Fox News personality Gretchen Carlson objected to the inclusion of a Buddhist nun -- Her Eminence Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche -- at this Sunday morning's September 11 memorial service in Washington. In fact, Ms. Carlson had not known there was such a thing as Buddhist nuns.
Ms. Carlson's gripe is that Southern Baptists were not included in the Sunday morning service. I believe Christianity is represented only by an Episcopal priest, the Bishop of Washington. However, the Sunday service is the culmination of a three-day event that begins today and includes many more Christians.
Here are some of Ms. Carlson's remarks from the September 7 broadcast of Fox News's "Fox & Friends":
CARLSON: It's going to have an interfaith prayer vigil from all denominations, really. We were talking about this earlier. We're going to have a Buddhist nun, which we didn't even know existed.
... They're going to - it's going to feature the Dean of the Cathedral, the bishop of Washington, a Rabbi, a Buddhist nun, an incarnate lama and a -- a Hindu priest--
KILMEADE: An incarnate lama?
DOOCY: Yeah. The president of the Islamic Society of North America and a Muslim musician. So you got to figure they were just probably checking things off, you know, a list. OK, we've got some Christians, we've got this, we've got that.
KILMEADE: Well, what didn't they check?
DOOCY: Well there is, I don't think, I don't think there is a Catholic involved there. And, so - but there are Christians.
KILMEADE: But maybe the Muslim musician can play a Catholic song.
DOOCY: Maybe. So, anyway, the Southern Baptists are saying, why are we not included? And they're hoping that the president won't show up.
CARLSON: Does this talk a little bit too much about political correctness in our society? Sorry. I'm just going to say it. I mean, if you're going to include all these really sort of fringe groups, I don't know how many Buddhist nuns are in the United States, but I know one thing for sure, there are more Baptists than there are Buddhist nuns. So if you're really going to try and be inclusive for everyone and abide by this whole PC culture that we live in now, you would think that you would include a big population of our country.
KILMEADE: Right. I think you could fit all the Buddhist nuns in our country in a phone booth, should we have them.
This brilliant crew went on to decide there may still be phone booths in Britain.
Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche is both the Tibetan Buddhist nun and the incarnate lama mentioned by Ms. Carlson. She is recognized as a master of the Mindrolling lineage of Nyingmapa and as a tulku of the Kagyu school. She has been teaching in North America, Europe and Asia for nearly two decades and has founded several charma centers and charities. She was recently profiled in Time magazine.
Wow! This is just a tragic conversation. It is sad to me that the media, on both sides of the fence, claim to be so open and informative but remain so ignorant.
such a ridiculous exchange. BTW mr. doocy who do you think the Bishop of Washington is?….Does this program have any intelligent life forms like dogs or guinea pigs or rats? Anything that might actually THINK before opening it mouth.
It only goes to show just how much these Glossy Talk Fest Shows are controlled by their masters. The main stream media does as told and prints, broadcasts, the “Truth” as it wants it seen. The Personality who does the Presentation for the Master is only displaying the limits of their own knowledge when not reading from an idiot board. It is a mistake to interpret presentation and attitude for intelligence and knowledge. The idea of the Honest Free Lance Reporter has long gone and that quality of Honest Debate has been shackled by the Almighty Dollar. One can only give them a place in their prays and thoughts that they also will one day be enlightened. Honesty, Loyalty, and Integrity, are qualities that the Main Stream Media expect others to beholden to. For if they are not then they then are in competition with those who display ignorance.
And there may well be as many Buddhist nuns in this country – these days – as there are Catholic or other Christian nuns…
And there may well be as many Buddhist nuns in this country – these days – as there are Catholic or other Christian nuns…
I never knew until a few years ago – obviously I never had the need to know – that there are Episcopal nuns too.
I’d bet there’s many more Buddhist nuns than Episcopal nuns…just counting those that live communally.
i am not surprise by the avoidance of Right Speech in this gathering of valid living beings. It is sad to think that, for the greedy maintaining of illusory ratings, slander, harshness, idle chatter, and lying are constantly practiced. All of us should use our compassion and lovingkindness to wish the best for these fellow sufferers and hope that they will stop adding fuel to the fire of suffering. Couldn’t hurt!
MS. CARLSON AND OTHERS LIKE HER ARE WHY FOX NEWS IS THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE NEWS INDUSTRY.
BUDDHISTS EVERYWHERE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL CARLSON DIDN’T REFER TO US AS A CULT OR GROUP OF ATHEIST’S.
FOX NEWS, PLEASE HIRING PEOPLE LIKE CARLSON SO YO TOO CAN GET THE REPUTATION MAD MAGAZINE GETS. THEY EVEN HAVE THEIR OWN CARTOON SERIES.
The joking disdain for “political correctness” belies the fact that America is and always has been a multicultural nation. This country was built on the backs of many different races and religions. It’s sad to see that there are those who believe only Christians are the true representatives of 9/11 and its victims. Just as it is sad to see them celebrate violence and death in the name of peace, even when it may be justified.
It is amazing that Gretchen Carlson is still on the air. But it is FOX network. That is why I have not had cable TV for almost a year. It still amazes me the things people believe just because it was on TV. It is sad that an educated person on TV has no clue about the real world around them. Or at least should research a bit before going on the air and opening their mouth. The IQ drops. Buddhist Nuns are keeping the traditions going in some areas. Wonderful teachers…
all i can say is wow
This is fox ( the main propaganda arm of the american right ), carlson whines about an imaginary war on christmas every december and Kilmead is the rocket against that likes to point out that while not all muslims are terrorists, all terrorists are muslim. So yeah, I would not expect much from them.
There is a good article about this in Friday’s NYT – as I read between the lines it seems to me that the Southern Baptists want to be treated like a completely separate religion – not lumped in with Christians at all. Maybe they ARE a separate religion – certainly some of their arguments and positions sound more like Old Testament extremism than New Testament tolerance and forgiveness to me. I doubt Jesus would see them as Christians. (Of course I have no way of actually knowing how he would view them – I’m not claiming he spoke to me or anything!)
Rich — is this the article? Poor Mayor Bloomberg is in a pickle, I think. They’re trashing him for not having any clergy speak at the New York service, but after last year’s stupid flap over the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque,” I don’t blame him. In New York, you’d have to include Muslim clergy as well as Jewish and Christian, at least. or the Mayor would get hit from complaints from the other side. But if you include an imam, the Hate Brigade might try to take over lower Manhattan to protest, as they tried to do last year. Leaving out clergy altogether probably was the safest way to go.
I’d also say to the Christians criticizing Mayor Bloomberg — How many of you slam him every year for dedicating the Rockefeller Center holiday tree instead of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree? Without noticing the guy’s name is Bloomberg? Hello? He doesn’t exactly owe you any favors.
It’s not that Southern Baptists want to be “not lumped in with Christians at all.” Rather, as far as they’re concerned, they’re the only true Christians.
Leave it to the Faux News people to look for a fight in day of remembrance. That’s why I never waste a second of my time with the Faux News channel. Wow, a “reporter” who didn’t even know Buddhist nuns existed, pretty much says it all about them.
“That’s why I never waste a second of my time with the Faux News channel.”
Ditto. A sangha friend recently described her reason for almost never reading popular magazines by saying: “Why would I spend my time reading about other people’s defilements, when I have more than enough of my own to be worrying about?!”
I guess it’s a matter of choosing one’s “battles” — I prefer engaging with folks who I might actually be able to have a conversation with.
Many Christians are still ignorant and arrogant. They have no idea about the fact that Buddhism by nature is a very philosophical world view and is not just a belief in a fairy tale like the Abrahamic religions. Some of them would even say that Buddhism is a religion of Satan..They conveniently forget that Satan is a Christian and is not relevant to any non-Christian. To get excited about Santa Claus and to be scared to death of Satan is like to think that Spiderman and Superman are real.
It is FOX News after all. Are you really surprised? Unless you want to use as it as means of working with your anger and developing compassion I’d advise not watching this channel ;o)
People forget that Ms. Carlson is not only a former Miss America but a classical violinist and Rhoades scholar as well; she is neither stupid nor naive but gets paid big money to play Crissy on the couch between Larry & Mr. Furley. I suspect that what she said was probably scripted by Roger Ailes to promote one of his infamous fake ‘controversies’ to distract people from remembering that 9/11 happened because a Republican administration failed to do its job.
such a ridiculous exchange. BTW mr. doocy who do you think the Bishop of Washington is?….Does this program have any intelligent life forms like dogs or guinea pigs or rats? Anything that might actually THINK before opening it mouth.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! good one sir!
these media people at FOX are soooo ignorant, they stink of laugh!
I love how they say, “I don’t think there is a Catholic involved there. And, so – but there are Christians” as if Catholics AREN’T also Christian. Protestantism is a Branch of Christianity – just like Catholicism and other sects. Christianity is NOT just Protestantism, but some unenlightened souls don’t even know this. I once had a Born-Again Christian co-worker tell me that “we confess our sins to God, you [Catholics] confess to the Pope.” I was like, “really? you really think we are all flying out & meeting with the Pope in Rome regularly to confess our sins?” Christianity is the umbrella, Protestantism, Catholicism and other sects fall under it. It’s unbelievable that some don’t even know they are brothers and sisters in faith.
hehehe…funny post.
There are more ants in America than Baptists. Where’s the ceremonial ant?