[Conservative til I die]

I see where you're coming from with the assertion that Bnelson isn't "talking crap." But, for the most part, I disagree. Saying a religion like Buddhism isn't "compatible" with Christianity is just flat out wrong when one takes a look at the trials of Buddha and Christ

But they're simply not compatible. No question about it. First off, there's this whole "Jesus is God" thing. Jesus wasn't just some zen master, wise man, or righteous hippie.

Simply put, one cannot be a Catholic (or legitimate Christian) and be a good Buddhist at the same time, any more than one can be a Catholic and a Muslim at the same time.

If you really think it's trash talking or offensive to say this, then you're really too thick skinned.

[Lochlainnach]

I am thick skinned, but not in this way. I can't help it, it's very cold here.

I think the problem is with the word "compatible." I'm not saying that a Buddhist can be a Catholic, or Muslim, or a Jew--or vice versa.

But a practitioner of Zen can be a Catholic--if he still follows the rules. Although, I haven't heard of too many of these, or Zen-Jews, or Zen-Muslims. Zen, unlike Buddhism, does not want you to do away with desire, but actually is there to help you focus (or, better said, to alleviate all the nonsense around you and concentrate on the heart of the matter). But there is a bit of the Tao that goes along with Zen--but not the belief in the Tao.

All I'm trying to say is that in the spirit of Jesus and Buddha's preaching, there are similarities between the two that shouldn't be cast aside.

These are vastly different religions from vastly different worlds, and that's fine, but that doesn't mean that people should necessarily write off other religious teaching as "heretical."

The way I look at it, if you believe in Kristos as God almighty, then isn't it strangely fitting that someone else, a good distance of time and space away, faintly echoes some of your God's ideas about peace and love and human dignity? Even if he did tell us to renounce our desires--which I don't particularly believe in.