What do you think about other religions?

[osgart]

The highest purpose I find in life is to serve others in order to make them freer, stronger, and more deserving. What religion teaches people to do that for all? Many live in service to self, and their own tribe of believers. Anything that runs contrary to the higher purpose I mentioned is bound for wastefulness, blindness, and a society of great ills. Humanity and especially religion is a very long road from charity; the greatest virtue. Every institution and system we have is set up to make charity the most difficult thing to do. I'm still searching for a religion that teaches charity. Charity is no doormat either. I've yet to hear of any religion that teaches the practice. Most of my faith centers on charity. No man is an island. Charity is the least understood virtue, and a lot of people I've encountered consider it weakness with their stereotypes of it. So religion doesn't seem so great at all when I think of this.

 

[Trailblazer]

The highest purpose I find in life is to serve others in order to make them freer, stronger, and more deserving. What religion teaches people to do that for all? Many live in service to self, and their own tribe of believers. Anything that runs contrary to the higher purpose I mentioned is bound for wastefulness, blindness, and a society of great ills. Humanity and especially religion is a very long road from charity; the greatest virtue. Every institution and system we have is set up to make charity the most difficult thing to do. I'm still searching for a religion that teaches charity. Charity is no doormat either. I've yet to hear of any religion that teaches the practice. Most of my faith centers on charity. No man is an island. Charity is the least understood virtue, and a lot of people I've encountered consider it weakness with their stereotypes of it. So religion doesn't seem so great at all when I think of this.

I have to agree that religion has not done very well in service of others. The highest purpose I find in life is to serve others, but I do not believe there are any avenues of service within my religion that I can get behind and take part in, so I am a woman alone.

 

[osgart]

I have to agree that religion has not done very well in service of others. The highest purpose I find in life is to serve others, but I do not believe there are any avenues of service within my religion that I can get behind and take part in, so I am a woman alone.

I just think that charity can be a lonely path. And I don't think it's understood all that well.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Do all the major religions:
Teach spiritual values?
Teach good character?
Come from the same God?

Since I am an atheist, the third option is not valid for me.
Pagan religions are the voice of the society. They teach spiritual values and good character according to the rules of their society at that time.
Religions that have founders just plagiarize the rules of the society and claim them as their own. Their only intent is to make others follow their founder. Brand selling, marketing.

 

[Kenny]

Can you give an example of this truth?

Love never fails.

 

[loverofhumanity]

My position is that all religions have some truth but the New Testament is the absolute truth which is also found in the TaNaKh.

I have always liked your fairness to other religions. God to me is the Source of all truth and all humanity He considers as His own children although we divide ourselves into groups of ‘us and thems’. His sun shines upon both the good and the wicked.

 

[nPeace]

I don't understand what you just said. What are referring to when you say "same channel". The other stuff was obscure to me, too. Matthew 24:45:

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Matthew, "The Gospel of Matthew, 24:45

What does this verse mean to you? How does this relate to what you just said?

The verse refers to a slave, that the lord Jesus appoints over his household, to give them food at the right time.
The slave would be the channel Jesus uses, then, to feed his sheep.

Since it is one channel from which all the sheep feed, it means that all the sheep would be getting the same food, from Jesus Christ - the master of the slave.
In this way, all the sheep are united in their teachings, because the food (meat) is not physical food, but spiritual food - what Jesus wants his followers to know, and do.

This would certainly rule out any possibility that all religions are receiving their instructions from the same source.

 

[nPeace]

It definitely isn't. That was a lot less true say in the 16th and 17th centuries also.

A little history...
What Happened To The Christian Church In The First five centuries of Christianity?
As all historians have stated that the Christian Church survived the Roman persecution and continued to exist afterwards. The church lived as one church with one faith, one baptism (Eph 4:5), common dogmas, and very closed rituals throughout the whole world for about five centuries. There were no denominations or sects in the Christian church. Churches at that time were named after a few big cities in the world not because of differences in faith, but merely to make administration of the churches achievable.

The sad division between the churches took place in year 451 AD in the Chalcedon Council. In this council, bishops representing churches from all over the world assembled to discuss matters related to the person of Christ. At the end of the meeting, a sharp division occurred among these churches. The Oriental Orthodox Churches decided on continuing to follow the same faith as it was delivered from Christ and His disciples, and these churches continue to do so until today. These churches are the Coptic Orthodox Church (Egypt), the Syrian Orthodox Church (Syria), the Indian Orthodox Church (India), The Ethiopian Orthodox Church (Ethiopia), and The Armenian Church (Armenia). The other churches decided to be in the other camp, let us refer to them here as the Western Churches.

Jul 16, 1054 CE: Great Schism
On July 16, 1054, Patriarch of Constantinople Michael Cerularius was excommunicated, starting the “Great Schism” that created the two largest denominations in Christianity—the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faiths.

This apostasy was prophesied, by the apostles who recognized that there were ambitious men who were not interested in the Lord's sheep, and wanted to become "authoritarians" in the church. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8; Acts of the Apostles 20:29-30

So, after the death of the last apostle John, the schisms were becoming more evident. It came to a head, as the above shows.
That ended Christianity, as started by Christ. His teachings were replaced by doctrines of men, set by the clergy.
What became known as Christianity then, is an imitation.

What does this have to with what I said, also?

I did not really understand what you were saying. I tried to answer what I thought I understood. Maybe I didn't?

You don't think well of other religions besides Christianity from what you said.

I believe the Bible is truth - God's word.
It would make sense to think other religions have the truth as well, only if I was not sure of what I believe, or I did not really believe it, or were just as confused as some people admit being.

You would not teach someone something you don't believe, or are not sure of, would you?
The disciples went around telling everyone what Jesus taught them, because they knew... or believed it was the truth. They were not uncertain, so as to say... "Well they are correct also."
Here is what they said...
2 Corinthians 5:18-20
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

1 John 4:6
We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

This is how it is with the followers of Christ.
Of course that offends people, but holding back from speaking the truth isn't going to make them happy.

 

[loverofhumanity]

Love never fails.

This is what our religion teaches us:

Love ye all religions and all races with a love that is true and sincere
and show that love through deeds and not through the tongue; for the latter
hath no importance, as the majority of men are, in speech, well-wishers,
while action is the best.

— Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

 

[loverofhumanity]

A little history...
What Happened To The Christian Church In The First five centuries of Christianity?
As all historians have stated that the Christian Church survived the Roman persecution and continued to exist afterwards. The church lived as one church with one faith, one baptism (Eph 4:5), common dogmas, and very closed rituals throughout the whole world for about five centuries. There were no denominations or sects in the Christian church. Churches at that time were named after a few big cities in the world not because of differences in faith, but merely to make administration of the churches achievable.

The sad division between the churches took place in year 451 AD in the Chalcedon Council. In this council, bishops representing churches from all over the world assembled to discuss matters related to the person of Christ. At the end of the meeting, a sharp division occurred among these churches. The Oriental Orthodox Churches decided on continuing to follow the same faith as it was delivered from Christ and His disciples, and these churches continue to do so until today. These churches are the Coptic Orthodox Church (Egypt), the Syrian Orthodox Church (Syria), the Indian Orthodox Church (India), The Ethiopian Orthodox Church (Ethiopia), and The Armenian Church (Armenia). The other churches decided to be in the other camp, let us refer to them here as the Western Churches.

Jul 16, 1054 CE: Great Schism
On July 16, 1054, Patriarch of Constantinople Michael Cerularius was excommunicated, starting the “Great Schism” that created the two largest denominations in Christianity—the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faiths.

This apostasy was prophesied, by the apostles who recognized that there were ambitious men who were not interested in the Lord's sheep, and wanted to become "authoritarians" in the church. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8; Acts of the Apostles 20:29-30

So, after the death of the last apostle John, the schisms were becoming more evident. It came to a head, as the above shows.
That ended Christianity, as started by Christ. His teachings were replaced by doctrines of men, set by the clergy.
What became known as Christianity then, is an imitation.


I did not really understand what you were saying. I tried to answer what I thought I understood. Maybe I didn't?


I believe the Bible is truth - God's word.
It would make sense to think other religions have the truth as well, only if I was not sure of what I believe, or I did not really believe it, or were just as confused as some people admit being.

You would not teach someone something you don't believe, or are not sure of, would you?
The disciples went around telling everyone what Jesus taught them, because they knew... or believed it was the truth. They were not uncertain, so as to say... "Well they are correct also."
Here is what they said...
2 Corinthians 5:18-20
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

1 John 4:6
We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

This is how it is with the followers of Christ.
Of course that offends people, but holding back from speaking the truth isn't going to make them happy.

You mentioned possibly other religions having some truth to them. I concur but go a little bit further.

To me religion is like a tree that God plants in the world to produce luscious fruits of knowledge, love and harmony. But when that tree stops bearing fruit God then plants another tree or religion so that humanity can continue to receive this fruit. Unfortunately though, the followers still worship the tree that is now barren that once bore fruit and become deprived of the fruit from the new tree God planted.

Just like trees, religion is not permanent. Everything in this world is born, decays and dies including religion. So God renews it from age to age with new fruits. That is why although 75% of humanity believe in religion yet were unable to prevent the world wars as their religion, although existing in name had become fruitless or spiritually bankrupt, unable to exert a powerful spiritual effect on the world anymore.

That is why people are abandoning religion because they find it is no longer effective in addressing the needs of our age. But God has planted a new tree in the world that in time will bring forth the fruits of oneness and unity for this age.

 

[RabbiO]

@loverofhumanity -



I was going to write a long response but I realized that your post simply regurgitated a Baha’i position that has been stated again and again by other members of the forum and I’ve already put in my time responding to such posts.
Happily, however, the face palm emoji has survived the software update.

 

[GardenLady]

but I do not believe there are any avenues of service within my religion that I can get behind and take part in

Can you say more about this? My chosen area of service is feeding people. Twice a month I (along with others) donate food and sometimes help prepare food for a men's shelter in the county. Every year for two weeks, a group of us from our church provide/prep food for 3 meals a day for a women & children. As needed, I am among those who signs up to prepare and take dinner to a member of the church who is recovering from surgery, having chemo, etc. I can't imagine a religion in which this kind of service isn't available to take part. But perhaps I'm not understanding what you are saying about the lack of avenues of service.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Love never fails.

False love always fails.

 

[Trailblazer]

Can you say more about this? My chosen area of service is feeding people. Twice a month I (along with others) donate food and sometimes help prepare food for a men's shelter in the county. Every year for two weeks, a group of us from our church provide/prep food for 3 meals a day for a women & children. As needed, I am among those who signs up to prepare and take dinner to a member of the church who is recovering from surgery, having chemo, etc. I can't imagine a religion in which this kind of service isn't available to take part. But perhaps I'm not understanding what you are saying about the lack of avenues of service.

There are avenues of service within my religion but I cannot get behind them because those are not my chosen areas of service and I cannot take part in them for personal reasons.

 

[nPeace]

You mentioned possibly other religions having some truth to them. I concur but go a little bit further.

To me religion is like a tree that God plants in the world to produce luscious fruits of knowledge, love and harmony. But when that tree stops bearing fruit God then plants another tree or religion so that humanity can continue to receive this fruit. Unfortunately though, the followers still worship the tree that is now barren that once bore fruit and become deprived of the fruit from the new tree God planted.

Just like trees, religion is not permanent. Everything in this world is born, decays and dies including religion. So God renews it from age to age with new fruits. That is why although 75% of humanity believe in religion yet were unable to prevent the world wars as their religion, although existing in name had become fruitless or spiritually bankrupt, unable to exert a powerful spiritual effect on the world anymore.

That is why people are abandoning religion because they find it is no longer effective in addressing the needs of our age. But God has planted a new tree in the world that in time will bring forth the fruits of oneness and unity for this age.

The Devil plants no trees?
He plants forests... that become jungles.
Many people get lost in them. Some get comfortable with them. Some love them.
That's why only few find the tree God planted.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the cultivator. He takes away every branch in me not bearing fruit, and he cleans every one bearing fruit, so that it may bear more fruit. John 15:1-2
My Father is glorified in this, that you keep bearing much fruit and prove yourselves my disciples. John 15:8

The tree God has planted, never stops bearing fruit.
The branches that don't produce fruit, are lopped off, making room for more branches.
The branches bearing fruit are cleaned, and taken care of, so this tree is permanent, and always bears fruit. Those branches that are lopped off, don't belong.

I hope you don't mind that I chose Jesus' illustration over yours. It's always more accurate.

 

[Sundance]

Which prophecies in any religion have the Promised One come, get rejected, get exiled and imprisoned, die and then say that because the world rejected him, it would go through a time of tribulations? I've asked this many times. As far as I know, not one Baha'i has given me an answer.

Just going by the NT, I think the tribulations come before Christ comes. Do you see it differently?

You’re conflating two different things. There are no prophecies about the Promised One coming, being rejected, exiled and imprisoned, dying, and foretelling the coming trials of the world. These are not what Bahá’u’lláh refers to. Actually, He speaks to these experiences in a poetic manner, comparing His suffering to similar trials faced by Jesus Christ and the Shi’a Islamic figure Imam Husayn, making His case for their Return in His Own Person.

 

[CG Didymus]

You mentioned possibly other religions having some truth to them. I concur but go a little bit further.

To me religion is like a tree that God plants in the world to produce luscious fruits of knowledge, love and harmony. But when that tree stops bearing fruit God then plants another tree or religion so that humanity can continue to receive this fruit. Unfortunately though, the followers still worship the tree that is now barren that once bore fruit and become deprived of the fruit from the new tree God planted.

Just like trees, religion is not permanent. Everything in this world is born, decays and dies including religion. So God renews it from age to age with new fruits. That is why although 75% of humanity believe in religion yet were unable to prevent the world wars as their religion, although existing in name had become fruitless or spiritually bankrupt, unable to exert a powerful spiritual effect on the world anymore.

That is why people are abandoning religion because they find it is no longer effective in addressing the needs of our age. But God has planted a new tree in the world that in time will bring forth the fruits of oneness and unity for this age.

Not that I believe it is true, but if Evangelical/Fundy Christianity was true, when does getting saved from being cast into hell become obsolete? But the tree analogy isn't too bad. Each religion can be seen as a tree and they each bear fruit, but not necessarily the same fruit.

 

[Thea]

I couldn’t vote as I do not know much about most religions. But I do find them all very interesting.

 

[CG Didymus]

You’re conflating two different things. There are no prophecies about the Promised One coming, being rejected, exiled and imprisoned, dying, and foretelling the coming trials of the world. These are not what Bahá’u’lláh refers to. Actually, He speaks to these experiences in a poetic manner, comparing His suffering to similar trials faced by Jesus Christ and the Shi’a Islamic figure Imam Husayn, making His case for their Return in His Own Person.

Are there prophecies that do predict what will happen when the Christ or the Messiah, or Kalki or whatever you want to call the Promised One, when he returns? I know for sure the Book of Revelation has somebody returning, and he defeats the evil kings and rulers. So, how are Baha'is interpreting those verses?

 

[Witches_Element]

This is directed to the respected members of all religions. There are differences between religions but Interfaith tries to look for what we have in common. Should we allow our differences to divide us or should we put aside our differences and work for the betterment of the world?

By religion I do not mean denomination or sect. I mean a different religion or philosophy such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam etc.

As a member of your faith, do you accept other religions are true or only your religion?

Does your religion promote fellowship between members of other faiths or not.

Do you ever read or study other religions within your religion.

Do you think religions can unite and accept each other. For example Jews accept Christ and Christians accept Muhammad. If not why not?

As a Christian/Wiccan/Shaman Witch I absolutely love religion in general and the best thing I found out from different religious Faith's is that religious differences aside, we really aren't that different from each other.

Religion to me is meant to bring us closer together and not tear us apart as we are searching for the higher meanings of life other than just existing. I love people of other Faiths because it gives me a chance to see my Divine from another perspective I would have missed out on if I would have only interacted within my Faith group.

Another important thing that different religious Faith's helped teach me is that it helped strengthen and not weaken my Faith in my Divine. If I was afraid to talk to someone of a different Faith, what would that say about my Religion? I have no fear, no judgement, only love for the ones I am blessed to have in my life regardless of the faith they are from.

I accept people of all Faith's and even people who refrain from Religion all together. I have seen so much and completely understand the struggles people deal in their religious life. I'm just glad to be here and hope people can accept me for who I am.

I am a Christian since birth, follow Shamanism from my Native American roots, Wicca Celtic Witch from my Irish mixture, and Catholicism from my Spaniard heritage. I have so many wonderful mixtures of races and religious upbringings that help me appreciate this amazing life while I'm here with you and only hope you can find the peace in your heart as you travel down this difficult journey of life we experience!