Buddhism is one of the fastest growing religions in the world and in Australia. On superficial examination one might think that the ancient religious traditions of Buddhism would conflict with the iconic Australian lifestyle, but today I will prove to you that this presumption could not be further from the truth. We define today's topic as, Buddhism, a religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama in the 6th century BCE, more, greater then, attractive, arousal to ones interest, Islam, a Semitic religion founded by Muhammad in the 6th century AD and modern Australians as the current occupants of the country of Australia. Today I shall examine the institutional and perceptual reasons why Buddhism is more attractive then Islam, and our second speaker will continue our team's case by examining the doctrinal and ethical reasons why Buddhism is more attractive then Islam. My first point tonight is that Buddhist culture is peaceful and non-dogmatic and my second point is that Buddhism projects a more popular image of itself than does Islam.
For many people Buddhism offers a powerful framework for interpreting their experience - the good times and the difficult ones - and using those experiences to develop greater clarity, understanding, contentment and openness in one's personal life. Australians have become the hardest and cheapest working force in the world. The high pace of society has seen many people suffer from stress and stress related ailments. Buddhism offers a remedy to this ailment, which is meditation. Buddhism returns control to people's life and promotes the rare commodity of solitude. The act of mediation has been proven to have a tangible effect on an individual's health and happiness. According to the SBS world almanac, practitioners of Buddhism can live on average up to 5 years more then a non Buddhist.
The Buddhist culture respects...