Is there Anything Wrong with Cherry-Picking Ideas from Multiple Religions?

[atanu]

Is there anything wrong with cherry-picking ideas from multiple religions?

Nothing wrong, if the intention is good.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

I think this question is too abstract to answer.

In real-life cases, one has to think of whether one has understood the ideas one's using. I once picked up a dictionary of goddesses in a library and looked inside. The first sentence to catch my eye as "Hecate is a Crone…" I muttered something very rude about Wiccans and put the book back on the shelf! But what would Hekate think? A Heathen priest raised this with a goddess he was close to: were gods offended by such people? It seems they aren't, but they don't necessarily listen to them, either.

The last time I discussed this here, I pointed out that just doing what appeals to you may become the spiritual equivalent of just buying junk food. Next month, in my calendar, it's the festival of Ares. He's not really my sort of god and I dare say I'm not really his sort of human, but I think it's good for me to make the effort to connect.

 

[Faithofchristian]

Is there anything wrong with cherry-picking ideas from multiple religions?

When a person cherry pick's a verse, What their doing is taking that verse out of it's orginal intended context of what is being said and applying it to whatever they want the said verse to say and not what the verse was orginally intended to say.
The best way is to find out in the book and chapter what the subject and article is about.

All because the subject and article may not be about what a person is trying to apply another verse to.
Let's for say, that your given a book to do a book report on. And in this book there are
20 chapters.
As you read the first chapter and then you get to the 20th chapter, But the first chapter is talking about things completely different than the 20th chapter is talking.
Now you can you cherry pick out a verse in the 20th chapter and apply it to the first chapter, when both chapters are talking two different things.

Why of course not. the subject and article in each chapters are talking two different things.

This is what happens when a person cherry pick's verses out of another chapter of the bible, When the two subject's and articles are about two different things.
So by doing this, leads to confusion.

 

[YmirGF]

I try not to cherry pick as it really is the lazy person's form of analysis. I am not particularly interested if two different revealed religions seem to say similar things. Who cares, especially when the commonality is something preexisting within the society that birthed them. We tend to think that an idea originated with a given scripture where the reality is that the so-called "scripture" likely stole the idea from the culture. That cultures like the idea in such broad terms they simply enshrined it or codified it in their religions ramblings should hardly be news.

So, feel free, cherry picking if it makes you feel more wise.

 

[Bear Wild]

With some pagans, when they synronize and use a sacred object, they ideally ask permission from the spirits, spirit, ancestors, or so have you, wait for an answer, then take it if its a yes.

I dont believe in syncronism, but if I did, I would follow the same idea is whatever believe I use, I want to make sure I follow or respect the foundation for the beliefs I take (ask permission-inwardly, I guess).

The pagan christian mix wasnt intentional. It was by force, a life or death issue.

But, anyway, in my opinion, as long as the beliefs and objects you take arent contradicting the nature of the religions you take it from, I dont see an issue. But thats just me.

I understand what you were trying to say and agree. I also agree that the developing Christianity was not intentional by the people who were converted but the Catholic church shrewdly used the important sacred sites as well as festivals to make certain there was full conversion. The Catholic church also knew to court the leaders/kings of the area being converted. It did not hurt to foster the view that a king was a divine appointed position.

I also see no problem with incorporating other beliefs into your own as long as you do not hold out to be representative of that religion.

 

[Kapalika]

Cherry picking arbitrarily, yes. Taking specific elements or themes across religions? No. The former in my view discriminates and what is cherry picked may not even be related or only tangentially so, while the latter is coming from some central idea or set of ideas and whatever religions or parts of them align with those.

Maybe I've not fully thought through the implications of it, but that's pretty much my first gut response to the question.

No..that's called syncretism

You're thinking of eclecticism. To blend two or more religions, or practice them as essentially the same, is syncretism.

 

[dianaiad]

Is there anything wrong with cherry-picking ideas from multiple religions?

Depends on what you want to do with them.

Now me, I have found that all religions have some truth in them, and when I find it, I celebrate it. But truth is truth no matter where it is found; that is, it doesn't much matter who believes that water is wet...it's still wet.

However, if by 'cherry picking' you mean designing your own religion by getting something here, and something there, you might find yourself without people who will worship with you. It can get a bit lonely sitting in a pew all by yourself.

On the other hand, there are a LOT of religions out there that have done that. The most successful religions out there seem to be the ones who, when they go into a new area, (especially if they go in backed by government force) sort of 'adopt' or 'convert' the 'old' religion and 'baptize' it into the new one. That's been done a lot.

I guess you'll have to clarify what you mean by 'cherry-pick."

 

[Milton Platt]

Is there anything wrong with cherry-picking ideas from multiple religions?

Not much different from cherry picking things from one religion, I guess....