Since definition 3., which would allow not only football, as in the OALD's example, but literally anything, fashion and chocolate, for example, to be religions, is far too inclusive to be useful, we can reject it. This rejection leaves two definitions, both of which involve gods. Since Buddhism does not necessarily entail any belief in or worship of gods, it would seem that it really isn't a religion, and that those who voted against its being listed as a religion in class yesterday are right.
Are they right? Is Buddhism really not a religion? Who is wrong: the Thai government, which thinks Buddhism is a religion, or the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, which apparently thinks that Buddhism is not a religion?
And it gets weirder because the OALD's single definition for Buddhism explicitly says that it is a religion: "an Asian religion based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama (or Buddha)" (Buddhism, 2011).
Perhaps the OALD is psychotic? It certainly seems to need some help. Can you help this esteemed dictionary?
__________
References
religion, noun. (2011). Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved August 17, 2011 from http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/religion
In my opinion, languages can't mean exactly the same definition. Some can be, but some just close. The real definition base on cultures and tradition. Like the word "Religion", we Thai, realize that Buddhism is our religion.
ReplyDeleteSo, Golf, what does the word religion mean?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the "real definition"?
In this case, I tink the problem comes from "translation". In Thai, the translation of religion is "sad-sa-na" but I think when Thai people think about the word "sad-sa-na", it differs from when westerner think about the word "religion". They are quite close but not 100% similar.
ReplyDeleteIf you ask Thai people, I believe 100% of people will answer you that Buddhism is sad-sa-na. There is god or not does not matter for "sad-sa-na".
As i said, language is culture, each group of people creates the meaning of each word differently according to their own interpretation. Even in the same country, people from different levels may explain the meaning of each word distinctly.
So, Rian, what is your definition of religion?
ReplyDeleteWhat is your definition of sad-sa-na?
Is Christianity an example of sad-sa-na, or only of religion?
____________
I like Rian's thoughtful comment about the variation, and disagreements, that exist even with the same country about what a word means. And suggests that some definitions might be more useful or otherwise better than others - and the result of these sorts of discussions matter a lot. For example, the meaning of the words event and occurrence were worth billions of dollars after the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York's World Trade Centre (Peter, 2011).
References
Peter. (2011, march 14). What does it mean: II - a real and controversial example = 9/11 terrorism insurance. Class Blog - AEP at AUA. Retrieved August 17, 2011 from http://peteraep.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-does-it-mean-ii-real-and.html
For me, Buddha used to be a god before he reincarnate in the human world. So could you call him a god? and then Buddhism is a religion..:)
ReplyDeleteTang's solution (August 17, 2011 9:18 PM) would allow that Buddhism is a religion under a definition of religion that requires at least one god or other supernatural being of some sort.
ReplyDeleteBut for those who think that Buddha is/was not a god, is Buddhism a religion?
We can safely ignore for this discussion the question of how reasonable it might be to believe that any god ever actually existed.
But perhaps it is relevant to ask what exactly a god or any other type of supernatural being is. That is, how are we to define the terms god and supernatural being?