There are 152 000 Buddhists in England & Wales, 0.3% of the population
It is a well-liked and respected religion; many attend Buddhist retreats, meditation centres and classes, and western Buddhist communities nearly all run such events for the general public. But many who put "Buddhist" on the census were those who have merely attended some of these and who have an interest, but are not committed Buddhists.
William James says that Buddhism, like Christianity, is more "complete" than many other religions because it has attempted complex explanations of why suffering exists. See "The Varieties of Religious Experience" by William James (1902) [Book Review].
The Ethic of Reciprocity appears in many religions. Buddha said 'Let a man overcome anger by kindness, evil by good' - it is the same rule later adopted by Christians as their Golden Rule, by Pagans as the Wiccan Rede and by many others. "Ethics Of Reciprocity like the Golden Rule and the Wiccan Rede Do Not Work" by Vexen Crabtree (2001).
The Buddhist Emperor Wang Mang was 'probably the first recorded ruler to abolish the slave trade' on "Traditional Religions and Abolition of the Slave Trade" by Vexen Crabtree (2003)
By Vexen Crabtree 2005 Jan 06
http://www.humanreligions.info/buddhism.html
Conze, Edward
Buddhist Scriptures (1959). Penguin Books.
Erricker, Clive
Buddhism (1995). Published as part of the TeachYourself Books series.
Humphreys, Christmas
Buddhism (1954). Christmas was President of the Buddhist Society, London, from its foundation in 1924 until its Silver Jubilee.
James, William
The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902). From the Gifford Lectures delivered at Edinburgh 1901-1902, first Edition printed 1960. Quotes from fifth edition, 1971, Collins. [Book Review]
Jones, Ken
The Social Face of Buddhism (1989). Published by Wisdom Publications, London, UK.
LaVey, Anton. (1930-1997)
The Satanic Bible (1969). Published by Avon Books Inc, New York, USA. Anton LaVey founded the Church of Satan in 1966.
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