Sound The TRUMPets! A Thread for Presidential Pondering 2016-2020(?)

[zamyrabyrd]

That winning combination of an actual person who, much of the time, is indistinguishable from a Russian troll.

Go pound sand.

[zamyrabyrd]

You speak as if Buddhism was the only religion in the World.

Most religions at their base converge on the principles of Buddhism, the reason it is easiest to use as an example. This is almost universally agreed upon by most thinkers on the subject.  Beliefs and practices are simplified for children and uneducated people. For instance, prayer wheels were never part of Buddhist teaching, yet, if they draw the people in, they are not going to be rejected.  The same for any other religion that you have to remember is culture and time specific.  Mature people have to proceed beyond ideas made simple for them in childhood for practically everything (no Santa Claus!), the same with "religion" (for want of a better word). 

[zamyrabyrd]

Someone suggested zamyrabyrd was a Russian troll.

What happened to "Russian collusion" anyway?

[milk]

Go pound sand.

Or get your p$#y grabbed? Or get Body slammed? Or get the crap knocked out of you? Or get roughed up? BUT, no incendiary comments ya bunch of rapists. Death penalty to ya! If I accused you of being a rapist who deserves the death penalty, would that shock you? You're not a delicate flower after all right? I mean, look at your face! With all that's going on in your head, do you even deserve the presumption of innocence? But we're just talking here. I mean this is just a bunch of performance art in the service of selling you my steaks and ties, right? Should someone "knock the crap out of you"? Or would you just like a trumb commemorative gold coin?     

[mc ukrneal]

Obama had no right to make potential incendiary pronouncements before all the facts were in.

Do you agree that the same right/principle should be applied to Trump?

[BasilValentine]

What happened to "Russian collusion" anyway?

Roger Stone, the man behind the Trump candidacy, the last major player to be interrogated and the one in direct contact with Russian agents (Gucifer2) and Wikileaks, is now being questioned by the special prosecutor. All of his underlings and proteges (remember Sam Nunberg?) have already been questioned. The case has probably been made by now, or will be very soon. If there are findings to be released, the prosecutor will be waiting until after the midterm elections. 

[Karl Henning]

Do you agree that the same right/principle should be applied to Trump?

The things she will say, with apparently no sense of irony whatsoever . . . .

[Christabel]

Most of the people writing here could be interchangeable;  they all speak the same ideological cant.  I bet I could predict everything they think about most things, right to the last full stop.  Why not think freely, maturely and with nuance instead of sticking to the discussion points and ideology?  Life is too short for such bigotry and unhappiness.

[71 dB]

Most religions at their base converge on the principles of Buddhism, the reason it is easiest to use as an example. This is almost universally agreed upon by most thinkers on the subject.  Beliefs and practices are simplified for children and uneducated people. For instance, prayer wheels were never part of Buddhist teaching, yet, if they draw the people in, they are not going to be rejected.  The same for any other religion that you have to remember is culture and time specific.  Mature people have to proceed beyond ideas made simple for them in childhood for practically everything (no Santa Claus!), the same with "religion" (for want of a better word).

I'm not sure what you mean, but If I had to choose one religion, I think it would be Buddhism.

[Ghost of Baron Scarpia]

I'm not sure what you mean, but If I had to choose one religion, I think it would be Buddhism.

There are many traditions of Buddhism, and some people will say that Buddhism is better understood as a practice, rather than a religion.

[BasilValentine]

Most of the people writing here could be interchangeable;  they all speak the same ideological cant.  I bet I could predict everything they think about most things, right to the last full stop.  Why not think freely, maturely and with nuance instead of sticking to the discussion points and ideology?  Life is too short for such bigotry and unhappiness.

Ideology is a minor part of the discussion here. Could you give an example or two of this "ideological cant." I've contributed many posts to this thread and don't think any of them have had to do with ideology. Opposing Trump, fact checking him and calling out his lies, racism, crimes and abuses of power has nothing to do with ideology. What are you talking about exactly?

[Karl Henning]

[...] and some people will say that Buddhism is better understood as a practice, rather than a religion.

That harmonizes with my (admittedly limited) understanding.

[bwv 1080]

ISTM Buddhism is nebulous and distant enough that Westerners can project whatever they like into it.  In historical practice it has all the baggage of any other religion - from pederast Tibetan monks no better than the worst Catholic examples to the current Buddhist-led pogroms of Muslims in Burma. 

[Ghost of Baron Scarpia]

ISTM Buddhism is nebulous and distant enough that Westerners can project whatever they like into it.  In historical practice it has all the baggage of any other religion - from pederast Tibetan monks no better than the worst Catholic examples to the current Buddhist-led pogroms of Muslims in Burma.

International Society of Travel Medicine?

It can't be disputed that Buddhism had a supernatural component from its origins, and that abstracting the practice from the religious aspects is a modern feature.

I read or heard somewhere (maybe some sort of Podcast) that Buddhism is the most effective way to "hack" the human mind, which was formed by evolution and not designed to be happy or content.

[Karl Henning]

The desire for happiness is a bug, not a feature . . . .

[JBS]

There is also reverse racism and discrimination. Obama had no right to make potential incendiary pronouncements before all the facts were in.

Mmm. I don't see how that remark about Trayvon could have been thought incendiary....
Well, I can.  But the reason is not a good one.

[71 dB]

There are many traditions of Buddhism, and some people will say that Buddhism is better understood as a practice, rather than a religion.

When I talk about religion generally in this thread I mean Christianity, because the vast majority of Americans are Christians while Jews, Muslims, Buddhists etc. are tiny minorities. I did not brought Buddhism up, zb did. I think Buddhism has very little to do with the politics in the US while Christianity has a lot to do with it, because Trump is strongly supported by the Evangelicals and Trump serves them in return (e.g. Kavanaugh puts abortion rights in jeopardy and Trump moved US embassy to Jerusalem).

[vandermolen]

Most religions at their base converge on the principles of Buddhism, the reason it is easiest to use as an example. This is almost universally agreed upon by most thinkers on the subject.  Beliefs and practices are simplified for children and uneducated people. For instance, prayer wheels were never part of Buddhist teaching, yet, if they draw the people in, they are not going to be rejected.  The same for any other religion that you have to remember is culture and time specific.  Mature people have to proceed beyond ideas made simple for them in childhood for practically everything (no Santa Claus!), the same with "religion" (for want of a better word).

'no Santa Claus' 

[Ghost of Baron Scarpia]

When I talk about religion generally in this thread I mean Christianity, because the vast majority of Americans are Christians ...

This is not really true anymore. It is not a vast majority. 70% identify as Christian. A substantial fraction of Americans report being associate with no organized religion (22%).

http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/

[71 dB]

'no Santa Claus' 

No, but Joulupukki is real and lives in Finland,  8 kilometers (5 miles) north of Rovaniemi right in the Arctic Circle.

- Joulupukki receives over 500,000 letters from over 200 countries every year. Most letters come from China, Poland and Italy.
- Joulupukki's Main Post Office receives over 300,000 visitors from 180 countries every year.
- The US-based Coca-Cola Santa Claus was designed by the son of Finnish emigrants, Haddon Sundblom.

Santa Claus Village

This is not really true anymore. It is not a vast majority. 70% identify as Christian. A substantial fraction of Americans report being associate with no organized religion (22%).

http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/

If 70.6 % is not vast majority what is? 99.9 %?