Have You Met A...

[Harel13]

Well, I live in Israel. It's hard not to meet Jews and Muslims. We also have Druze, Christians, Hindus (typically Indians who work here) and Baha'is, but I've never met any Baha'is. And I'm sure there are some new-age-y Buddhists here, but I don't think I've met any. I have met Samaritans, though, as well as Druze.

 

[JustGeorge]

You're right, sorry about the opinionated remark about certain religious groups.

As far as the other paths are concerned, well, again, contentious. We are diametrically opposed in many ways, to the point where I often feel that we're speaking two different languages - major comprehension issues.
But, of course, as expected. It's not my first time in debates with people, and even amongst fellow Christians communication and harmony can be rather challenging.

What was it that initially drew you to a board with people of so many varying faiths?

What topics do you find most challenging to the harmony between Christians?

Well, I live in Israel. It's hard not to meet Jews and Muslims. We also have Christians, Hindus (typically Indians who work here) and Baha'is, but I've never met any Baha'is. And I'm sure there are some new-age-y Buddhists here, but I don't think I've met any. I have met Samaritans, though.

What exactly is a Samaritan?

 

[Jedster]

I haven't done any weddings yet.

I don't know a lot about it, but I would love to meet one!
Druze - Wikipedia

I have met several Druzim in Israel and one in London(an acupuncturist).
I think the wiki article covers their beliefs.

 

[Harel13]

What exactly is a Samaritan?

According to Tanach (the Bible), the Samaritans were a mix of different people brought over from Mesopotamia to Shomron or Samaria in Israel by the Assyrian Empire, after the Assyrians exiled the Kingdom of Israel as punishment for rebelling against them.
An Assyrian inscription also attests to certain Arabic tribes being exiled to Samaria.
The Tanach tells us that they settled there and eventually assumed a form of the Israelite religion, but when the Jews returned from the Babylonian Exile to Judea, they rejected the Samaritans (there are different ways to understand the reasoning brought in the Book of Ezra). This rejection led to harsh clashes between the two groups for many years. Jewish sources, including Josephus, as well as archeological findings, tell us that eventually the Samaritans built a temple on Mt. Gerizzim in Samaria, to contest the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. This was eventually destroyed by the Hasmonean prince John Hyrcanus. To this day the Samaritans deny having had a temple in the Hellenistic era.

On the Samaritan side of things, they hold that they are descendants of the Israelites and were the only ones that remained faithful to the one true holy site in Israel, Mt. Gerizzim, where the tabernacle was placed when the Israelites entered Israel, while the rest of the Israelites strayed and erected tabernacles and temples elsewhere (Shiloh, Jerusalem, etc). Eventually the Assyrians exiled them, and so before leaving Samaria, they hid the tabernacle away, to this very day. Shortly after they were exiled, they were able to come back, unlike the rest of the People of Israel, who had to remain in exile. And so they've been living in Samaria ever since, though at some point they also began building communities in other parts of Israel. Today they have two communities: One on the outskirts of Shechem and the other in Holon, and until recently, were dying out.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Alright, a bonus edition just for you...

How about someone who practices Shinto? How about someone who practices Vodou? How about a Druid? How about someone following the Yoruba religion? Maybe an enthusiastic adherent from the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, complete with colander on head?

Druid, yes.

 

[Sirona]

I've casually met Sikhs, Buddhists and Muslims doing their respective businesses in Germany.

Our university had a Baha'i student community, but they were the only ones I perceived as "secretive", "holding back information" about the nature of their religion. As always, it may have been a subjective thing, but I only learned through RF what they actually want you to believe. So, after all, RF is good for something.

 

[Secret Chief]

Because I have too much time to think, I've been pondering lately how you meet people with various beliefs here on the forums, but may not have ever met anyone with those beliefs personally. How about you? Have you met people from the following religions(in person, not online)?

For the sake of this poll, I'm going to assume most of us that are on the forums live in places in which we've likely met a Christian or an Atheist. If you have not, please state that.

As for the religions listed, if you know what sect they belong to, feel free to add that. Or, if you've met a person from a notable faith that I haven't listed, please add that as well.

The obvious caveat...we all meet a lot of people whose religious beliefs we may never become aware of.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I don't know. The subject of religion rarely comes up in my day-to-day life.

I suppose after thinking about this, I've participated in Neo-Pagan circles and Vedanta Society meetings, so I've clearly met Neo-Pagans and Hindus. Some of those who attended the aforementioned circles were LHP, so I've met them as well.

I've also had employees who openly discussed diet and fasting and the fact that these were a part of their Muslim beliefs. I also had a Muslim barber back when I used to have my hair cut.

 

[Vinayaka]

I have met several Druzim in Israel and one in London(an acupuncturist).
I think the wiki article covers their beliefs.

I've met Druze, (in Edmonton, Canada) some classmates of a couple of my kids.

 

[firedragon]

I've met Druze, (in Edmonton, Canada) some classmates of a couple of my kids.

What do they call themselves?

 

[Vinayaka]

What do they call themselves?

They called themselves Druze, and were from Lebanon.

 

[firedragon]

They called themselves Druze, and were from Lebanon.

Nice.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Alright, a bonus edition just for you...

How about someone who practices Shinto? How about someone who practices Vodou? How about a Druid? How about someone following the Yoruba religion? Maybe an enthusiastic adherent from the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, complete with colander on head?

I’ve met several self proclaimed Druids, and not one but two individuals who claimed to be the reincarnation of King Arthur Pendragon. Psilocybin mushrooms grow freely in England and Wales, this may have been a factor.

 

[Ashoka]

I have never met a follower of Jainism, but I would like to one day.

 

[Clara Tea]

Because I have too much time to think, I've been pondering lately how you meet people with various beliefs here on the forums, but may not have ever met anyone with those beliefs personally. How about you? Have you met people from the following religions(in person, not online)?

For the sake of this poll, I'm going to assume most of us that are on the forums live in places in which we've likely met a Christian or an Atheist. If you have not, please state that.

As for the religions listed, if you know what sect they belong to, feel free to add that. Or, if you've met a person from a notable faith that I haven't listed, please add that as well.

I go places where the rich and famous go, and live in an area where they might be found. So, though I meet a lot of them, I meet very few regular people.

The people who come to this (and other) forums seem outspoken--more so than an average person. Forums attract unusual people.

I once had an astronomy professor tell me that the stars in the sky that we see are not usual. Rather, they are exceptionally close (so we see them), or they are far away but exceptionally bright (se we see them). The same is true of people who post. We see the bright or talkative ones.

 

[Clara Tea]

I’ve met several self proclaimed Druids, and not one but two individuals who claimed to be the reincarnation of King Arthur Pendragon. Psilocybin mushrooms grow freely in England and Wales, this may have been a factor.

I met someone who claimed to be Napoleon. They were crazy, I'm Napoleon. (It's an old joke).

By the way, there is only one small reference to King Arthur, and the story of Camelot was entirely fictional.

 

[JustGeorge]

I go places where the rich and famous go, and live in an area where they might be found. So, though I meet a lot of them, I meet very few regular people.

Everyone's regular people. Some have more money, some have less. Some have titles(that aren't necessarily real, society just plays along), some don't. Some live in big houses, as big as a street block or more. Some don't have any houses at all.

But under our clothes, we're all naked. We were all born, and we'll all die. And this is why I'm incapable of seeing some as more or less regular than others. (Though I admit, I like some more than others.)

 

[RestlessSoul]

I met someone who claimed to be Napoleon. They were crazy, I'm Napoleon. (It's an old joke).

By the way, there is only one small reference to King Arthur, and the story of Camelot was entirely fictional.

I have no idea whether the original Arthur was real or not. I’ve visited Merlin’s cave though, under Tintagel Castle in Cornwall.

 

[Harel13]

I’ve met several self proclaimed Druids, and not one but two individuals who claimed to be the reincarnation of King Arthur Pendragon. Psilocybin mushrooms grow freely in England and Wales, this may have been a factor.

Why do I never meet incarnations of famous people?

 

[Rival]

Living in a Northern English village, I've only known a Buddhist (my aunt) and some Muslims from college.