How it is possible to believe in all religions?

[Starlight]

How it is possible to believe in all religions at the same time?

I believe i have the answer.

A popular analogy purporting to illustrate the truth of religious pluralism tells of four blind men who discover an elephant.
Since the men have never encountered an elephant, they grope about, seeking to understand and describe this new phenomenon.
One grasps the trunk and concludes it is a snake.
Another explores one of the elephant's legs and describes it as a tree. A third finds the elephant's tail and announces that it is a rope.
And the fourth blind man, after discovering the elephant's side, concludes that it is, after all, a wall.
Each, in his blindness, is describing the same thing: an elephant. Yet each describes the same thing in a radically different way.

According to religious pluralists this is analogous to the different religions of the world: They are describing the same thing in radically different ways. Thus one should conclude that no individual religion has the whole truth, but truth is found in them all and that all should be viewed as essentially equally valid.
If God is infinite and we are finite it is reasonable to believe that none of us can fully capture His nature.

But

Almost all religions and paths lead to the same destination, lead to God
I wrote almost because only paths/religions that teach kindness, love, justice, goodness is important is a path that lead to God.

Paths/religions that do not teach that kindness, love, justice, goodness is important is not a path that lead to God. Religions/paths that teach violence, hate is important is not a path to God.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I'm not sure how I feel about the phrasing "believe in all religions." That might assume one can follow all religions at the same time. Given the conflicting views of various religions, I'm not sure this is possible.

That said, I am one that is accepting/tolerant of all religious (and even non-religious) paths. As I see it, all paths will ultimately lead to the same destination. Some paths may be longer. Some may be bumpier. Some may have detours. Some may be under construction. Some may even loop back on themselves for a time. But all will ultimately end at the same place.

 

[Madmogwai]

Many paths to the same destination

 

[LuisDantas]

Many well-meaning people have attempted to reconcile "all" religions.

That may be a worthy goal under certain restrictions. But it is not at all possible without acceptance of the need for establishing what should count as a valid religion and the duty of discarding many that badly want to be recognized as proper religions that comes with the goal itself.

It may still be an worthwhile exercise, but I fear that the reassuring, reconciling goals that usually come with the intent just are not going to be fulfilled as originally intended.

 

[Starlight]

I'm not sure how I feel about the phrasing "believe in all religions." That might assume one can follow all religions at the same time. Given the conflicting views of various religions, I'm not sure this is possible.

That said, I am one that is accepting/tolerant of all religious (and even non-religious) paths. As I see it, all paths will ultimately lead to the same destination. Some paths may be longer. Some may be bumpier. Some may have detours. Some may be under construction. Some may even loop back on themselves for a time. But all will ultimately end at the same place.

I agree with you. almost all religions and paths to lead to God. but some paths may be longer. Some may be bumpier is correct yes

 

[Revoltingest]

One must ignore contradictions.
Contradictions indicate false beliefs..
This makes even areas of agreement dubious.

 

[SalixIncendium]

One must ignore contradictions.
Contradictions indicate false beliefs..
This makes even areas of agreement dubious.

So no chance one side of the contradiction may be true?

 

[Revoltingest]

So no chance one side of the contradiction may be true?

Many things being contradictory means
only that all but one must be false.
So one could be true, no matter how
absurd or unverifiable..

 

[Jimmy]

I ‘believe’ in all religions. The way I do it is to see the similarities they all have to what I truly believe.

 

[Quintessence]

This metaphor, while helpful in certain contexts, often bothers me.

Because we are not following many paths up the same mountain.

Often, we are actually following many paths to entirely different destinations.

Why can that not simply be okay?

 

[Secret Chief]

This metaphor, while helpful in certain contexts, often bothers me.

Because we are not following many paths up the same mountain.

Often, we are actually following many paths to entirely different destinations.

Why can that not simply be okay?

I agree. I would hope to avoid any paths with sinkholes and which takes one up a volcano.

 

[Alien826]

The questions that occur to me, and which I won't attempt to answer are ...

Is there one mountain or are there many mountains?

Do all the paths lead somewhere significant?

Lacking answers, I conclude that the idea that all religions are valid in some way is a comforting thought, but essentially indeterminable.

 

[Starlight]

The questions that occur to me, and which I won't attempt to answer are ...

Is there one mountain or are there many mountains?

Do all the paths lead somewhere significant?

Lacking answers, I conclude that the idea that all religions are valid in some way is a comforting thought, but essentially indeterminable.

I believe there is only one mountain. And many parths up the same mountain.
Almost all paths lead to somewhere significant
I wrote almost because only paths/religions that teach kindness, love, justice, goodness is important is a path that lead to God.

 

[Link]

If you see God as the Highest being, then both emanation and contraction back from that emanation is needed. Aiming at other than God is possible, but if God is Highest, it will miss the mark, and is a way of going away from God. To me if there is no God, there is no path, there is no goodness and evil in this case. There are just aimless roads in this case. There is no better or worse, higher or lower, just confusion and trivial opinion.

With God, the truth is important, in that he guides by the truth and so do the way from him, the guides guide by the truth as well. They are linked, and seeing how they lead to God is the center of the philosophy of the Quran.

Light and darkness cannot be compared and God will treat the good differently than the evil. The good will be helped when they seek the truth, and a seeker of truth will enter paradise even if he or she doesn't find provided he or she put effort and strove in that.

However, it's not okay do away with the truth, out of pure caprice to escape because of the consequences it proves.

 

[Vinayaka]

Just what or who is this God that all paths lead to? If religions don't agree on that (and they don't) then I can't see all paths leading to it, whatever it is. I concur with Quintessence. What exactly is wrong with the way belief is now?

 

[Quintessence]

Just what or who is this God that all paths lead to? If religions don't agree on that (and they don't) then I can't see all paths leading to it, whatever it is. I concur with Quintessence. What exactly is wrong with the way belief is now?

It's mainly a problem for monotheism. Hard monotheism refuses to accept there are other gods, so the way they have to tell the story to themselves is to nullify other gods with stuff like "your gods are really just aspects of my god" or "your gods lead to my god" and other such things. I get that their culture needs to frame things that way to shore up the monotheism to make sense in their narratives, and I'm fine with that, but it's still kinda insulting and dismissive from my perspective as a polytheist.

I don't care how much the monotheists claim my path leads up to their mountain. It does not. If they do not want to learn about the important differences between their religious/cultural traditions and my own, that is okay. We can live and let live, at least in theory. Historically, that has often not happened, but for today? I think things are okay.

 

[Vinayaka]

It's mainly a problem for monotheism. Hard monotheism refuses to accept there are other gods, so the way they have to tell the story to themselves is to nullify other gods with stuff like "your gods are really just aspects of my god" or "your gods lead to my god" and other such things. I get that their culture needs to frame things that way to shore up the monotheism to make sense in their narratives, and I'm fine with that, but it's still kinda insulting and dismissive from my perspective as a polytheist.

I don't care how much the monotheists claim my path leads up to their mountain. It does not. If they do not want to learn about the important differences between their religious/cultural traditions and my own, that is okay. We can live and let live, at least in theory. Historically, that has often not happened, but for today? I think things are okay.

I get around the whole idea these days by thinking far more about behavior than belief. I care very little about what another human believes, but their behavior, yes that matters a whole lot. On the internet, of course, we can't see much behavior.

 

[Link]

I get around the whole idea these days by thinking far more about behavior than belief. I care very little about what another human believes, but their behavior, yes that matters a whole lot. On the internet, of course, we can't see much behavior.

I think actions outwardly can be similar, but intentions vary. The intentions of actions and belief go together. A soul that submits to truth and acts on that, might do similar actions as a person who turns away from it and follows falsehood out of desires, same actions in outward form, but vastly apart in interior.

God may love an action of a man but hate the man. He might also love a man but hate his action. Where the fruits and tree with the root founded strongly - together - produce beautiful actions with beautiful intention with beautiful foundation - that is what God loves dearly.

 

[syo]

How it is possible to believe in all religions at the same time?

It's easy. All true religions reject the abrahamics. Abrahamics are cults with billions cultists.

 

[DNB]

How it is possible to believe in all religions at the same time?

I believe i have the answer.

A popular analogy purporting to illustrate the truth of religious pluralism tells of four blind men who discover an elephant.
Since the men have never encountered an elephant, they grope about, seeking to understand and describe this new phenomenon.
One grasps the trunk and concludes it is a snake.
Another explores one of the elephant's legs and describes it as a tree. A third finds the elephant's tail and announces that it is a rope.
And the fourth blind man, after discovering the elephant's side, concludes that it is, after all, a wall.
Each, in his blindness, is describing the same thing: an elephant. Yet each describes the same thing in a radically different way.

According to religious pluralists this is analogous to the different religions of the world: They are describing the same thing in radically different ways. Thus one should conclude that no individual religion has the whole truth, but truth is found in them all and that all should be viewed as essentially equally valid.
If God is infinite and we are finite it is reasonable to believe that none of us can fully capture His nature.

But

Almost all religions and paths lead to the same destination, lead to God
I wrote almost because only paths/religions that teach kindness, love, justice, goodness is important is a path that lead to God.

Paths/religions that do not teach that kindness, love, justice, goodness is important is not a path that lead to God. Religions/paths that teach violence, hate is important is not a path to God.

You need to study each religion a little closer before you make blanket statements that, to believe in one, is to accept the other.
The reason that there are different religions in the world is for the sole reason that they are not compatible with one another. Especially in the case of denominations, where a once unified congregation could no longer remain as a single entity due to irreconcilable differences in one member's doctrine, against another's.
And, if it's that way between denominations, how much more between entire theologies or religions?

Do you think that God, doesn't care if one group says that He doesn't exist and believes in reincarnation, while another says Jesus is the only way to God, while another claims that Mohammed was sent by God as the final prophet?
Do you believe that such a diversity in perception of God will cause no offense to Him? Is He double-minded, or not precise and deliberate in His precepts and doctrines?

It's offensive to say that God accepts all religions just because they appear to espouse love.