Choosing a Different Path

[Aupmanyav]

I look at the paths once trodden as an important part of who I am, and I am most thankful to have walked them. Interestingly enough, I found more depth and joy within the practice I left once I found a way more suitable for me.

Welcome to the forum, Just George. I love all pagan religions of the world, since Hinduism also is a pagan religion. I feel a brotherhood bond with them.

That's kind of what I did when I chose the Baha'i Faith since it embraces all of the religions...
Better safe than sorry.

That is funny. It rejects the beliefs of all other religions and then says that it loves them.

But I would not choose a path, which would claim "my way is the only highway for all"

In that case, Christianity, Islam, Bahai, Ahmadiyyas are out of your preview.

 

[eik]

The mythologies are fun as well. Earth based religions are definitely my cup of tea.

You wouldn't say that if you were selected as a heathen sacrifice to Odin, or reduced to slavery, or sent to be killed to accompany your chief into the next world, or if you were a victim of their unquenchable thirst for pillage and plunder. It's a religion that's OK only for the victors.

In fact, you could only contemplate an "earth based religion" in the modern era on the basis of strictly syncretic adherence, i.e. being able to combine it with something else, otherwise you'd probably be locked up if you went back to the original versions.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Back to Hellenic polytheism since that's what I came from.

 

[osgart]

I have my own standards of what a God should be. But I think Godhood is a lonely job, with way too much responsibility. So I would go for something that has eternal beings in it; perhaps polytheism minus the omnipotence.

As it is I'm stuck with atheism because I don't like to ignore reality.

 

[Aupmanyav]

You wouldn't say that if you were selected as a heathen sacrifice to Odin, or reduced to slavery, or sent to be killed to accompany your chief into the next world, or if you were a victim of their unquenchable thirst for pillage and plunder. It's a religion that's OK only for the victors.

Well, Christianity killed or made more people slaves than any other religion.

 

[eik]

Well, Christianity killed or made more people slaves than any other religion.

Only if you believe your propaganda. I think you'll find that the slaves shipped out of Africa were in fact already enslaved before they fell into European hands by the hands of their fellow countrymen (they seldom tell you that). And not all Europeans were Christians.

And then Islam. Islam traded in slaves for far longer than so termed Christian nations, and also enslaved those they conquered. The vikings also traded in slaves for centuries. Then the Mongols also.

In short I reject your analysis of Christianity being any sort of "superlative" when it comes to slavery or killing others. You'll even need to prove that "Christianity" was itself responsible for anything, rather than happening to be the religion prevailing amongst some in the countries at the time,

 

[Aupmanyav]

Well, I heard that the Bible God was not against slavery. Actually the Gods in Abrahamic religions want every one to be their slave - Abd-Allah, and he the master and lord. And vow betide the one who dared to differ (third and fourth generation) - eternal hell.

 

[JustGeorge]

Welcome to the forum, Just George. I love all pagan religions of the world, since Hinduism also is a pagan religion. I feel a brotherhood bond with them.

Thanks for the welcome.

One of my favorite branches of Paganism is the Baltic path, which seems to root from a place quite similar to Hinduism. They even have a word, dharna, which means the same thing as Hindu's dharma.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

If you had to choose another religious (or non religious) path to follow, what would it be? Why?

Religious naturalism. It's God walk without the God talk.

 

[McBell]

Well, Christianity killed or made more people slaves than any other religion.

Source?

I ask because I have heard this claim more than once.
However, never has anyone actually shown it to be true.

 

[JustGeorge]

I'm not a history buff, so I could most certainly be wrong, but didn't the Inquisition and Crusades wipe out a pretty good chunk of people?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Source?
I ask because I have heard this claim more than once.
However, never has anyone actually shown it to be true.

Really! Here is the first to begin with: Persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire - Wikipedia
I will get you some links on what they did in Africa, Americas, Australia, etc.

 

[syo]

If you had to choose another religious (or non religious) path to follow, what would it be? Why?

For me, it's either pagan or nothing.

 

[Milton Platt]

If you had to choose another religious (or non religious) path to follow, what would it be? Why?

If I had to choose a different path, I'd probably pick paganism. More specifically, Druidry or Norse Paganism. Those paths speak to me on a deeper level, and I love how they place a high level of respect and reverence for nature in general. The mythologies are fun as well. Earth based religions are definitely my cup of tea.

How about you folks?

I'm an atheist and am quite satisfied with Humanism. but if I were to do anything religious in nature, perhaps non-theistic Buddhism would be of use.

 

[Sundance]

If you had to choose another religious (or non religious) path to follow, what would it be? Why?

If I had to choose a different path, I'd probably pick paganism. More specifically, Druidry or Norse Paganism. Those paths speak to me on a deeper level, and I love how they place a high level of respect and reverence for nature in general. The mythologies are fun as well. Earth based religions are definitely my cup of tea.

How about you folks?

Paganism is pretty cool to me, Sigurd.

As for me, since I’m a “heart-person”, this means two things religiously:

1, When it comes to how I approach divinity, I’m a monolater or monolatrist. This would mean that while I believe in many gods, I devote myself exclusively to a single one. So, if you’d like, you could look at me as occupying an even, middle ground between monotheism and polytheism.


2, I’m most likely to choose a path that centres around devotion to a particular person or text or god, such as another Abrahamic religion, or the Pure Land sect of Buddhism, or Gaudiya Vaishnavism (I was heavily drawn to the Hare Krishnas years ago).


If I ever decided to change my path, it’d be one of these I aforementioned.