Thai PM publicly defies paranormalists

NoDeity

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In searching to find out whether this had been posted here yet, I saw that the Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, made the news because his daughter was taking a job at McDonalds.

Well, now he's making the news because Boonlert Pairin, a prominent Thai astrologer and senator, claims that the stars are warning of disaster for Thaksin but the PM is having none of it.

I'll use a few short excerpts from a news story at http://canada.com/news/oddities/story.html?id=D5776BE3-C385-4D83-BED4-B53502EE08D6

Pairin told reporters that he checked Thaksin's stars and found that he faces a critical period between Dec. 16 and Jan. 14, possibly in the form of an assassination attempt or an accident.

He said he has written to Thaksin with three solutions to ward off the tragedy: performing a religious rite, meditation to purify the soul or dissolving the parliament. He also urged Thaksin to put off foreign travel.
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Dissolving the parliament? Heavens... surely the good senator has no ulterior motives!

The PM's response:
Thaksin, however, told Pairin and other fortune tellers to burn their books if their predictions prove to be wrong.

"I believe in science and the preaching of Lord Buddha. I don't believe in the supernatural," Thaksin said.
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Of course, as always, if nothing happens to Thaksin between mid-December and mid-January, the creeps will have some kind of excuse ready. Still, it's rather refreshing to have a head of government openly declare: "I don't believe in the supernatural".
 
Actually, there's nothing about fundamentalist Christianity that should lead a fundy to believe that there are no supernatural powers. After all, the Bible does not say that witches don't exist. Rather, it says that one should not permit a witch to live.
 
Now that I think about it, I seem to recall seeing at least one chick tract that shows modern day witches performing evil magic, but I just figured a few isolated loons like chick would believe it. I suppose I shouldn't be suprised if it's more widespread among fundies than that.
 
You overestimated the rationality of American Christianity. :D

Jack Chick might be extreme even among fundies but many of those folks live in a frightening world that is populated by warring demons and angels, supernatural/spiritual forces of good and evil, and they're on the lookout for evil forces that conspire to harm the beloved of God.

Silly? Of course. In my experience, having been raised an evangelical Christian, it's commonly believed.
 
Yep, that christian bible is full of paranormal activities, demons, dieties and ghosts. It really wouldn't be christian-like to not believe in such things, because the bible supports the existence of them. Then again, christians pick and choose which parts of the bible to believe and what parts not to.
 
Still, it's rather refreshing to have a head of government openly declare: "I don't believe in the supernatural".
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LOL!

He also said he believes in "Lord Buddha". :rolleyes:
 
Re: Re: Thai PM publicly defies paranormalists

T'ai Chi said:

He also said he believes in "Lord Buddha". :rolleyes:
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Not exactly. He said that he believes in the preaching of "Lord Buddha". He declared allegience to what the man taught, not to the man himself.

The title "Lord" does not necessarily have anything to do with religion. In North America, when we say "Lord" we're generally talking about God or Jesus but that's not the primary meaning of the word.

So, since the title doesn't primarily indicate deity and since Buddha himself did not claim to be a god, we shouldn't leap to the conclusion that Thaksin was refering to Buddha as a god. (I don't actually know that you were making that assumption, though.)

I'm not personally awed by the teachings of Buddha but I know quite a few atheists who do appreciate them. One can be a good Buddhist without believing in God or gods. Personally, I wouldn't necessarily be troubled if my prime minister openly embraced Buddhism. For many, it's more like a philosophy than a religion.
 
Re: Re: Re: Thai PM publicly defies paranormalists

NoDeity said:

Not exactly. He said that he believes in the preaching of "Lord Buddha". He declared allegience to what the man taught, not to the man himself.
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So he believes in the preaching of Lord Buddha... OK...

I wonder if he believes in the Buddha having supernatural powers?
In the Buddha having undergone countless rebirths?
In the Buddha being holy?
In the Buddha being enlightened?
In the Buddha knowing all worlds?
In the Buddha being a teacher of Gods and men?
In the Buddha knowing the Truth?
In Buddha being able to make his body as samll as the size of an tom?
In the Buddha being able to make his body gigantic?
In the Buddha having mastery of miraculous powers?
In the Buddhist holy wars?


The title "Lord" does not necessarily have anything to do with religion. In North America, when we say "Lord" we're generally talking about God or Jesus but that's not the primary meaning of the word.
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Seems to be semantics to me.
 
[shrug] I don't know exactly what he meant when he said that he believes in what Buddha taught -- and neither do you.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Thai PM publicly defies paranormalists


So he believes in the preaching of Lord Buddha... OK...

Which one? There are many Buddha. If you want clarifications for your questions, I suggest you write the Prime Minister yourself.

He also said he believes in "Lord Buddha".

True, it is rather funny because Lord Buddha was probably a mythical figure. One person's superstition is another's religion.

For many, it's more like a philosophy than a religion.

Christians use the same argument for their religion, I see no difference in being a "philosophical" Buddhist or a "religious" Buddhist. Replace Buddhist with Christian, Muslim or other religion and I still don't see the difference.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thai PM publicly defies paranormalists

thaiboxerken said:
Christians use the same argument for their religion, I see no difference in being a "philosophical" Buddhist or a "religious" Buddhist. Replace Buddhist with Christian, Muslim or other religion and I still don't see the difference.
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Really? I've never heard Christians say that Christianity is more a philosophy than a religion but, hey, maybe you have. I'm not sure what a specifically theistic philosophy that was not a religion would look like but all sorts of thing are possible, right? I'm sure nobody would have a problem being both an atheist and a believer in the Son of God.

Buddha, on the other hand, did not claim to be a deity. I haven't tried it myself but I've been repeatedly assured by those who have that one can be both an atheist and a good Buddhist. They do have that silly business about reincarnation but you'll note that such a notion does not necessarily require god belief.

Like I said earlier, I'm not particularly attracted to Buddhism but to compare it to Christianity is just silly.
 
Re: Re: Thai PM publicly defies paranormalists

Luciana Nery said:


:cs: :j2: :fg:

Thanks for the first belly laugh of the weekend!!!
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Thank you for being someone who can appreciate the story for what it is.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thai PM publicly defies paranormalists


Really? I've never heard Christians say that Christianity is more a philosophy than a religion but, hey, maybe you have.

I have, and yes, they were wrong. They did believe in a god and all of the supernatural that came along with it. But, my point is that christians use the same argument.


Buddha, on the other hand, did not claim to be a deity.

No, but he did claim other supernatural things. It is that supernatural that makes it a religion.

I haven't tried it myself but I've been repeatedly assured by those who have that one can be both an atheist and a good Buddhist.

Yes, but you'd be an atheist that believed in the supernatural. It is a religion because of the supernatural that is contained within the belief system.

They do have that silly business about reincarnation but you'll note that such a notion does not necessarily require god belief.

Nope, but it requires a belief in the supernatural.

Like I said earlier, I'm not particularly attracted to Buddhism but to compare it to Christianity is just silly.

Not really, because while the Buddha's did not claim to be "son of god", they did claim to have some divine knowledge of the universe. Buddha is one of many religious and mythical heros that predated the Jesus stories and that the Jesus story emulates. It's very comparable because both systems contain a supernatural reward and punishment in the afterlife for deeds done during life. They both have no evidence for their supernatural assertions. Buddha is a prophet for all intents.
 
Holy ◊◊◊◊! The prime minister doesn't believe in the paranormal so we must logically conclude it's not real!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally the f**king evidence debunkers have been waiting for!

:crazy: :hit: :hit: :hit: :hit: :hit: :biggrin: :a2: :con2:
 
!Xx+-Rational-+xX! said:
Holy ◊◊◊◊! The prime minister doesn't believe in the paranormal so we must logically conclude it's not real!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally the f**king evidence debunkers have been waiting for!

:crazy: :hit: :hit: :hit: :hit: :hit: :biggrin: :a2: :con2:
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None of you are posting because you know I'm right!
 
KelvinG said:


Right about what? What's your point exactly?
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This is proof that the paranormal isn't real! Anyone who thinks otherwise is a irrational woo-woo! This is an undeniable fact that science tells us!

*goes back to plotting against crab people*

:j1: :j1: :j2: :wink8: :hit: :bgrin: :a2: :con2: :crazy:
 
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