Diffent religions

[Anton van Wyk]

Hi friends

I current busy with research for my studies. I am new to the forum but I need peoples honest input. I do value and respect other peoples views. Now the question would be for any non-Christian. What you view as the 3 main differences between your religion and Christianity?
Thanks for your input.

 

[Lyndon]

I am a follower of Jesus' teaching, so I consider myself a Christian, however I don't believe he is God or in the Trinity, I don't accept the Old Testament as 100% inspired and the word of God, and I don't accept Paul's teachings as genuine.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Hi friends

I current busy with research for my studies. I am new to the forum but I need peoples honest input. I do value and respect other peoples views. Now the question would be for any non-Christian. What you view as the 3 main differences between your religion and Christianity?
Thanks for your input.

As a Pagan I believe the following:

1. Polytheism - I believe in the existence of many gods. Christians are monotheists - they only believe in the existence of one;
2. Immanent divinity & sanctity - I believe the gods are a part of our world as much as we are, Christians believe their god exists independently and apart from our Universe. I also believe nature and the world around us is inherently sacred as opposed to existing in a state of perpetual sin or damnation, in need of a Saviour figure such as Christians believe with Jesus;
3. Animism - I believe in the existence of spirits of many kinds, that they interact with the mortal world and can be propitiated & honoured. I don't believe all spirits are inherently evil or malign. Christians do with the exception of the Holy Spirit and in some cases the saints.

 

[LuisDantas]

What you view as the 3 main differences between your religion and Christianity?

The presence and emphasis on the idea of a creator god.
The focus on faith and belief.
The valorization of scripture over human wisdom.
A fourth: the idea of an afterlife is somewhat suggested in certain Buddhist schools, but not a belief that I either encourage nor adopt.

 

[Anton van Wyk]

I am a follower of Jesus' teaching, so I consider myself a Christian, however I don't believe he is God or in the Trinity, I don't accept the Old Testament as 100% inspired and the word of God, and I don't accept Paul's teachings as genuine.

Thanks so much for your input.

 

[Anton van Wyk]

As a Pagan I believe the following:

1. Polytheism - I believe in the existence of many gods. Christians are monotheists - they only believe in the existence of one;
2. Immanent divinity & sanctity - I believe the gods are a part of our world as much as we are, Christians believe their god exists independently and apart from our Universe. I also believe nature and the world around us is inherently sacred as opposed to existing in a state of perpetual sin or damnation, in need of a Saviour figure such as Christians believe with Jesus;
3. Animism - I believe in the existence of spirits of many kinds, that they interact with the mortal world and can be propitiated & honoured. I don't believe all spirits are inherently evil or malign. Christians do with the exception of the Holy Spirit and in some cases the saints.

Thanks for your response.

 

[Terese]

1 - Hell is not eternal
2 - Humans are not inherently evil
3 - The spirit soul is eternal

 

[Vinayaka]

Hi friends

I current busy with research for my studies. I am new to the forum but I need peoples honest input. I do value and respect other peoples views. Now the question would be for any non-Christian. What you view as the 3 main differences between your religion and Christianity?
Thanks for your input.

Jesus versus no Jesus
one life versus many lives
book based versus experience based

Of course there are many many more. Incredibly different.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Hi friends

I current busy with research for my studies. I am new to the forum but I need peoples honest input. I do value and respect other peoples views. Now the question would be for any non-Christian. What you view as the 3 main differences between your religion and Christianity?
Thanks for your input.

I will be an intitiated Buddhist this week coming. So, I'll identify with that. I practice answer ancester and active prayer, but it isnt a religion in itself.

I used to be Roman Catholic four years of my adulit life. 2014 confirmed if I remember. I know some protestant teachings but Im more intimately cloze to cathalicism.

-

That said

The three huge universal sacraments of christianity are

1. Communion (people celebrating the lords supper)
2. Repentence (repent to god for forgiveness and changing ones actions)
3. Baptism (born again into the spirit of christ, and god, through the holy spirit)

Also

4. Role of the bible

Buddhism has two universal "sacraments". Most are spread. I am initing into the Thai buddhist sect. Im learning about it.

The purpose of The Buddha'z teaching is to end suffering through changing one's mind to proper understanding.

1 Four Noble Truths

a. There is suffering
b. This is the cause of suffering
c. There is a way to end suffering
f. These are the ways (eight fold path and meditation)

The difference is christianity focus on the communion of people. Buddhist come together to learn but in theravada, reverence to The Buddha, understanding the Noble Truths (NT) and practice of eight fold pah (EFP) is individual

There is no repentence to The Buddha. Repentence is change of action not to obtain forgiveness to change. The repentence comes "inside out" and christianity is "outside in."

There is no form of baptism in Buddhism. People are intiated or some self inititated to follow The Buddha's teachings "about" The Buddha.

Christianity puts empasis on the divinity of scripture because they feel it was written by god. The Dhamma is not inspired and thdy wrote what they experience from The Buddha's teachings. They arent divine.

-

1. The NT says there is suffering. Suffering is defined as attachments and delusions of the mind.

Christianity says there is suffering. Suffering is defined by the sin in the spirit (inherited or not).

2. The cause of suffering is attachment and delusion of the mind. Christianity (CT) is corruption of the spirit.

3. The Buddha says We can end our own suffering. CTB
says only christ can not ourselves

4. The Buddha gives instructions (thousands to monks and layman) on how to end suffering. CT says only christ teachez how and christ (god or not) method of doing so is a mystery but written so humans will understand.

Buddhism says we have the power to end our own suffering. The cause is not inherited but from our environment. We need to understand suffering-delusions and attachments. We Can end suffering through practice rather than faith.

Christianity says the suffering is sin (doing thingznagainst gods law). It says the cause or tempter is from satan (symbolic or real). It says there is an end only through baptism and conversion in christ. The end is by faith over practice.

 

[sayak83]

Hi friends

I current busy with research for my studies. I am new to the forum but I need peoples honest input. I do value and respect other peoples views. Now the question would be for any non-Christian. What you view as the 3 main differences between your religion and Christianity?
Thanks for your input.

I am a Hindu. Main differences that matter to me most

1) We do not believe that one has to be a Hindu or worship and believe in a Hindu God in order to achieve heaven or liberation. Depending on a person's character different paths or spiritual paths may be suitable to different people and this may be some non Hindu religious or spiritual practice as well.

2) We do not believe human beings are sinners destined for Hell unless saved by belief in a savior. Most of us believe that our selves (Atman) pass through many lives of which this is one and we slowly but surely (with some backtracking) gain wisdom and insight through the experiences of these many lives until we have shed all false beliefs, ego and delusion and become enlightened or liberated. All beings everywhere and everywhen follow this route. Liberation is gained by all, either in 1 lifetime or a billion depends on how much and how fast we learn.

3) A majority of us believe in an pan-entheistic ultimate reality which in impersonal form is called Brahman and in personal form called Ishvara/Devi (God/Goddess). He (It) is everyone and everything and transcends them as well. The gnosis of the ultimate unity of the world and the self within us with Brahman through various spiritual practices is considered the ultimate goal of Hinduism.

 

[Mister Silver]

As an atheist, which is not a religion but in essence just the lack of belief in god, there are many differences in comparison to christianity. However, I will only mention the three I think are most important.

One - God is not real.
Two - Sin is invented nonsense.
Three - Heaven and hell are not real.

 

[shunyadragon]

Hi friends

I current busy with research for my studies. I am new to the forum but I need peoples honest input. I do value and respect other peoples views. Now the question would be for any non-Christian. What you view as the 3 main differences between your religion and Christianity?
Thanks for your input.

I am a Baha'i, and I believe the differences in the older religions, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is due to representing the human view of God and Revelation for the times they were Revealed, and that Revelation is progressive and represents the spiritual evolution of humanity. The older religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam have doctrines and dogmas, grounded in the belief that when these religions were revealed they represent universal truths for all time.

Another difference is the inconsistent view toward science in older religions that lack the guidance to consistently deal with the evolving knowledge of science. The Baha'i Faith believes in the principle of the Harmony of science and religion, where science is giving precedence for the understanding of the knowledge of our physical existence, and scripture must be understood in the light of science concerning the nature of our physical existence,

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

IMO ...

1. no divine messiah
2. no original sin
3. a focus on social justice rather than personal salvation

 

[Quintessence]

Now the question would be for any non-Christian. What you view as the 3 main differences between your religion and Christianity?

I wish this was as straightforward of a question as you make it sound. There are so many different traditions of Christianity, any list of differences I could come up with will inevitably have an exception. On top of that, there are so many different traditions of contemporary Paganism (or even just Druidry) that the same problem arises on that end too. But to make a deeply flawed list of things that I tend to see as significant differences between contemporary Pagan traditions and what seems to be the general norm across Christian traditions:

• Theology. The theological differences between classical monotheism and polytheism are vast; more vast than many seem to understand, as classical monotheism dominates so strongly in the English-speaking world that folks project monotheist ideas onto polytheism when they attempt to understand it. To mention just one of the many theological differences, the notion of there being "one true god' is foreign to Paganisms; exclusivism was an invention of the monotheists. For us, you can worship who and what you want based on your values and interests. We're chill like that.
• Salvation and Damnation. A central mythic narrative that seems to run through most Christian traditions is the need to be "saved" from something. As a Pagan, I'm still trying to figure out what it is I'm supposed to be saved from. The concept or need for salvation is foreign to us. By extension, this also means damnation and things like hell are foreign to us too. You don't need to be saved from anything, and you certainly aren't going to be punished. Again, we're chill like that.
• Authority and Dogma. Christian traditions typically vest religious authority and dogma in a couple of major sources: their sacred text and clergy. These two things set the party line for what one must do to be a proper card carrying member of their tradition. That sort of structure doesn't really exist in contemporary Paganism. We have no central sacred text, and where we have sacred texts, they don't tend to be taken in an authoritative or dogmatic fashion. As for clergy, while there are a few who serve official functions like doing legal marriages, for the most part, Paganisms do away with such intermediaries. We do our own rituals, our own reading, our own work.

 

[SabahTheLoner]

Hi friends

I current busy with research for my studies. I am new to the forum but I need peoples honest input. I do value and respect other peoples views. Now the question would be for any non-Christian. What you view as the 3 main differences between your religion and Christianity?
Thanks for your input.

I follow a mix of religious beliefs but I'll answer for Satanism because that's the belief system I started with and other people answered for Pagan already.

1. Most Satanists don't follow Christian theology. Satanism is a mix of philosophies founded on the values of freedom, self-empowerment and rationality. The Holy Bible is not the to-go book in the religion. Plenty of other books can be found online that are informative about the true nature of Satanism.

2. Belief in deity is diverse. Satanists can be theist, pantheist, polytheist or even atheist. There is also no one answer on who or what Satan is. Everyone has their own point of view and no one is necessarily "wrong". As long as they're not actively bothering others or harming others for no reason, people can believe in almost whatever they want.

3. Most Satanists mix their practice with other religions. While it is taboo in some religions, it's actually common to see it in Satanism. There isn't really a central tenet or a to-do list of "how to be Satanist", so many people will find personal ways to worship or do ritual.

 

[sun rise]

Hi friends

I current busy with research for my studies. I am new to the forum but I need peoples honest input. I do value and respect other peoples views. Now the question would be for any non-Christian. What you view as the 3 main differences between your religion and Christianity?
Thanks for your input.

As a note, you ask about the religion of Christianity and are not asking my view of Jesus. And there are many varieties of Christians from Catholics to Evangelicals so it's hard to generalize including commenting about how various groups view the Bible. And ecumenical Christians might accept that there are many paths to God. So I'm tempted to write "depending on the Christian there might be no difference at all. But for others, the difference is vast". But I'll answer the questions based on my understanding of the majority of Christians.

1. Christianity is not the only path to God That path does not even require religion.
   
2. The Bible is one of many useful scriptures. True religion is beyond the written word.
3. Heaven and hell are temporary states where past lives are reviewed before the soul takes birth again.

 

[Akivah]

Hi friends

I current busy with research for my studies. I am new to the forum but I need peoples honest input. I do value and respect other peoples views. Now the question would be for any non-Christian. What you view as the 3 main differences between your religion and Christianity?
Thanks for your input.

{edited to expand my answers}

In my opinion, the three biggest differences between Christianity and Judaism are:
1) Different bibles - The Torah that we have now is the same text as Moses wrote. The Christian bible is a translation of a translation of a translation in which books are added, words are changed, order of books are changed, and sentences are deleted.
2) Different definitions of sin and the atonement process. The Torah tells us that G-d created evil and we can overcome our sins on our own. G-d purposefully put evil into the Creation. There are different types of sins and none of them require a blood sacrifice to atone. No one can atone for anothers' sins.
3) Different understanding of G-d and humans. G-d is Eternal, Unique, and Unchanging. G-d has no physical form. Humans are created by G-d as good with a predilection towards evil.

 

[Maponos]

Mine is polytheistic, non-dogmatic and non-exclusive.

 

[syo]

it doesn't view the world as a creation and it teaches reincarnation. and there is no messiah.

 

[LuisDantas]

I wish this was as straightforward of a question as you make it sound. There are so many different traditions of Christianity, any list of differences I could come up with will inevitably have an exception. On top of that, there are so many different traditions of contemporary Paganism (or even just Druidry) that the same problem arises on that end too. But to make a deeply flawed list of things that I tend to see as significant differences between contemporary Pagan traditions and what seems to be the general norm across Christian traditions:

• Theology. The theological differences between classical monotheism and polytheism are vast; more vast than many seem to understand, as classical monotheism dominates so strongly in the English-speaking world that folks project monotheist ideas onto polytheism when they attempt to understand it. To mention just one of the many theological differences, the notion of there being "one true god' is foreign to Paganisms; exclusivism was an invention of the monotheists. For us, you can worship who and what you want based on your values and interests. We're chill like that.
• Salvation and Damnation. A central mythic narrative that seems to run through most Christian traditions is the need to be "saved" from something. As a Pagan, I'm still trying to figure out what it is I'm supposed to be saved from. The concept or need for salvation is foreign to us. By extension, this also means damnation and things like hell are foreign to us too. You don't need to be saved from anything, and you certainly aren't going to be punished. Again, we're chill like that.
• Authority and Dogma. Christian traditions typically vest religious authority and dogma in a couple of major sources: their sacred text and clergy. These two things set the party line for what one must do to be a proper card carrying member of their tradition. That sort of structure doesn't really exist in contemporary Paganism. We have no central sacred text, and where we have sacred texts, they don't tend to be taken in an authoritative or dogmatic fashion. As for clergy, while there are a few who serve official functions like doing legal marriages, for the most part, Paganisms do away with such intermediaries. We do our own rituals, our own reading, our own work.

Interestingly, all of that is just as true of Buddhism as I understand it.