What do you think each religion or belief system gets right?
I am including secular belief systems such as Humanism, Atheism and Agnosticism in this definition.
You may begin with your own religion/belief system if you like but you must go on to discuss at least one or two others different from your own.
1. Christianity - I think my religion gets guilt and human difficulty in 'perfectly living as we know we should' right. We've all had that feeling when you know, in your mind, that you ought to avoid something but bodily you just can't resist it? Or when you know that you should pursue a certain course of action that will make you a better person or improve your life/others lives for the better but you just can't be bothered or do the exact opposite? Why don't we do the things we know are good for us, while doing the things we know aren't good for us? St. Paul described this dilemma better than anyone else.
Romans 7: http://biblehub.com/bsb/romans/7.htm
Christianity is very good at dealing with this situation of human weakness/propensity to sin/giving in to cravings and the attendant feelings of guilt/inadequacy that often come with it. We know we ought to eat less and exercise more, save and invest our money, stay away from troublesome lovers...yet we keep on eating more, exercising less, squandering our money on short-term pleasures and continuing to date troublesome lovers...This can make us feel like utter crap sometimes. Can we ever hope to break out of this cycle?
Christianity tells us, there's a get out of jail free clause. Through the saving grace of God, you can be redeemed by the incarnation and atonement of the God-Man Jesus, improve morally with the aid of the Holy Spirit and be forgiven/forgive yourself for these weaknesses. You can be reborn as a new person. Chin up!
2. Buddhism - Beyond doubt, this religion excels all others in responding effectively to the reality of suffering for all sentient beings. Through the Four Noble Truths, we learn something that I think we all know instinctively but that Buddhism articulates so profoundly: human desires are often frustrated which leads to suffering and this is compounded by the fact that everything is impermanent, as per the Three Marks of Existence. So if you cling to impermanent states, your going to get caught in an abysmal loop of endless suffering because your desires will all, ultimately, be frustrated. But good news - the Noble Eightfold Path gives you a way out. Non-attachment, not-self and some understanding of dependant origination and you can start on the path to liberation from "samsara".
3. Indigenous/Animism/Neo-Pagan - For me, these religions really remind us just how connected with and reliant we are upon the natural world. They also teach us to honour the ancestors who came before us and whose decisions have led to our very existence and ultimately the people we are. Respect for nature and our forbears, that's for me the number 1 thing these religions do best over others.
4. Jainism - This religion is the undisputed king of ahimsa: non-violence and universal compassion towards all sentient beings. More so than followers of any other belief system, Jains are committed to avoiding violence or harm to any living creatures without exception. Jainism also excels other religions in terms of tolerance and pluralism. The Jain doctrine of "non-one-sidedness" (Anekantavada) means that Jains believe reality to be perceived differently from diverse points of view, and that no single point of view is the complete truth, yet taken together they comprise the complete truth. This reminds us to be wary of reifying or absolutizing our own beliefs and ideals at the expense of others.
5. Judaism - This religion gets social critique, overriding concern for the weak/oppressed and practical wisdom notably right. The Tanakh brings us the revolutionary teachings of the Hebrew prophets, such as Isaiah and Micah, who condemn the exploitation of the poor and defenceless by the wealthy and powerful in society. Because this religion's overarching narrative is one of a Supreme Deity leading a persecuted, enslaved people out of servitude and into freedom in their own land, Judaism seems to me to have a unique compassion for the plight of the poor, foreigners, widows, orphans and all others who are accounted low in the world's eyes. There is a strong progressive message inherent in that story and its why Moses became a particular hero for African-Americans campaigning for equal civil rights in the 20th century. In addition, the Tanakh has brought us universal practical wisdom through the Books of Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes that can be applied to all manner of everyday living.
6. Islam - This religion is the most uncompromising in its commitment to monotheism and living according to the will of God, both individually and communally. I don't think there has ever been a more explicitly monotheistic religion. The simplicity of its central message - that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger - has led Islam to have an enduring appeal for millions of people worldwide. The Qur'an and Sunnah have 99 names for God that are quite possibly the most beautiful ever attributed to a deity in any religion.
7. Secular Humanism - This belief system shows us how to be ethical, rational and humanitarian while living free from every superstition or belief that isn't substantiated by science/logic. It does this better than any another.
More to come but that will do for now!
I am including secular belief systems such as Humanism, Atheism and Agnosticism in this definition.
You may begin with your own religion/belief system if you like but you must go on to discuss at least one or two others different from your own.
1. Christianity - I think my religion gets guilt and human difficulty in 'perfectly living as we know we should' right. We've all had that feeling when you know, in your mind, that you ought to avoid something but bodily you just can't resist it? Or when you know that you should pursue a certain course of action that will make you a better person or improve your life/others lives for the better but you just can't be bothered or do the exact opposite? Why don't we do the things we know are good for us, while doing the things we know aren't good for us? St. Paul described this dilemma better than anyone else.
Romans 7: http://biblehub.com/bsb/romans/7.htm
"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do...for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do...For in my inner being I delight in God’s Law. But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Christianity is very good at dealing with this situation of human weakness/propensity to sin/giving in to cravings and the attendant feelings of guilt/inadequacy that often come with it. We know we ought to eat less and exercise more, save and invest our money, stay away from troublesome lovers...yet we keep on eating more, exercising less, squandering our money on short-term pleasures and continuing to date troublesome lovers...This can make us feel like utter crap sometimes. Can we ever hope to break out of this cycle?
Christianity tells us, there's a get out of jail free clause. Through the saving grace of God, you can be redeemed by the incarnation and atonement of the God-Man Jesus, improve morally with the aid of the Holy Spirit and be forgiven/forgive yourself for these weaknesses. You can be reborn as a new person. Chin up!
2. Buddhism - Beyond doubt, this religion excels all others in responding effectively to the reality of suffering for all sentient beings. Through the Four Noble Truths, we learn something that I think we all know instinctively but that Buddhism articulates so profoundly: human desires are often frustrated which leads to suffering and this is compounded by the fact that everything is impermanent, as per the Three Marks of Existence. So if you cling to impermanent states, your going to get caught in an abysmal loop of endless suffering because your desires will all, ultimately, be frustrated. But good news - the Noble Eightfold Path gives you a way out. Non-attachment, not-self and some understanding of dependant origination and you can start on the path to liberation from "samsara".
3. Indigenous/Animism/Neo-Pagan - For me, these religions really remind us just how connected with and reliant we are upon the natural world. They also teach us to honour the ancestors who came before us and whose decisions have led to our very existence and ultimately the people we are. Respect for nature and our forbears, that's for me the number 1 thing these religions do best over others.
4. Jainism - This religion is the undisputed king of ahimsa: non-violence and universal compassion towards all sentient beings. More so than followers of any other belief system, Jains are committed to avoiding violence or harm to any living creatures without exception. Jainism also excels other religions in terms of tolerance and pluralism. The Jain doctrine of "non-one-sidedness" (Anekantavada) means that Jains believe reality to be perceived differently from diverse points of view, and that no single point of view is the complete truth, yet taken together they comprise the complete truth. This reminds us to be wary of reifying or absolutizing our own beliefs and ideals at the expense of others.
5. Judaism - This religion gets social critique, overriding concern for the weak/oppressed and practical wisdom notably right. The Tanakh brings us the revolutionary teachings of the Hebrew prophets, such as Isaiah and Micah, who condemn the exploitation of the poor and defenceless by the wealthy and powerful in society. Because this religion's overarching narrative is one of a Supreme Deity leading a persecuted, enslaved people out of servitude and into freedom in their own land, Judaism seems to me to have a unique compassion for the plight of the poor, foreigners, widows, orphans and all others who are accounted low in the world's eyes. There is a strong progressive message inherent in that story and its why Moses became a particular hero for African-Americans campaigning for equal civil rights in the 20th century. In addition, the Tanakh has brought us universal practical wisdom through the Books of Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes that can be applied to all manner of everyday living.
6. Islam - This religion is the most uncompromising in its commitment to monotheism and living according to the will of God, both individually and communally. I don't think there has ever been a more explicitly monotheistic religion. The simplicity of its central message - that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger - has led Islam to have an enduring appeal for millions of people worldwide. The Qur'an and Sunnah have 99 names for God that are quite possibly the most beautiful ever attributed to a deity in any religion.
7. Secular Humanism - This belief system shows us how to be ethical, rational and humanitarian while living free from every superstition or belief that isn't substantiated by science/logic. It does this better than any another.
More to come but that will do for now!
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