Peace upon you all and hope you've been well.
I've been away from the forums a good month or so. In that time I've been on what you could call a quest for truth. I explored Islam more, thought about the things meaningful to me and where I stand with others.
My partner and I have started...
The Bible talks about the faith that Abraham allegedly held in some detail. It says Abraham rejected all the gods of his native country (Sumer) to follow a one god who he believed was calling him. In the Bible we are told he had faith in God and only saw himself as his humble devotee. We're...
I am writing this post to announce the conclusion of the self-searching I've done recently. I couldn't keep believing in the pagan gods either without good reason or evidence, just like I can't the Abrahamic god. I keep coming back to agnostic-atheism as the most honest position.
I also keep...
Peace friends,
As many of you know, I'm a non-Muslim who's been studying Islam just out of interest, genuinely wanting to learn more about it. One of the things I've struggled with until just today is Islam being called the faith or religion of Abraham, when its obvious there wasn't a religion...
Salaam friends,
I've been watching videos and reading articles by Muslims about how ISIS and a lot of extremism is actually against Islam, and I've even heard 'there is no compulsion in religion'.
This leads me to a question I keep in the back of my mind. Let me state that I'd like nothing...
I have to say I am impressed by the tens of thousands of Muslims around the world- and growing, speaking out against ISIS and these Middle Eastern totalitarian regimes. I admit I've wondered in the past just to what extent radicalism extends within Islam, and seeing Muslims speak out is making...
Most views of the future world/paradise earth that I've ever heard from Christians seems to suggest that there won't be any non-Christians after Jesus returns and fixes everything. Are there any Christians that believe other than this?
For those that believe this- is this to imply that people...
Basically- should people be able to say 'whatever' they want to say? What if saying it pushes a person over the edge? What if saying it violates private business policy?
That's the debate: Should free speech be a right?
Greetings,
I'm wondering if you could give this Hindu-curious person a general overview of Advaita Vedanta, and maybe answer some questions. Thank you in advance for your help and consideration.
I personally see my tradition's mythology about the afterlife as metaphorical, and also relating to the now. I think Elysium, Asphodel, and hell are states we can be in right now, and being in them right now would mean we were in them immediately following death if we were to die now.
I think...
I would begin by giving a basic introduction to Pelagius and the doctrine of Pelagianism, just as an overview for those who need it.
Pelagius was a Celtic monk, and the chief rival of Augustine of Hippo. Unlike Augustine, Pelagius held that man was still good enough to do good without the...
Most polytheists accept there could be any number of deities, as many gods as are stars.
By contrast, monotheists usually deny all gods except their own, making them effectively atheistic toward all other deities.
Doesn't this make polytheism atheism's true opposite in worldviews?
If your religion at any point ever practiced animal sacrifice are you for bringing it back?
Can you also explain why not if you do object to it, or what sacrifice could mean for you?
I wouldn't mind animal sacrifice in a group because its like having a ritual barbecue basically. The animal has...
Counter-apologetics of course being rebuttals to Abrahamic apologetics.
Such apologetics are bound to come up when we engage in a debate with a monotheist. The polytheists of old like the Romans and Egyptians used to write counter-apologetics against Christians, not only to rebut arguments, but...
Coolio! A journal category.
Please remember these reflections are only the musings of one polytheist out of a large group of communities and traditions.
My first daily reflection is going to be about how polytheism coincides with what we observe in nature.
In nature we observe a plethora of...
Paul claimed to be a Pharisee, and Acts claims he was a student of the Jewish father Rabbi Gamaliel. Why than would Paul never once make reference to anything the Rabbi taught him? That isn't the way of a serious Jewish learner at all.
The Mishna says that a good student is like a cistern that...
The Greek word psyche in the religious sense is the soul. The Latin translation of this word used by the Romans is the animus.
Now I'm sure other Hellenic polytheists might have a different stance, but I've personally come to understand the psyche is the underlying seat of consciousness.
When...
How far do you reckon this new Jedi religion will go? I myself think its a workable form of Pantheism, rather its based on a sci-fi movie series or not. I especially like many aspects of the Jedi Code as a focus, such as: there is no emotion, there is only peace.
What are your thoughts about...
This is kind of a tie-in thread with other threads that have popped up on the forum as of late. It has been suggested the gods somehow died with their worship, or that the original gods are dead because their old worship has been replaced.
I would counter that the gods are immortal. They're...