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How syncretistic are you?

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
How much do you personally borrow, use, appropriate, or learn from other faiths?
None, Because mixing teachings are not how we can do it within Falun Gong. Even if we change one word, or put our own understanding of the teaching forth as the true teaching it will be wrong. Yes, we will have our own understanding of the truth and our own understanding of the teaching, but when we speak to others about Falun Gong, we have to say if it is our own words or master/teacher words. Because only Li Hongzhi is the one who can give the full truth about cultivation teaching in Falun Gong. All others who follow Falun Gong are students. So even between two falun gong practitioners, we speak very carefully about the teaching.
 

Native

Free Natural Philosopher & Comparative Mythologist
How much do you personally borrow, use, appropriate, or learn from other faiths?
Thanks for this topic :)
In fact I use everything from different religions and faiths. IMO they all deals with the very same when it comes to the basic facts - as stated in my signature below.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
How much do you personally borrow, use, appropriate, or learn from other faiths?

The word 'faith' makes me cringe a bit.

But historically, I've made it a point to learn as much as I can about philosophy and theology and have taken what I perceive the best practices from many, which has inexorably landed me where I am today.
 

metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
How much do you personally borrow, use, appropriate, or learn from other faiths?
A great deal as I don't believe that any one faith has all the answers. However, with that being said, I do practice Christianity as an ecumenical Catholic because of Jesus' teaching of love ("agape") of God and all humankind, which makes a great deal of sense to me.

There's much more to my "story" on this, but I'll spare ya the details.
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
How much do you personally borrow, use, appropriate, or learn from other faiths?

Very little to none, though I lean towards very little. Very little because I do have a few non-Hindu deities I revere... Thor, for one, and a few Buddhist deities, as well as Buddha himself. There was a time I tried to syncretize, but it just didn't/doesn't work. Adopting deities into one's pantheon is one thing, but trying to blend or meld practices and philosophies is near impossible, or so I think.

Buddha is considered the ninth and the latest avatara of Lord Vishnu

Side note: I am beginning to see that. I'm almost finished watching the Hindi language tv series Buddha (God bless English subtitles :D). Though it's highly fictionalized and embellished, I can see why one could view the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
How much do you personally borrow, use, appropriate, or learn from other faiths?
I like indigenous Faith's. I find that I have a lot more respect in regards to good stewardship when it comes to our environment because of the practices and philosophies of native American peoples. it almost makes me sound like a tree-hugging hippie....*grin*
 

Jeremiah Ames

Well-Known Member
How much do you personally borrow, use, appropriate, or learn from other faiths?
I assume you’re talking about religious faith, or faith one has from their religion.
So my answer is zero. I avoid religious faith.
I make every effort to obtain ALL my faith from the Lord ONLY.

Matthew 15:7-9. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.'"

Mark 7:8. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.

Colossians 2:20-23. Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
Learn? I've been studying especially the works of figures from various religions such as St. Francis of Assisi, Rumi, Hafiz, Kabir, Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, Nisargaddata Maharaj, Native Americans and others.

I find that in essence they are all "singing the same song" albeit in different "keys".

I don't mix the rituals and practices from various religions.
 

columbus

yawn <ignore> yawn
How much do you personally borrow, use, appropriate, or learn from other faiths?
Hard to say.

I have a God image, Creator, and an preference for afterlife, that aren't original to me. I'm sure I read stuff from other people that resonated enough for me to adopt a Faith.

Eventually.

Nothing specific or detailed, more like meta theology. Like using the Kalam to suit myself. I find the word God the most appropriate to use for the answer to the question "Why is there something, rather than nothing?".
That's not the same as using the word God to refer to the bumbling "Sky King with superpowers", which is what most religious people mean around here where I live.
Tom
 

Galateasdream

Active Member
All truth is NOT God’s truth.
Only God’s truth IS God’s truth.
Big difference.

We may have to agree to disagree, because I don't see a difference. If something is actually true, then it is good and thus ultimately from God. IMHO, anyway :)
 

GoodbyeDave

Well-Known Member
As a polytheist, I naturally accept the gods of all polytheists — if their evidence was unacceptable, where would that leave mine? But I don't worship their gods — I wouldn't have time! But I can learn from their practices. Precise details of daily worship in antiquity were not recorded, since there was no point. But when I find people in India, China, and Japan worshiping in a similar manner, that's obviously the way to do it. And the prayer I say when I empty my libation bowl was written by a Heathen.
 

Sundance

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
How much do you personally borrow, use, appropriate, or learn from other faiths?

None at all. As a monolater and self-identified God-fearer (the name given to a Gentile who worshipped the God of Israel without a formal conversion to Judaism), while I absolutely acknowledge the existence of other gods that the various different cultures and religions have, I do not worship them at all. Following from this, I don’t engage in practices associated with them.
 

uloMartin

Member
Partially, EverytHing. LiterAlly; Nothing. Their is A Fine Line to Being Syncrenistic. Wherein; All Good is to Be Added, And All False is discArded, Be. the Whole Condition to Chose is A Viable; Tho Religion's R Bound to their own Segregated Form; A Religion of it's own Has Summoned ThAt of the human Folks; Lord over the Universes itsElf. So We See, What One Religion has Better oVer The Other, So Does one Have it Different thEn the Other; By This We Conclude tHat We See An ImperfEction of Some Sort, RaTher to Say a DisValue Wherein Another Religion of Faith; Hold A PrimaRily Better Context to Things. Theirfore is it All, And Nothing!
 
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