buddhism_in_the_21st_century unhinged especially in the west, has nothing to do with a hierarchical structure of gods, demigods, and afterlife. if you take the words of shakyamuni buddha as buddhism and leave behind cultural trappings of india 2500 years ago or the cultural trappings of the western world now, what you are left with doesn't have much to do with imaginary beings. my own personal buddhism doesn't need fact checked or approved by anyone else. but i also know how to read thanks. one doctrine of the buddha i take very seriously is not to adopt any belief until i experience it to be true. i do not have any experience of gods/goddesses let alone humans masquarading as them 120113 ... unhinged wait...I take that back. i have plenty of experience with humans that think they are such hot shit that others might as well bow down and worship their greatness. i just find that sort of behavior laughably delusional (last i checked humans with that big of superiority complexes are really afraid of not measuring up) 120113 what's it to you? who go blather from