Positive and Negative aspects of your religion

[Druidus]

Name a couple positive and negative attributes of your religion. I'll start:

Druidry:

Positive:

Is very flexible.
Is not organized (unless you choose to join something that does organize it)
Focuses on philosophy more than theology (although it does exist)

Negative:

33 Major Gods are a lot to remember (I only worship three regularly, Dannu, Oghma, and Cernunnos, although Brighid is a possibility)
Much of what you do is based on what is "felt" to be right, because not much is recorded, except from biased sources (and of course, the Greeks).
Many people can't spend the necessary time communing with nature.

 

[michel]

UU

Positive:-
Unitarian Universalists are committed to the practice of free religion. We worship, sing, play, study, teach, and work for social justice together as congregations-all the while remaining strong in our individual convictions.

At a Unitarian Universalist worship service or meeting, you are likely to find members whose positions on faith may be derived from a variety of religious beliefs: Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, naturist, atheist, or agnostic. Members might tell you that they are religious humanists, liberal Christians, or world religionists.

Negative:- I can't find a UU church anywhere in the UK; there are Unitarian Churches, but they are not the same.!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Green Gaia]

Unitarian Universalist

Positive: UUs are free to think for themselves and come to their own conclusions on just about any issue, and won't be ridiculed if their ideas are different. UUs are also heavily into social activism, showing their humanistic side. We are very open to all religions and are not threatened by exploration of the various traditions. Children are taught from the various world traditions about how a person should live and treat others, and are not frightened with stories of a devil and hell.

Negative: Can seem to lack structure and organization in individual churchs if you come from a more structured and traditional background. If you're looking for someone to just tell you the answers, you won't find them at the UU church.


I'm sure there is more for each, but that's all I can think of this morning... I'm only on my first coffee.

 

[jewscout]

Judaism
Positives: The commentators on the Torah allow for great insight into meanings and interpretations of the Torah i never found in christianity. A great value on traditions in all movements though some movements are more flexible than others on it. A sense of being a part of a greater whole, i mean it is the "Jewish Nation". Also i feel a very personal relationship with HaShem, something i wasn't able to find in other religions.

Negatives: Anti-semitism anyone? Jewish baggage, which luckly i have none of...yet. Did i mention commentators that can't agree...on anything! And also traditions that the observance of can create great arguments among members of different movements. I can't stand that, especially in certain orthodox communities, they look down their noses at people of conservative and reform conversions, it's just stupid! Hey guess what if this were Germany circa 1942 they'd be on the train right next to you...regardless of whether their conversion was "halachiclly" correct:verymad: .
p.s. oh and did i mention the whole not eating pork thing? yeah it sux!

 

[Green Gaia]

Did i mention commentators that can't agree...on anything!

That's just standard operating procedure for UUs. We know ahead of time we're not ever going to agree on anything.

 

[standing_on_one_foot]

Negatives: Anti-semitism anyone? Jewish baggage, which luckly i have none of...yet. Did i mention commentators that can't agree...on anything! And also traditions that the observance of can create great arguments among members of different movements. I can't stand that, especially in certain orthodox communities, they look down their noses at people of conservative and reform conversions, it's just stupid! Hey guess what if this were Germany circa 1942 they'd be on the train right next to you...regardless of whether their conversion was "halachiclly" correct:verymad: .
p.s. oh and did i mention the whole not eating pork thing? yeah it sux!

And then there's the whole "is it a religion, or a culture, or what?" issue that causes a fair deal of trouble. Causes Mom some trouble, she gets looked down on periodically because she wasn't born Jewish (and this by people who are less observant than her!). The whole intermarriage issue is troubling (I'm from an intermarriage, and it's my "non-Jewish" parent who's the more Jewish of the two by far). And the fact that you often lose a fair number of people after their Bar or Bat Mitzvah...

But, for me, there are plenty of positives: The encouragement of studying and thinking things out for yourself, the emphasis on personal responsibility, the importance of this life and connection to the world, as opposed to the next (that's one of those things we can't agree on), the traditions and the community and the food (did I mention the food?), the music (we've got some good stuff there, actually), the Hebrew (awesome language), the fact that you get a holiday about every month , and of course the list goes on (after all, if I didn't like my religion quite a bit, it wouldn't be mine).

 

[Druidus]

We Druids get a three day festival every 1.5 months, if you look at it right (and actually go three days for each, some just do one day and one night). Eight festivals, twelve months. :woohoo:

 

[No*s]

Positives

Orthodoxy is very flexible and adaptable due to its decentralization. Its conservativism means it really doesn't change . It is the oldest Church *cough* *cough* I know others on the board would dispute this lol. It is a very pastoral church, in that rules are normally invoked when there's a problem in morality, doctrine, rule, whatever, and normally, when rules & canons are invoked, the problem has already gotten out o fhand. It is a mystical religion, and not simply one based on rote memorization of doctrines.

Negative

Orthodoxy has a long history with anti-semitism, the worst of which was the porgroms of Russia. It has a hierarchical clergy that has been corruputed in various places and points in history (Greece anyone?). It can often take an infuratingly long time to get everyone to adopt something, because it's decentralized (also its strength ). It hasn't been very missionary in recent history, largely due to problems beyond its control. It can be very ethnic.

 

[Dinogrrl]

Christianity

positive:
I've found Christianity to be very freeing. There's so much that you know about for the future and the Beyond that you're free to pursue your purpose here on earth.
It's also a lot more flexible than people seem to like to think. For example, I am also Otherkin--I believe I have a non-human spirit in me. And I have no problem reconciling that with my faith in God. There is a lot of choice still within your life. What you do in your everyday life is not spelled out for you. Choice is good :}.


Negative:
Christianity does call for evagelism, which in this day and age is often interpreted as 'preaching' to people who don't want it. Also, people seem to assume so much more about Christians than any other followers of other religions, and that can lead to some really bad misunderstandings.
And I also believe that those who do not follow Jesus will not go to heaven. I try not to let that dictate who I talk to or how I talk to them; I still respect everyone's choice to follow their own path. I would rather them follow another religion whole-heartedly than to be a hypocritical Christian. So...back to my original statement, that can be a negative aspect for me because I do care about my friends so much, and it hurts me to think I may not be able to see all of them after this life is over.

 

[prash4]

Hinduism

Positive
- Easy going relegion
- Anyone can say slokas, irrespective of their relegion
- Flexible enough to suit your caste
- Your wishes come true, quite some times

Negatives
- People follow it ridiculousy
- You must be born Hindu to be recognized as Hindu (same applies for castes too)
- Hindu marrriages are forced within the same caste & sub-caste

 

[Saw11_2000]

SH

Pros:
You get to "help the human race."
They allow people to do what they want, gay marriage, etc.
I can call myself SH, and that's the end of it. No church, or ceremonies involved.

Cons:
Uhhh...When someone asks you a religion and you say Secular Humanist, people look at you like you forgot your medication. (Most of the time I just say I'm atheist)
Some atheists are real #*@*@()@ and gives a real bad reputation to me and the other nice ones.
I have to know about science, historically my least favorite class.
Although we tend to be labeled free thinkers, it seems that you must be a democrat if you're an atheist. -'Nuff said

 

[hoomer]

Occultist grail seeker:

Positive: laughter is great...I can squeeze my own breasts and know I am worshipping God
I am at one with all things and consider myself not superior to anyting...even peanuts in dog poo.....
I can dress up in silly costumes and run around naked....and say I am practising my religion

Negatives: people who DONT KNOW what the holy grail is
rubber chicken prices are bad.....and its awfully messy mopping up their blood.....

 

[robtex]

UU besides what Michal and Maize touched on:

postitive: the averge UU tends to be very educated about a number of religions. UU's work as a group to gain knowledge instead of it being handed down like most religions. UU is presented in a postitive causal enviroment. UU is humanistic in its presentation. Not knowing all the answers is seen as a positive instead of a negative. bonding is done through study instead of belief

negatives: Nobody outside of religious researchers, forum browsers atheists agnostics and other UU's know what UU is. UU holidays are not going to be recoginzed my many companies. UU is intimidating to those who need to live in a more black and white world afforded to them by traditonal monotheistic religions.

 

[painted wolf]

Native American

Positive
- no books needed
- your 'church' is everywhere you want to be
- variety we got a lot of that, if one tribe believes X another believes Y :jiggy:
- calming, the point is to be in ballance with yourself and all of creation
- highly personal, you speak with creator and the spirits
- but if you need help, it is there in the form of elders
-simple or complex as the occasion warrents. (most actual belief is very simple, lots of ceremonies can get very complex)

Negitives
- plastic shamans are a risk, there is a lot of bunk and misinformation out there
- the line between religion and culture is often non-existant, making it difficult learn specifics if you don't live near 'comunity'
- commitment, if you walk the road you walk it 24/7, you eat it, you speak it, you breath it.
- some discrimination from within and lots without (fortunatly I havent run into much within) :bonk:
-variety, one tribe says x another says y

wa:do

 

[robtex]

Atheism:

pros:
don't have to worry about pleasing or annoying any higher power
are free to investigate and find your own reality
Can say the lord's name in vain with absolute impunity
do not have political pressure to disagree or agree with various philosphers
can have a justice of the peace wedding guilt free
sunday worship optional

cons
no afterlife
seen as an infidel heretic or just plain evil by many
have to construct your own moral code nobel codes and virtues as opposed to have one ready made for you
nobody to pray to when things aren't going so well

 

[Doc]

Goodness (Buddhism-Christianity)

Pros-
-fairly free formed after examining each personally held beleif and examining many social issues
-does not rely on one particular source (interfaith)
-always open to change (not set in stone)
-not concerned with tradition or rules and regulations
-focuses on choosing healthy lifestyles and looking out for vulnerable people
-meditation
Cons- (not many as of yet)
-hard time explaining to others
-still in infancy
-slightly looked down upon by family (unorganization, mixed religions)