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Originally Posted by Moonliner
I've always considered myself an Atheist. The idea that the "Universe" (aka God, Allah, Buda, etc...) gives a rats posterior about me, who I am and what I do always struck me as way way too optimistic. The universe just is.
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Just wanted to quickly clear up a misconception. Buddha isn't considered a God in the Buddhist religion. He was just an ordinary man who searched for and found enlightenment. Buddhists don't believe that he created the world or anything else for that matter, just that he was able to attain a higher existence through meditation and such and then taught his followers how to do the same. Buddhists also believe that anyone can attain the same enlightenment through devoted practice. So, in a sense, we all have the ability to be a Buddha.
There are sects of Buddhism that do believe in various gods, but generally speaking, it isn't mandatory that one believe in these gods.