Buddhists Join the Clergy Letter Project
 

I found this article this morning and wondered if you had any comments....


Buddhists Join the Clergy Letter Project and Call for the Teaching of Evolution

by Michael Zimmerman


American Buddhist priests have joined their Judeo-Christian counterparts and called for the teaching of evolution in public schools.

The only surprising part of this announcement is the sad fact that due to the incessant drumbeat of religious fundamentalism there has to be an announcement at all. But across America today, and in a growing portion of the rest of the world, modern science is under attack by those who would prefer that we return to a pre-scientific society, a society in which wishes trump evidence and in which ignorance attempts to dominate knowledge.


Continued:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michae...p_ref=buddhism


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This is a copy of the Buddhist Clergy letter which is referenced in the article:


The Clergy Letter - from American Buddhist Clergy

– An Open Letter Concerning Religion and Science

“If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims or adopt them as metaphor.”

The Universe in a Single Atom
Tenzin Gyatso - The Dalai Lama


As the above quote indicates, the Buddhist tradition is primarily a rational religion. The earliest Buddhist teachings are intended to help all sentient beings to live a life of integrity in harmony with reality. While the specific science of evolution is not explicitly taught in our faith, it is implicit in the core teaching of interdependent origination, which demonstrates that all things are interconnected and contingent upon one another for their form and development. Likewise, a creator deity is not relied upon for a creation story.

The ancient Indian fables of the Buddha’s various incarnations from animal to human are readily understood not as a literal history but as metaphor describing the evolving nature of life. In fact, the concept of Buddha itself is best understood as a symbol for humanity’s evolutionary potential. For all of these reasons, we admonish public school boards to affirm their commitment to teaching the science of evolution. We understand the role of public schools is to educate students in the established principles of science and in other subjects of general knowledge.

http://theclergyletterproject.org/Bu...ClergyLtr.html


I found the following part of the above letter interesting. Is this what is "readily understood" by all Buddhists ? It doesn't always seem to be the case on the internet....



The ancient Indian fables of the Buddha’s various incarnations from animal to human are readily understood not as a literal history but as metaphor describing the evolving nature of life.

In fact, the concept of Buddha itself is best understood as a symbol for humanity’s evolutionary potential.

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This is interesting. It is sort of strange that there has to be an announcement, like the writer said, but I suppose not everyone much knowledge of Buddhism (especially when you're dealing with America, unfortunately).

I also don't particularly feel that the second part of that letter is the universally accepted interpretation of The Buddha, or reincarnation.

Catholic schools here in South Australia include teachings on evolution in their science syllabus - in both primary and secondary schools. Religion is a compulsory subject and includes investigation into all the major world religions as well philosophical thought and ethics. this has been the case for the last decade.

Catholicism is, for the most part, open minded. I went to a Catholic school & the primary intention in the daily 'religion' class was the development of one's critical & reasoning faculties. We rarely studied religion, per se. I would imagine it is not Catholicism with the Creationist push.

http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/grin.gif

My mother would have argued differently from her experience and thoughts about her convent education, she was born in rural South Australia in 1934.

As an adult who explored " Catholicism " prior to " Buddhism ", I did not need to focus on a Creationist push in order to benefit anymore than school children do in being educated in a Catrholic community.