Simple observation

[Hawkeye112200]

After spending years with Hindus, Jews, and Christians in my teaching experience as well as personal experience, a few things I have determined worthy of mentioning.

Each of the groups and people I am referring to were devoted to one form or another in respect to their religious beliefs.

First thing is that, when the pressures of life close in, for example a nasty bill, an illness, a tragedy to self or close one, the reaction of each supersedes that of religious bias. A human quality surfaces shared by most sane humans.

It was at these times in each of their lives I was fortunate enough to see a side of them that seemed more natural and sincere, than at other times. It was at these times you'd guess they all belonged to the same religion or ideology.
Which is in stark contrast to an ordinary day with one of them, where it is easy to see the differences brought on by religious bias.

Second thing is that, the more time I spend with people from each group, away from any prompting for them to be more than themselves, I find many of the same attitudes, thought patterns, concerns, and yes even beliefs.

So based only on these simple observations, I find my beliefs lean more to a single governing force, that we all succumb to, but express in outward ways that tend to conflict and even become religions.

Does that make sense?

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Yeah, people are mostly the same in most fundamental ways. We're all pink on the inside.

 

[Vinayaka]

This has not been my experience, but if its been yours, that's fine. In my experience, the degree of reaction was dependent on faith more. Not just amount of faith, but also type of faith. Just an observation ... not trying to start a debate.

 

[Hawkeye112200]

This has not been my experience, but if its been yours, that's fine. In my experience, the degree of reaction was dependent on faith more. Not just amount of faith, but also type of faith. Just an observation ... not trying to start a debate.

No problem, this is the debate section.

Take for example, I have a colleage who is strictly Hindu and another that is strictly Jewish. Unfortunately both of them have ailing parents near to death.

In my experience, behind closed doors they have the same worries, pains, struggles, and reactions to what is happening.

I have talked with both men and uncanningly I might have well been talking to them together.
However, when technical aspects about life after death arise the posturing and rhetoric begin, respectively.

What I find in common is the deep emotional and instinctive reactions seem identical. Only when thought and reason are applied does the shift in similarities begin.

Please share your experience about why it is different for you.

 

[ChristineES]

I have found in life that people- whether religious, not religious, political, whatever never fit into any category whatsoever, that each person is an individual and each person acts accordingly.

 

[Hawkeye112200]

I have found in life that people- whether religious, not religious, political, whatever never fit into any category whatsoever, that each person is an individual and each person acts accordingly.

Thank you. Well said.

People respond to pain, suffering, hardship quite similarly. How they act after the initial feeling is another story.

 

[Gharib]

After spending years with Hindus, Jews, and Christians in my teaching experience as well as personal experience, a few things I have determined worthy of mentioning.

Each of the groups and people I am referring to were devoted to one form or another in respect to their religious beliefs.

First thing is that, when the pressures of life close in, for example a nasty bill, an illness, a tragedy to self or close one, the reaction of each supersedes that of religious bias. A human quality surfaces shared by most sane humans.

It was at these times in each of their lives I was fortunate enough to see a side of them that seemed more natural and sincere, than at other times. It was at these times you'd guess they all belonged to the same religion or ideology.
Which is in stark contrast to an ordinary day with one of them, where it is easy to see the differences brought on by religious bias.

Second thing is that, the more time I spend with people from each group, away from any prompting for them to be more than themselves, I find many of the same attitudes, thought patterns, concerns, and yes even beliefs.

So based only on these simple observations, I find my beliefs lean more to a single governing force, that we all succumb to, but express in outward ways that tend to conflict and even become religions.

Does that make sense?

maybe what i say will make no sense but i will say it anyway.

some of the things you mention to be similar are things shared by all which are unavoidable, regardless of ones faith or lack thereof. some examples of what i mean:

we all have to eat, sleep, die, etc etc some religions do teach what is permissible within a specific deed/action/moment however some don't. that is not to say that just because the religion teaches it it's followers will obey 100%.

if that makes sense then good news, if it doesn't i don't know how else to explain it.

 

[wmjbyatt]

After spending years with Hindus, Jews, and Christians in my teaching experience as well as personal experience, a few things I have determined worthy of mentioning.

Each of the groups and people I am referring to were devoted to one form or another in respect to their religious beliefs.

First thing is that, when the pressures of life close in, for example a nasty bill, an illness, a tragedy to self or close one, the reaction of each supersedes that of religious bias. A human quality surfaces shared by most sane humans.

It was at these times in each of their lives I was fortunate enough to see a side of them that seemed more natural and sincere, than at other times. It was at these times you'd guess they all belonged to the same religion or ideology.
Which is in stark contrast to an ordinary day with one of them, where it is easy to see the differences brought on by religious bias.

Second thing is that, the more time I spend with people from each group, away from any prompting for them to be more than themselves, I find many of the same attitudes, thought patterns, concerns, and yes even beliefs.

So based only on these simple observations, I find my beliefs lean more to a single governing force, that we all succumb to, but express in outward ways that tend to conflict and even become religions.

Does that make sense?

It makes sense, but there is a fundamental (and almost unadressable) problem in this observation: it is limited by the observer.

Most of us are aware of phenomena like confirmation bias and Freudian projection. The fact is that the mind sees what it expects to see, it synthesizes the disparate information it receives and funnels it in fashions that it have appeared to have been effective in the past.

Therefore, your observation of the nature of people and faith is inalterably linked with the fact that you are you and you observe what you observe. There is a reason that monists, Unitarians, and people who have experienced mystical Union are likely to see religion as "many paths, one mountain" and people who hold to more discriminatory and dualistic worldviews are likely to take the opposite approach.

Personally, I say kudos to you for being able to see the unity. We live in a discriminatory culture, and having the unity of self to see the unity of others is a blessing.

That does not mean, however, that such unity is objective fact.

 

[Vinayaka]

Please share your experience about why it is different for you.

I have no interest in debating. But I can share some observations.

I can tell you that at my father's funeral, and before, his sisters, fairly strong Christians were sad and worried, whereas my brother, an agnostic/atheist and I, a Hindu were actually happy for him. It was his time to go, he was 87 or so, and had lived a good life. There was strong observable contrast between us and them. We thought they were overly sentimental, and they thought we were cold.

A student died where I taught ... 8 years old, asthma attack. The reactions were wide and varied, especially amongst staff. Some prayed, some watched, some were practically nonchalant: "oh well that's life". As someone already mentioned in the thread, to each his own. I. didn't see much commonality at all.

After awhile, like if you're a doctor, you can actually say ..."Nothing surprises me."

 

[arthra]

Well I've been pretty active in inter-faith activities earlier from around 2000 to around 2007..and we had Muslims, Hindus and Christians and Jews in the Council..so what I've found is that yes all of us share common problems and have similar aspirations.

What was most interesting was the commonality of the religions on World Religion Day.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Worl...DO8uMsAKnhqCLAg&ved=0CEoQsAQ&biw=1067&bih=503

Parsees and Hindus share a thread ceremony and use similar words from Vedic and Avestan. Muslims and Jews also share some common roots and understandings. I found Christians as a group to be more diverse among themselves and less liable to join cooperatively..but even they share roots with Jews and Muslims.