Other World Faiths

[paradox3]

How much do you know about the other faiths of the world?

Ramadan will begin either today or tomorrow depending on the sighting of the moon. I know very little about Islam. But I am aware it has common roots with Judaism and Christianity.

I learned this from a patient who told me he was haji. He asked me if I knew what that meant. Since haj and haji are such great Scrabble words, I knew that he had made a pilgrimage to Mecca. We had a very interesting conversation.

After Christianity, the two faiths I know the most about are Judaism and Unitarian Universalism.

 

[Luce NDs]

How much do you know about the other faiths of the world?

Ramadan will begin either today or tomorrow depending on the sighting of the moon. I know very little about Islam. But I am aware it has common roots with Judaism and Christianity.

I learned this from a patient who told me he was haji. He asked me if I knew what that meant. Since haj and haji are such great Scrabble words, I knew that he had made a pilgrimage to Mecca. We had a very interesting conversation.

After Christianity, the two faiths I know the most about are Judaism and Unitarian Universalism.

A broader knowledge of the MOG enigma is often avoided ... often appears as an unseen lass-OH! More to extirpate ... don't destroy it as there could be something tuit as inner myth ... not inert!

 

[Mendalla]

I was fascinated by religion as a student (still am, I guess) so took a lot of religious studies electives in university including semester courses on Hinduism and Islam. Of course, when I took the latter, I never expected to have Muslims in the family as I do now. So I am certainly learning more on that front. But I would say that I am most familiar with and knowledgeable about Protestant Christianity and UUism since those are the ones I have followed in my life.

 

[Luce NDs]

Muse Lem is a mysterious fabrication ... generation? Heart-sol fuse 'n ... something will wilt in the occasion when heat Eris Cis ... all in the head-m'n ...

 

[paradox3]

If we subdivide Christianity, I know the most about mainstream, liberal Protestantism. But I have known many Catholics and have discussed matters of faith with some of them.

Evangelical Christianity I have learned about mostly on WC and WC2. I even agree with them on occasion

I admire their commitment and level of biblical knowledge

 

[Luce NDs]

Christianity contains the four winds and it is sacred, hidden, thus gnostic ... quality! One must gather to get a grip ... Eccles? Some with that ro' EL touch will burn ... rule 'n power in some visions ... Ava 'r Ice ... uncivilized! There much conflict about destroying the entire thing if their way is not imposed ... thus the come down! Decent ... Koin exposed in The Four Winds ... it' seductive ... Monah!

 

[Pavlos Maros]

I was brought up without a religion so was interested with what religion was and why it influenced people, mainly because most of my friends were religious. Thus I went through a whole litany of religious studies of different religions from the age of ten, The Bhagavata, the Qu'ran, Judaism, Christianity, Sikhism, etc etc. Trying to find out the reasoning behind them, yet I found no good reason for any of them. They all have no reasonable basis for any of there claims. You could simply say they are based on lies, though the original liars are now long dead. Or they are simply stories that have been mistaken for a truth. Because they sound good. Most religious people are however very nice people. They do however have some underlying biases, sometimes unknown to them, until a situation causes the bias to rear it's ugly head. As long as religious adherents don't harm anyone they can carry on as they are, and most do, luckily.

 

[paradox3]

Folks with a secular upbringing sometimes become religious later in life but this doesn't seem to be the norm. Sometimes religion will interest them from an academic or cultural point of view. In many cases it holds no appeal whatsoever.

Desmond Tutu wrote:
"Accidents of birth and geography determine to a very large extent to what faith we belong." I believe this to be so.

There is more to a life of faith than holding certain beliefs. It is also about culture and belonging to a community.

In my opinion, the Christian scriptures are a combination of poetry, history and mythology. Other world faiths are likely the same. But I am not familiar enough with anyone else's holy books to say for certain.

 

[Mendalla]

Folks with a secular upbringing sometimes become religious later in life but this doesn't seem to be the norm.

The same could be said from the other direction, too.

While I no longer am part of any faith group or religion, I do find my interest in religion is not just academic (but there is a strong element of that), but also spiritual. I am looking for something, as it were. That was true in my UU years, too, of course. Really, I haven't held a traditional faith in God since probably my late teens.

 

[Pavlos Maros]

In my opinion, the Christian scriptures are a combination of poetry, history and mythology. Other world faiths are likely the same.

They are, and a huge amount of sheer fantasy too.

 

[Pavlos Maros]

The same could be said from the other direction, too.

While I no longer am part of any faith group or religion, I do find my interest in religion is not just academic (but there is a strong element of that), but also spiritual.

Spirituality and religion are not the same thing. You can be spiritual without having a belief in a god. However that still doesn't mean that being spiritual is a reasonable stance. However I would say a better one, because it is personal, rather than subject to dogma. You are only a rule unto yourself.

 

[paradox3]

Not too long ago, I was considering identifying as a Christian agnostic or an agnostic Christian. I have settled on Christian with agnostic leanings.

I just don't see how we can know anything about God with absolute certainty.

These days I am leaning towards God being within us but of course this, too, can mean a variety of things.

For now this is where I am resting. Along with being convinced that the One we follow is worth following.

 

[Mendalla]

Spirituality and religion are not the same thing. You can be spiritual without having a belief in a god. However that still doesn't mean that being spiritual is a reasonable stance. However I would say a better one, because it is personal, rather than subject to dogma. You are only a rule unto yourself.

The two do go hand-in-hand for many people, though, even though they do not have to. And some non-theistic beliefs like pantheism (devotion to the universe as a sacred thing) are definitely both spiritual and religious so there's no need for a personal, transcendent "God" to be religious, either. The Venn diagram for the two has a strong overlap, in other words. I am probably spiritual but not religious in my current outlook but have been spiritual and religious at other times.

Not too long ago, I was considering identifying as a Christian agnostic or an agnostic Christian. I have settled on Christian with agnostic leanings.

I just don't see how we can know anything about God with absolute certainty.

Been there, done that on the first. And heartily second the rest.

 

[paradox3]

A pet peeve of mine is when pantheism is considered "non-thestic".

Although it does not equate to classical supernatural theism, it is a theism of a different sort.

We have Bishop Spong to thank for the idea of a "theistic God".

Both of these concepts have led to no end of difficulty in discussing religious ideas.

 

[Mendalla]

A pet peeve of mine is when pantheism is considered "non-thestic".

It often is, though, if by theistic one means believing in a personal god, which is how most people define "theistic" today. Outside of paganism, most modern pantheists I have come across are quite clear that they do not believe in the universe as a personal deity. On a purely technical level, it might still be theistic but so many people assume that "theist" = "believes in personal deity/ies", that I think that qualification becomes necessary.

 

[paradox3]

Theism doesn't necessarily mean a personal God though. Or at least I don't think so.

Can't say I have ever met a pantheist face to face. What do they mean by pantheism? Do they simply mean all creation is sacred or holy?

 

[paradox3]

So maybe language is evolving and theism now means a personal, intervening God?

What about deism? I understand this is a God who began everything in creation but is now hands off.

 

[paradox3]

And then we have the panentheists who say God is in all things To these folks, God is persuasive rather than interventionist.

Although I recall us discussing whether this is intervention of a different sort. Perhaps callng us to righteousness etc. rather than pulling the puppet strings.

 

[GordW]

And then we have the panentheists who say God is in all things To these folks, God is persuasive rather than interventionist.

Although I recall us discussing whether this is intervention of a different sort. Perhaps callng us to righteousness etc. rather than pulling the puppet strings.

AS I understand it panentheism says that all things are in God, not that God is in all things. Which reminds me both of Tillich's "the ground of all being" and Paul's "the GOd in who we live and move and have our being"

 

[Mendalla]

So maybe language is evolving and theism now means a personal, intervening God?

That seems to be where we are at for better or worse. Certainly, most people will assume that if you say you are a "theist" that's what you mean.

What about deism?

Deism is an actual, philosophical idea so the meaning remains unchanged. I doubt that most people today outside of those interested in this stuff would know the term anyhow.

AS I understand it panentheism says that all things are in God, not that God is in all things.

The literal Greek translation is "All in God". That said, there is nothing to say that you couldn't have all in God AND God in all, which would still be panentheism and I know some panentheists lean that way. But out of box, panentheism is, as you way, all things are in God. Basically, pantheism proposes a God who is entirely immanent (might transcend us as individuals, but not the universe as a whole), while panentheism has more of a balance between transcendence and immanence.