Does your religion require you to obey?
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Does your religion require obedience?
- Thread starter robocop (actually)
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Jumi
Well-Known Member
No. The only requirement is gnosis.
I guess I mean are you compelled to do anything, or do you all feel that you need to do something?
You can talk about rewards and punishments too.
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber
No. And to the contrary, it teaches that sometimes disobedience is a good and necessary thing.
Obedience is always a requirement unless you are inviting anarchy. Get a bunch of free willed humans together with no rules and you have a recipe for chaos and conflict.
No religion should have rules outside of what is prescribed by their scripture. They should be reasonable and explainable, not mindless or ritualistic for the sake of conformity. Practicing what you preach is what keeps you from being a hypocrite.
For Christians, the benefits of being obedient to the teachings of Jesus Christ in all things is the reward of everlasting life in paradise......isn't that what we would all like to experience? My personal belief is that this will be enjoyed by humans on earth (for the majority) with a return to conditions like Eden. This is where God put humans in the beginning.
The opportunity is made available by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, but we qualify for it by our conduct and obedience.
arthra
Baha'i
For Baha'is we have daily obligatory prayers which the individual believer has a spiritual obligation to do... roughly between fifteen and seventy years of age. We also fast during the last month of our year and observe Holy Days during the course of our year where we do not work or go to school. There are some circumstances such as illness which allow us to take exemptions from fasting. But these are personal obligations we have and we are under no sanctions if we miss carrying them out.
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber
I wouldn't. What pleasures can eternal life possibly have? You have all eternity to do whatever. You don't have to savior each moment because it will never end. What sweetness and bliss can a life of eternal bliss possibly have?
It also cheapens the value of this life. We value things that are in smaller, limited supply more than we do things we have unlimited access to, some things to the point of taking them for granted.
Jumi
Well-Known Member
Rules haven't changed things that much for the better. It's the amount of people and the amount of rules and the fact that many of those rules are fighting against non-damaging parts of human nature is a huge cause for conflict and trauma among people.
No it isn't. We'd rather live a good life being faithful to our community that accepts us, even those parts that are deemed sin by some religions but that are not harmful to us or others.
There can be no compulsion when love exists. The only thing I need to do is my best to become more loving.
I know of people who spend their whole lives studying one subject without ever tiring of it. Imagine how many things we could study in endless lifetimes.....imagine too being physically, mentally and emotionally perfect. In the new world that God promises, there will be no impediments to spoil our choice of endeavor. The imperfections that hamper us in so many ways at present will all be gone. We will be free to take on any and all challenges without disappointing ourselves because of our present limitations.
No! It will make life all the more worth living. How many people go to their grave never realizing their full potential....never exploring their options because of poverty, lack of education, disability, chronic illness, or an early death?
The big and small things will equally delight us.
We will have time to stop and appreciate all the wonderful things that we don't get to see or even notice in the world because of the ridiculous pace and distractions of this life. Better things are coming and they are available to all. No one has to miss out unless they reject what God is offering. Its our choice.
My personal praxis of Hinduism requires me to follow my conscience... and the practice aids in improving this conscience.
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber
Challenges and struggles are what make life fulfilling and worth living. Playing a musical instrument is rewarding because you can pick it up and start playing like a virtuoso, it's rewarding because it takes practice. Graduating college isn't rewarding because it's a walk through the park, it's rewarding because of all the hours and hard work to make it through. Of course there are simply pleasures in life to enjoy without challenges, but what pleasure can come about if we are all "physically, mentally, and emotionally" perfect? Mentally, what if I don't want these "perfections?" (I am that comfortable being on the spectrum) Believe me, I do complain when something I was looking forward to turns out to be too easy. Without anything to challenge, hinder, or overcome, how can we know the sweetness of being rewarded for our efforts?
If we look at water, we Americans have so much of it we take it for granted, treat it as if you had an unlimited supply of it, and squander it away of so many wasteful and petty things. Go to a poorer area with no readily available access to clean drinking water, and people have to watch out for scams of people trying to pass off unsafe water as clean water because people there value water there so much more than we do. The one major difference between our perceived unlimited usage of it compared to their harsh scarcity of it.
I don't watch TV or get into trendy fashions, so what could I possibly care about having all these "distractions" removed? Sure, I missed out on many things, my life up until about a year ago was miserable, but I see no reason to want more.
syo
Well-Known Member
of course it does.
It depends on what you mean by 'obey'. Insofar as one needs to do certain things in order to be a member of a particular club, that arguably means that any religion requires a certain level of 'obedience', i.e. subscribing to certain beliefs/rules of practice.
So in the above sense, my answer to your question is yes. But perhaps you have a different understanding of 'obeying' in mind here?
Are you compelled to do anything, or does your belief make it so you have to do something?
I love Allaah, and that love 'compels' me to show my love for Her through my prayers, and so on. But, contrary to many Muslims, I don't feel that it is essential to pray to be even a good Muslim. I pray voluntarily, because of my love for Allaah.