[HongKongMomma2B]

Would this be where Buddhists go? I'm confused, lol! If so, are there any Buddhist adopters (or potential adopters) out there?

[Tiggysgirl]

I could be wrong since I've gotten out of the habit of boxing religions up, but I think that any faith that isn't Christian is technically Pagan ... am I wrong? I have a good friend who is Jewish and he considers himself under the Pagan umbrella.

That being said, I'm not Buddhist, but I do hope you find others who are!

Since you are here, would you mind telling me about Buddhism??

[Scarlet Moon 13]

Originally Posted by Tiggysgirl

I could be wrong since I've gotten out of the habit of boxing religions up, but I think that any faith that isn't Christian is technically Pagan ... am I wrong? I have a good friend who is Jewish and he considers himself under the Pagan umbrella.

That being said, I'm not Buddhist, but I do hope you find others who are!

Since you are here, would you mind telling me about Buddhism??

Pretty much only Christians think other religions are pagan. At one time in history Christianity was little more then one more cult on the horizon.

A single god religion is not pagan, and since Judaism is the father of Chirtianity I don't think anyone considers it pagan. Judaism wasn't even the first religion to believe in a single god.

Also at one time in history, EVERYONE was pagan.


Main Entry: pa·gan
Function: noun
Pronunciation: 'pA-g&n
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin paganus, from Latin, civilian, country dweller, from pagus country district; akin to Latin pangere to fix -- more at PACT
1 : HEATHEN 1 ; especially : a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome)

[lionbird]

I'm pretty sure there is a forum for eastern religions and other buddhists have posted there in the past.

[HongKongMomma2B]

I didn't even think about the eastern religion board! Duh me! lol, thank you for pointing that out to me.

Tiggysgirl,

I am just getting into it myself and it's kinda hard for me to explain it to people. Basically, no killing anything living, no drugs or alcohol, no sex unless you are in a monogamous relationship, no lying (this includes making fun of people, etc.), and no stealing. There are many many other beliefs, but listing them all would make this post really long.

You can go here if you want to read more about Buddhism: BuddhaNet's Buddhist Studies: A Basic Buddhism Guide

[Tiggysgirl]

Scarlet, thanks for that definition. I know that pagans were referred to as the people who lived out in the rural areas when Christianity was spreading.

I'll have to have a discussion with my friend, there is a good possibility that he has some polytheistic beliefs wrapped up in his Jewish beliefs and that is why he considers himself Pagan.

[PetDragon]

Originally Posted by HongKongMomma2B

Would this be where Buddhists go? I'm confused, lol! If so, are there any Buddhist adopters (or potential adopters) out there?

Either way, if there is no Buddhist boards WELCOME!

I must admit to not knowing very much about Buddhism but I'm always very happy to learn others traditions and views!

And lets face it when it comes to the adoption triad we can certainly all use support!

[HongKongMomma2B]

PetDragon,
Thank you so much! I've only been here for a couple days (and I'm only starting to research everything that it takes to adopt) but this has become one of my favorite sites online! I spent close to 5 hours on it last night just looking around and going through threads!

[Scarlet Moon 13]

Originally Posted by PetDragon

Either way, if there is no Buddhist boards WELCOME!

I must admit to not knowing very much about Buddhism but I'm always very happy to learn others traditions and views!

And lets face it when it comes to the adoption triad we can certainly all use support!

yes, big hug, oooooooahhhhhh

[Quesita]

I love talking about/learning about different belief systems!!! I run an educational program for adult immigrants in NYC, and both my staff and students represent a wide range of cultures, ethnicities and belief systems. I am always fascinated by how people classify beliefs other than their own. This thread reminded me of a series of conversations and events in my office.

There is a young woman in the office who is from Afghanistan, but her father was from Pakistan. She speaks Pashtun and Urdu as her first languages, but also speaks Hindi, Punjabi and Bengali, which makes her a very valuable staff member!!!! She is a devout South Asian Muslim, and on many levels is quite typical of NY'ers from her region of the world. She wears colorful head scarves, always covers her arms and legs, sometimes wears jeans and other times wears gorgeous outfits that are more like saris from India, and usually wears lipstick and eyeliner, and stains henna on her hands for various holidays and celebrations.

In any case, she also loves to talk about religion and belief systems and culture. On many occasions I have heard her respond with great confusion about tensions between Christians and Muslims and Jews. She always exclaims "But we all believe in THE ONE GOD!!!"

So a couple of years ago, the holiday committee, which is responsible for making sure we acknowlege EVERYONE's holidays, was having a bit of trouble decorating in anticipation of the Hindu holiday of Diwali. At the time, we had no Hindus on staff, and the only South Asian staff member was this Afghani/Pakistani woman. Since she spoke Hindi, she was the first point of contact for most of our Hindu students, and since she was clearly well-informed about a variety of different religions, I felt comfortable approaching her and asking if she knew anything about Hinduism. She carefully looked from side to side, leaned forward, and whispered "They're PAGANS!"

I guess I just blinked my eyes, said yes, and asked if she had any suggestions about decorations for Diwali. Since she didn't, I asked her if she would pair up with a couple of Hindi speaking students and serve as an advisory source for the holiday committee. She agreed, and is now a regular member of the committee, working in preparation for more holidays than I can name. She (along with the other committee members) helps hang the strings of white lights for Diwali, decorates the tree for Christmas, takes out the Minorah for Hannuka, hangs the Crescent Moon for Ramadan, and displays the nature based signs that go up for the Equinoxes and Solstices. We get a picture of the appropriate animal for the Lunar New Year, and it is my understanding that Buddists from some countries, but not others, celebrate Buddah's birthday, so a little Buddah comes out for that holiday.

I just thought I would share this little story because I am lucky to work in such a diverse environment, in which I am constantly learning about what people believe and how they perceive the world around them. And the more we know, the more we know, the more we know....

[PetDragon]

Originally Posted by HongKongMomma2B

PetDragon,
Thank you so much! I've only been here for a couple days (and I'm only starting to research everything that it takes to adopt) but this has become one of my favorite sites online! I spent close to 5 hours on it last night just looking around and going through threads!

It really does take a TON of research! Especially agencies, so many happy stories for every agency but so many really sad ones out there too you just so want everything to go well and it's so scarey!

We are barely started in the process ourselves and at times I've already been completely overwhelmed! The mountain of paperwork is kind of intimidating but after a bit of research and a few creative internet searches it really isn't nearly as bad as I first started thinking it would be.

I can already name several times where something seemed impossible and turned out to be quick and easy. So trust me when I tell you the ups and downs strt the minute you decide to do this, but the downs can change to HUGE ups in a matter of seconds!

[HongKongMomma2B]

As far as I understand, there are only three U.S. agencies who are approved to adopt Hong Kong children to U.S. citizens. The only thing I have done so far is looked at their websites, but I think I have chosen the one I want to work with once I save up the money. I even went so far as to make a bracelet to remind myself that I need to save as much money as possible from now until I'm able to adopt. We'll see if it works!

[PetDragon]

Good luck!
For us at least it was the money deciding if we could really do this. Once we had that secure I was a lot less stressed and so happy.
One day I'll be able to post a picture for you to see and I'll honestly feel like a Mommy to be. At the moment, I'm just waiting to be a Mommy to Be!

[amartin623]

I am what you might call an "eclectic Buddhist"...I really love the tenets of Buddhism, but spent a big part of my life involved in paganism & the UU church, as well as New Thought Community.

I haven't formally taken vows, but I try to live closely with the tenets of the religion, which are actually quite close to other major religions, including Wiccan/Pagan beliefs. Basically, don't harm people/animals unneccessarily(& this includes yourself). Live with dignity. It's really that simple.

Someone asked about Buddhism. Technically, Buddhism doesn't have a "god". We can all be a buddha. The historical Buddha was a man who became enlightened. We can all (in theory, at least) achieve buddhism. It makes me think a little of humanism. Everyone can be "perfect" and "enlightened".

Take care,
Angie

PS Adopting from China...LID 06/08/06, which gives me a hopefull approxiamate dat of around 8/07 for referral.