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Following More than One Faith Possible?

GoldenDragon

GoldenDragon

Active Member
I wasn't sure if this was the right board for this question you can move it if its not but
This question was inspired by my World Religions teacher. In the beginning of the course we introduced ourselves and told each other what religion(or no religion) we followed. When it was our teacher's turn he claimed to be a Christian-Buddhist and he follows both religions and in fact when we began our lesson on Judaism he also said he was a follower of Judaism(which makes a total of 3 religions he claims he follows)
He made a comment which summed his faith up when he asked us "ever take on of those tests with the multiple answers and one of the answers is all of the above I wish that I could say all the above for which religion I follow"(which would mean all of them)

Do you think it is possible to follow the beliefs of two or more different religions, is it possible to choose the answer "All of the above" ? If so do you think some religions are more compatable then others if someone were to follow more than one religion? What do you think?
 
Ozzie

Ozzie

Well-Known Member
Faith is amorphous, so yes. It is much harder to define the boundaries of any one faith than to assert we can follow more than one.
 
Booko

Booko

Deviled Hen
Many Asians think we are really strange to believe you have to follow just one religion.

We have some challenges in our Baha'i communities around me, because there are members who consider them Baha'is and are Buddhist monks at the same time. They see no conflict at all in that.
 
Feathers in Hair

Feathers in Hair

World's Tallest Hobbit
Of which I am a priestess, right, Sunstone?

There are many faiths that lend themselves to one another. For example, Buddhism is one that seems to 'mesh' well with almost anything. Because I don't believe that any one religion is the only 'correct' one, I think it's possible to gather the concepts that speak to you from a great many faiths and to have them as your own, personal, interaction with the divine.
 
Tigress

Tigress

Working-Class W*nch.
Yes, it's entirely possible, though it usually happens that one or more of the religions tend to be rather lenient, or more open to interpretation, or that one merely provides his or her own interpretation of things, as opposed to the accepted traditional or mainstream. As it stands, I'm a rather unorthodox Quaker. :p
 
opensoul7

opensoul7

Active Member
Yes it is possible . For me I think it is not about following from multiple religions , but adopting and sharing from multiple religions . I think there are universal truths that run through different religions .Where the essence is the same even though it is worded differently. that is sharing . Then there are things that are unique to each religion and people adopt what they like and ignore what they do not.
 
autonomous1one1

autonomous1one1

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
opensoul7 said:
Yes it is possible . For me I think it is not about following from multiple religions , but adopting and sharing from multiple religions . I think there are universal truths that run through different religions .Where the essence is the same even though it is worded differently. that is sharing . Then there are things that are unique to each religion and people adopt what they like and ignore what they do not.
Click to expand...
Nice post, Opensoul, and my thoughts are in close agreement. In my belief, the religions get closer to one another as one gets closer to the center. I believe the personal encounter with God and reunion with God are the heart of all genuine religion. Such a being that has realized reunion with God (what I have explained and termed the New Being in other posts) to me is both the source and the aim of all the major religions. Thus, I post my religion as all the religions because I feel a part of them and follow what I believe to be their heart, but perhaps officials of many of them would not claim me for the same reasons.
 
H

Hacker

Well-Known Member
Yeah why not? I take various religions into account that fit according to my beliefs, example, some of Buddhism, Hinduism, a little bit of Judaism, etc etc.
 
H

Hacker

Well-Known Member
opensoul7 said:
Yes it is possible . For me I think it is not about following from multiple religions , but adopting and sharing from multiple religions . I think there are universal truths that run through different religions .Where the essence is the same even though it is worded differently. that is sharing . Then there are things that are unique to each religion and people adopt what they like and ignore what they do not.
Click to expand...
Very good answer!:)
 
GoldenDragon

GoldenDragon

Active Member
I'm so glad so many people agree that it is possible to follow more than one faith. I asked a friend this same question who thought it may be hard/confusing to follow two different faiths , some may contradict each others beliefs.
Yet upon deeper study I realize that there is only one true thing that a few religions disagree upon which is who is the Messiah. Am I wrong? When I studied in World Religions class our teacher made us realize how so similiar all the major religions are. For instance all the major religions(both west & east) teach warning against desire, they all believe in some sort of Higher Being, all believe there is a Judgment day, an afterlife(though not all worry as much about the afterlife as Christianity), and such so after that I felt that it is possible to truly follow all religions. What do you think?
 
S

SaraLee

Member
I'm attending a Christian church and enjoy learning the Biblical interpretations of this sect and some I agree with and some I do not so I often re-interpret what is taught in the church for my sake alone. What is a bit difficult is keeping my alternate beliefs quiet when engaging with the Christian group because there isn't much room for debate with them but I've learned when to speak up and when to keep my heart to myself.

This is working better for me than the many years I attended a spiritual group where all ideas and beliefs were openly expressed because after so many years of different opinions bouncing off the walls, eventually I became confused and began questioning my own central beliefs. There were to many ideas swimming around in my head. I also began to feel I had no roots. I'm not saying it was a bad experience but at some point I felt like I had to hone myself back in.

That is when I decided to give the church a try. I felt a need for community, where a group of people profess to believe the same (which I found is not always the case even among the stoutest members but as with this multi-religious student, is a hush hush thing.) And my other aim was to delve deeper into the Bible, which has worked nicely for me and I have again firmed up my own beliefs. Who would have thought?

So when topics like God or judgment day or the after life comes up or any other belief this group discuss, I listen, I may question, and then chew it over, go home and settle in my heart what best fits me.

SaraLee
 
Mr. Hair

Mr. Hair

Renegade Cavalcade
GoldenDragon said:
Do you think it is possible to follow the beliefs of two or more different religions, is it possible to choose the answer "All of the above"?
Click to expand...
If I may, this seems to be a peculiarly Western-oriented question, and one which would be relatively recent at that. In yesterday's Middle-East and today's Asia, it was/is generally considered not only possible but prudent to hold more then one faith, as circumstances dictated.

they all believe in some sort of Higher Being, all believe there is a Judgment day, an afterlife(though not all worry as much about the afterlife as Christianity),
Click to expand...
*raises eyebrows*

Well... Kinda-ish... Ish. It would, of course, depend on how one interpreted those three concepts within the framework of an individual religion; but certainly for my understanding of my religion at least it would be rather like trying to fit a hedgehog-shaped peg into a duck-shaped hole. They could in theory be made to fit, but 'twould be hard, tiresome and confusing to do so, and at the end you'd only be left with a wonky bit o' wood. ;)

I do believe that details can never fully communicate the fulsome fullness in full, but to ignore such details would be to dismiss an integral part of personal religious faith and with it an essential aspect of being able to experience and express what it is to truly be human; even if only within a mirror darkly, looking without.

*smiles*

After all, there's little harm in letting religions follow us around for a while...

(By the by, I do apologise for my occasional use of regional contractions. Sadly, it appears that flu, cider and insomnia be a dangerous mixture for one's health and dignity :p)
 
Kcnorwood

Kcnorwood

Well-Known Member
If the religion were total oppersite of each other then I'd have to say no.
Last time I was here I had a debate about christian Wicca, ( I still don't get how they can both be pratcied as one) but I now see it that people should do what ever makes them happy..but my anwser is still no depending on what it is.
 
john313

john313

warrior-poet
GoldenDragon said:
I wasn't sure if this was the right board for this question you can move it if its not but
This question was inspired by my World Religions teacher. In the beginning of the course we introduced ourselves and told each other what religion(or no religion) we followed. When it was our teacher's turn he claimed to be a Christian-Buddhist and he follows both religions and in fact when we began our lesson on Judaism he also said he was a follower of Judaism(which makes a total of 3 religions he claims he follows)
He made a comment which summed his faith up when he asked us "ever take on of those tests with the multiple answers and one of the answers is all of the above I wish that I could say all the above for which religion I follow"(which would mean all of them)

Do you think it is possible to follow the beliefs of two or more different religions, is it possible to choose the answer "All of the above" ? If so do you think some religions are more compatable then others if someone were to follow more than one religion? What do you think?
Click to expand...

since all the prophets describe the same thing, i would say they all taught the same religion, so yes and no.

peace
 
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