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What are the Main Reasons Someone Would Reject Your Religion?
- Thread starter Sunstone
- Start date
Emotional difficulty with the lack of support for the perception of a stable, personal "self".
Attachment to deity-beliefs.
Attachment to reincarnation concepts.
Attachment to deity-beliefs.
Attachment to reincarnation concepts.
Muffled
Jesus in me
I believe people reject my religion if:
1. They have another religion they are loyal to
2. They do not know what the religion is all about
3. They do not believe it
4. They prefer to be sinners
Corthos
Great Old One
Extremely small community, so people who practice generally do so to themselves.
There is a lot of misleading information out there about the religion, and Parsi beliefs are generally (and falsely) attributed to the religion as a whole.
As a Gathic Zoroastrian, there aren't a lot of rigid scriptures to adhere to at all... It's a religion that gives you the keys, and I know that's not what some people (especially those who prefer following dogmas) want out of their religion.
Some of the basic principles as well, such as Monotheism, or no reincarnation, I would imagine. =)
There is a lot of misleading information out there about the religion, and Parsi beliefs are generally (and falsely) attributed to the religion as a whole.
As a Gathic Zoroastrian, there aren't a lot of rigid scriptures to adhere to at all... It's a religion that gives you the keys, and I know that's not what some people (especially those who prefer following dogmas) want out of their religion.
Some of the basic principles as well, such as Monotheism, or no reincarnation, I would imagine. =)
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It's a crazy-quilt of disparate beliefs and weird practices -- and no-one seems to agree on anything.
The 'scriptures' are convoluted, recondite and generally impenetrable -- everyone seems to have a different interpretation of their meaning and significance.
It tolerates; even embraces, a repressive tribalism, racism, misogyny and social paralysis.
And, of course, it's patent madness.
The 'scriptures' are convoluted, recondite and generally impenetrable -- everyone seems to have a different interpretation of their meaning and significance.
It tolerates; even embraces, a repressive tribalism, racism, misogyny and social paralysis.
And, of course, it's patent madness.
Change Religion to Ideology... then it's Communism.
I only need one. The statistics of how many died are highly debatable, as is the extent of personal responsibility or the ability to attribute blame to an "idea". But, I'll try to give some "human" approach to understanding it. Even this idea doesn't do justice to the level of suffering involved given it only covers the people it killed.
Assume for a moment I had a complete list of the names of exactly 100 million victims which could be directly blamed on Communism. 100 million people is largely agreed to be the "best guess" and is the most popular/easy to recall. Then assume that I stood in a public place and read each name out at a rate of one per second, or flashed a picture of their face on a screen for one second. that would be pretty fast given the names will be Russian, Chinese, Korean, etc as well as getting my tongue around the pronunciation. If I kept reading and didn't stop to eat or drink or go for a toilet break....
and you asked a Nazi to do the same thing, standing next to me and took the highest possible total for victims of the Holocaust which in 6 million jews and 11 million others including Soviet victims, it adds up to 17 million people. They would have finished in just under 197 days (or about 7 months).
I would not have finished reading my list after 3 years....
I would still have a further two full months till I could stop, assuming you didn't include names from people who died over the period since I started speaking.
People reject Oneness, as they don't understand it is all their religions, beliefs, science and everything put together; thus due to their own ego, they will follow only parts of it, and miss out on the whole.
Oh, this will be fun! Great idea for a thread, @Sunstone!
You shouldn't be a Druid if:
(bear in mind this list is a touch flippant and satirical.)
You shouldn't be a Druid if:
(bear in mind this list is a touch flippant and satirical.
)- You hate trees. Who needs them, anyway? I mean, forget the fact that they're often keystone species that support entire ecosystems. Only humans matter, humans can do what they want to nature, and nature sucks! I can throw my trash away, forget about where it goes, and guzzle my gasoline powered car all day! And you're telling me I should be some tree-hugging dirt-worshipper who respects nature? $#@% that, you anti-capitalist commie socialist liberal hippie Druids!
- You hate fiction. I mean, really... what's the point? What did painting a pretty picture ever accomplish? Songs and stories never put food on anyone's table or built a roof over someone's head. Mythology doesn't have any value. And don't give me that crap about the importance of self-expression, or using storytelling and art to convey powerful lessons about the meaning of life. You Druids need to get back in touch with reality, get your heads out of the clouds, quit making doodles, and do something useful!
- You hate thinking. Look, guys, we already have all this stuff figured out. Life, the universe, and everything. All you have to do is consult the Book of Answers and it will tell you everything you need to know. You don't have to do any of the work yourself, you can just read about it and accept it. But you're telling me I should reinvent the wheel? Embark on a journey of personal exploration and self-discovery? Pfft. Pointless waste of time.
- You hate smiling. Let's face the ugly truth: life sucks, and then you die. That's just the way it is. And the world is a terrible, awful place; a cesspool of a pitstop on the way to the great hereafter. I'm not a cynic, I'm not a pessimist, I'm just a realist. Yet here you are, telling me that the world is a fundamentally awesome, sacred, and beautiful place? Sorry, that's not how it is. The only reason you're smiling like that is because you're on your hippie Druid psychotropics and seeing rainbow color trails.
1. It takes time some people would rather spend on something sure
2. the certain rejection you will get from others.
3. The uneasy feeling that you are never alone.
4. No public swearing or misbehaving
My religion is believing in God's son who promises to be with me.
1) Fear. Apparently, my favorite "god" is everyone else's "Devil." I probably didn't get the memo, but I prefer the idea that Satan is a dark god in all the good ways. (Encouraging individualism, progress, and true freedom...) Fear demons, spirits, and the other things that go bump in the night? Yea, not for you.
2) Theism. Theistic Satanism is not like other forums of theism. It's more that we love and pay respect to Satan. There is none of the self-debasement in other religions. There is prayer, but it is not a master-slave relation. It is also a self-initiated path, aka there is no dogma to adhere to. Intellectualism and spirituality are intermingled -- one doesn't exist without the other. Generally, we start as atheists but grow into theism as our worldview shifts.
3) Being perceived as inauthentic, or simply a reversal of Christian ideas. Generally, Satanists don't accept the Christian theological concepts and they are often derived and defiled versions of earlier beliefs in our view. We are more likely to study older religions and syncretically compute the correspondences between the idea of Satan and ancient understandings of similar matters. Much of Theistic Satanism is an inspired religion, aka you must do the rituals, meditations, and all other meanderings yourself. I have no malice towards Christians as I don't see their concept of Satan as an accurate portrayal.
4) That we are involved in abuse, or other criminal acts. No more than anyone else is regardless of their religious preferences. I think it is foolish to say that it doesn't happen, but it it would be foolish to say Christians never commit crimes either.
2) Theism. Theistic Satanism is not like other forums of theism. It's more that we love and pay respect to Satan. There is none of the self-debasement in other religions. There is prayer, but it is not a master-slave relation. It is also a self-initiated path, aka there is no dogma to adhere to. Intellectualism and spirituality are intermingled -- one doesn't exist without the other. Generally, we start as atheists but grow into theism as our worldview shifts.
3) Being perceived as inauthentic, or simply a reversal of Christian ideas. Generally, Satanists don't accept the Christian theological concepts and they are often derived and defiled versions of earlier beliefs in our view. We are more likely to study older religions and syncretically compute the correspondences between the idea of Satan and ancient understandings of similar matters. Much of Theistic Satanism is an inspired religion, aka you must do the rituals, meditations, and all other meanderings yourself. I have no malice towards Christians as I don't see their concept of Satan as an accurate portrayal.
4) That we are involved in abuse, or other criminal acts. No more than anyone else is regardless of their religious preferences. I think it is foolish to say that it doesn't happen, but it it would be foolish to say Christians never commit crimes either.
My religion: Heathenry, specifically Anglo-Saxon Revivalism.
Reason 4: The Gods are known to be harsh, and many can be unforgiving.
Reason 3: Heathenry has a reputation for being a "religion with homework", because so much of the scant information on the historical traditions is locked behind scholarly works.
Reason 2: Being a Heathen inherently means having enemies, regardless of personal belief, because...
REASON NUMBER ONE: There is a disturbingly loud white-supremacist/neo-nazi presence within Heathenry, and American Heathenry in particular has a reputation for being very racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, etc...
GoodbyeDave
Well-Known Member
Why not be a polytheist? Well,
1. You have no scriptures to tell you what to think.
2. You have to work to discover about the beliefs and practices (see Riverwolf above).
3. You have a belief-system which will make most Westerners (but not Indians, Chinese, or Japanese) think you're weird.
4. If you live in the US Bible Belt, you may suffer discrimination. If you live in a Muslim country, you may end up executed or murdered.
If you are a polytheist, why not be a Hellenic one?
1. You just feel drawn to a different set of gods.
2. One of those gods has turned up and "adopted" you.
1. You have no scriptures to tell you what to think.
2. You have to work to discover about the beliefs and practices (see Riverwolf above).
3. You have a belief-system which will make most Westerners (but not Indians, Chinese, or Japanese) think you're weird.
4. If you live in the US Bible Belt, you may suffer discrimination. If you live in a Muslim country, you may end up executed or murdered.
If you are a polytheist, why not be a Hellenic one?
1. You just feel drawn to a different set of gods.
2. One of those gods has turned up and "adopted" you.
This is a good OP as it makes people think from other's shoes.
1. The common sense allure of materialism.
2. The concepts are not at all easily grasped and take time to understand
3. Western people are indoctrinated with the Abrahamic concept of God (so the idea of 'we are all God trying to realize that fact' is foreign). To tell someone 'I am God' could place you in the loony bin because they think of God differently.
4. Much of the terms and names are eastern (Indian) and not in people's native language.
5. Because the western press and many people with an anti-religious bent like to hear about religious leaders scandals and wrongdoings, the idea of an honest pious real Indian spiritual leader only interested in the welfare of others is looked upon with doubt by the skeptical west. They immediately suspect he's corrupted and really searching for money, fame, power, sex, etc..
Kilgore Trout
Misanthropic Humanist
Brain tumor, psychological disorder, and/or excessive drug use.
There you go again! Talking about me behind my back!
Baladas
An Págánach
1. It's a "pagan" religion known for it's large pantheon of gods. Since most are Christians, this is reason one.
2. Misconception of it as a religion that requires the worship of gods.
3. It is relatively unfamiliar to the public in the West when compared with Buddhism.
4. It has a fairly tiny community outside of China.
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Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
Religion: No one word. Relationship with spirits, ancestors, family (pagan?)
Eh.
People think
1. Im talking to the dead
2. Ancestors dont mean anything for us today
3. Blood isnt important
4. Talking with spirits is a means of witchcraft/def. Evily
5. That once person is dead, thats it.
Oh! Ops three or four. Bonus five.
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