Youth and religion

[Guest Hedda]

The Thais as a group always strike me as much more religious and devout than farangs. Granted, there's seems to be a lot of smoke,mirrors, incense and ghosts involved, rather than moral instructions in a strict sense, but most Thais I have met seem, at least superficially, to frequent their temples with much more frequency than farangs do their churches.

 

There was an interesting article in "Thai Day", the Thai section of the International Herald Tribune yesterday, relating a university poll of 500 young Thai teenagers who were queried about their religious attitudes toward worship at wats.

 

Twelve percent of teenagers surveyed said they had never been inside a Wat, while 30 percent said they went to temple no more than once a year. I found those stats surprising.

 

A full 32 % of respondents said they had "lost faith in temples" because of the negative image of monks contained in media stories of abuses, including reports of affairs with women. I suppose that the price of celibacy on devotion is not just being paid by the Catholics.

 

I also found it strange that the article did not report what percentage of Thai youth regularly attended wat services. I could not find any internet source for the original study which was apparently conducted by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University.

[khaolakguy]

How could anyone, who claims to be a resident in Thailand, and regularly pontificates on the country, make the fundamentally flawed analogy between the Thais use of Wats, and the Christian use of churches! To go on to extrapolate that this makes thais more religious, whatever that term means in this context, is surely just a plea for attention.

 

What Thais are, is more spiritual, with animist and non Buddhist related concepts such as spirit houses, wearing Buddhas to fend off evil. It has NOTHING to do with Buddhist devoutness.

 

[Guest Hedda]

Sorry, dear, but I don't get your point. I never used the word "Buddhist" in my post, so let's not get our Theravada nose out of joint.

 

Frankly, after watching Christians, Buddhists or Hindus pray in their respective temples in many countries,I don't see the difference you seem to be suggesting. It's all religion, a belief in the supernatural, even if you challenge its orthodoxy.

 

My guess is that most Southern Baptists would find a Roman Catholic Mass about as animist and non-Christian as anything on the planet, just as a Buddhist scholar like you, who has undoubtedly read all of the Dalai Lama's books, might view with curiosity much of what passes for Buddhism in rural Asia.

 

Maybe you can tell me just what the difference is between the Thais' use of wats and the Italians' use of churches, other than the fact that the statues on the altar are different. When I see the Pope burning incense in the biggest church in the world, or a Thai farmer burning incense sticks in the smallest wat in Issan, I see a lot more similarities than differences.

 

Granted, neither may have much to do with some philosophical definitions of "true" Christianity or Buddhism, but that wasn't the point of my post, was it ? Just who is pontificating in this thread ?

[khaolakguy]

Granted, neither may have much to do with some philosophical definitions of "true" Christianity or Buddhism, but that wasn't the point of my post, was it ? Just who is pontificating in this thread ?

 

But wasn't the opening sentence of yours in this thread:

 

"The Thais as a group always strike me as much more religious and devout than farangs."

 

Meaning of devout in a religious context: "Devoted to religion or to the fulfillment of religious obligations."

 

I think that you must have had a different thread in your head to the one that was conveyed to your keyboard.

 

[Guest Hedda]

If that's supposed to be a rebuttal, dear, I can ony assume you must have lost something in the posting process.

 

Perhaps you might try Emily Litella's classic next time and just say: " Never Mind."

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest namjai]

well...that was certainly awe-inspiring...not to mention "half-baked"! I also find that the Thais I know are more "religious" than most farang I know. Whereas the Christians I see here in the States donate one hour of their time to the church, many Thais that I know will go several times for thuout the week. And please notice that I am mentions people I know. (Let's see....I think I was careful enough not to get flamed

[Guest Steve1903]

First off, I fail to understand the need to answer even the most benign posts with aggressive/insulting replies. Sorry khaolakguy but Hedda's point was fairly simple and straightforward no matter how well or badly you believe it was written.

I agree with Hedda in respect of Thais as opposed to Christian countries. I was also of the opinion that just about all of them were into their religion to some degree. There again neither seems to come close to the Muslim brigade who quite frankly freak me out with all that bobbing up and down. To me the whole thing is down to brainwashing. It's irrelevant I know but I've just got to say it: I don't believe in any supreme being no matter what name he/she/it is given.

I have to say that of all the religions and religious type people I've come across the only one I have any empathy with is the Buddhism one. That's not to say I'd describe myself as one, just that it seems to me that the simple principle of not harming anyone or anything is what I think religion should be about.

 

Finally, if there is a God type figure lingering somewhere I'd like to apply for the job when he retires because I think I can do an awful lot better.

Now there's food for thought.

[Gaybutton]

Something that has always struck me as strange, within Christian religions, is the term "God fearing." I've always taken that to mean that Christians attend church services and pray, not necessarily out of full belief and devotion, but out of fear as to what they have been taught will happen if they don't.

 

Personally, I can't help but feel that today there is a significant percentage of Christians who don't truly believe what religious educators try to teach, but simply go through the motions because it is the thing to do.

 

Living in Thailand I have become convinced that the vast majority of Buddhist Thais really do absolutely believe the teachings of Buddhism.

 

Whether the studies that indicate the percentage of Thai teens that regularly attend religious services is accurate or not, as far as I know Buddhists have never killed, tortured, or otherwise terrorized people in the name of religion, while Christians and Muslims have done so throughout history and it still goes on today.

 

I have always enjoyed George Carlin's comments about Christianity:

 

"Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man who lives in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!

. . . . . . . . . But He loves you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TotallyOz]

I have always enjoyed George Carlin's comments about Christianity:

 

"Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man who lives in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!

. . . . . . . . . But He loves you."

 

HaHa That about sums up my view as well. Growing up in the Bible belt, I was more than a bit religious when I was younger. What I have seen is that the Thai's I have met are often more spiritual than religious. The difference between kindness and love and gentleness are abundant in most Thai's I know. I have a great admiration for their religion. However, when I get on an airplane, I still say a short prayer from my childhood.

[Guest Steve1903]

Oh "God Fearing". Yeah, one of my favourites too. Why does a being who loves all his creations need to have them on their knees to pray to him on a daily/weekly (whatever) basis anyway.

If I were God I'd do away with all that stuff. It's time for change. Vote Steve1903 for God!!!

 

Neither do I like the way a lot of religious types seem to think they are better than the likes of myself.

"You're JUST a heathen" I got told - and that was from my mother. Tend to pigeonhole myself as an atheist personally.

 

I also wonder if God wonders where he came from.

 

George Bush is religious.....well until the next election anyway. After that it won't matter so he'll just go back to being an asshole.