What do all Religions have in Common?

[Jayhawker Soule]

Religion is a transformational quest for wholeness seeking a coherent, integrated, and personal sense of cosmos and ethos.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

The only yard stick we have in The UK as to whether an organisation is not a religion
Is the determinations of the Charity commissioners
See the case snipped below. It concludes the Church of Scientology is not a church as it did not meet the statutory requirements.

I understand the criterion is quite different in the USA, and that virtually anyone can start a recognise religion.






The Church of Scientology (England and Wales) (“the Church&#8221

Consideration of an application for charitable status by an organisation whose object was to advance religion and which promoted the belief system, doctrines and practices known as Scientology.
The Commissioners considered the relevance of ECHR to considering and interpreting the relevant legal authorities, with respect to advancing religion, promoting moral or spiritual welfare or improvement of the community and public benefit.
The Commissioners considered the relevant authorities and concluded that religion for the purposes of charity law constituted belief in a supreme being, an expression of belief in that system through worship, an advancement or promotion of the religion and that the necessary public benefit was evident. They concluded that the Church did not satisfy these requirements.
The Commissioners considered the relevant authorities and concluded that the key aspects of the purpose to promote the moral or spiritual welfare or improvement of the community were that the doctrines, beliefs and practices involved were generally accessible to the public and were capable of being applied or adopted by them according to individual judgement or choice from time to time in such a way that the moral or spiritual welfare or improvement of the community may result. They further concluded that the practice of Scientology and the purposes of the Church were not analogous to that purpose nor would it be likely to achieve such a purpose.
The Commissioners considered the public benefit requirement. They noted that public benefit for fourth head purposes must be proven and tended towards tangible and objective benefits. Where there were intangible benefits they required at least approval by the common understanding of enlightened opinion. The Commissioners concluded that public benefit arising out of the practice of Scientology and the purposes of the Church had not been established.

 

[michel]

I am a new member, and I have a few questions about religion.

I would like to know what people on this forum believe that all religions have in common.

I would say that most, if not all, religion fits into several criteria -

1. There is the worship of a diety, or dieties, that are of a higher power than the worshipper,

Agreed.

2. The deity, or dieties, are used to explain everyday events,

I disagree with that. We have free will and therefore choice as to how we act; we can either react in a positive manner - or a derogatory one.

3. The religion asserts that all other gods outside of that religion are false, and do not exist,

I believe that we all 9utimately, without realising so believe in the one God; for those who believe in Gods , perhaps (I honestly don't know), maybe they believe in one "chief" God.

4. Believers of a religion are rewarded in the afterlife, with Heaven or the equivalent within that religion,

Only if they have earned that reward..........

5. Non-believers are punished with Hell, or the equivalent within that religion.

Absolutely not; there is no way that "my" God would punish a person who has led a "good" life, simply because he didn't know of or believe in my God.

Are there exceptions? Other criteria that most, or all, religions satisfy? Other ideas? I would like to hear from everyone else, and hear your ideas on this.

I think I have answered those within the other questions.

 

[Mike182]

Religion is a transformational quest for wholeness seeking a coherent, integrated, and personal sense of cosmos and ethos.

thanks for that Jay! i'd frubal you except it says i need to spread some karma

 

[eudaimonia]

Considering that there are religions that do not worship a divine power, I think that the second part is not correct, but the first part, about beliefts and personal commitments, would be correct to all religions. Also, Maltheism believes that God is evil, so I think that beneficial would be the wrong word anyway.

My point was, of course, that not everything we call a religion is, in fact, a religion in the original sense of the word. I would not count Maltheism as a religion either -- that's more of a philosophical position.

I personally doubt that there is anything that unites all of what we normally consider religions.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Random]

An edifying perspective on the Human Condition. All religions have this in common, though obviously that perspective differs from one belief system to another.

 

[joeboonda]

From what I have read about different beliefs within Christianity, I would have thought only people that believe in God earn salvation, and have confessed and are sorry for their sins, no matter what their deeds in life

.

NOWHERE in the Bible does it say that we 'earn' salvation, salvation is a FREE GIFT:


Romans 5
15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Romans 6:23
23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


Ephesians 2
8For by grace (undeserved unmerited favor) are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9Not of works, lest any man should boast.

John 4:10
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Revelation 22:17
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

 

[Ðanisty]

what about works of literature?

Uh....does Paradise Lost count....lol? There are no specific works of literature that are followed by Luciferians. There are some books out there (Michel Ford is a notable Luciferian author though I haven't read any of his stuff...lol), but these aren't like the Bible.

So far, I think Jay's given the best definition, so frubals on his head for that. :yes:

 

[Luke_17:2]

Many 'religions' have in common the idea that man must earn salvation by his own good works. Jesus Christ offers salvation freely, having paid the penalty for all our sins, and offers His righteousness to us in place of our own, which is as filthy rags to a Holy God.

"Religion" centers on Man, Christianity centers on Christ, it is not a religion, but a relationship with the one who loved us and came to earth to die for us so we may be freely saved.

Exactly! Couldn't have said it better! Christianity is just the accepted form of organization of people who follow Christ. You don't follow the teachings of Chrisitanity, nor do you follow Christianity; you follow the teachings of Christ, and Christ himself, respectively.

And, if you read the Old Testament, you'll find that there is the acknowlegement of other deities. Though there is only on true God, the existence of deities is obvious: in order to be worshpied, evil Spirits that inhabit the idols that man makes. That last part of course is a theory, but the Bible does make acknowledgements of deities.

 

[lilithu]

Exactly! Couldn't have said it better!

So for you guys, the only religionS that exist are Christianity? :areyoucra

 

[wizanda]

Zan’s holy molly, jumping Jehosaphat,
Holy smokes book list!

Mammon = Gita, Bible
Mustard Seed = Dhammapada, Bible, Upanishads, Quran,
Noah, Noh = Chilam-Balam (Mayan texts), Bible, Egyptian
Fig = Gita, Bible
Names in Genesis = Egyptian

In my opinion what do the books have in common? The secret to eternal life and with it, understanding of the magic of the world; as only then can you understand each culture and peoples before you meet them. :angel2:



p.s. that is a start to the list of inter-linking in books...........

 

[SERVANTOFSET]

I am a new member, and I have a few questions about religion.

I would like to know what people on this forum believe that all religions have in common.

I would say that most, if not all, religion fits into several criteria -
1. There is the worship of a diety, or dieties, that are of a higher power than the worshipper,
2. The deity, or dieties, are used to explain everyday events,
3. The religion asserts that all other gods outside of that religion are false, and do not exist,
4. Believers of a religion are rewarded in the afterlife, with Heaven or the equivalent within that religion,
5. Non-believers are punished with Hell, or the equivalent within that religion.

Are there exceptions? Other criteria that most, or all, religions satisfy? Other ideas? I would like to hear from everyone else, and hear your ideas on this.

Number three is not only false in many non-Abrahamic religions but also in Judaism and Christianity. the bible shifts through henotheism, polytheism and pantheism before suggesting that there is only one God.

"Let us make man in our image..." Gensis 1: 25 (Polytheism)
"For the Lord your God is god of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and an awesome, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward." Deuteronomy 10:17 (pantheism) +Psalms 82:2

the bible is so full of deciet and self-contradiction that it is impossibel to make 5 key meaningful claims about it let alone 5 claims about all religions.
"

 

[may]

"Let us make man in our image..." Gensis 1: 25 (Polytheism)

"

why is this polytheism.............. here the most high Jehovah , was talking to his first born son ...............Jesus ,in his pre-human state was in heaven with his father Jehovah. and he was a master worker . this first-born son was the ONLY ONE created by Jehovah alone .Everything else was created through Jesus.
Long before he came to earth, Jesus worked so closely with Jehovah that God’s Word says: "He is before all other things and by means of him all other things were made to exist."—Colossians 1:17; Revelation 3:14.

 

[lilithu]

why is this polytheism.............. here the most high Jehovah , was talking to his first born son ...............Jesus ,in his pre-human state was in heaven with his father Jehovah. and he was a master worker . this first-born son was the ONLY ONE created by Jehovah alone .Everything else was created through Jesus.

Even by that interpretation it sounds like at least two gods to me.

And I note that's your interpretation of a Jewish text, ie - written by people who didn't believe that Jesus is God.

 

[SERVANTOFSET]

why is this polytheism.............. here the most high Jehovah , was talking to his first born son ...............Jesus ,in his pre-human state was in heaven with his father Jehovah. and he was a master worker . this first-born son was the ONLY ONE created by Jehovah alone .Everything else was created through Jesus.
Long before he came to earth, Jesus worked so closely with Jehovah that God’s Word says: "He is before all other things and by means of him all other things were made to exist."—Colossians 1:17; Revelation 3:14.

God makes both man and woman in ''our'' image so one of them musty have been female. Is there something about Jesus that you'd like to tell us?

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

God makes both man and woman in ''our'' image so one of them musty have been female.

Good grief!

 

[Bishka]

God makes both man and woman in ''our'' image so one of them musty have been female. Is there something about Jesus that you'd like to tell us?

What makes you think that? Men and Woman are in the likeness of God's image; not exact replicas. There can be variations and differences as long as it follows the original prototype.

 

[SERVANTOFSET]

Even if that's true and it is Christ whom he is addressing, then why does he have to say us? As part of the trinity he should say 'I'. the more Christians are pressed on this the more they become polytheistic as the Trinity becomes waterred down.

 

[Ðanisty]

Even if that's true and it is Christ whom he is addressing, then why does he have to say us? As part of the trinity he should say 'I'. the more Christians are pressed on this the more they become polytheistic as the Trinity becomes waterred down.

Actually, not everyone believes in the Trinity that way. Some people believe that the father, son and holy spirit are three separate things that are in union. If I'm not mistaken, the LDS believe that and Becky is LDS, so her response makes perfect sense for her beliefs.

 

[Bishka]

Even if that's true and it is Christ whom he is addressing, then why does he have to say us? As part of the trinity he should say 'I'. the more Christians are pressed on this the more they become polytheistic as the Trinity becomes waterred down.

Like Danisty has pointed out, not all Christians believe in the Trinity. Before bashing all of them or grouping them all together, why not figure out if there are some that believe differently? In LDS theology; the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are three seperate and distinct physical beings (except Holy Spirit, he does not have a body); yet they are one in purpose and goal.