Do you think any one faith is the only 'way'?

[Raban]

Do you personally think (even though many religions say that it is the only way) believe that your particular faith is the only true faith? Or do you think that it (whether it is a supreme God, or something else) judges by the nature of every individual? Or do you have some other opinion regarding other faiths legitimacy? I personally do not believe any one faith is the only 'True' religion. Your opinions?

 

[Quintessence]

The notion of there being only one true faith is so patently absurd and nonsensical to the polytheistic mind it scarcely registers at all in my brain as a valid question to ask. And this talk about judging makes even less sense than exclusivism: what judging?

 

[Madhuri]

I personally believe that Vedic scriptures hold only truth, while other world scriptures hold merely bits of truth. But truth is too immense to be contained in any amount of scriptures.

What I think is that, rather than one religion being the only way or the only representation of truth, I think that one's interpretation of life and their religion is far more important than that actual religion.

I have noted that there can be people in any variety of religions that basically have the same beliefs or understandings and simultaneously, a lot of people in the exact same religion who have completely opposing views.

I think the truth is in interpretation rather than religion.

 

[muziko]

I believe our understanding of God or the Divine itself evolves with time, making it impossible for any religion to be 100% perfect at this point in time, at least, according to my own opinion. Every religion evolves, just as we do with them


As to your question over judgment, I believe God judges by someone's nature which is subject to laws at that time, yet at the same time, looks at how good he was as a person.

 

[dynavert2012]

i believe Islam is the only right way

 

[Levite]

Do you personally think (even though many religions say that it is the only way) believe that your particular faith is the only true faith? Or do you think that it (whether it is a supreme God, or something else) judges by the nature of every individual? Or do you have some other opinion regarding other faiths legitimacy? I personally do not believe any one faith is the only 'True' religion. Your opinions?

No, I definitely don't think that any single religion is the only "True" religion, because I don't believe in the idea of there being a monopoly on truth. In fact, I think if there is such a thing as an actual, ultimate Truth, it would rest entirely with God, and be ineffable to us on this plane of existence. I think many religions-- perhaps all religions-- have truths that they teach, which are themselves elements or fragments, or perhaps aspects of an ultimate Truth. But no religion actually has a monopoly on Truth-- none could, since all religions are, at best, products of both God and human beings, and thus, having at least a human factor in their creation, are inherently limited.

But that doesn't mean that religions are not worth following, or that they are not worthwhile ways of interacting with God, touching the numinous, and framing our lives both morally and with meaning. They are.

I do believe, as a side note, that Jews should practice Judaism and no other religion, but that is not because I imagine that Judaism is superior to other faiths, but rather because I believe that we Jews are all obligated to abide by the terms of the covenant at Sinai, wherein we pledged ourselves eternally to practice only our own religion and no others.

But other than that, I don't think it matters to God what religion people are, or even if they have a religion, or even necessarily if they believe in Him at all, so long as they are ethical people who treat others well and try to foster a just society. Nearly all major religions, as far as I can see, have at least the potential to create spiritual awareness and discipline, and to foster positive moral and ethical living.

 

[Me Myself]

Way to what? God is everywhere.

 

[Quintessence]

Way to what? God is everywhere.

Yeah, that too.

 

[RGA1459]

I have to agree with the theosophists and believe that all religion began as a divine idea within the mind, but once that idea was given form (through religious ceremony and symbol) it was degraded, as humanity itself is degraded and cannot give birth to anything wholly pure. All religion is right to a degree, in the sense that it may have some bit in which there is the divine spirit of loving wisdom, which you may be able to receive through understanding it. On the other hand, there may also be something in the religion which was there only to make it adaptable to the culture, and in turn may make it appear wrong if you were from a different culture. They all say the same thing in spirit, which is basically that you should live in peace and harmony with all life on earth with love towards all. Buddha calls it "enlightenment" and Christians call it "getting saved". It is just a different way of saying the same thing. "God" does not judge you on whether you have maintained the symbol or the ceremony, but rather, how well you have maintained and kept manifest the spirit within your own mind.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

I believe that Buddhism is truth, that all found within Buddhism is true. I believe that there are parts of truth found in other religions, but that no other religion other than Buddhism is completely true. But let me clarify a few things: I believe that a person, regardless of what religion they follow, can attain the goal of spirituality; I also believe that some religions contain more truth than others, for instance, I believe there are schools of Hinduism that come really close to Buddhism.

 

[WyattDerp]

No, but I think there are things that contribute to awareness and compassion, in short, to life, and things that lead away from them. That core can be found in many religions, and that I would consider the "one, true" religion. It doesn't have a name and no name tag would stick to it, it's that pure. Maybe it has to hide in the vessels we found it in, but none of these vessels I could ever swallow as a hole. I like to smash them, simply because it's my belief that the "one, true" thing can not easily, or ever, be harmed by skepticism. I imagine it would welcome it, overgrown by tricksters and charlatans as it is.

But the very idea of having to believe a certain things just because someone has supposedly the power to otherwise punish you, to me falls clearly on the "very bad" side of the spectrum of "does it contribute to awareness and compassion?", and many if not most religions contain that "bad apple" which spoils the whole bunch for me. I don't do goosestep, and IMHO many religions are like honey combs: look for the honey and cherish it, but stay away from those who swallowed them whole and won't rest until your tummy aches as theirs does, who want to see you in their own chains, instead of themselves free of them.

 

[illykitty]

I think there's some truth in all religions, but that Islam is the way... At least, it feels like it is for me.

 

[anton0707]

Can you guys help me please? Me and my parents are Russian Orthodox and now we live in America. I would go to church but their are no churches available in my religion. I believe in god but am I a faithful child of god if i cant go to church? Does this make me a bad person?

 

[RGA1459]

IMHO many religions are like honey combs: look for the honey and cherish it, but stay away from those who swallowed them whole and won't rest until your tummy aches as theirs does, who want to see you in their own chains, instead of themselves free of them.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[WyattDerp]

Can you guys help me please? Me and my parents are Russian Orthodox and now we live in America. I would go to church but their are no churches available in my religion. I believe in god but am I a faithful child of god if i cant go to church? Does this make me a bad person?

No, that does not make you a bad person. Don't even think that. It's good to have community, and if your faith does not allow you to just go to any old church, or make a DIY "mass" with family and other believers in the area, that's unfortunate for you, but not your fault. I couldn't tell you anything else I wouldn't have to google first, and I can't speak for God, but don't blame yourself for things you cannot control. Faith in God, no matter the religion, surely starts and ends in the heart, not in a room with other people in it. Those people and the pastor can be good for your heart and your faith, but they're not the main objective, right? Good luck, maybe someone else here can help you more.

 

[Sha'irullah]

There is truth in all scriptures because they are written within a time period and a culture of that era. No such thing as a prophet exist, just an enlightened individual. Everybody is as much of a prophet as anyone else. You can theorize about god and rationalize his existence and nature but you cannot confirm any of this. It is redundant to say that a religion is true because all that it is, is just just another drop of water in a pool polluted by so many other dogmatic religions claiming the same thing.
True religion is the religion dictated by yourself and inspired by what you REALLY KNOW. I see so many people trying to validate their own faiths. The issue is that it is just a faith and not your own belief because a religion is formed from the beliefs of another individual. Nobody holds a religion as factual unto themselves because it does not emanate from them. It comes from a manuscript written thousands of years ago in a faraway land that has nothing to do with your own.
There is nothing to validate since you cannot possibly understand a religion that is literally not your own.

 

[Vinayaka]

I believe all souls operate at different levels of consciousness. Therefore, whatever religion is closest to that level is the one for you at this moment. Of course as a Hindu I believe in reincarnation, and that the ultimate path is Hinduism, or at least some faith that teaches an ultimate mystic reality found within. So religions are like grades in schools. Does the university professor look down upon the kindergarten child? No. You need to go through all grade levels to graduate. So if a fear based faith is what you need, so be it.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

There's a reason why we call it "my" faith and "your" faith. Both faiths are 100% legitimate, and your God will only judge you, yourself, while mine will only judge me, myself

 

[WyattDerp]

There's a reason why we call it "my" faith and "your" faith. Both faiths are 100% legitimate, and your God will only judge you, yourself, while mine will only judge me, myself

Yeah, that's the sort of thing your God would tell you :sarcastic Mine told me everybody gets judged by the faith of the 77th person they saw before death, or less for people who never saw 77 people total in their life. For those that are keeping track of it, the exact temperature (in Celsius) in the spot on the opposite side of the globe 7 years *after* their death gets added to the number 77, and that is used instead. Since the whole point of the system is that it can't be gamed, it doesn't even matter that none of you realize this.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Yeah, that's the sort of thing your God would tell you :sarcastic Mine told me everybody gets judged by the faith of the 77th person they saw before death, or less for people who never saw 77 people total in their life. For those that are keeping track of it, the exact temperature (in Celsius) in the spot on the opposite side of the globe 7 years *after* their death gets added to the number 77, and that is used instead. Since the whole point of the system is that it can't be gamed, it doesn't even matter that none of you realize this.

Not sure where you're going with this.