i'm a Buddhist. i was born one, raise by his teachings, and i'll died one and hopefully be reborn again as one. why? because all major religion is based on one thing and that's faith. in simple terms it just means believing in something you don't truly know or fully understand but you believe in it whole heartedly. so with that being said we can skip the debate if god and/or gods exist and move on to how each religion influence you. i'm a long ways from being an expert in all religion but i do understand how most of them works through reading about them, talking with their followers, and yes even television. television is a great learn tool. what i've learn from all of these sources is that Buddhism is a religion of peace. i've never heard of any wars fought in the name of Buddha. is a religion based around knowledge. knowledge that's used to better one self and at the same time teaches never to believe that you're better then anyone else. it teaches you to care and respect those who's close to you and even your enemies. teaches you to give help to those in need no matter their background or their faith. i used the word teaches a lot is because that was who he was. i neither worship nor do i pray to Buddha because he wasn't all mighty or had any worldly powers. he was simply a man born as a king and started to question the reasons behind life. his teachings are what i follow by in life and in thus made me the man i am today.