• QuentinCallaghanOPMA
    link
    22 years ago

    It depends whether the religion in its scriptures advocates for peace and nonviolence. In Buddhist scripture violence is condemned and there is the principle of “ahmisa”, also in Hinduism and Jainism. Of course even this doesn’t stop some Buddhist communities promoting violence, the most notable example of which is persecuting the Rohingya in Myanmar.

    • @lisko
      link
      12 years ago

      That’s correct. I’m less familiar with Buddhist literature but in Hinduism one of the most lauded texts is the Bhagavad Gita (though it is technically not a Veda), which condemns non-violence. But yes a lot of things have been done in history and were justified in various ways, so I just wouldn’t consider those religions any less violent than, say, Christianity, but many naive people in the western world get that impression.