both of you are evaluating a totally different religion based on your cultural constructs.

first of all, s/he didn't mention what tradition s/he follows. that was your first mistake. buddha is no more than a master teacher in some sects, and more "godlike" in others.

on the other hand, the conception of buddha as a spiritual figure is far more complex than the usual western dichotomy of god vs. man.

western & eastern spiritual thought are worlds away from one another, and you can't compare the two on the same philosophical terms. certain things don't translate that simply.

this is *exactly* the kind of thinking that caused europeans to run roughshod over 95% of the belief systems/religions they encountered when they started their world "exploration". yet another root of the problem you don't seem to have grasped yet.

see thich nhat hanh & get back to me: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1573225681/qid=1121459558/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/002-1433717-2637662?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

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~*~musical revolution~*~

"The world was warned about this...The CIA calls what happened in London today "blowback." It is wrong, it is heinous, it is murder plain and simple, and it was as predictable as the sun rising in the East." ~Wm Rivers Pitt