Do All Religions Teach Their Way Is The Only Right Way?

[I Am Hugh]

I think you are missing a quirk of the English language. Not always does a word retain it's meaning when it changes type.
A religion is a slightly different thing from people who are religious, and even more different from a habit that is followed religiously.
In other words, you can't define "religion" by explaining what "religiously" means.

That's the way I see it. Religion, to me, is personally loosely defined as something of supreme importance to the individual. Religiously is repetition. So, in that you often get worldview, ideology, groupthink, tradition, culture, even politics, fashion and entertainment. Organized religion is often corrupted by power and greed because it's such a useful tool in that regard.

 

[I Am Hugh]

Non-religious people don't like my definition, because, it includes them. They don't like this.

That has been my experience as well. I don't know if it's because I'm too opinionated or it's just none of my business. Maybe both.

 

[ppp]

It depends on if they are righteous or wicked. Righteous Gentiles have a share in the world to come. That's why it is not necessary for anyone to become a Jew.

Being from the Southern US, I have an admittedly small sample set to draw from, but I have always had the impression that thoughts about the nature of an afterlife are not a priority for Jews. No?

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Being from the Southern US, I have an admittedly small sample set to draw from, but I have always had the impression that thoughts about the nature of an afterlife are not a priority for Jews. No?

The word ' afterlife ' means: being more alive after death than before death. <- That is Not a Bible teaching
Bible teaches ' resurrection ' which is different from being alive at death
God did Not resurrect Jesus the day Jesus died, rather at death Jesus went to the grave - Acts 2:27
Jesus and the OT both teach: unconscious sleep in death - Psalm 115:17; Isaiah 38:18; Ecclesiastes 9:5; John 11:11-14
In the Bible resurrection is: future - Acts 24:15 - that ' there is going to be' a resurrection........
Thus, future resurrection was the priority for the Jew's names listed in the 11th chapter of Hebrews - Hebrews 11:13,39

 

[ppp]

The word ' afterlife ' means: being more alive after death than before death. <- That is Not a Bible teaching

I don't care.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

That's the way I see it. Religion, to me, is personally loosely defined as something of supreme importance to the individual. Religious is repetition. So, in that you often get worldview, ideology, groupthink, tradition, culture, even politics, fashion and entertainment. Organized religion is often corrupted by power and greed because it's such a useful tool in that regard.

How true ^above^ even in Jesus' day ' organized religion ' was corrupted by power and greed - See Matthew chapter 23
Jesus not only pronounced many ' woes ' against those corrupted religious leaders but also gave his reasons why
The religious leaders were teaching their own customs, traditions - Matthew 15:9 - as being Scripture but were Not Scripture
Jesus stressed ' worship ' at John 4:23-24 to be based on biblical truth
Jesus believed Scripture is 'religious truth' - John 17:17 - thus Jesus based his teachings by using logical reasoning on the OT as the basis for his teachings by his reading, quoting, explaining and expounding Scripture for us

 

[URAVIP2ME]

I think only wicked enter hell.................................................................................................................................................................

Can anyone think of anyone righteous that at death went to hell ___________
I find righteous Jesus went to hell the day he died - Acts 2:27
This is because ' biblical hell ' is different from the religious-myth hell fire teaching
Biblical hell is simply mankind's temporary stone-cold temporary grave for the sleeping dead - Acts 24:15
( both Jesus and the OT teach ' sleep', Not pain, in death - Psalm 115:17; Isaiah 38:18; Ecclesiastes 9:5; John 11;11-14 )
Sleep in death until Resurrection Day ( meaning Jesus' coming Millennium-Long Day governing over Earth for a thousand years )
1st Corinthians 15:24-26
As for the wicked -> the wicked will be ' destroyed forever ' - Psalms 92:7; 104:35; 145:20; Proverbs 2:22

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Being from the Southern US, I have an admittedly small sample set to draw from, but I have always had the impression that thoughts about the nature of an afterlife are not a priority for Jews. No?

Yes, you are absolutely correct.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

Non-religious people don't like my definition, because, it includes them.

A descriptive definition of a set of things like religions should describe every element of that group while excluding nonmembers.

Pretty much everybody including the religious reject your definition of religion as "A regular practice which does not produce immediate observable benefit, but it is performed proactively with faith that it will render the desired result eventually with ... regular practice"

It's too broad for me. My definition of religion includes a supernatural element, although I am aware that some consider atheistic Buddhism, for example, a religion.

And recall that many words yield a host of metaphorical definition that are related but distinct. The most literal meaning for the word baby is a human infant. But now we apply it to other species: a baby dog (puppy), one's girlfriend, the youngest sibling at any age (she's the baby of the family), anything small (baby steps), a prized possession (that car is his baby, and he treats it so).

The word religion also has a literal definition and a family of metaphorical related second and third definitions. Your examples using the word religiously "I religiously walk to work" and "I take my medication religiously") were metaphor.

The word ' afterlife ' means: being more alive after death than before death

Not to me, and I suspect not to most people. It refers to continued conscious existence after death.

 

[dybmh]

A descriptive definition of a set of things like religions should describe every element of that group while excluding nonmembers.

Agreed.

Pretty much everybody including the religious reject your definition of religion

^^ Band-wagon fallacy. Flat-earth thinking. ^^

A sound conclusion is not a popularity contest.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

A sound conclusion is not a popularity contest.

But you don't have a sound conclusion. You don't even have an argument. You have a definition, one most people reject.

That is not analogous to flat earth thinking, which is a dispute over facts.

You agreed that, "a descriptive definition of a set of things like religions should describe every element of that group while excluding nonmembers." You never actually defined religion, just religiously, and you used a metaphorical definition of that rather than the literal one - one I described as overbroad. For that reason, your implied definition doesn't exclude non-religion, and for that reason, I can't use and don't use it.

As I said, I restrict literal religion to supernatural worldviews and practices in support of them. I'm not interested in including people who exclusively walk to work or take their medication regularly in my extension of the word religion. My definition excludes them.

 

[dybmh]

You have a definition, one most people reject.

In most cases, in their daily lives, most people reject emotionally, not rationally. Agreed? I think I've seen you write something similar? Maybe it wasn't you? Apologies if I'm remembering wrong.

 

[loverofhumanity]

I believe the spiritual teachings of all religions are true and one. It’s only the man made doctrines and social laws which differ. But spiritually they all teach virtues and good character.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

I believe the spiritual teachings of all religions are true and one. It’s only the man made doctrines and social laws which differ. But spiritually they all teach virtues and good character.

....... and including the teaching of the religious leaders of Jesus' day were not of good character or virtues
Jesus Not only pronounced many 'woes' against them but gave his reasons why in the 23rd chapter of Matthew
Man-made religious customs or traditions that our out of harmony with Christ's teachings (Matt. 15:9) were considered as not true
Jesus taught that it is Scripture that is ' religious truth ' - John 17:17

 

[URAVIP2ME]

.............................................................................................................................................
Not to me, and I suspect not to most people. It refers to continued conscious existence after death.

When you say " it " (afterlife) 'refers to continued conscious existence after death' that is the same thing that I was saying that people who believe in 'afterlife' believe they are more alive after death than before death
A lot of people think ' afterlife' means they are now death proof in another realm of existence
That is Not a Bible teaching because 'the dead know nothing' - Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalm 115:17; Isaiah 38:18; John 11:11-14
The only hope for the unconscious dead is to have a future Resurrection - Acts 24:15 - ' there will be' ( future ) a resurrection.......

 

[URAVIP2ME]

In most cases, in their daily lives, most people reject emotionally, not rationally. Agreed? ................................................

How interesting above that you bring out that most people reject emotionally..................
Yes, I can agree because a person can be so very attached to a religious custom or tradition or holiday that they emotionally reject rational reasoning to the contrary

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

When you say " it " (afterlife) 'refers to continued conscious existence after death' that is the same thing that I was saying that people who believe in 'afterlife' believe they are more alive after death than before death
A lot of people think ' afterlife' means they are now death proof in another realm of existence
That is Not a Bible teaching because 'the dead know nothing' - Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalm 115:17; Isaiah 38:18; John 11:11-14
The only hope for the unconscious dead is to have a future Resurrection - Acts 24:15 - ' there will be' ( future ) a resurrection.......

This is what you believe as a Jehovah's Witness, but I don't think you're being clear about that. The truth is, not all Christians agree with your biblical interpretation as a JW. I illustrated this in a previous response to one of your posts, but I have more examples to demonstrate my point to you again.

I posted the following links in another thread on a similar topic.

1) Who will go to heaven?

2) What happens after death?

3) What does the Bible say about death?

4) Do unbelievers immediately go to hell when they die?

5) What does it mean that the dead know nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5)?

Here is my other post for reference.

As a former Christian, street preacher, and evangelist, I can attest to the popularity of the Christian apologetic website Desiring God among evangelical Christians. I was once one, and I used this website as a resource for my daily Bible devotionals. GotQuestions.org was another Christian apologetic website that I used for biblical references when I was preparing to street preach the next day. And although I didn't necessarily agree with its Calvinistic doctrinal stance, I valued its enrichment of scriptures that I knew by heart. Therefore, I decided to share some articles from this website that, in my personal opinion, supported your statement about the common beliefs held by most Christians regarding the fate of believers and unbelievers after death. This is the same website I previously mentioned, which openly challenges the doctrinal beliefs and biblical interpretations of Jehovah's Witnesses (see my prior post here).

1) Who will go to heaven?

2) What happens after death?

3) What does the Bible say about death?

4) Do unbelievers immediately go to hell when they die?

5) What does it mean that the dead know nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5)?

 

[URAVIP2ME]

This is what you believe as a Jehovah's Witness, but I don't think you're being clear about that. The truth is, not all Christians agree with your biblical interpretation as a JW.................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Jesus did say MANY would prove false at Matthew 7:21-23, so it is No surprise about those not agreeing - www.jw.org
Since MANY would prove false then Jesus was Not looking for quantity.............
and Jesus did forewarn that his followers would be hated - Matthew 10:22; 24:9

 

[loverofhumanity]

....... and including the teaching of the religious leaders of Jesus' day were not of good character or virtues
Jesus Not only pronounced many 'woes' against them but gave his reasons why in the 23rd chapter of Matthew
Man-made religious customs or traditions that our out of harmony with Christ's teachings (Matt. 15:9) were considered as not true
Jesus taught that it is Scripture that is ' religious truth ' - John 17:17

Scripture is to me the truth not what leaders of religion teach or interpret.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Jesus did say MANY would prove false at Matthew 7:21-23, so it is No surprise about those not agreeing - www.jw.org
Since MANY would prove false then Jesus was Not looking for quantity.............
and Jesus did forewarn that his followers would be hated - Matthew 10:22; 24:9

First of all, I don't hate you, so the persecution complex you appear to have isn't necessary. Second, Christians have used the Bible for centuries to justify contradictory beliefs, including different depictions of the afterlife, conditional vs. unconditional salvation, female pastors, proper baptism, circumcision, speaking in tongues, and the alleged end-times (pretribulation, midtribulation, posttribulation, and the rapture). Many Southern Christians also used it to justify slavery during the Civil War era. Therefore, your attempts to use it to justify your beliefs as a Jehovah's Witness are nothing new. And finally, I don't believe it's your personal responsibility to determine who or who isn't a genuine Christian based on the fact that other Christians aren't JWs like you are and don't accept your churches' doctrinal beliefs and biblical interpretations. You seem to be familiar with a few Bible verses, so perhaps you've read the ones that warn against judging others. Maybe you should take these verses into consideration, since you're a professing Christian. I will ask you the same question I've asked other Christians, including JWs: How can you see the speck of dust in other people's eyes when there is a huge plank in your own eye?