Why do some people say Buddhism is not a religion?

Answer 1

Because Buddhist approach to dogma is different than the JudeoChristian faiths and a lot of people don't recognize it as religion. It depends on your definition of religion.
In JudeoChristian faith, you get the idea of worship and salvation and the existence of a higher power, etc...
Buddhists generally consider these things to be unimportant (illusions, actually). And although Buddhism does carry a lot of metaphysical concepts with it, nobody has to believe in these things. One is simply taught them and with time, expected to naturally come to accept them. But the idea of "you must believe" is just not present in Buddhism and Buddhists generally hold that each being must follow its own path.

Answer 2

Is Buddhism A Religion

Answer 3

They are right when they say Buddhism is not a religion. Buddhism doesn't have any gods, just bodhisattvas and Buddhas while Sikhism, Islam,Christianity, Taoism, Judaism, Shintoism, and Hinduism all have gods and in religion, you worship the gods but in Buddhism, you respect the bodhisattvas and Buddhas as said in the Mariam Webster dictionary about the definition of religion. It's also silly how some Buddhists think Buddhism is a religion but it is not, it is a teaching. There are many different types of Buddhism because the original Buddhist path was modified because of what people didn't like about it, resulting in many debates about what path is right and if it is a religion or not.

Answer 4

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Belief in "literal" reincarnation is actually not essential to Buddhism anymore... There are newer philosophies that are in keeping with the older aspects of the belief system... There are a great number of us that believe that your karmic energy is the life that is carried on from one lifetime to the next and you do not necessarily reappear as something specific... Some people have even taken to believe that we are not really here at all... advanced sciences have shown us that there is no such thing as solid matter... just ions of electricity that float around closely together in groups... So what is a body really? One of the luxuries of being a Buddhist is that I am allowed to see these teachings as metaphors and interpret them for myself... some religions don't always allow for that. When you say or do anything - that is a form of reincarnation... a certain amount of energy has been transformed... get it? Einstein said that energy cannot be created or destroyed... then modern science says that all matter is actually just energy on its submolecular level... So reincarnation (in those terms) makes alot more sense, right? No religion should ever expect you to believe something blindly... even a Christian minister should help guide you to your own personal truth... (see vinslave's answer too) I would never stay in a black and white world... The problem with x2000's answer (for me) is that to focus on ridding one's self of suffering and attachments (which IS a fundamental belief of Buddhism) can be a dogma of it's own... and acceptance can only happen if things are studied and learned about... not simply thrown by the way side because they are difficult concepts.

Answer 5

Buddhism is a guideline for a way of living and existing in harmony with each other. For the most part it isn't considered a religion for the fact that there is no god, goddess or deities of any kind mentioned in it's criteria. You can follow the path of buddhism and not have it interfere with your current religion, if you choose to. It would be like picking up a self help book for changing a bad habit, they are guidelines to change your way of living without introducing a new deity that is to be worshiped.

Answer 6

Well I think alot of people look at Buddhism and view it more as a philosophy since Buddha never instructed his followers to worship him. I also think fear comes into play as well. I think the major religions fear Buddhism because it makes alot more sense as a religion without dogma. I happen to like Buddhism and always feel a sense of peace when I read the text.

Answer 7

I THINK that buddhism is supposed to be a philosophy on life, a way of approaching life. I COULD be wrong about this, but from everything I've heard or read, I believe this is the case.

Religion is man's attempt at reaching the Divine - ie God.

Answer 8

Buddhism does not believe in a creator. It has no object of worship. It does not contain a bunch of ridiculous rules. It tells you not to believe in anything without experiencing it. It tells you there is even a time to drop Buddhism. Where it seems a bit crazy is only where there are vestiges of Hinduism, out of which it grew. Hindus believed in reincarnation. Karma to sane people only means cause and effect, i.e., you go out in the rain, you get wet. Cause and effect. You don't have to 'believe' that; you know it. But some Buddhists think your actions in previous lives also cause effects. Totally violates all the laws of physics and common sense, that tell us when you're dead you're dead.

Answer 9

RE:
Why do some people say Buddhism is not a religion?

Answer 10

Probably because of the same reasoning that one used to define atheism is not a religion.

The problem is that some viewed Buddhism as not a variation of Hinduism, when it's actually just 'easy steps to be Hindu' and 'learn to be yourself'.