Why learn about other faiths?

[Dawnofhope]

One of the strengths of religious forum is the diversity of Faiths represented. That presents an excellent opportunity to learn about the faiths of others. This opportunity doesn’t readily present itself to the same degree where I live as religion has become a risky topic of conversation and so best avoided. This year I joined my cities Interfaith council so that’s been helpful.

But why learn about the religion of another in the first place? What is your motivation and what is mine? It’s a personal question really. For me I like to see the bigger picture of ‘world history’ with civilisations that have come and been, and ideologies and beliefs that inspired the masses. It helps me better understand the world as it is today and others in an increasingly multicultural world. It also brings coherence to my own faith and worldview I can not deny.

Obviously there’s other agendas too. We can learn about another faiths so we can make our own beliefs look good and demean others. Many of us know that illusory satisfaction in our worldview as we build our straw man as to what we imagine another’s faith is about. Ego trips are part of the human condition and whose really immune?

Anyway thoughts and reflections? Thanks for listening and discussing if your interested.

 

[whirlingmerc]

One of the strengths of religious forum is the diversity of Faiths represented. That presents an excellent opportunity to learn about the faiths of others. This opportunity doesn’t readily present itself to the same degree where I live as religion has become a risky topic of conversation and so best avoided. This year I joined my cities Interfaith council so that’s been helpful.

But why learn about the religion of another in the first place? What is your motivation and what is mine? It’s a personal question really. For me I like to see the bigger picture of ‘world history’ with civilisations that have come and been, and ideologies and beliefs that inspired the masses. It helps me better understand the world as it is today and others in an increasingly multicultural world. It also brings coherence to my own faith and worldview I can not deny.

Obviously there’s other agendas too. We can learn about another faiths so we can make our own beliefs look good and demean others. Many of us know that illusory satisfaction in our worldview as we build our straw man as to what we imagine another’s faith is about. Ego trips are part of the human condition and whose really immune?

Anyway thoughts and reflections? Thanks for listening and discussing if your interested.

I think God works in other faiths in preparing the world for and pointing to the Messiah in various ways

For example in China they put red around the doors to keep the dragon from coming and eating the firstborn by legend which is remarkably resonant with the Passover story

It also helps understanding people and it is good to respect people for living according to their best understanding of truth

 

[Unveiled Artist]

One of the strengths of religious forum is the diversity of Faiths represented. That presents an excellent opportunity to learn about the faiths of others. This opportunity doesn’t readily present itself to the same degree where I live as religion has become a risky topic of conversation and so best avoided. This year I joined my cities Interfaith council so that’s been helpful.

But why learn about the religion of another in the first place? What is your motivation and what is mine? It’s a personal question really. For me I like to see the bigger picture of ‘world history’ with civilisations that have come and been, and ideologies and beliefs that inspired the masses. It helps me better understand the world as it is today and others in an increasingly multicultural world. It also brings coherence to my own faith and worldview I can not deny.

Obviously there’s other agendas too. We can learn about another faiths so we can make our own beliefs look good and demean others. Many of us know that illusory satisfaction in our worldview as we build our straw man as to what we imagine another’s faith is about. Ego trips are part of the human condition and whose really immune?

Anyway thoughts and reflections? Thanks for listening and discussing if your interested.

Im very very empathic; so, when I talk to different religious people and go to different houses of worship, I get a very serene feeling that I can stay there foreever. Some would call it god (actually, many people do use the same word for human feelings), but regardless, that provokes my interest in knowing other faiths.

I do feel boundaries between myself and other religions highly important. Some empathetic people really find it necessary to sheild ourselves from other people aura for lack of better non-mystical word. Places, people, and objects hold a high energy to which its history, culture, and story affects me. So, I do like going to Churches but at the same time, I get a little feeing inside -this isnt right-

So, that prevents me from learning more about religions in a personal context. Id be oversteping my boundaries. Some people here thought I wanted to be Hindu just because I visited their temple. Others thought I wanted to be Pagan and Christian because religion just rubs off on me.

But I learn it because of interest and keep a wall between myself unless I am going into that religion. So its not extremely important to me. Too much emotions and energy involved it makes me exausted. Online helps a lot.

 

[Dawnofhope]

Thanks for that

I think God works in other faiths in preparing the world for the Messiah in various ways

That is definitely true of my Faith. The Baha’is have beliefs about the Return of Christ not to mention recognising Jesus being the Jewish Messiah.

For example in China they put red around the doors to keep the dragon from coming and eating the firstborn by legend which is remarkably resonant with the Passover story

I hadn’t heard that before. Do you know anymore about the origins of that story? I know in Buddhism there is the expectation of the Metrieya Buddha who could be seen as analogous to the Return of Christ. I don’t know about other traditions so much.

 

[David T]

One of the strengths of religious forum is the diversity of Faiths represented. That presents an excellent opportunity to learn about the faiths of others. This opportunity doesn’t readily present itself to the same degree where I live as religion has become a risky topic of conversation and so best avoided. This year I joined my cities Interfaith council so that’s been helpful.

But why learn about the religion of another in the first place? What is your motivation and what is mine? It’s a personal question really. For me I like to see the bigger picture of ‘world history’ with civilisations that have come and been, and ideologies and beliefs that inspired the masses. It helps me better understand the world as it is today and others in an increasingly multicultural world. It also brings coherence to my own faith and worldview I can not deny.

Obviously there’s other agendas too. We can learn about another faiths so we can make our own beliefs look good and demean others. Many of us know that illusory satisfaction in our worldview as we build our straw man as to what we imagine another’s faith is about. Ego trips are part of the human condition and whose really immune?

Anyway thoughts and reflections? Thanks for listening and discussing if your interested.

It helps tremendously to balance out the potential nuttiness any single perspective can cascade into.

 

[Katzpur]

We live in a world where many different religious beliefs (and the complete lack of religious belief) shapes the lives of mankind. When you can understand where another person is coming from, you are less likely to see the differences between you as threatening. The better we can understand one another, the greater the chance we can live in peace.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

When you can understand where another person is coming from, you are less likely to see the differences between you as threatening.

Of course, sometimes the differences are threatening, as with the Muslim and Christian fundamentalists who want to impose their beliefs on others. It's as well to know your enemies, too.

 

[Katzpur]

Of course, sometimes the differences are threatening, as with the Muslim and Christian fundamentalists who want to impose their beliefs on others. It's as well to know your enemies, too.

Do you believe that most of our differences are sufficient to make those with whom we differ our enemies?

 

[Vinayaka]

I think you need to know some, but not a ton. You can respect someone for actions without delving into how they believe. Since faith and politics tend to be where some folks put their energy into, it can be dicey to bring it up. Certainly you could destroy what could otherwise be a great friendship.

Tolerance is within yourself anyway. Learning too much can lead you down the wrong direction in that. Certainly, I was far more tolerant to the Baha'i faith before I found out more about it.

 

[Quintessence]

On the whole, I find it very important to learn about other cultures, including but not limited to the facet of culture that is classified as religion. Animals, humans included, are largely a product of their environment and past experiences. If you understand the context an animal dwells in, you understand that animal far better than you can without. For humans, culture is a major environmental context, of which religion is a subset. Given religion as a construct is somewhat arbitrary, I find it best to approach understanding that person's cultural environment more broadly... whether or not it is labeled religion or religious in nature. At the same time, it's good to pay attention to the vocabulary that person uses, as it is a direct reflection of their cultural identity. The tricky part is that different cultures (or subcultures) don't use terms the same way, so asking lots of questions and active listening is key.

 

[LuisDantas]

It is hardly possible to have a good grasp of the deep motivations, joys, hopes and fears of people without having a measure of awareness of their beliefs.

 

[Dawnofhope]

It helps tremendously to balance out the potential nuttiness any single perspective can cascade into.

I love your quirky, tell it like it is style. There’s certainly fundamentalism and fanaticism in any religion. I’m a fundamentalist at heart but work hard to avoid fanaticism. Talking to other faith adherents and learning about what they believe helps a lot.

 

[Dawnofhope]

We live in a world where many different religious beliefs (and the complete lack of religious belief) shapes the lives of mankind. When you can understand where another person is coming from, you are less likely to see the differences between you as threatening. The better we can understand one another, the greater the chance we can live in peace.

Thank you Katz. That is so true. However I’ve found for some familiarity breeds contempt. The more they learn about another’s faith, the more they want to oppose it and have contempt for those who practice it. A perverse crusade like mentally develops with all the antipathy that goes with it.

But I like where your coming from and I like you. We all share the same humanity and all faiths have teachings that bring out the best in people. Once we understand even a little of another’s faith and about that person, the wonder of their humanity and the truth within their religion shines for most of us to see.

I don’t know how much adherents of your faith (there’s a new correct title isn’t there?) read the Bible. For me the story of the Good Samaritan is about cutting through all barriers and simply loving people and caring for them.

 

[Katzpur]

Thank you Katz. That is so true although I’ve found also for some familiarity breeds contempt. The more they learn about another’s faith, the more they want to oppose it and have contempt for those who practice it. A perverse crusade like mentally develops with all the antipathy that goes with it.

Don't you think, though, that this kind of mentality is already present in people for whom knowledge breeds contempt? I can't imagine that someone who had a genuine interest in becoming better educated about other people's beliefs would end up turning hateful. Somehow, I think those people are really just looking for reasons to justify their contempt from the outset.

But I like where your coming from and I like you. We’re all share the same humanity and all faiths have teachings that bring out the best in people. Once we understand the even a little of another’s faith and about that person the wonder of their humanity and the truth within their religion shines for most of us to see.

Thank you. Likewise, adrian.

I don’t know how much adherents of your faith (there’s a new correct title isn’t there?) read the Bible. For me the story of the Good Samaritan is about cutting through all barriers and simply loving people and caring for them.

The Bible is an integral part of our faith. For some reason, people seem to think that we reject it in favor of The Book of Mormon, which is not the case at all. I, too, love the story of the Good Samaritan. If only people would stop to consider one another's humanity before writing them off.

P.S. No, there's not a "new correct title," just a new emphasis on what has been the correct title for the last 180 years. We're supposed to call our church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we're supposed to refer to ourselves as Latter-day Saints. Such a mouthful!

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Don't you think, though, that this kind of mentality is already present in people for whom knowledge breeds contempt? I can't imagine that someone who had a genuine interest in becoming better educated about other people's beliefs would end up turning hateful.

I'm not sure if "hate" is the right word, but if we go with @adrian009 's "contempt" instead, that would be a fair description of what happened with me.

I went into things hoping and expecting that theists had good reasons for their beliefs even if they weren't apparent to me. I even started a blog where I tried to visit different religious groups the way that travel writers visit other countries: my plan was to find the commonalities that they shared with me, and where we differed, find unique gems that could be celebrated.

Instead, what happened was that as I talked to theists and explored their faiths, I found the experience draining and isolating. When I looked under the surface, I found nothing of substance in any belief system that I examined... and the believers didn't seem to care about their lack of substance.

Meanwhile, believers use their unjustified beliefs to justify all sorts of harm and ignorance.

I went into this with good intentions, but at this point, I'm just trying to avoid complete contempt for religion.

 

[Marcion]

But why learn about the religion of another in the first place? What is your motivation and what is mine?

Curiosity is my main motivation.
What I like about is, is that I find out more and more that all faiths or paths share elements in their views and practices which I can discover as being similar.
I discover more and more that there are only two main types of path, one is more introspective or mystic and the other type is more exoteric or theoretical.
But a number of paths will mix both these types.

Another thing I like about it, is that it makes me realize more and more that my own path is quite unique (but by no means in the way like e.g. scientology is unique) and that it fits me perfectly.
What I sometimes miss though is real feedback about my path from outsiders. I don't mean the mudslinging type of feedback but from people who are really knowledgeable about the ins and outs of different types of paths including mine.

 

[David T]

I love your quirky, tell it like it is style. There’s certainly fundamentalism and fanaticism in any religion. I’m a fundamentalist at heart but work hard to avoid fanaticism. Talking to other faith adherents and learning about what they believe helps a lot.

And thats the reason Adrian i have slid into music. Tom waites has a verse i like and i like how music can convey in really compact quirky ways.. Philosophy talk pretty rapidly annoys and bugs me like some tick on my neck! The gospel comes in many forms but we often turn it into nonsense. I think waites paints that rather nicely.

"But there's one thing you can't do
Is lose that feel
You can throw it off a bridge
You can lose it in a fire
You can leave it at the altar
But it will make you out a liar
You can fall down in the street
You can leave it in the lurch
Well you say that it's gospel
But I know that it's only church

And there's one thing you can't lose
And it's that feel
It's that feel"

 

[Katzpur]

I'm not sure if "hate" is the right word, but if we go with @adrian009 's "contempt" instead, that would be a fair description of what happened with me.

I went into things hoping and expecting that theists had good reasons for their beliefs even if they weren't apparent to me. I even started a blog where I tried to visit different religious groups the way that travel writers visit other countries: my plan was to find the commonalities that they shared with me, and where we differed, find unique gems that could be celebrated.

Instead, what happened was that as I talked to theists and explored their faiths, I found the experience draining and isolating. When I looked under the surface, I found nothing of substance in any belief system that I examined... and the believers didn't seem to care about their lack of substance.

Meanwhile, believers use their unjustified beliefs to justify all sorts of harm and ignorance.

I went into this with good intentions, but at this point, I'm just trying to avoid complete contempt for religion.

So does your contempt for religion extend to contempt for those who practice it? Like I said before, I feel no drive to try to convert people to Mormonism, but I feel that my own life has been made better because of my beliefs. I also think I'm probably a better person because of my beliefs. Do you think I'd actually be a better person or a happier person if I didn't believe in God?

 

[Vinayaka]

Don't you think, though, that this kind of mentality is already present in people for whom knowledge breeds contempt? I can't imagine that someone who had a genuine interest in becoming better educated about other people's beliefs would end up turning hateful. Somehow, I think those people are really just looking for reasons to justify their contempt from the outset.

I think it's very much an individual thing for me. Certain individuals, who don't represent their faith well, by engaging in deceit, name-calling, or other deceptive unethical tactics ... well, it's not really contempt, more just someone I would choose not to hang out with, if given that choice. It's an understanding of human behaviour that screams 'beware!"

For your faith, to use an example, I taught many families. I quite enjoyed the kids, the purity, the humour, but one woman ... well, nobody liked her, including the other members of her faith. Still she wore it proudly in her sleeve, and had a superiority air about her. So it wasn't the religion, it was her. If she was the only Mormon I ever met, well, I may have well come to other conclusions.

But if you do meet several members of the same faith, and majority come across that way ... well, it's easier to generalize.

People are free to believe whatever they want to. In the end it has to be behaviour that is the deciding factor.

 

[Katzpur]

I think it's very much an individual thing for me. Certain individuals, who don't represent their faith well, by engaging in deceit, name-calling, or other deceptive unethical tactics ... well, it's not really contempt, more just someone I would choose not to hang out with, if given that choice. It's an understanding of human behaviour that screams 'beware!"

For your faith, to use an example, I taught many families. I quite enjoyed the kids, the purity, the humour, but one women ... well, nobody liked her, including the other members of her faith. Still she wore it proudly in her sleeve, and had a superiority air about her. So it wasn't the religion, it was her. If she was the only Mormon I ever met, well, I may have well come to other conclusions.

But if you do meet several members of the same faith, and majority come across that way ... well, it's easier to generalize.

People are free to believe whatever they want to. In the end it has to be behaviour that is the deciding factor.

You are 100% correct. As a matter of fact, studies have actually shown that the more Mormons a person knows, the better their overall impression of us will be. I know more than a few Mormons myself who are absolutely the most self-righteous jerks alive. It's so unfortunate how one person can color your perspective of an entire group of people.