Dear Peter,

I do not want to speculate your background, but I guess it is some Abrahamic religious background, given your name. I would say fanatic ideologies exist in both political and religious realms in too many forms. But, Buddhism does not fall into such category.

The Buddha acknowledged other religions and philosophies. The Buddha also mentioned that what he taught his disciples was only a very minute portion of what he knew.

Western Buddhists should not perpetrate such ill attitude and intolerance mentality towards Science. The Dalai Lama who is openly holding dialogs with scientists should be your example.

Also, I do not really know the "fat brown guy in a funny outfit" you mention. I believe there is a limit to idolising the Buddha. He would probably laugh if he sees how much people overdo it.


metta,
Yong Peng.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Peter Tomlinson wrote:

I find it difficult to grasp how anyone who has taken refuge, i.e. has Saddha in the Buddha Dhamma, could imagine that "science" has revealed anything not know to the rishis and Buddhas of ages past.  It is not,  Dhamma - one thing, and science, everything else.  If so then Dhamma is mere quaint ancient proto-Indian ritualised explanation of the unknowable which "Science" the secular moderns world"s New God / Dhamma, can explain ever so much better than a fat brown guy in a funny outfit, too dumb to get in out of the weather.