchildren.  I pointed out one source in Eastern religion and how it effects culture.

What other characteristics do you find in areas that have embraced Buddhist ideas?  Have you noticed that poverty is much more common and extreme in countries that have a world view based on Eastern religions.  Buddhism is based on the idea that life is nothing but misery and the goal it to escape.  The repeated cycles of reincarnation move you up or down the spiritual chain based on how well you dealt with the suffering in the previous life.  The final goal is Nirvana.  Some call this the Buddhist Heaven.  No, it has nothing in common with the Christian idea of Heaven.  Christians believe that heaven will be a time of awareness with the limitations of earth set aside.  It is a time of eternal joy lived in the presence of a personal God who is Holy and loves us enough to become incarnate and suffer for our sins.  The key is awareness.

Nirvana is a place of unawareness.  Since life is misery the ultimate goal it to not be aware of it any more.  Thus Nirvana is a state in which the individual soul is absorbed into the universe and ceased to be aware of its existence.  If you are a star war fan you will remember when Obe Wan is telling Luke he will not be able to come to him much longer.  It is not stated, but he is going to Nirvana. 

The closest Christians have to this is the Catholic concept of Limbo.

Since life is nothing but misery, why worry about the poor and diseased?  After all it is just their karma at work.  They are where they are because of how they lived their last life.  Let them suffer, it is good for them.

What we believe makes a difference.

homo unius libri