Buddhists and Confucians who present their religions as secular philosophies are dishonest.

This. I'd bet that most Buddhists believe in supernatural entities, especially lay practitioners in Asia, so I understand being annoyed when people pretend that Buddhism is inherently atheistic and secular and dismiss gods and hungry ghosts as folk religion that's not true Buddhism, but it's just as incorrect to assume that one must believe in these things in order to practice Buddhism or adhere to the four noble truths. This is especially true in the West, where Buddhism comes to us distilled through the philosophical writings of monastics that stock the shelves at local bookstores. Even practitioners who focus on a 'supernatural' entity like a god or bodhisattva in their meditation practices will often tell you that these beings are have no ultimate reality.

/r/DebateReligion Thread Parent