A question on religion

[Frost King]

I was just wondering is it wrong to be interested in other religions? because i am very interested in a few kinds of religions i mean i do believe in god... but i do find paganism very interesting and shamanism. and my one friend who thinks he is this religion expert said that it is wrong to be interested in other religions. and that you will go to hell for it so i just figured i'd ask everyone here what do you guys think?

 

[Violetta]

Stop making religious threads! This community has proven time and time again that it cannot discuss them!

 

[Senshi1]

Nah, I can't imagine how that would work. Many people would see it as wrong if you actively engaged in other religions, but taking an interest can't be bad. That'd be like saying somebody who studies the minds of sex offenders is evil. Curiosity in something and engaging in it are two totally different things.

 

[QueenBeeBeeMari]

Well,in Christianity and Catholicism it is one of the cardinal sins to worship any other God.However,you can be interested in as many religions as you want.Explore them all and find out which one is right for you,if any.

 

[Frost King]

Well,in Christianity and Catholicism it is one of the cardinal sins to worship any other God.However,you can be interested in as many religions as you want.Explore them all and find out which one is right for you,if any.

Well, i still believe in god i just like to study other religions i find them interesting you can still learn from them but my main believe is still god.

 

[QueenBeeBeeMari]

Well, i still believe in god i just like to study other religions i find them interesting you can still learn from them but my main believe is still god.

I don't see a problem with that.There is never anything wrong with learning new things

 

[Frost King]

I don't see a problem with that.There is never anything wrong with learning new things

Yeah thats what i was thinking too its fun to learn new things.

 

[FeatherDaemon1]

If you talk to a proponent of any religion they are going to tell you why they think another is wrong. Not everybody is a single-minded jerk on this issue. They simply feel that they are doing what they feel they need to do. The more intense they feel about their convictions naturally their feelings of necessary evangelism will increase. This is simply the way things are.

It is like the difference between talking to a salesman and an owner of a product. The salesman is going to tell you all the good things about the product. He or she may know that there are drawbacks, but they are not going to bring them up especially if they believe in the product. The owner has used the product. He may or may not be fanatical about it. Maybe you can talk to this person about it and get a more honest answer. Be aware of who you are talking to.

Now is it wrong? It is my opinion that no it is not wrong. It is for two reasons. The first is simply that we don't know - end of story. I don't buy that everything is explainable by science alone. It is the same for religion. There is a happy medium. The second is that some journeys of faith require you to move around a bit. To go out and explore life. You can't honestly speak about religion without at least looking around out there and engaging people of other religions. If you don't feel secure about your religion you truly don't belong in it. Likewise, neither can you just float around 'looking' for your religion. That just means you have few convictions about who you are.

That was all just my opinion, but it is what I live by. I am not someone who simply expects people to follow my lead. I just try to lead by example.

 

[GiveMeFeet]

I find that many devout religious folks aren't doing (or not doing) certain things out of love of God, but rather out of fear of Hell.

When I was about 20, I started my exploration of different religions and landed in a far different place than I began. I know others who have taken a similar journey and ended up back where they started.

I see no consequence in checking things out and finding what other people believe and why. It would be a pretty tyrannical God who would make people put blinders on for their entire lives in a big world full of different things.

 

[PurpleStyle]

One thing common across every religion is that they all mostly contradict each other. What does one have to learn from that besides to stay away from it all together? xD

 

[The_Crusader]

Purple's got a goof point there. You find many, MANY contradictions between christianity, judaism (if I spelled that wrong, my bad) and islam especially. What's right in one is wrong in the other two and so on and so forth. However I do maintain what I've said before, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, your friend may be a little overzealous about the whole thing but in general a lot of people you talk to will tell you there's nothing wrong with studying up on other religions. If it interests you go for it. Because then you'll know, and knowing is half the battle. G.I. Joooooooooe!

 

[melanie2]

I want to be an ancient Druid..and dance around Stone Henge..

 

[The_Crusader]

Don't we all? Especially because we could all be nude and flash passers-by.

 

[TKLVR181]

I don't think it's a sin. Personally, I'm fascinated by Demonology and...uh...Angel-ology....equally. I like backstories and epics and stuff...doesn't make me less of a Christian ^__^

~K

 

[QueenBeeBeeMari]

I like angels too but I couldn't find out anything except that they are messengers of God

 

[FeatherDaemon1]

One thing common across every religion is that they all mostly contradict each other. What does one have to learn from that besides to stay away from it all together? xD

So you would choose to abandon all hypothesis altogether? And go with just one? Where is the science in that? 😉

 

[Frost King]

Yeah i think paganism is interesting with all the gods they believe in and shamanism who have a connection with nature and stuff its all intersting and i study other stuff too that people have told me about that i'm intersted in.

 

[The_Crusader]

Here's a cool fact, paganism pre-1960's was the word used to describe people who still worshipped the pantheon of roman gods even after emperor constantine made christianity the official religion of the empire. More or less the term "pagan" around the 500's was a by-word for "redneck" 😛

 

[FeatherDaemon1]

Here's a cool fact, paganism pre-1960's was the word used to describe people who still worshipped the pantheon of roman gods even after emperor constantine made christianity the official religion of the empire. More or less the term "pagan" around the 500's was a by-word for "redneck" 😛

:coolthumbup

FeatherDaemon likes this.

 

[PurpleStyle]

So you would choose to abandon all hypothesis altogether? And go with just one? Where is the science in that? 😉

Frankly, the science is... in the science. A hypothesis is put forth to explain observable phenomena.

Okay.. so.. in the past x-thousand years, how many religions have successfully put forth a hypothesis concerning their own mythology that turned out to be physically (as in, something we can test and observe) accurate?

Here's a favorite example. If you take the bible literally (I KNOW! Not all of you do. Just an example. Please don't harp. :lol ), then it falls short of reality at the very beginning, genesis 1:1 : "In the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth."

So what does that mean? At the same time? I'm reasonably sure the Universe is at least 8bn~ years older than the Earth itself. Also, where is the proof that a supreme being named yahweh did any of this?

You get my point. There is one fundamental truth you can start with, though. We live in a Universe, and we can learn things about it.

 

[Frost King]

Frankly, the science is... in the science. A hypothesis is put forth to explain observable phenomena.

Okay.. so.. in the past x-thousand years, how many religions have successfully put forth a hypothesis concerning their own mythology that turned out to be physically (as in, something we can test and observe) accurate?

Here's a favorite example. If you take the bible literally (I KNOW! Not all of you do. Just an example. Please don't harp. :lol ), then it falls short of reality at the very beginning, genesis 1:1 : "In the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth."

So what does that mean? At the same time? I'm reasonably sure the Universe is at least 8bn~ years older than the Earth itself. Also, where is the proof that a supreme being named yahweh did any of this?

You get my point. There is one fundamental truth you can start with, though. We live in a Universe, and we can learn things about it.

Yeah i understand what you mean purple you make a good point.🙂

 

[The_Crusader]

I like what some have suggested that perhaps that line in genesis is a euphamism for the big bang, the creation of the universe in that instant.

 

[PurpleStyle]

It isn't an agreeable euphemism. There isn't any evidence to suggest that the universe was "created" at all. Just expanded. My point is - if it was divinely inspired, regardless of whether or not intended as a literal or interpretational meaning - wouldn't it have been a little more factual? What's the point of giving us a book of knowledge if that knowledge is all bad?

 

[Duke Diablo]

Frankly, the science is... in the science. A hypothesis is put forth to explain observable phenomena.

Okay.. so.. in the past x-thousand years, how many religions have successfully put forth a hypothesis concerning their own mythology that turned out to be physically (as in, something we can test and observe) accurate?

Here's a favorite example. If you take the bible literally (I KNOW! Not all of you do. Just an example. Please don't harp. :lol ), then it falls short of reality at the very beginning, genesis 1:1 : "In the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth."

So what does that mean? At the same time? I'm reasonably sure the Universe is at least 8bn~ years older than the Earth itself. Also, where is the proof that a supreme being named yahweh did any of this?

You get my point. There is one fundamental truth you can start with, though. We live in a Universe, and we can learn things about it.

A very intelligent and accurate post, Purple.

Well, at least there are some things we can prove how they happened, and in what chronological order. For example, we can prove that dinosaurs came before men. Also, we can prove that the Earth is older than both. In the end, we can't say with 100% accuracy if there is a divine power or not, we can only chose to believe or not, as of yet.

Same as that, not every religion holds the right answers for everyone (for those who are religious). The problem is that religions today are so afraid of losing followers that they try and scare believers into not even understanding other religions. This is a fatal mistake, because it promotes ignorance, and ignorance leads to hatred. Ignorant people can easily be manipulated. And we all know hatred is bad.

My point is: Arson, it's great if you show interest in other religions, because it broadens your horizons, makes you learn about other religions and other religions both. Don't feel bad about your curiosity at all and, if you find another religion which seems to answer your questions better than Christendom (not saying you actually will find it), and feel the urge to worship it, then you will have just found your true religion.

 

[sadi]

The problem is that religions today are so afraid of losing followers that they try and scare believers into not even understanding other religions. This is a fatal mistake, because it promotes ignorance, and ignorance leads to hatred. Ignorant people can easily be manipulated.

Sorry, but this last part reminded me strikingly of how Martin Luther (and later John Calvin) felt about religion in the late 15th-16th century (when they were alive 😛). Quite a few years ago, when I was a "hard-nosed" and solely "black-and-white" Christian in highschool, I had serious interest in reading the Baghavad Gita (or however else it's to be spelt- correctly :blush), and I read Darwin's Theory of Creation book - and it only increased my interest/foundation in Christ, while allowinge me to be more knowledgeable of the topics people may be quoting to poke holes in my beliefs, while they haven't even read the material they were (potentially mis)quoting from!

I feel as long as you feel you have a solid foundation in whatever religion you may have, that you should look elsewhere and see what other holy scriptures and books and pieces of knowledge that have managed to attract countless people to their cause, and hopefully further mature in your own faith, of whatever that might be.

And as Calvin's said: semper reformanda est. Once you have your true knowledge - good! But remember, to always be reforming! And in order to always be changing, one must have more knowledge than they originally had, and so I'd not only approve - but insist - on bettering your knowledge (if you feel your beliefs are sound and can withstand contrary readings) to further your mind and to increase your knowledge of religion by reading other books - and hopefully taking the positive parts of those religions and molding it to your foundational beliefs (if this isn't too wordy and thus too confusing to understand... :unsure)

- I have my class on my mind, to explain my "Calvinist" quotes: 'Reformation Theology 251'. :stickout