What if we accepted each others Religion?

[SalixIncendium]

Maybe if you feel unhappy with my posts then maybe it’s best if you just put an ‘ignore’ on my profile. That way you won’t even see my posts.

Inviting a member who disagrees with you to ignore you would certainly be an easy way to avoid criticism, wouldn't it?

 

[F1fan]

Firstly I am only referring to the major religions.

Next I’m speaking of accepting the Founder and the spiritual teachings such as virtues and prayer etc not the laws. The administration of each faith would remain.

So Christians would accept Buddha and Muhammad, Buddhists would accept Christ and Baha’is etc

And instead of segregating ourselves in our own churches, pagodas, temples and synagogues, we would visit each others places of worship to meditate and pray together. We Baha’is already do this and read from all the sacred scriptures of each religion in all our services.

In this way we can celebrate our diversity. I think in many places this is happening and also interfaith breaking down barriers. I myself I accept all the major religions and their Founders and Holy Books and find this enriches me greatly. So I read something Christ or Buddha said and it’s a great experience. Christ says to love and Buddha says to fight hate with love and that the greatest of all conquerors is he who conquers his own self. So much wisdom from all these faiths. Why should we deprive ourselves.? If you have any favourite verses please feel most welcome to share them.

This is what Vedanta does, but does so without the bigotry in Baha'i.

Great response. I think accepting our diversity and each other unconditionally is what is most needed now.

Atheists do a great job of being tolerant. Of course this allows healthy discourse when theists make strong assertions of truth, which they should know better than to do in open debate.

It’s about focusing on what we have in common.

Ah, then Humanism is what you should be advocating for. Not everyone has religious assumptions and beliefs. We are commonly human. Not many are impressed with the bigotry in Baha'i, so you should avoid using it as a framework to unify humans.

 

[vijeno]

Firstly I am only referring to the major religions.

Next I’m speaking of accepting the Founder and the spiritual teachings such as virtues and prayer etc not the laws. The administration of each faith would remain.

So Christians would accept Buddha and Muhammad, Buddhists would accept Christ and Baha’is etc

And instead of segregating ourselves in our own churches, pagodas, temples and synagogues, we would visit each others places of worship to meditate and pray together. We Baha’is already do this and read from all the sacred scriptures of each religion in all our services.

In this way we can celebrate our diversity. I think in many places this is happening and also interfaith breaking down barriers. I myself I accept all the major religions and their Founders and Holy Books and find this enriches me greatly. So I read something Christ or Buddha said and it’s a great experience. Christ says to love and Buddha says to fight hate with love and that the greatest of all conquerors is he who conquers his own self. So much wisdom from all these faiths. Why should we deprive ourselves.? If you have any favourite verses please feel most welcome to share them.

Reduce any religion to practices, and you're well on your way!

Engage only with the mystical versions of said religions, and you got a room full of people who like to sit and not talk for hours, all in peace.

It's the talking and the theory that create all the problems.

 

[Vinayaka]

This project of wide acceptance isn't starting very well, is it?

One has to ponder just who's doing the emotional reacting.

 

[YoursTrue]

Firstly I am only referring to the major religions.

Next I’m speaking of accepting the Founder and the spiritual teachings such as virtues and prayer etc not the laws. The administration of each faith would remain.

So Christians would accept Buddha and Muhammad, Buddhists would accept Christ and Baha’is etc

And instead of segregating ourselves in our own churches, pagodas, temples and synagogues, we would visit each others places of worship to meditate and pray together. We Baha’is already do this and read from all the sacred scriptures of each religion in all our services.

In this way we can celebrate our diversity. I think in many places this is happening and also interfaith breaking down barriers. I myself I accept all the major religions and their Founders and Holy Books and find this enriches me greatly. So I read something Christ or Buddha said and it’s a great experience. Christ says to love and Buddha says to fight hate with love and that the greatest of all conquerors is he who conquers his own self. So much wisdom from all these faiths. Why should we deprive ourselves.? If you have any favourite verses please feel most welcome to share them.

How could we do that? Wouldn't it require each "house of worship" to have different images, different leaders praying to different gods?

 

[YoursTrue]

Same old same old.
1) If you're only referring to major religions, then Baha'i doesn't count, which puts you outside of this discussion.
2) As you've been told repeatedly, many religions, including mine, have no founder.
3) I have yet to host a Baha'i at my temple, and there is no need for that. The poor chap would feel so uncomfortable.
4) You simply do not accept all the major religions. If so, then Baha'i temples ought to have statues of Christ, Buddha, several Hindu deities, etc. As another poster said, what you do accept is the Baha'i interpretation of these religions, and usually that's entirely false.
5) And finally, atheists and members of smaller religions don't count.
This is getting old. Very very old.

How's the weather in Perth? Current temperature here is -36C. I post this information in some crazy attempt to get you to see that there is another world outside Baha'i here, both in real life, and on this forum. There are many interesting topics that people post about, and a lot of them are actually fun. But with some Baha'i every single thing has to be about the Baha'i faith. It's sad, in a way. Is it the only thing you know?

You're saying something similar to what I'm saying. There would have to be different sections for different faiths. Not all faiths accept the same premise for their faith (obviously). So right away there's a problem with thinking somehow everybody can or should accept everyone else's faith as true, perhaps. Or that which they accept in the matter of worship.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Virtues are things like love, respect, courtesy, compassion, caring, charity, empathy, detachment, moderation, wisdom, forgiveness, friendliness, gentleness, kindness and so on. KrIshna and Buddha and Christ all taught about love. There’s no real conflict. The essence of all religions is basically the same.

Tell you what: I'll let you make the argument to a Muslim that the Five Pillars of Islam aren't a matter of virtue. Let me know how this goes.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I’m speaking about the virtues not the social laws or theological arguments.

A minute ago, you were talking about "spiritual teachings."

You really are just interested in accepting a cartoon version of these other religions, aren't you? It seems like any point of disagreement with Baha'i teachings is shrugged off as unimportant.

I mean, you're basically implying that, say, the Nicene Creed isn't integral to Christianity and the Shahadah isn't integral to Islam.

Are you willing to go the other way? If someone said that they "accepted" the Baha'i faith except all the stuff from the Bab and Baha'u'llah, would you agree that they'd accepted your religion?

 

[YoursTrue]

A minute ago, you were talking about "spiritual teachings."

You really are just interested in accepting a cartoon version of these other religions, aren't you? It seems like any point of disagreement with Baha'i teachings is shrugged off as unimportant.

I mean, you're basically implying that, say, the Nicene Creed isn't integral to Christianity and the Shahadah isn't integral to Islam.

Are you willing to go the other way? If someone said that they "accepted" the Baha'i faith except all the stuff from the Bab and Baha'u'llah, would you agree that they'd accepted your religion?

There are some things we ain't gonna win until the game is over.

 

[Muffled]

What good would that do? I believe the unbelievers would still end up in Hell.

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

Firstly I am only referring to the major religions.

Next I’m speaking of accepting the Founder and the spiritual teachings such as virtues and prayer etc not the laws. The administration of each faith would remain.

So Christians would accept Buddha and Muhammad, Buddhists would accept Christ and Baha’is etc

And instead of segregating ourselves in our own churches, pagodas, temples and synagogues, we would visit each others places of worship to meditate and pray together. We Baha’is already do this and read from all the sacred scriptures of each religion in all our services.

In this way we can celebrate our diversity. I think in many places this is happening and also interfaith breaking down barriers. I myself I accept all the major religions and their Founders and Holy Books and find this enriches me greatly. So I read something Christ or Buddha said and it’s a great experience. Christ says to love and Buddha says to fight hate with love and that the greatest of all conquerors is he who conquers his own self. So much wisdom from all these faiths. Why should we deprive ourselves.? If you have any favourite verses please feel most welcome to share them.

I honestly think it's possible to be respectful of each other's religions without having to accept a bit of every elements of big religions and agree on accepting to believe in some sort of potluck of the big religions POV.

I'd have no problem visiting a Mosque at all while not being a Muslim or accepting Muhammad as an ultimate prophet.
My atheist friend wouldn't mind visiting a church even tho he won't agree that an all powerful god is up there or that there's a hell and a heaven.

We can all agree to disagree and share our religious culture with each in peace without behaving like raging gorillas lurching at each other to make the other ones "accept" that we are more right on this or that than the neighbor.

The Dalai Lama have a Christian best friend and visits Mosque without acknowledging Jesus is the only salvation or that Allah exists. And is able to have peaceful and meaningful relationship with people of other religions like this without having a debate on who's right or who's wrong.

So yeah, it's already possible. If we all behave with actual basic human decency.

 

[Muffled]

Oh you mean like..... being a Baha'i?

Sorry, not this crap again.

I believe Bahai's don't really accept Christ. They just have their own false versions of Him.

 

[Muffled]

I honestly think it's possible to be respectful of each other's religions without having to accept a bit of every elements of big religions and agree on accepting to believe in some sort of potluck of the big religions POV.

I'd have no problem visiting a Mosque at all while not being a Muslim or accepting Muhammad as an ultimate prophet.
My atheist friend wouldn't mind visiting a church even tho he won't agree that an all powerful god is up there or that there's a hell and a heaven.

We can all agree to disagree and share our religious culture with each in peace without behaving like raging gorillas lurching at each other to make the other ones "accept" that we are more right on this or that than the neighbor.

The Dalai Lama have a Christian best friend and visits Mosque without acknowledging Jesus is the only salvation or that Allah exists. And is able to have peaceful and meaningful relationship with people of other religions like this without having a debate on who's right or who's wrong.

So yeah, it's already possible. If we all behave with actual basic human decency.

I believe respect should be earned. I don't start out with respect; I start with an open mind and see what Jesus will say about it.

 

[Muffled]

So you and my Muslim and Christian friends here will have no problem worshipping Devi Kali or Lord Siva and give oblations in front of her idol or Siva Linga correct?

I believe some Christians urged me not to attend a Muslim prayer meeting because they figured I would encounter the devil there and I have heard that some Christians have aversions towards entering a Hindu temple for the same reasons. I have found the Muslims to be godly enough when they are not being influenced by the devil and I have battled the devil and won so I would not fear to tread on unholy ground.

 

[LuisDantas]

What good would that do? I believe the unbelievers would still end up in Hell.

Yeah, there are things like this to take into account, too.

 

[LuisDantas]

A minute ago, you were talking about "spiritual teachings."

You really are just interested in accepting a cartoon version of these other religions, aren't you? It seems like any point of disagreement with Baha'i teachings is shrugged off as unimportant.

I mean, you're basically implying that, say, the Nicene Creed isn't integral to Christianity and the Shahadah isn't integral to Islam.

Are you willing to go the other way? If someone said that they "accepted" the Baha'i faith except all the stuff from the Bab and Baha'u'llah, would you agree that they'd accepted your religion?

Personally, I am all for religions to admit that their terminology and claims are not the be-all, end-all of everything and that the reality of facts ought to be taken into account.

But I am not holding my breath.

 

[JustGeorge]

I do accept other religions. However, I have no desire to participate in the practices, rituals, worship, etc. of these religions, because I see nothing productive coming of it.

While I understand the need for community, I'm not sure why worship or meditation would have to be an interfaith activity, but, if you feel the need, I'm going to extend to you an open invitation to come to my ashram and meditate with me before Nataraja and my lingam. I meditate daily at 4:10am and 7:30pm EST for 30 minutes. Don't be late!

If I'm ever in the area and free of responsibilities, expect me at the 7:30pm session.

I guess it wouldn't be interfaith, but I miss group meditation.

I don’t believe so. Many people who are tired of antagonism between religions towards welcome very much this tolerance towards other religions. Because of the Baha’i teachings I believe in Buddha and regularly read the Dhammapada. I find it is spiritually liberating to accept Buddha. Why should I be prejudiced or keep aloof just because Buddhism doesn’t mention God? There is truth in all religions I have found and I find having a view of oneness about all of them enriches my life. After all why should I deprive myself of the wisdom of Buddha or Krishna or Muhammad or any of These great souls. They all teach truth so I accept Them all.

I read from many traditions myself. However, I try to read them from the viewpoint of that tradition(even if that viewpoint isn't my own) out of respect.

I also enjoy the stories from more than just the Big 5. You miss out on so much by excluding the smaller religions.

 

[SalixIncendium]

If I'm ever in the area and free of responsibilities, expect me at the 7:30pm session.

You’re always welcome.

I guess it wouldn't be interfaith, but I miss group meditation.

20+ years of meditation, and I never did group.

 

[JustGeorge]

You’re always welcome.



20+ years of meditation, and I never did group.

There was a year or two where I got to attend a group meditation weekly . Its one of my past practices I miss most.

 

[Whateverist]

Firstly I am only referring to the major religions.

Next I’m speaking of accepting the Founder and the spiritual teachings such as virtues and prayer etc not the laws. The administration of each faith would remain.

So Christians would accept Buddha and Muhammad, Buddhists would accept Christ and Baha’is etc

And instead of segregating ourselves in our own churches, pagodas, temples and synagogues, we would visit each others places of worship to meditate and pray together. We Baha’is already do this and read from all the sacred scriptures of each religion in all our services.

In this way we can celebrate our diversity. I think in many places this is happening and also interfaith breaking down barriers. I myself I accept all the major religions and their Founders and Holy Books and find this enriches me greatly. So I read something Christ or Buddha said and it’s a great experience. Christ says to love and Buddha says to fight hate with love and that the greatest of all conquerors is he who conquers his own self. So much wisdom from all these faiths. Why should we deprive ourselves.? If you have any favourite verses please feel most welcome to share them.

I would be content if Christians just respected other traditions as being similarly concerned with the sacred without instantly getting into tribalism and vague warnings about what awaits them at judgement. To me that attitude is a corruption of Christianity. Either be a good neighbor or admit you’re a lousy Christian.