Discussion » Questions » Religion and Spirituality » Your religion suits you just fine. Always has. Does that mean you reject all other religions as being specious/suspicious/inadequate?
RosieG

Your religion suits you just fine. Always has. Does that mean you reject all other religions as being specious/suspicious/inadequate?

Posted - June 30, 2017
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Responses


  • That stanance is an endemic part of monotheism. This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at July 4, 2017 3:56 AM MDT
      June 30, 2017 8:02 AM MDT
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  • 113301
    I looked up "stanance" whistle and couldn't find it in the dictionary.  Do you mean STANCE? Thank you for your reply. What is your stance and why?  Happy Tuesday July 4th holiday in the USA! :)
      July 4, 2017 3:57 AM MDT
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  • Yes, "stance" I'm a poor typist and rarely proof read.
      July 4, 2017 8:58 AM MDT
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  • 46117
    I embrace the idea that most all religions, meaning the major religions on the planet, are good up to a point.  The teachings are fine, it is the people and the interpretations of the meanings that make it a mess.

    Anything wrong with a belief system generally lies in the mind of the interpreter.

    God is GOOD.  Love and serve your brothers and sisters whenever the opportunity arises.   Think good, do good, see good and be good.

    Simple stuff, but most people are having trouble defining what GOOD means these days. 



      June 30, 2017 8:08 AM MDT
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  • 113301
    The ones who have trouble with the concept of GOOD are those who live in the world of  Trumptruth and embrace alternative facts/fake news/whatever der orange furher says is true. I would pity them if I could but I can't so I don't! I agree with thee. I do not believe in a God who hates..one that is revengeful...one that takes sides. I believe God is love. I learned that when I was a child and haven't changed my mind. What has changed drastically is my perception of people. I went from being a Sunday School teacher at age 12 to removing  myself from the church, parishioners/sermonizers completely . I found them to be phony balonies. All sweet and good on Sunday. Self-righteous, full of pious words. Mean as he** and ugly the other 6 days. "Who needs 'em?" said I decades ago so I abandoned them. Not God. Thank you for your reply Shar and the graphic!  :) This post was edited by RosieG at July 4, 2017 4:06 AM MDT
      July 4, 2017 4:03 AM MDT
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  • RosieG, I personally have never been a fan of religion as it's viewed and explained today. Someone may be thinking “I thought God invented religion!”  Sorry, but God invented Man and Man invented religion. God created man for the express purpose of mutual relationship with him, but gave Man the power of choice and free will. Man chose to break that relationship and has been trying to find his own way by inventing religions and cults of all kinds in an effort to replace that void left by lack of relationship with his Creator.

      But relationship with God can't be found through religion. In fact, religion is the biggest roadblock to seeking a relationship with God. Religion is simply man trying to reach out to God by doing something that he thinks will please God. It's the old “If I can do enough, say enough, pray enough, give enough, sacrifice enough perhaps God will show me favor” routine. Again, the old “But my denomination teaches…” routine. Do you really believe that God favors your denomination over others? Quite the contrary, if your denomination professes to be “the only true way”, I can pretty well guarantee that it isn’t! Do you think that God’s intention was to have eleventy-five different denominations of His Church? They can’t all be right, and more than likely they’re all wrong.

      So far I have been speaking in terms of Christianity. But the cults such as Islam easily fall precisely under the premise of “God hates Religion”; after all, I observe no one more committed to their religion than an Islamic Fundamentalist. Although the Muslim serves a different god (Allah is not the God of the Bible), he too is seeking to appease his god by doing. That is “works based theology” no matter how you slice it. Man-made religion is works-based instead of faith-based which is why GOD hates religion. So you may be wondering where in the Bible it says that God hates religion. Starting in the Old Testament I will show you several references and then finish off with what Jesus Christ Himself said concerning religion. Following are verses that show GOD hates religion. I'll post just the verse references and you can look them up yourself if you are so inclined.

      Isaiah 1:13-14; Psalm 40:6; Amos 5:21; Micah 6:6-8;  Matthew 15:1-9; Matthew 23. There are others but I'll leave it at that. It is impossible to work your way into a relationship with God. You must be born into it. The second birth. The spiritual birth. Religion is not the answer. Religion is the problem.
      June 30, 2017 10:42 AM MDT
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  • 1393
    1- I have liked your answer for the good points and basis for further debate that it has.

    2- You say you're not a fan of religion yet you subscribe to the beliefs in the Bible which of course represents many religions or religious sects.

    3- If religions are the work of men then the Bible must be the work of men.

    4- So religion, being the work of men, is saying that "God hates religion"

    5- Also, despite the Bible saying, according to you, that "God hates religion" it still goes on to list the do's and dont's of religion which you say God hates.
      July 2, 2017 7:15 AM MDT
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  • Ckurt. Religion can be defined as “belief in God or gods to be worshiped, usually expressed in conduct and ritual” or “any specific system of belief, worship, etc., often involving a code of ethics.” Well over 90% of the world’s population adheres to some form of religion. The problem is that there are so many different religions. What is the right religion? What is true religion? The two most common ingredients in religions are rules and rituals. Some religions are essentially nothing more than a list of rules, do’s and don’t's, that a person must observe in order to be considered a faithful adherent of that religion, and thereby, right with the God of that religion. 

      Two examples of rules-based religions are Islam and Judaism. Islam has its five pillars that must be observed. Judaism has hundreds of commands and traditions that are to be observed. Both religions, to a certain degree, claim that by obeying the rules of the religion, a person will be considered right with God. Other religions focus more on observing rituals instead of obeying a list of rules. By offering this sacrifice, performing this task, participating in this service, consuming this meal, etc., a person is made right with God. 

      The most prominent example of a ritual-based religion is Roman Catholicism. Roman Catholicism holds that by being water baptized as an infant, by partaking in the Mass, by confessing sin to a priest, by offering prayers to saints in Heaven, by being anointed by a priest before death, etc., etc., God will accept such a person into Heaven after death. Buddhism and Hinduism are also primarily ritual-based religions, but can also to a lesser degree be considered rules-based.

      That being said, what is "true" religion? It is neither rules-based nor ritual-based. True religion is a relationship with God. Two things that all religions hold are that humanity is somehow separated from God and needs to be reconciled to Him. False religion seeks to solve this problem by observing rules and rituals. True religion solves the problem by recognizing that only God could rectify the separation, and that He has done so. That said, true religion does have rules and rituals, but there is a crucial difference. In true religion, the rules and rituals are observed out of gratitude for the salvation God has provided – NOT in an effort to obtain that salvation.
      July 3, 2017 5:00 PM MDT
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  • 1393
    Hezekiah, here are some comments for you to consider based mainly on your last paragraph:

    1- I’m glad you put the word true in quotes in your question “what is "true" religion?” because there is no agreed objective criterion for judging a religion “true”.

     It is neither rules-based nor ritual-based.

    2- Who decreed that “True religion is a relationship with God.”

    3- I think the belief “that humanity is somehow separated from God and needs to be reconciled to Him.” Is a belief held mainly, if not exclusively, by Christians yet you say that “all religions hold” those beliefs.

    4- You seem to be backtracking in “That said, true religion does have rules and rituals”

    5- The idea that “rules and rituals are observed out of gratitude for the salvation God has provided – NOT in an effort to obtain that salvation.”  appears to go against the very purpose of rules and regulations in many context one can think of. Take the rules and regulations that apply on the highways, for example. They are designed as an expression of gratitude. They are there to keep the highway system functioning smoothly and to keep each driver safe.
      July 4, 2017 3:53 AM MDT
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  • 113301
    Thank you for a very thoughtful and informative reply Hezekiah. I appreciate that you cared enough about the question to invest time in responding. Please read my reply to Shar. I won't repeat myself. That's where I stand. Happy Tuesday July 4th Holiday in the USA m'dear! :)
      July 4, 2017 4:05 AM MDT
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  • 13071
    I dont reject all  religions for other people, just for me.
      June 30, 2017 10:54 AM MDT
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  • 113301
    That's excellent cp!  That is as it should be. You don't share their beliefs but that doesn't mean you look down on those who have them. Good for you! Thank you for your reply! :)
      July 4, 2017 4:08 AM MDT
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  • 22891
    not necessarily
      June 30, 2017 1:56 PM MDT
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  • 1393

    Your religion suits you just fine. Always has. Does that mean you reject all other religions as being specious/suspicious/inadequate?

    =========================================================================

    To reject all religions in total [apart from the one you believe in, of course] is not a reasonable approach. It is better to reject only those aspects of religion [and this could apply to your own one as well, if you’re up to it] which

    a] are clearly harmful [to the individual, society or environment]

    b] condone injustice, promote hatred towards or belittlement of others  

    c] are in direct and clear contradiction of undeniable and irrefutable truths

    d] make less sense and are of less benefit than alternative belief or interpretation

    I’m not saying that’s an exhaustive list, but I think that’s a good start.

      July 2, 2017 6:46 AM MDT
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  • 113301
    Thank you for your reply CLURT and Happy Tuesday July 4th Holiday in the USA! :)
      July 4, 2017 4:09 AM MDT
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  • 2217

    A lot depends on whether your belief system is as you learnt or if you have changed or converted. 

    In the latter case you will be more directly aware of their relative merits and weaknesses.

    In the former you should recognise that differences between yourself and others may simply be a matter of chance of your upbringing.

    In either case an understanding of different beliefs and where they come from and ideally a willingness to modify your beliefs accordingly will be to your advantage.  

     

      July 4, 2017 6:01 AM MDT
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  • No.  I do what works for me and am aware that doesn't make a good fit for everyone else.  I do not look down on other religions or the people who believe differently than I do. I am not so narrow minded that I think my way is the only way. 
      July 4, 2017 7:26 AM MDT
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  • 7280
    My religion does "suit me just fine," but only because I had occasion to vett it extensively prior to committing to it.  After studying it and comparing it to other religions, I judged it to be the "best" at explaining both the seen and unseen reality that I had been discovered at the time and continue to discover as I continue to live and learn.

    Given what I have just said, it is both logical and consistent that I consider all other religions inadequate in their understanding of the relationship between God and His creation.

    And of course, I consider some to be specious; and others both specious and suspicious with regard to the motives of those espousing it as well as the supernatural force that may be advancing its tenets.

    On the other hand, since I believe in the "economy of salvation," I suspect in the end that all men of good will who have chosen not to kid themselves, in a retroactive understanding, will be found to have sought and discovered the same God.
      July 4, 2017 11:32 AM MDT
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  • Choosing one religion necessarily means that you have rejected the others, because you view them as inadequate in some way. I personally don't follow any religion, but I do have spiritual beliefs. And they are the beliefs that I consider to be the best. Alternatives I have considered and rejected. The same goes for any philosophy, really, it need not be religious. We believe what we consider to be the most truthful, the optimal. That implies that we've rejected alternatives. 
      July 8, 2017 9:39 PM MDT
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