Do you think all religions lead to God?

[Prometheus]

What do you mean the bible is clear on that much? Elaborate

You know as well as I do Jesus is the only way to the Father.

 

[JayHawes]

You know as well as I do Jesus is the only way to the Father.

Well i had no idea you agreed with the Bible oin that account. ....but we are in agreement.

Scripture covers the concept concerning the question, is there mre than one God.

Mr 12:32And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:



And again. I want to make clear that Allah is not Yahweh, their characters and being are so contradictory. I qoute: "that claim that "Christians and Muslims worship the same God if not false, then certainly simplistic and one-sided."

It all goes back to Abraham. Either as Jews record, Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation (and though his faith is never mentioned) he was most likely jewish in his religious nature, or either as the Muslims say, Abraham was the first Muslim (of course this is a lie- Islam didn't exist until around 600 A.D.) Either Muslims or Jews are telling the truth....which?

 

[Prometheus]

Well i had no idea you agreed with the Bible oin that account. ....but we are in agreement.

I don't agree with the Bible. I only know what it says.

 

[Sunstone]

I don't really see how that is functionally different from what I suggested.

I took your suggestion that we could go to some location where the breeze is more likely than others to imply that we could leave the "house" in the metaphor. But, in Krishnamurti's metaphor, the "house" cannot be left. All that can be done to feel the breeze is either open the windows or leave the windows open. One cannot travel outside the house.

I asked what if there are some locations where a breeze is more likely than others? I don't think that any religion can guarantee that it will produce a breeze. But some may take you to a place where the probability of experiencing a breeze is greater when practiced. And some may take you to a place where the probability less when practiced. Either way, a religion could not guarantee experience of God. Nor would any preclude it. Yet, it still would be the case that some religions are better than others (assuming that one wants the breeze). And it still would be the case that practicing the "right" religion would be "statistically" preferable to not practicing any at all.

Why not just point out that some religions do a better job at either opening the windows or leaving the windows open? Or that other religions might actually close the windows, in part or entirely. Saying something along those lines conveys the same point your making --- but without over extending the metaphor.

Having said that, I would still take issue -- no matter what metaphor you use to describe it -- with the notion that practicing the "right" religion is statistically preferable to not practicing any at all. Neither you nor I know that to be the case. Your speculating.

 

[Azakel]

Yes I believe that all religions can lead to God(what ever he truly be), but I believe that all the other "Gods" are like Kami(Japanese for Spirit, God, and other types of beings like that). They are here to help use. The word God is just a title that we give this beings that are high then use, nothing more. We humans nothing.

 

[lilithu]

I took your suggestion that we could go to some location where the breeze is more likely than others to imply that we could leave the "house" in the metaphor. But, in Krishnamurti's metaphor, the "house" cannot be left. All that can be done to feel the breeze is either open the windows or leave the windows open. One cannot travel outside the house.



Why not just point out that some religions do a better job at either opening the windows or leaving the windows open? Or that other religions might actually close the windows, in part or entirely. Saying something along those lines conveys the same point your making --- but without over extending the metaphor.

If you are that attached to the metaphor, so we'll talk about opening windows. I don't really care whether the house stays or goes. I sincerely fail to see the significance of the distinction.

Having said that, I would still take issue -- no matter what metaphor you use to describe it -- with the notion that practicing the "right" religion is statistically preferable to not practicing any at all. Neither you nor I know that to be the case. Your speculating.

Umm.... so are you. So is Krishnamurti.

 

[Sunstone]

If you are that attached to the metaphor, so we'll talk about opening windows. I don't really care whether the house stays or goes. I sincerely fail to see the significance of the distinction.

What do you think the house symbolizes?

Umm.... so are you. So is Krishnamurti.

I don't know about Krishnamurti, but I am merely saying the jury is still out on whether any religion is significantly better in these respects than no religion. If you call that "speculation", so be it. But it's not what I would call speculation.

 

[lilithu]

What do you think the house symbolizes?

A barrier to the breeze.

I don't know about Krishnamurti, but I am merely saying the jury is still out on whether any religion is significantly better in these respects than no religion. If you call that "speculation", so be it. But it's not what I would call speculation.

I didn't really say that. I said that it could be that for some people, practicing a religion is better. And for some, they would be better off without religion.

[edit: Sorry, I just went back and reread what I typed. I should have said that I didn't really mean to say that. In my third paragraph I state that for some it would help; and for some it would hinder.

Are we talking about organized religion here or is any type of disciplined spiritual practice considered a religion?]

Yeah, I'm speculating, but I don't see how that's more speculative than saying that religion is pointless, which is what the metaphor implies to me. Maybe you think that "the jury is still out" and we can't conclude either way, but to my mind, the metaphor that you gave us suggests that the breeze just happens and there is nothing that we can do to make it more or less likely. That sounds like a speculative conclusion to me.

 

[cardero]

Do you think all religions lead to God?
I believe all religions lead to someone else's God.

 

[doppelganger]

Do you think all religions lead to God?
I believe all religions lead to someone else's God.

This represents to me exactly how I perceive religion. Home run, Patrick.

Follow up question: Can "someone else's God" ever really be "God" for you?

 

[cardero]

Follow up question:

Sunstone has taught you well young Padawan.

doppelganger writes: Can "someone else's God" ever really be "God" for you

I believe that everyone is a god, so if the opportunity presents itself, I could see sharing a REALationship with someone else’s god (I would never follow or own a god). An example may be that I may not have much in common with the God of Abraham as expressed in the Old Testament but the Christian god as expressed through Jesus may interest me.

 

[lilithu]

I believe all religions lead to someone else's God.

Every religion is practiced by individual adherents who perceive and interpret it in their own way. Why would practicing a religion lead to anyone else's god other than your own?

 

[Storm]

Who here beleives that all religions lead to God, or that more than one religion leads to God, explain why and how you beleive this(this question is for those who actually beleive God exists).

I believe that one and everything is an aspect of God, so the phrase "lead to God" is rather inaccurate. That note aside, I believe that

1) all religions come from the combination of mystical experience and cultural framework, and

2) all mystical experience is of God.

So, I believe that all religions (and non-belief and irreligious spirituality, as well) contain kernels of truth which can lead us to greater understanding of God/ reality, but none have it exactly right.

Truth is like water: we're made of it, we can't live without constantly taking in more; but none of us can hold the ocean.

 

[Hema]

Who here beleives that all religions lead to God, or that more than one religion leads to God, explain why and how you beleive this(this question is for those who actually beleive God exists).

Yes. I believe this because the Rig Veda says that Truth is one but is called by different names.

Therefore God is called by many different names such as Krishna, Jesus, Allah etc.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

The experience of God is like a breeze that comes and goes. How can a religion be a path to a breeze?

You can't feel a breeze underwater.

 

[Darkness]

And again. I want to make clear that Allah is not Yahweh, their characters and being are so contradictory. I qoute: "that claim that "Christians and Muslims worship the same God if not false, then certainly simplistic and one-sided."

YHWH isn't the Christian God either. If you take an objective look at the Old Testament, you will see how human and tribal YHWH is.

 

[Mr. Hair]

Do you think all religions lead to God

For some time, I've been thinking that God leads to all religions, and not vice versa. 'Tis a subtle difference, at least intellectually.

Let's now understand "God" to be any higher being or beings, or any supernatural being considered a god, or any state of existsance considered to be "God."

Except that's not how 'I' understand 'God', so perhaps I can't answer your question after all...

 

[JayHawes]

YHWH isn't the Christian God either. If you take an objective look at the Old Testament, you will see how human and tribal YHWH is.

Jesus called the OT God "My Father," this is the same God that we Christians worship. He is niether tribal or human, the bible declares that God is not a man, and that his ways are above our ways and his thoughts is above our thoughts. You dont hear any Jews claiming we dont worship the same God :sarcastic - or atleast i haven't...anyways....we do worship the same God. Of course the concept of the Trinity comes from OT scripture as well as NT. What some people dont know is that the Jews before the the time of Jesus (some did during it also) believed in a Triune God. The tinity idea is not some made up idea. Those without a complete knowledge of scripture just cannot gather it.

 

[lilithu]

Yes. I believe this because the Rig Veda says that Truth is one but is called by different names.

Therefore God is called by many different names such as Krishna, Jesus, Allah etc.

But called by many names isn't the same as called by all names. What I mean is, it may be the case that many or even most religions "lead to" God, but that doesn't mean they all do.

 

[lilithu]

YHWH isn't the Christian God either. If you take an objective look at the Old Testament, you will see how human and tribal YHWH is.

Jesus called the OT God "My Father,"

Well... Jesus was Jewish.

 

[Pariah]

Lilithu -
Would Satanism be an example of a religion that does not "lead to God"?