I have a request..

[mostly harmless]

Would some of you be willing to post in this thread what your religion/spiritual beliefs are and give a brief discription of what you believe some basic teachings?

I want my daughter to read this thread and the more diverse resonses there are the better!

I know this might seem a bit silly, but I can't see her wanting to go through the whole forum-I figured it might be a bit easier for her to be able to read one thread and learn about people's different beliefs from the people themselves...and if she has any questions she can post them here.

Thanks in advance to anyone who participates!!

 

[Hema]

Heh heh. I have saved on my computer an overview of Hinduism for just this type of thread. It's a compilation of posts from this forum and another form, plus a little stuff I added in between. Here it goes -

Excerpts from:
http://www.indhistory.com/hinduism.html

"It is not easy to define Hinduism, for it is more than a religion in the Western sense, as our Ancient History Guide sees it. Also known to practitioners as Sanatana Dharma, which means everlasting or eternal religion/truth/rule, Hinduism can best be defined as a way of life based on the teachings of ancient sages and scriptures like the Vedas and the Upanishads. The word dharma connotes "that which supports the universe" and effectively means any path of spiritual discipline which leads to God.
Hindu Dharma, as one scholar analogizes, can be compared to a fruit tree, with its roots representing the Vedas and the Upanishads, the thick trunk symbolizing the spiritual experiences of numerous sages and saints, its branches representing various theological traditions, and the fruit itself, in different shapes and sizes, symbolizing various sects and subsects. However, the concept of Hinduism defies a definite definition because of its uniqueness."


"According to historians, the origin of Hinduism dates back to 5000 or more years. The word "Hindu" is derived from the name of river Indus, which flows through northern India. In ancient times the river was called the 'Sindhu', but the Persians who migrated to India called the river 'Hindu', the land 'Hindustan' and its inhabitants 'Hindus'. Thus the religion followed by the Hindus came to be known as 'Hinduism'. It is generally believed that the basic tenets of Hinduism was brought to India by the Aryans who settled along the banks of the Indus river about 2000 BC. According to one scholar, the evolution of Hinduism may be divided into three periods: the ancient (6500 BCE-1000 AD), the medieval (1000-1800 AD), and the modern (1800 AD to present). Hinduism is commonly thought to be the oldest religion in the history of human civilization."

Excerpts from:
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/...mriti/id/22609

By Sri Swami Sivananda

"The Sruti and the Smriti are the two authoritative sources of Hinduism. Sruti literally means what is heard, and Smriti means what is remembered. Sruti is revelation and Smriti is tradition. Upanishad is a Sruti. Bhagavad-Gita is a Smriti.

Sruti is direct experience. Great Rishis heard the eternal truths of religion and left a record of them for the benefit of posterity. These records constitute the Vedas. Hence, Sruti is primary authority. Smriti is a recollection of that experience. Hence, it is secondary authority. The Smritis or Dharma Sastras also are books written by sages, but they are not the final authority. If there is anything in a Smriti which contradicts the Sruti, the Smriti is to be rejected."

Hinduism teaches that God is one - God has a male aspect - Shiva or cosmic consciousness and Shakti - the female energy. Since God has many different powers, Hindus have different names and deities associated with these, although God is only one - For eg. God is reffered to as Brahma when he is creating. Hinduism is very symbolic. For eg. A Hindu deity - Mother Lakshmi has four hands. The two upper hands hold lotus flowers which symbolize spiritual wisdom, her lower hands are giving out coins which represent material wealth but the hands with the lotuses are higher signifying that spiritual wealth is a greater blessing. Some Hindus worship murtis which are statues of deities. When the murti is made, prayers are said to invoke the spirit of the relevant deity to dwell within it. It is even scientifically proven that there is more energy within a murti after it is consecrated. However, murtis are like the signpost leading to God which is the final destination. They are not the final destination itself. The highest worship is finding God within us and realizing that we are part of God - we are Jeeva Atman or individual soul and he is Param Atman or super soul.

I just want to touch on three important concepts in Hinduism – Ahimsa, Karma and Dharma.

Ahimsa – or non-violence. God is manifested equally in all aspects of creation – humans, plants and animals. We should live in this awareness and treat each life form with due respect. We should not be violent to other creatures however, we should stand up in self defense as one of God’s Avatars - Shri Ram did when his consort – Mother Sita was kidnapped. For this reason, many Hindus are vegetarian. This brings me to the law of Karma.

Karma – for every action there is a reaction. When we hurt others, we must suffer for it in this life or the next. For this reason, we are not supposed to eat meat because it will be like attaining joy out of an innocent creature’s suffering and death. The law of karma brings me to reincarnation. We believe in reincarnation because God is forgiving so he will not send us to an eternity of suffering for our bad deeds. He gives us numerous “second chances” to work off our negative karma. By doing good deeds we can offset out past bad karma and help to generate good karma for the future, so we are not predestined to suffer. From God we have come and to him we shall all return. When all karma is resolved and we are spiritual enough, we break free of the cycle of birth and death and we become one with God.

Dharma – cannot be translated into English. Basically it is righteous living; it is a way of life. This is how we should be living at all times. When Dharma is on the decline, God manifests as an Avatar to reinforce Dharma – it does not mean that God becomes limited to this one form. It is sort of like how God is manifested within each of us – similarly God is manifested in the Avatar, but the Avatar is a powerful manifestation.

As for similarities in other religions – I think there are a couple in Christianity. The Bible says that in the beginning was the word and the word was God. This is what Hinduism says on the beginning of creation “Before the beginning, the Brahman (absolute reality) was one and non-dual. It thought, "I am only one -- may I become many." This caused a vibration which eventually became sound, and this sound was Om. Creation itself was set in motion by the vibration of Om. The closest approach to Brahman is that first sound, Om.” (http://www.omsakthi.org/worship/mantra.html). Scientists have affirmed that the first sound to come out of creation was Om.
In addition, the Bible says that God created people in his image and likeness. Hinduism states that we are Jeeva Atman or individual soul and God is Param Atman or the Super Soul. We are made of the same substance – just as a drop of water taken from the ocean – we are like the drop and God is like the ocean. Hindus believe in chakras or seven spiritual centers along the spine. A Christian woman recently informed me that the chakras are what Christians call “the mansions of the soul.”

 

[yuvgotmel]

I'll cut and paste some excerpts for ya!

• Kether = The Crown
• Chockmah = Wisdom (feminine Hebrew word in singular form)
• Binah = Understanding
• Chesed = Mercy
• Geburah = Strength
• Tiphareth = Beauty
• Netzach = Victory
• Hod = Splendor
• Yesod = Foundation
• Malkuth = Kingdom

These attributes are considered to be the highest characteristics of a supreme all-sustaining force and the highest order of all things, wherein all things are in agreement, ordered and perfect.


My personal view of “god” is quite complex and simple at the same time. I believe that the word/term “god” is quite inadequate to explain an all-sustaining force that has no name. The word “god” to me describes a creator being that is also itself created. The highest force that sustains all things seen and unseen, in my opinion, has no beginning and no end. It is neither created nor can it be destroyed. It does not require worship. It does not judge and it does not think. It does not ponder, muse or observe. The highest force is a set of attributes of the highest order and those are listed above in the Sephirot.

Therefore, “god” is one; “god” is many; “god” is all; “god” is nothing. The Sephirot is all-encompassing and it is a goal of all created things to strive towards and the sustaining force for all things.


Even though the Kabbalah does address cause & effect, nature of man and universal laws, it is more fluid than a precision-cut set of beliefs. The Kabbalah is an understanding. As I said before, I can only comprehend what I already know. No rabbi can teach me, but he might be able to inspire my memory. No book can give me wisdom (Chockmah), but, in reading it, questions and thoughts can arise in my own mind. However, that is not the same as understanding (Binah), which is attained through mystical revelation upon observation of the world and monitoring our responses (on a spiritual and intellectual level--akin to a version of the scientific method which holds the attributes, listed in the Sephirot, in the highest regards).
​

 

[Mary23]

Islam is a Semitic religion, which has over one billion adherents all over the world. Islam means "submission to the will of God". Muslims accept the Qur’an, as the word of God revealed to His last and final prophet, Mohammed (peace be upon him). Islam states that Allah sent messengers and prophets throughout the ages with the message of Unity of God, and accountability in the Hereafter. Islam thus makes it an article of faith to believe in all the earlier prophets, starting with Adam, and continuing with Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, John and Jesus amongst many others (may peace be on them all).

 

[emmaleebee]

Our basic beliefs are outlined in the Articles of Faith below. You can also go here for answers to frequently asked questions. Or ask your own questions on this thread.

THE ARTICLES OF FAITH
OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

9 We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

Mostly, I look forward to answering this thread! Before attempting to explain my thoughts (dangerous at the best of times!), what age is your daughter, again? I don't want to be writing for the wrong 'age group' and have it be either too confusing or
too oriented to a younger person.

 

[Peace]

Islam is a Semitic religion, which has over one billion adherents all over the world. Islam means "submission to the will of God". Muslims accept the Qur’an, as the word of God revealed to His last and final prophet, Mohammed (peace be upon him). Islam states that Allah sent messengers and prophets throughout the ages with the message of Unity of God, and accountability in the Hereafter. Islam thus makes it an article of faith to believe in all the earlier prophets, starting with Adam, and continuing with Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, John and Jesus amongst many others (may peace be on them all).

Moreover, Islam is based on five tenets:
1- To bear witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
2- To pray five times a day (at dawn, at noon, in the afternoon, at dusk and at night)
3- To fast the month of Ramadan
4- To pay Zakah to the poor (like a tax)
5- To perform pilgrimage (to Makkah) for whoever can afford it.

Also, as my sister Mary said among the articles of faith is to believe in all the Prophets of God and in all the holy books that were revealed to the Prophets and to believe in Angels and in the hereafter and in the destiny be it good or bad.

Peace

 

[BFD_Zayl]

My religion is complex, to say the least. I venerate Hades, Hecate, and Thanatos (Aptly named the Dread Tribune) Thanatos is the most respected of the three, since he essentially IS death itself, Hades is just the ruler of the underworld, and Hecate is the Goddess of magic and sorcery. We work to try and preserve the balance of the mortal plane through the conjuration of spirits, to spellwork that even involves some curses. To me, death is the greatest adventure one can recieve in life, for you get to go home, wherever it may be. i keep what i do secret from those around me, for i have faced violent retaliation in the past. practitioners generally work solitary but sometimes join necromantic orders, such as the Order of the La'Atzu, which I have joined and i am thankful that i have. to us, there is only balance. between what exactly we can not tell yet we work to keep it balanced, the balance within ourself and the world around us. if we do not then things are liable to spin out of control and will be in complete chaos, but sometimes this might have its uses. I wear black robes, visit graveyards and mausoleums and commune with the spirits there, and i also collect morbid artifacts to aid me in my workings (momento mori, human bones, personal items of the deceased, grave dust, etc.) to me life is sacred, and death is even more soone of the tenets i live by is to live as full and rich of a life as you are able, for only then can you appreciate what death really is. i can explain better of i get more specific questions...I tried but i realise that condensing my faith makes it seem...well...bland...and that my post is a bit hard to follow. so if your daughter has any questions, relay them to me and i shall answer.

 

[mostly harmless]

Mostly, I look forward to answering this thread! Before attempting to explain my thoughts (dangerous at the best of times!), what age is your daughter, again? I don't want to be writing for the wrong 'age group' and have it be either too confusing or
too oriented to a younger person.

She is 7, but reads and comprehends at about a 5th grade level.

I've been frubaling a thanks to you all who post in this thread...Thank you!!

 

[Feathers in Hair]

She is 7, but reads and comprehends at about a 5th grade level.

Heeehee! That's wonderful! Coming from a similar background myself, I must give the following advice: don't listen to anyone who tries to tell you you shouldn't read more than your physical weight in books!

I call my religion "Dianic Pictish Paganism". The 'Dianic' simply means that I tend to celebrate more female gods (goddesses) than male gods. It's called 'Dianic' after the name of a goddess (Diana) who is seen as important to Pagans. Some people take this to the furthest point you could imagine, and try to say that there are no male gods and that women are spiritually 'better' than men. I don't think this is so, and I celebrate a few gods. (I haven't really found one that I like so far, but I'm still trying!) 'Pictish' is a term that refers to one of the ancient groups of people in Scotland. My mom used to tell me stories about our ancestors when I was growing up- how my great uncle was a 'water witch' (he could find water in the ground for wells just by using a forked stick to guide him) and some of the trouble that our ancestors could get up to if they'd been drinking. (Painting themselves blue seemed to be a big hobby back then!) Because the Picts seem to have practised a version of 'shamanism' (which is a way of 'walking between the worlds'), I find that learning about their spirituality and how it fits in with mine is very helpful. The 'Pagan' part of what I call myself is a bit harder to explain, since almost everyone has different meanings when they say it. In my own case, though, it's simply someone who loves nature and learns things from it, as well as helping nature in return.

In my religion, we don't have specific 'holy books,' like the Christians have the Bible. Instead, it's up to the witch (that's what I call myself, too- so many names!) to write their own book. This book usually contains the thoughts that a witch might have about gods and goddesses, information about herbs and the phases of the moon, and pretty much anything that they think will be useful to them. Witches might also 'decide' that some books are a very good representation of their religion and how they view it and treat those as 'holy books'. For example, I have found that Terry Pratchett's views on my religion are phrased far better than I ever could. I would definitely recommend his 'young adult' books featuring the character of [SIZE=-1]Tiffany Aching.

Wow... I just realized that my mind is just boiling over with things to share! I don't want to take up too much space!


[/SIZE]

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I follow a path of Nocturnalism. It is essentially the same thing as those who would followo a path that is "light" based, only mine revolves around darkness. The other side of the coin so to speak.
Hecate, Anubis, Volor, Cerunnos, and an un-named warrior, are my patrons.

 

[ayani]

hey- the basis of my faith is simply prayer and rememberance. i seek to draw closer in inspiration and faithfulness to a revealed Prayer, which i recite at fixed times during the day. i strive to be compassionate, selfless, joyful, and prayerful, though i usually fall short. i believe in One God, in the inspiration of the messages He has sent through word and text (via prophets), and in the equality of all peoples.

 

[mostly harmless]

Thanks everyone!!

We're going to go over everything we've got so far, Keep 'em coming!

 

[Runlikethewind]

Hello!
I am a memeber of the Roman Catholic Church and I am in the proccess of becoming a Benedictine monk. A simple explanation of the Catholic faith is that we believe in one God who has 3 faces or 3 persons, the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that God created humans to love him and serve him in this world and to be happy with him when we die and Go to heaven and eventually get our bodies back. Benedictine monks live there life seeking God through prayer and work. Loving God and serving him in this world takes dedication, prayer, obedience, humility and many other virtues or good habits. If we try real hard to seek God then he promised that He would bring us to heaven which is very good. I could write a lot more but I think that this might work for a start.

Good luck and God Bless!

 

[Feathers in Hair]

This is a great thread, MH! I'm learning more about everyone's take on their religion!

 

[Gentoo]

In Eclectic Wicca, there's a lot that falls under that title. I borrow from all sorts of different traditions (akin to Christian denominations), I'm borrowing mostly from Seax-Wica with bits and pieces from Garderian. I personally follow the Wiccan Rede, which can be summed up in it's last two lines: " 'An in it harm none, do as ye will." Which means that as long as no one is hurt, including yourself, then you can do what you like.

I also believe in the Three-Fold Law which says that any energy (prayer, thoughts, actions) will come back to you three times over. So if you do something good, you'll be rewarded three times over; but it also works the other way around, if you do something bad, then you will be punished three times worse than what you originally did.

And then there are the 13 Virtues of Witches:

1. Tolerance
2. Charity
3. Humility
4. Devotion
5. Patience
6. Kindliness
7. Forbearance
8. Sincerity
9. Courage
10. Precision
11. Efficiency
12. Discrimination/Discernment
13. Wisdom

If there are any questions, I'll gladly try to answer them

 

[eudaimonia]

Hi, my philosophical path is called Eudaimonism (pronounced yoo-DYE-meh-nizm).

We don't believe in gods, the supernatural, or any afterlife. However, we believe in the sacredness of the individual and her happiness on earth. We believe that life can be meaningful, and we love to see people learn, and grow, and bring out the best within themselves. Life is like an epic adventure story in which one should strive to be a hero.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[James the Persian]

I am an Orthodox Christian. The best summary of our faith is the Nicene Creed (without the filioque - the statement added in the west that the Holy Spirit proceeds from Father and Son, which we believe to be heretical).

In many respects we are similar to the Roman Catholics although we split with them in 1054 and they have since added teachings which we do not agree with. We do not actually agree with the idea that new teachings even can be added to the faith.

We have no earthly head at all (so nothing equivalent to the Pope), being comprised of a communion of local, autocephalous (independant) churches each with their own Patriarch or equivalent and Holy Synod. These churches include te Russian Orthodox curch, the Greek Orthodox church, mine (the Romanian church) etc.

Two things that are distrinctive about Orthodoxy as compared to western Christianity is our use of icons and our insistance on viewing salvation as theosis. This means that it is a process of becoming like God through his grace. In our view Christ's death was not a sacrifice in our place for our sins but rather was a self-sacrifice so that He could rise again and in doing so defeat death. Who Christ is remains much more important for us than any particular thing that He did, which is why Christology was so central to the Ecumenical Councils and remains so for us today.

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

James

P.S.
Following the link in my signature will go through to a very good article if anyone is further interested in some differences between east and west, though I doubt it is suitable for your daughter, mostly harmless. Sorry.

 

[Hema]

I tried but i realise that condensing my faith makes it seem...well...bland...and that my post is a bit hard to follow.

Not at all. I find what you do very interesting. You did a good explanation too! You know that I always have lots of questions to ask you.

 

[Wandered Off]

I like this simple definition of Deism: “A belief in God without religion.”

Deism is not so much a path as an approach you can use to frame your own path. Some characterize it as “one belief away from atheism”. There is endless variation among Deists – just as in traditional ‘revealed’ religions - but even more so because we do not rely on second-hand revelation in holy books or from holy people. That's one reason you won't find a consistent set of beliefs. We willingly admit that our knowledge is limited and not always reliable, which is why we embrace science and education.

About the only "requirement" is a belief in a higher power, but it's just a requirement by definition, not because anybody told you to. You must use your God-given reason and observation of the world around you to form your beliefs, as opposed to relying on someone else's interpretations of someone else’s message from God.

The fundamental difference between Deism and the “revealed religions” is that, in Deism, humans approach God rather than having stories where God supposedly approached a few select humans and designated them as messengers. It’s the opposite orientation.

View of God: Deists believe that we cannot possibly have a clear picture of God. The spiritual infinite is simply beyond our grasp except at a rudimentary level of awareness, and the universe itself is the only revelation we have. We see God as a first cause, but not a "personal" entity. The word "personal" itself belies an anthropic projection. As Montesquieu observed, "If triangles had a god, they would give him three sides." It's a normal human trait for us to project ourselves into what we don’t understand, because our reality is the only filter we have.

Humanity's place: Deists don't see humans as occupying a particularly special place in the universe. Consequently, we are not subject to any more divine intervention than, say, tigers.

Divine Non-Intervention: Most Deists believe God does not selectively intervene in the universe. It’s almost a defining characteristic of Deism, although some Deists differ, maintaining that God intervenes in ways we can't directly observe. Miracles are generally not part of our belief system.

Revelation: Tell a Deist to look at God’s word, and she won’t go get a Bible or book, but maybe a telescope. The universe is God’s word. Personal revelation is compatible with Deism, but we do not accept that God would need messengers to communicate indirectly a message intended for somebody else. We find the idea that God would have a message for everybody and tell just a few to be absurd. Just about every verse in any holy book could begin with, "Some guy said God told him to tell you..." The almighty certainly doesn't need a spokesperson, and we don't think anyone has a closer connection to God than anyone else. God gave us reason and intellect as tools to use in our spiritual quest, not second-hand instructions to someone else.