Though this community is just getting started, Skeptical Buddhism has been around for a while. What's it skeptical of? Mostly that we have gained the best possible understanding of all that the Buddha taught.
Think about it: there are so many schools of Buddhism that have developed, most sharing an initial understanding of the basics like the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, but once each begins explaining the meaning of these, understanding diverges. Is it that "All life is suffering" or that in too many cases we add suffering to life by clinging to what we mistake as necessary for our happiness? Begin to let go of that clinging and life clearly is not all suffering.
Given that the different traditions interpret the Buddha's lessons different ways, it's certain we've yet to understand fully what he was trying to tell us. None of us have perfect understanding. But for the first time in history all the earliest texts passed on to us are available to anyone, as well as terrific tools for improving translations. Adding to that, we have increasing understanding of the culture the Buddha grew up and taught in, helping us to understand why he worded his lessons the way he did.
Evidence turned up in that kind of research suggests that the Buddha built his lessons to work for both those who believe in rebirth, and those whose critical thinking skills inspire them to recognize that for non-believers, belief in rebirth is a speculative view. It seems increasingly likely they work for both because he designed his teachings that way.
If we gather as a supportive community, with each contributing whatever skills they prefer to use, whether it's translating suttas or supporting others in their practice or moderating a discord server, or whatever else you can imagine, we can build on already-existing research to get a better understanding of what the Buddha taught, and how to put it into practice.
Hoping you'll join us as we grow and help each other develop understanding and deepen our practice.
