Buddhism? Philosophy or Religion?

[delsydebothom]

Religion, in its original sense, is something which "binds" a person to God, (or the gods), or at least attempts to. Since Buddhists are nontheists, Buddhism wouldn't fall into the classical definition of a religion. In the way the word is used today, however, it is best defined as religion (viz. a system of practices and/or beliefs which attempt to make a person into the best possible version of themself).

In this sense, many philosophies may be considered a religion that otherwise would be. I don't think that it is a question that can really be settled by modern definitions, due to people's ambivalence regarding the terms. Atheists claim that their rejection of the idea of God is not a religion, and I am inclined to agree. However, passion for that rejection sometimes functions in much the same way as a religion does for a religious person; it motivates them to mold their relationships, their communication, and their values around what they believe that rejection entails, at this subconsciously.

On the other hand, nontheist religions tend towards positivism; their philosophy is rooted in positive assertions, rather than negations, or denials. This means that they actually do have an image of supreme goodness by which to gauge their lives. As such, they are often moral in response to a desire for that ultimate good, rather than (or along with) a less important aversion to evil.

This is something that I notice about atheism taken as a bare philosophy (not necessarily individuals who adhere to it): its eye for evil is very big. Fear or aversion to evil, it seems, is the functional goodness of atheism, which is illustrated by the common phrase atheists (and pagans) use: "Do what you will; harm no one". While atheists certainly don't ascribe to this statement as a matter of course, I have heard many use it.

Buddhists are moved by evil as well, but not primarily. They have the image of the Buddha, or the Enlightened. This gives them a focal point of goodness; a sort of standard to look to, in order to judge their own morality. Thus, morality for a religious nontheist, is religious insofar as it is moved primarily by goodness and love, rather than by evil and despair. Pax!

+JMJ

[heellomoto]

I too am a Buddhist, and believe that it most definitely is a religion, and a great one too.

[Mike]

Strictly speaking a religion is a body of beliefs passed to us from someone who has recieved that knowledge by divine revelation.
I'm not sure the Buddhism fits that definition. As such, it gets labelled as a philosophy.