Im pretty sure even fighting in a war at gunpoint is not a Buddhist to thing to do. Genocide definitely disqualified you. Though culturally and religious Buddhist are two different things. The Buddha basically told everyone not to worship him and make him a religious figure and every sect of Buddhism just kind of turned around and did it anyway. Their justification is “lol”. So like. I dunno. Buddhism kind of accepts that everything anyone can or will do is something they’ve done. And existence is suffering. Freeing yourself from attachment and embracing the moment with love and kindness is a person thing, and sure genociders may be cenociding other people but ultimately through a Buddhist lens they’re harming themselves and straying further from enlightenment in the here and now.
Nothing really like MATTERS for a Buddhist in the big picture sense. We live, we do things, we die, ultimately none of it comes to anything. There’s no one watching over you to punish you or praise you, and nothing for you after you die but more of this through a different lens or to finally be done with the bullshit and leave it all behind…
It’s a doctrine for being happy NOW. Follow it, don’t, ultimately you’re the only person it matters to.
There’s a way to call it out. And it isnt inciting a pitchfork waving mob.or.publicly shaming someone.
This doesn’t change peoples.opinions. it entrenches them. You know how to actually.create change in people with abhorrent opinions?
Exposure. Education (and not in a patronizing way). There’s a guy that’s been de-racisting KKK members for years, and he does it by just kind of hanging out with them.
The way people call things out gives people ammunition for their persecution complexes and makes them double down on their beliefs. It may feel good to scream “you’re a fucking homophobe” from the rafters but it makes the problem worse.
It doesnt mean someone isnt homophobic. But the aggregate of this approach is to create communities of people that cling to these ideologies like life rafts.
Like. There is no better way to ensure they never have a real interaction with a gay person than trying to have the entire internet shame them for being homophobic.
Even if this dude wakes up tomorrow and sees the error of his ways would be ever be allowed to forget the public and humiliating fashion in which it was called out?
I’ve no doubt this dude deserves to be called out for being ignorant but it also doesn’t work. Its hard to listen to opinions you know are wrong, especially when they’re based on ignorance, but the only way this guys opinion changes if he sees firsthand that gay people are just like him in every way that counts.
So if you want to call him out and publicly shame him go ahead, because he no doubt deserves it, but don’t be surprised when he just doubles down on it all.