beaner is offline beaner Post #11  July 23,2010, 4:49pm
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I have studied pretty much every world religion because I really like the subject of religion. People's spiritual journeys are the most important journeys we make in life in my opinion.

It's very difficult to determine what impact this has had because I can't go back and take away my knowledge and experience to see how my faith would be different. In other words, this wasn't a controlled study. I am definitely not a typical Roman Catholic, though that is my birth and chosen religion.
 
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Wootz is offline Wootz Post #12  July 23,2010, 6:24pm
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Religions, eh? I don’t know much…

It wouldn’t be quite true to say I know bupkis about religions, but of details I know very little, in the great scheme of things. Of certain religious folk, I know rather more. *grin*

I was born into a backwoods Christian family- that is to say, my parents believe quite strongly, but do not attend any church regularly. Faith is a private thing to most of us. I was raised Catholic for several years, until the clergy kicked me out. I learned a bit of Latin and some French when I was four, back then.

Throughout the rest of my life I learned that Greek Orthodox folks throw one heck of a party, and cook some of the best food I have ever had the privilege to consume. Roman Catholics have awesome churches, and the nuns tend to be really nice (once you are a grown up, that is *grin*). I’ve met snake handlers whose faith I really don’t have a name for, lots and lots of Baptists who mourn for our society’s morals but tell really good jokes, I went to a Methodist church for a while when I was in my late teens and learned some new details about finance from the Sunday school teachers… There are some Lutherans I’ve met who are some of the most dependable folks to work with, and of course we’ve got the local Amish, who make excellent breads and smile a lot (they take good care of their horses, too).

Of the non-Christian faiths, I’ve known a few Wiccans who were fascinating to listen to, the Muslim Student Union in college who always seemed to be pretty decent people, the Buddhists who taught me Tai Chi (very calm, but quirky sense of humor), the Hindu whom I never really understood (accent differences), and so on…

While I can’t say specifics about any particular religion, I do have *opinions* that I’ve grown like cheese mold over the years. *grin*

One: There is nothing wrong with respecting another’s given faith. On the flip side, I believe those who actually enjoy having someone assault or belittle their sacred beliefs are very few.

Two: People who persist in trying to change my mind (or other people’s) and forcefully persuade me to believe as they do are best avoided. On the other side, those who entice me to think critically for myself are worth listening to.

Three: Religions practiced in the South are inextricably tied to feeding people. Basically, if there is a church, mosque, temple, sacred grove, or holy tree around, then eventually somebody’s going to organize a potluck and invite the neighborhood. *grin*

Four: Generalizations tend to be pretty bad. *grin* Just because one guy I meet from the Fundamentalist Church of the Big Flat Rock called me a nasty name doesn’t mean they are all potty mouths…

And Five: It seems like no matter what faith (or lack thereof) a person has, most people need *something* to believe in. Whether that is another person, politics, the Bible, the Vedas, the mostly predictable laws and theories of science, or the ice cream truck, that belief is important enough to raise it to a level above the mundane. I don’t have any absolute answers as to why this is or what it might mean. But humanity exhibits a strong tendency towards this sort of behavior.

Mostly, though, I tend to take people as they are. Religions can be fascinating concepts of study. To the scholar, they might illuminate the depths of the human psyche, societal trends, or some other Deep Thought. *grin* But I’ve got no wisdom to share for y’all here, these are just the vagaries of a rather odd mind…
 
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acelticsteve is offline acelticsteve Post #13  August 9,2010, 11:39am

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I would like to take a look at some of the other world religons but what I have seen I would not traid Jesus for any of them. To me to change from christian to muslim would be to change to a god who tells his follower "if you fight for me I will fight for you" from a God who said "while we were yet sinners Christ dided for me" and Here is love not that he loved us but becuse He first loved us." These other guys want me to give them the world and but have done nothing for me why sould I follow them? Religons fall into two catagories one if I follow a bunch of rules (I think Budism has 200) I might be acceptable. To Christ He knows that I can not follow all that junk and payed the debt for my failing and what I have to do is to is to admit to thoes failings and reach out and take the free guift.
 
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lunabeach is offline lunabeach Post #14  August 9,2010, 12:06pm
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A few years ago I took a world religion course and loved it. I grew up in the Catholic church then a non-denominational Christian one before becoming rather irreligious at 16 (and now consider myself Christian b/c of my background, but definitely more spiritual than religious).

We studied EVERYTHING and the professor asked students of different backgrounds to share - a Chinese student talked us through ancestor worship and holiday celebrations, for example.

A few of my friends are Muslim (one devout), so I borrowed hijab and attended a mosque. One of the women was kind enough to sit and answer questions for me afterward, and I learned all about HER particular take on Islam.

What I've learned:
1) All religions overlap in some way. At the most basic, they provide rules to maintain order.
2) Even within a particular sect/denomination, there are many, many different views as to what a particular religion is about or means (for example, some women find wearing hijab to be a very feminist decision - they cover their bodies and hair because they want to be seen as more than their physical appearance. For other women, it's a decision based on family/their interpretation of what it is to be a Muslim woman).
3) There is something to be learned from every religion - and studying them is the best way to deepen your own understanding and faith.

Edit to say: Wootz, I agree - there is definitely a link for most people between having a belief/faith in something and satisfaction in life. Maybe it completes a tier of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, either self-actualization or esteem? There's also a sense of community in having a belief shared by others.
Last edited by lunabeach; August 9,2010 at 12:23pm.
 
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Faira is offline Faira Post #15  August 9,2010, 12:12pm
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To acelticsteve:

You don't have to want to change your religion to learn about others.

Some of the things that you've said about other religions in your post aren't correct; don't throw out learning about other religions based on what you *think* you know, or out of fear that by learning you have to convert. That simply isn't true.

Learning about other religions from reputable sources who are going to give you the right information may help you to understand more of what it going on in the world, and maybe even more about people you interact with in your life. It's worth doing.
 
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justme27 is offline justme27 Post #16  August 9,2010, 3:17pm
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Hmmmm, I've studied Eastern Religions mainly Buddhism and Taoism in college. In terms of Hinduism, there is literally not one practicing Hindu I have met who was not really mellow and friendly. Other Christian denominations, I've never studied. But that is mainly because our church had an ecumenical and I went and was weirded out by the whole thing.

So yah, I'm pretty happy to be Catholic and remain Catholic.
 
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RoxyRedhead is offline RoxyRedhead Post #17  August 9,2010, 7:40pm
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I was raised Mormon but escaped in my late teens.

Spent many years as agnostic, pagan, sensitive new age etc. About 30 years ago I began to study Buddhas teachings and realized that this was something I could relate to.

Actually any person can be Buddhist and what ever religion they practice without conflict. Buddhist ms more a philosophy of life than an actual religion, however it's usually considered religion by non Buddhist people.
 
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acelticsteve is offline acelticsteve Post #18  August 11,2010, 12:51pm

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Faira wrote :
To acelticsteve:

You don't have to want to change your religion to learn about others.

Some of the things that you've said about other religions in your post aren't correct; don't throw out learning about other religions based on what you *think* you know, or out of fear that by learning you have to convert. That simply isn't true.

Learning about other religions from reputable sources who are going to give you the right information may help you to understand more of what it going on in the world, and maybe even more about people you interact with in your life. It's worth doing.
You are right and I do agree with much of what you say. I feel that if you want to know go to the sorce. The reason that I never took a corse in compairative religons is that they never seem to get it right about my religon, how can trust them to get it right about others? I have seen so often even christian teachers get it wrong when talking about Budism ect. Also if I were to sit down with a Budist I would want to know what he believes. Just becuse some collage professer said this is what Budist believe man not be what that indivual believes.
It is important to me to know some thing about this becuse I love Jesus so much that I want to tell every one about it and every major and many minor ones are represented in this country. Most of our laws are based on JUdism and Christianty and there many people who do not thinnnk in thoese turms.
 
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Chris6592 is offline Chris6592 Post #19  August 12,2010, 12:20pm
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I agree to learn about a different religion the only source that can give you really good information is a member of that religion not someone else. for example im a pagan but when i tell people im pagan they always jump to the conclusion that my religion is like wicca when its barely alike because thats the most popular pagan religion and they just generalize us all as wiccans and though i respect wicca i wish people would give the rest of us a chance and ask questions before grouping us together
 
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acelticsteve is offline acelticsteve Post #20  August 12,2010, 7:35pm

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as breafly as posable couold you explain what a pegen is? Most of my life I have heard the turm toused about like the Islamics use the word infidel but never defined.
 
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