Is it going to be more peaceful now?
Is it going to be more peaceful now?
polticus wrote:
Is it going to be more peaceful now?
remain the overwhelming majority
Were they sworn in using Thomas Jefferson's prayer wheel?
perhaps they can set the gov't on the eightfold path.
On the other side, Steven Seagal is a buddhist and beats up people all the time.
January 2, 2007, 4:33 pm NYTimes
A Congressman, a Muslim and a Buddhist Walk Into a Bar…
By Sarah Wheaton
With all the uproar over the decision by Representative-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to serve in Congress, to swear-in using the Koran, we’ve neglected the fact that another faith is making its first showing in the Capitol with not one but two freshmen.
But first, we’d like to alert you to an inaccuracy in the above sentence to underscore a point that’s been lost in the din. Mr. Ellison is not swearing in on the Koran. And no incoming members of Congress swear in on the Bible. Everyone is sworn in together during a private ceremony without any religious text. It’s only during a ceremonial photo-op that a book may be brought out. Representative Bill Pascrell, a New Jersey Democrat, chided Representative Virgil Goode for perpetuating the common misunderstanding in a letter to his constituents that in turn criticized Mr. Ellison.
But anyway, two Buddhists will be sworn in on Thursday, and we asked them what they plan to use for the ceremonial event.
Representative-elect Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat who ousted Representative Cynthia McKinney in the Democratic primary, became a Buddhist decades ago, though his family does not share that faith. A spokesperson said that Mr. Johnson plans to use a Bible, citing tradition.
Besides, there is no book in Buddhism that’s equivalent to the Bible or the Koran, said Representative-elect Mazie Hirono, a Hawaii Democrat. She said she probably would not use any book, but that in the past, when she was sworn in as lieutenant governor, she used a friend’s family Bible.
Ms. Hirono does not practice daily, but she is influenced by Buddhist values. It is “characteristic of Buddhism that there is respect and tolerance for other religions,” she said.