Sorry, I'm new here, and I'm still not quite sure how to use the quote function yet, so I'll just copy and paste your quote. Thank you for your patience!
"This question being open to everyone, yet I am curious to hear the differences between Christianity, Islam, and Judaic religions."
I appreciate your openess to hear an answer from another faith perspective then the three you described.
"Some religions refer to God by different names such as Yeshua, Jehovah, Jesus, Allah, and I am sure many more; what makes you so sure that this is the correct way to address such an omnipotent being?"
The faith I affiliate with is called the Science of Mind, which is considered a 'New Thought Religion' similar to Unity, and Divine Science. In our teaching, (much of it based heavily on an esoteric or metaphysical understanding of Christianity, and many of the other religions), we would say that since God is infinite, then whatever descriptive words you choose to "label" It with, is applicable. The question becomes then, what do you want to describe God as? Whatever description you choose to give to God, that is how you will experience God, as that is how God will be to you. And, since God is infinite, whatever description you choose, will be uniquely your own, and that is how an infinite God becomes personal to each of us.
"Under such beliefs, isn’t this like calling your parent by their proper name?"
Yes, but there are many people in the world who call their parents by their proper names, and that is who they are to them. Also, quite a few people call their mother, "mother", and their father, "father", which to me, is a bit formal. Again, that is how you will experience these people.
"Aside from this, there are many claims that only one religion is the “proper” religion (these claims reverberate throughout every religion; there is always one in the crowd)?"
I would respond to that by saying that that is a funcion of the human ego, and the funcion of a "societal ego", (for lack of a better way of putting it.) With a person who has an immature ego, everything they think, say, and do, is considered by them, "right", and anyone who does something different is automatically "wrong". You can observe this in the typical teenager. Unfortunately, many "adults" are walking around with immature egos, all of them thinking that the way they see things is right, while everyone else is, of course, wrong. Same thing with "societal ego's".
"Does your religion encourage you to seek all there is to know by every religion in order to find the truth, or does it only preach to follow certain said doctrines professed only by your religion?"
The Science of Mind, (SOM) is a syncretistic religion, having been collated from the wisdom of many different sources, and so it encourages everyone to examine all of the worlds religions, philosophies, and other thought systems, to learn and grow from the wisdom that is inherent in all of them.
"I am looking for actual teachings and written doctrine rather it is ancient or modern in which helped establish what you believe in. I honestly am curious and look forward to hear what you have to say."
Thanks for this thread. I will include the Science of Mind Declaration of Principles here for your review. It is a basic summary of what SOM teaches, though it is not considered a dogma, per se.
"We believe in God, the Living Spirit Almighty; one indestructible, absolute, and self-existent Cause. This One manifests Itself in and through all creation but is not absorbed by Its creation. The manifest universe is the body of God; it is the logical and necessary outcome of the infinite self-knowingness of God.
We believe in the incarnation of the Spirit in everyone and that all people are incarnations of the One Spirit.
We Believe in the eternality, the immortality, and the continuity of the individual soul, forever and ever expanding.
We Believe that heaven is within us and that we experience it to the degree that we become conscious of It.
We Believe the ultimate goal of life to be a complete emancipation from all discord of every nature, and that this goal is sure to be attained by all.
We Believe in the unity of all life, and that the highest God and the innermost God is one God.
We Believe that God is personal to all who feel this indwelling Presence.
We Believe in the direct revelation of Truth through the intuitive and spiritual nature of the individual, and that any person may become a revealer of Truth who lives inclose contact with the indwelling God.
We Believe that the Universal Spirit, which is God, operates through a Universal Mind, which is the Law of God; and that we are surrounded by the Creative Mind which receives the direct impress of our thought and acts upon it.
We Believe in the healing of the sick through the Power of this Mind.
We Believe in the control of conditions through the Power of this Mind.
We Believe in the eternal Goodness, the eternal Loving-kindness, and the eternal Givingness of Life to all.
We Believe in our own soul, our own spirit, and our own destiny; for we understand that the life of all is God."
