Buddhist extremists brutally attack Catholic church in Sri Lanka

Catholic News Agency ^ | 12/11/2009 | n/a

[Pyro7480]

More than 1,000 Buddhist extremists armed with clubs, swords and stones ferociously attacked a Catholic church in the town of Crooswatta, Sri Lanka on December 6, destroying the altar, statues and pews.

L’Osservatore Romano reported that Father Jude Denzil Lakshman, pastor of Our Lady of the Mystical Rose, said “I still can hear their shouts in my ears, ‘Cut him to pieces, kill him’.”

The attack took place after the 7 p.m., Sunday Mass, leaving several parishioners wounded. “It is obvious that the attack was well-planned and that the mob waited for us to come out after Mass,” Father Lakshman said....

he archdiocese noted that Air Force personnel were deployed immediately to bring the mob under control. Guards are still in the area to guarantee the safety of the faithful, which include 293 families.

As of now, police have arrested 11 suspects from Buddhist extremist groups that have attacked the church in the past.

[Pyro7480]

Wow...

[Pyro7480]

Catholic ping!

[Huck]

Buddhist extremists??? Isn’t that something like a fervent nihilist?

[C19fan]

What happen to the peace loving Buddhist religion Hollyweird preaches?

[YankeeReb]

That sounds more like the religion O’Peace than Buddhists.

[ArrogantBustard]

Looks like there's more than one "Religion of Peace Pieces".

[potlatch]

This shocks me, I didn’t know the Buddhist were anti Catholic, or anti Christian.

[Constitution Day]

LOL! I was thinking that was an oxymoron myself.

[Irenic]

Add me to the shocked list.

[silverleaf]

excellent .... :-)

[Let's Roll]

Me too. Buddhists being framed?

[VicVega]

Is this a Catholic cover up?

Was it really muslims in buddhist robes?

[r9etb]

ROP strikes again .... ooops. Not this time.

So much for the stupid trope so prevalent around here that only Muslims do this sort of thing.

[Tax-chick]

Buddhists attack Christians in Nepal and other Himalayan countries, as well. This is the first incident I’ve heard of in Sri Lanka, though. Maybe there’s a break in the Tamil vs. Singhalese conflict, giving the Singhalese (the natives of Ceylon) time on their hands. Tamils are Hindu.

We had some priests from Sri Lanka in Oklahoma; they’d come for 2- or 3-year missions. Well-educated gentlemen, and very devout.

[icwhatudo]

Imagine if 1,000 Catholics attacked anyone of ANY religion ANYWHERE. It would be front page news around the world, commissions would be held, the UN would get involved, it would be wall to wall coverage on the MSM.

[Pyro7480]

It's Wikipedia, but I would supposed that this is accurate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_of_religious_freedom_in_Sri_Lanka

[chae]

I wasn’t aware that Buddhists had specific instructions to kill all infidels to ensure their spot in paradise with 72 virgins.

Also, when you hear hoofbeats in central park, your first thought is horses, not zebras.

[potlatch]

I tried to do a quick read up on it and it says Buddhism is more of a philosophy or ‘way of life’ and is also a belief system which is tolerant of all other beliefs or religions. Buddhism agrees with the moral teachings of other religions

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm

I always considered them ‘peaceful’.

[potlatch]

Thanks for your information.
I read and read and over time forget half of it, but wasn’t it Buddhist carvings that the Taliban destroyed in Afghanistan?

[r9etb]

I wasn’t aware that Buddhists had specific instructions to kill all infidels to ensure their spot in paradise with 72 virgins.

And, amazingly, it apparently doesn't require specific instructions after all, does it?

It's human nature, FRiend. All we need, apparently, is the right excuse.

Also, when you hear hoofbeats in central park, your first thought is horses, not zebras.

And yet it was zebras this time ... just like a lot of other times it's been zebras.

This isn't to deny the prevalence of violence and murder by Islamic extremists -- it's just a lesson not to be so sure.

[Tax-chick]

Yes, it was. The Taliban considered the Buddha carvings to be idols.

The tenets of Buddhism do call for nonviolence, as do the tenets of Hinduism, pretty much. However, adherents of a faith often don’t live up to what they profess.

[potlatch]

Thanks Pyro, looks like I was looking up sources at the same time.

[VicVega]

Thanks for the link.

Interesting read.

[Irenic]

I’ve read several books on Buddhism, have them on my shelves and they tout respect other religions, all life...peaceful. I felt just sick when the Taliban blew up the 2 Buddhas in Bamiyan valley.

I guess I was pretty ignorant, I’m still shocked.

[Constitution Day]

Interesting information, T-c. I have never heard of Buddhist violence.

[potlatch]

[However, adherents of a faith often don’t live up to what they profess.]

Lol, never a truer statement spoken!!
Thanks again for verifying my question.

[markomalley]

It is also reported in the Malaysia Sun

As a matter of full disclosure, some (not all) of the comments on the story at the above source indicate that the Christians attacked the Buddhist temple first.

Of course, keep in mind that these are comments and could be added in there by anybody, so I would take them only with an extreme pinch of salt. But there might be a little more to the story.

And here is the story on the Archdiocese of Columbo's web site.

(Of course, the above will make a few iconoclasts around here happy)

More pictures at the Archdiocese's site.

[Earthdweller]

"Buddhism agrees with the moral teachings of other religions"

They could have easily had a beef with this particular Parish. It's not like Catholic tribes or sectors didn't fight each other in the past even in the west.

[RinaseaofDs]

Yup. The idea of ‘locus of control’ is a big tenet of Buddhism - the idea of bringing oneself under control.

Going postal on a Catholic Church would indicate some glitch in the curriculum somewhere.

[Ed Hudgins]

In his book God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, Christopher Hitchens is critical of Eastern as well as Western religions, pointing out for those New Age types that the former actually do not stand for all that’s good.

[verity]

"Buddhists being framed?"

Could be the Amish again. ;-)

[Mrs. Don-o]

I know almost nothing about it, but here's an interesting read on Tamil Tigers. They may come from Buddhist areas (historically speaking), but they do not seem motivated or even influenced by Buddhist religious perspectives per se. I don't think it's right to call them "Buddhist extremists."

[potlatch]

You are well informed on Buddhism then. I, too, was sick when the centuries old carvings were destroyed.

Guess I’m naive, but I’m always shocked when one religion tries to kill another. [ other than the muslims, who always have ]

[potlatch]

Thanks Mrs D. The article looks pretty involved so I’ll read through it later.

[potlatch]

You both had somewhat similar remarks.

Earthdweller;
{They could have easily had a beef with this particular Parish]

RinaseaofDs;
[Going postal on a Catholic Church would indicate some glitch in the curriculum somewhere.]

We'll probably never know the reason for the attack.

[Deb]

"...stupid trope..."

Huh? Are you retarded? This is, in fact, exactly what the Muslims do all over the World. Like in Indonesia when armies of them went from island to island murdering entire congregations of Catholics, beheading the priests and burning the churches.

Its what they are doing now all over Kosovo and Macedonia.

Are you really this clueless?

I was in Sri Lanka for six months and was told continuously how the four great religions coexisted without incident. That is until the Muslims started blowing themselves up and hacking their neighbors to pieces. This incident is completely uncharacteristic of the Buddhists.

[ichabod1]

Good point — that’s kind of like saying “there go those Amish again.”

[ichabod1]

They may think the Catholics are sheep stealing. Unholy poaching. Proselytization really pisses people off.

[ichabod1]

Dude, I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I know the Hindus have been known to go on the offensive against the muslin, but that’s usually in retribution for past insults. Who’s attacking whom, that we should be so open minded. If you hear of an attack and guess it’s the dirty arab up to his old tricks, your track record is bound to be pretty good over time.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Historic crimes don't seem generalizable to religions, as much as generalizable to the human race. Christian misbehavior, for instance, is invariably in direct violation of the precepts and example of the founder of Christianity; Buddhist misbehavior likewise.

I'll make an exception for Islam, inasmuch as Mohammad was actually criminal in precept and in example: an ambusher of caravans, an abductor of slaves, an executioner of disarmed captives, an abuser of women.

[ichabod1]

That’s why our job in the war on terror is to kill the muslum before he can kill himself.

[Earthdweller]

"They may think the Catholics are sheep stealing."

Yep...I'm thinking it's some sort of local issue. Of course some people (commie MSM) would love for it to be a global "religion" problem. All religions are evil and cause strife and war...don't you know.

[Rippin]

Are you promoting the trope that ‘all religions are the same?’

[r9etb]

Huh? Are you retarded? This is, in fact, exactly what the Muslims do all over the World. Like in Indonesia when armies of them went from island to island murdering entire congregations of Catholics, beheading the priests and burning the churches.

Ah, Deb, how disappointing to see you of all people get all stupid about a rather obvious point.

As I said, one cannot deny the fact that Islamic extremists are guilty of great violence. The "stupid trope" is that Muslims are not the only ones who do this sort of thing. They're not -- as you should damned well know!!!!! The same sorts of things happened in Rwanda -- where neither side was Muslim. Uganda ... no Muslims there, either. How about the Congo or Liberia? Zimbabwe? Hindu/Sikh clashes in India?

I was in Sri Lanka for six months and was told continuously how the four great religions coexisted without incident.

And yet Sri Lanka has not been noted for its peacefulness, has it? The Tamil Tigers, for example, were not particularly pleasant -- and they're not Muslims. (Anti-Muslim, in fact.)

This incident is completely uncharacteristic of the Buddhists.

It may be "uncharacteristic" for Buddhists ... but there were a thousand of them in this mob. That's an awful lot of Sri Lankan Buddhist extremists, Deb -- perhaps there's a bit more to the situation than you were told?

[r9etb]

Are you promoting the trope that ‘all religions are the same?’

Uh, no, son.

[r9etb]

Dude, I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I know the Hindus have been known to go on the offensive against the muslin, but that’s usually in retribution for past insults. Who’s attacking whom, that we should be so open minded. If you hear of an attack and guess it’s the dirty arab up to his old tricks, your track record is bound to be pretty good over time.

Well, "Dude," I think it's generally a better idea to learn the facts of the situations as they occur, and make my judgments based on those, rather than on guesses.

It makes for a more adult decision-making process.

[Teófilo]

From the pages of Vivificat:

I'm shocked and saddened by this turn of events. I've always maintained a high regard for Buddhism, particularly the Theravada Buddhism practiced in Sri Lanka. I've enjoyed on ocassion the insights of Bhante Henepola Gunaratana in two he books that he wrote, Mindfulness In Plain English and Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness.

However, although I've said before that Buddhism provides, in my opinion, a highly-evolved system of ethics, in many aspects the best we can find outside of revealed religion, that is, of Judaism and Christianity and that, in the words of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council, we are called to recognize how Buddhism, in its various forms, realizes the radical insufficiency of this changeable world; on how it teaches a way by which men, in a devout and confident spirit, may be able either to acquire the state of perfect liberation, or attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, supreme illumination, these news from Sri Lanka give me pause.

Sure, I recognize that a religion, any religion, no matter how noble, can hope to shape every aspect of the civilizations they spawn for the best. Then yet again, I've never heard of a Catholic mob attacking a Buddhist holy place, whether in Sri Lanka or anywhere else.

I congratulate the Sri Lankan authorities for having arrested many of those responsible of this unjustified attack, and pray that Sri Lankan Catholics and Buddhists may coexist in peace, side-by-side and help and assist each other in the building of a civilization of peace and compassion.

[potlatch]

[They may think the Catholics are sheep stealing. Unholy poaching.]

Unholy sheep poaching? Poached mutton? Lol, sorry....gave me a laugh.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Some bad weed? Moldy bread? Rice fungus?

[anglian]

Taking a page out of the book of Hindu fundamentalists, who have passed anti-conversion law in six Indian states, monastic legislators from the Jathika Hela Urumaya drafted a similar bill that would outlaw the conversion, “by the use of force or by allurement or by any fraudulent means,” of a person from one religion to another. Some Buddhist extremists have spread rumors that Christians had assassinated the Buddhist monk who initiated the bill, even though an autopsy showed that he had died of a heart attack. Śri Lankān police have been criticized for being slow in making arrests and for dismissing the attackers as mere drunks, but some observers suspect that they are encouraged by radical elements of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a socialist party that has supported a strong nationalist platform for decades. The monks in the JVP are disciples of Anagarika Dharmapala, the father of Buddhist nationalism and whose second generation monks, as H. L. Seneviratne contends, upset the “delicate balance” established by first generation Dharmapalite monks with “violence, breaking it up into pieces, never to be put back together again.”[4] BUDDHIST NATIONALISM AND RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE IN ŚRI LANKĀ http://sothi.wordpress.com/2009/08/22/various-papers-on-sinhala-buddhist-nationalism-2/