I was taking my morning walk in the gardens behind Wat Kandal in Battambang, when an Indian-looking guy came up to me saying “Shiva, Shiva”, and pointing to a remote corner of the gardens. There I found a new statue of Shiva, complete with his identifying symbols of the trident, the third eye, and especially […]
Many people view Trump as God in the same way that most religious people view their gods. However, my explanation of the common perception of God is not the normal one, so let me start with that. For most people, shit happens. That is the default. Things normally go wrong. But once in a while, […]
I could say that I have devoted my life to diversity. I have traveled and lived in the most remote and bizarre cultures, always with the mindset that these people have something valuable to teach me. I feel enriched by the wide array of philosophies, ways of thinking, foods, arts, etc. For me personally, then, […]
The essence of Buddhism is renunciation as the avoidance of suffering. While the renunciation of food and health causes too much suffering, it is possible to thread a ‘middle way’, the key to which is not to become attached to anything. After all, the Buddha was a prince, brought up in a luxurious life with […]
The thousands of world religions have one thing in common: NONE of them condemns slavery. The Bible is no exception; the 10 Commandments do not forbid slavery. Moses tells the Israelites to kill the male children and non-virgin females, but take the young virgins for themselves. Even in the New Testament, in Ephesians 6:5–8, Paul states […]
I must have clicked on something inadvertently, because for the past week or so I have been inundated with posts and articles about religion versus atheism. The pro-religion folks often point out that without a religious framework of morality, there is no backstop to prevent someone from murder, rape, pillage, etc. The atheists counter by […]
Every morning I walk over to the local pagoda. After some Qi Gong meditation, I just sit on the swing, drinking in the beauty of the place. Not just the visual beauty, but the sounds, especially some 20 identifiable surround-sound bird songs. My swing at Wat Kandal This right-brained experience leads my left brain to […]
Here’s an interesting hypothesis: the behavior of followers of any religion is diametrically opposed to the main principles of their religion. For example, the main message of Christianity is “Love thy neighbor.” But today’s Evangelicals harbor an intense hatred for blacks, Hispanics, Moslems, LGBTQs, and anyone not exactly not like themselves. Not to mention the […]
From time to time, my wife takes me on deep dives into Khmer culture. Every September we travel to her native village to celebrate Pchum Ben, the highest religious holiday in Cambodia. Very briefly, Pchum Ben is the festival of offering food to the ghosts of ancestors who leave hell for a fortnight. Indeed, when […]
The MAGA cultists surely realize that Trump is all the horrible things the media say about him: 34-count felon, child rapist, grifter, etc. He is the most horrible person imaginable. He is often compared to Satan. Yet his followers still worship him. Why? It is worth examining the literature on the psychology of Satan worshippers, […]