I know you are a Chrisitan i the traditional sense- much of this has a Hindu flavor...how does this sit with you?

Wow. Fascinating.

I didn't say I was looking for God, though. I'm fascinated by an entire range of possibilities that people have invested their lives in. I applaud the Buddhist who gave up his wealth for a simple life. My question is, why could he not have chosen the simple life and all the beauty and wonder that must bring without subscribing to a particular faith or religion? In modern America, Christianity seems to have switched from a wholesome belief system for the masses based on a stack of incontrovertible truths, to a cult based on fear and vile opposition to anyone who doesn't fully concede or commit to the Christian viewpoint. There is more hate rooted in Christianity now than ever before. Why did the Buddhist not live a life free of such burdensome dilemmas, I wonder?