BS> I don't really view Buddhism as a religion, but rather a philosophy
 BS> that deals with life and how to escape suffering.  To be classified as
 BS> a religion, doesn't there have to be some acknowledgement of a god, gods
 BS> and/or goddess(es)?  But perhaps I'm wrong.  I see that the dictionary
 BS> calls it a religion.  I think the semantics could be argued,  though.
 BS> Funny, it calls Taoism a religion which came from early Taoist
 BS> philosophy (as well as folk and Buddhism), so it calls the original
 BS> Taoism a philosophy.  Interesting.
   You can make a rat religious.  Laboratory technicians do it almost every
day.  How do you suppose they train those chickens to ring the bell and get a
grain of corn down the chute?  OTOH, there can be faith and even an 
xperience
of deity or of the "boundless" with no religiosity whatsoever.  Evangelism is
engaged in by an "evangelist" without respect at ALL to what the evangelist 
s
"pushing."  In fact, we've had several representatives from computer software
companies speaking at club meetings whose business cards actually designated
them as company evangelists.  
Sincerely, 
                                     Frank
                                                                              
                                                       
--- PPoint 2.05
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