• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

I love dharmic religions

Starlight

Spiritual but not religious, new age and omnist
I love dharmic religions. Why? Because of the teachings of karma and reincarnation is common sense.
The law of karma and reincarnation make also sense since it is both justice and mercy.
If God/ Gods really is both justice and love then reincarnation has to be true. And in the dharmic religions it is more important to be a good person than to believe in God/gods

Any thoughts? What do you think about what I wrote? Do you agree or disgree?
 
Last edited:

Starlight

Spiritual but not religious, new age and omnist
My first introduction to Hinduism is...ha, it's kind of embarrassing, but it was "The Idiot's Guide to Hinduism". I loved it. I devoured it, wanting to learn more and more.
I understand very well why you wanted to learn more :blush:
 

Starlight

Spiritual but not religious, new age and omnist
My first introduction to Hinduism is...ha, it's kind of embarrassing, but it was "The Idiot's Guide to Hinduism". I loved it. I devoured it, wanting to learn more and more.
The idiot guide book series is very good, you learn very much. You have not a reason to be embarrasing :blush:
 

Starlight

Spiritual but not religious, new age and omnist
I certainly prefer the Dharmic traditions to the Abrahamic ones. They seem more civilised somehow.
Can you explain? In what way do you think dharmic religions is more civilised? I'm Just curious
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
I certainly prefer the Dharmic traditions to the Abrahamic ones. They seem more civilised somehow.
That's the word great uncle of mine used about 50 years ago when I asked him. He was a very well read individual, and had quite the personal library. He was a strong atheist.
 

Brian2

Veteran Member
I love dharmic religions. Why? Because of the teachings of karma and reincarnation is common sense.
The law of karma and reincarnation make also sense since it is both justice and mercy.
If God/ Gods really is both justice and love then reincarnation has to be true. And in the dharmic religions it is more important to be a good person than to believe in God/gods

Any thoughts? What do you think about what I wrote? Do you agree or disgree?

How does the law of karma and reincarnation provide mercy?
In the Abrahamic tradition God provides mercy through justice. Jesus suffered and died and bore the just penalty for our sins and the mercy was provided through that.
In the Bible Paul says that out of faith, hope and love the greatest is love.
In the Dharmic religions it seems that the whole of the lives of all of us is one big game by God and in the end we just end up where we started, as God, and we don't even know we existed as ourselves in our ego.
Either that or God is both good and evil and is just satisfying some inner urge to express the evil side along with the good side. While here in life we are told to escape this wheel of life and death and life and death, so we are to escape God so that we can be God again,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,as we were in the beginning.
It really sounds like God is on His own big Samsara in each cycle of the universe expanding and contracting, and can't escape, and we just get dragged along for the ride. It has happened before and we try to escape the wheel, but it will happen again and I guess the next time around in God's Samsara, we will be someone else.
The whole thing seems like the philosophy of men without any evidence for it's truth in archaeology.
At least in the Abrahamic religions the historic evidence is there and getting stronger all the time with new archaeological finds.
In my opinion.
I hope you enjoyed that little rant. :)
But of course I am serious.
 

Ashoka

श्री कृष्णा शरणं मम
How does the law of karma and reincarnation provide mercy?

It gives the soul a chance to grow and evolve over time, as we learn lessons.

In the Dharmic religions it seems that the whole of the lives of all of us is one big game by God and in the end we just end up where we started, as God and we don't even know exist as ourselves.

Like I said above, it's not a game; it's God giving us other chances to live a good life, to grow and evolve. There is no eternal hell (although there are hell realms, they are temporary, and God often sends Devas to rescue those in the hell realms). Eventually, highly evolved souls are liberated, and reach Moksha. Karma is designed to help us see what it's like on the other side of the coin; kindness to others brings kindness to yourself, but if you are cruel, then life will teach you a lesson in cruelty.

The Christian God, on the other hand, gives you one chance, and if you blow it, you're sent to be tortured and burned for all eternity. That's not mercy; that's manipulation.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
I love dharmic religions. Why? Because of the teachings of karma and reincarnation is common sense.
The law of karma and reincarnation make also sense since it is both justice and mercy.
If God/ Gods really is both justice and love then reincarnation has to be true. And in the dharmic religions it is more important to be a good person than to believe in God/gods

Any thoughts? What do you think about what I wrote? Do you agree or disgree?

I concur, but then I'm a Hindu, so the agreement ought to be obvious. Another reason I love it, and this is demonstrated in your words ... and that is that, at its core, it's actually incredibly simple.
 

Brian2

Veteran Member
It gives the soul a chance to grow and evolve over time, as we learn lessons.

What is the point. We are God, we started off being God, there was nowhere to go grow and evolve until and unless God had some sort of break down and split up into billions of pieces, none of which were God as before. There was no point to the whole thing in the first place.

Like I said above, it's not a game; it's God giving us other chances to live a good life, to grow and evolve. There is no eternal hell (although there are hell realms, they are temporary, and God often sends Devas to rescue those in the hell realms). Eventually, highly evolved souls are liberated, and reach Moksha. Karma is designed to help us see what it's like on the other side of the coin; kindness to others brings kindness to yourself, but if you are cruel, then life will teach you a lesson in cruelty.

It's not a game for us here on earth, it's serious because suffering and death is serious and there was no point to the whole thing to begin with except what I so irreverently call a break down by God or something where He either decides or can't help Himself and does the same thing again when He was all back together and perfection and He has to have His break down and cause suffering and getting back to perfection and knowing who He is again.
If we consider God as a big lump of mercury, it is like every now and then God purposefully knocks some of Himself off into the dirt and it breaks up into pieces and none of the pieces know who they are. What is the point?

The Christian God, on the other hand, gives you one chance, and if you blow it, you're sent to be tortured and burned for all eternity. That's not mercy; that's manipulation.

IMO that is not true but is a false teaching that made it's way into the Church.
BUT really what we want is justice and mercy. The Abrahamic God knows us and what is justice for us and is also merciful. Where is any mercy in karma and rebirth, especially when the whole thing did not have to happen in the first place and there is really no us, all the pieces of mercury go back together into the one lump and we don't even know we existed as us.
It isn't as if God is working towards an eternal utopia in the Dharmic religions (maybe in Buddhism,,,,,,,,,,,,but is there even God in that religion). God is working towards a temporary reprieve until He does it all again.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I love dharmic religions. Why? Because of the teachings of karma and reincarnation is common sense.
The law of karma and reincarnation make also sense since it is both justice and mercy.
If God/ Gods really is both justice and love then reincarnation has to be true. And in the dharmic religions it is more important to be a good person than to believe in God/gods

Any thoughts? What do you think about what I wrote? Do you agree or disgree?
Depends on how the kapok is stuffed in the cushion.
 

Ashoka

श्री कृष्णा शरणं मम
What is the point. We are God, we started off being God, there was nowhere to go grow and evolve until and unless God had some sort of break down and split up into billions of pieces, none of which were God as before. There was no point to the whole thing in the first place.

That's not Hinduism or Buddhism.

It's not a game for us here on earth, it's serious because suffering and death is serious and there was no point to the whole thing to begin with except what I so irreverently call a break down by God or something where He either decides or can't help Himself and does the same thing again when He was all back together and perfection and He has to have His break down and cause suffering and getting back to perfection and knowing who He is again.
If we consider God as a big lump of mercury, it is like every now and then God purposefully knocks some of Himself off into the dirt and it breaks up into pieces and none of the pieces know who they are. What is the point?

I've read this a few times, and I am not sure what you are trying to say?

IMO that is not true but is a false teaching that made it's way into the Church.
BUT really what we want is justice and mercy. The Abrahamic God knows us and what is justice for us and is also merciful. Where is any mercy in karma and rebirth, especially when the whole thing did not have to happen in the first place and there is really no us, all the pieces of mercury go back together into the one lump and we don't even know we existed as us.
It isn't as if God is working towards an eternal utopia in the Dharmic religions (maybe in Buddhism,,,,,,,,,,,,but is there even God in that religion). God is working towards a temporary reprieve until He does it all again.

There is mercy in Karma because it shows us how to treat other living things. An animal abuser in this life might very well become a suffering animal in the next life to show the soul how it feels to be abused. The soul will evolve from there and say, oh, it's wrong to abuse animals. Reincarnation allows us chances to right our wrongs. Eventually we will reach Moksha, and union with God. That is forever. Once a soul has reached Moksha, in my sect, there is no going back. Yes, the world will end and begin again, for different souls who need to go through the process of spiritual evolution.
 

ameyAtmA

~ ~
Premium Member
Jesus suffered and died and bore the just penalty for our sins and the mercy was provided through that.
I understand. So did Rama, Krishna, Dattatreya , NavanAth/NavaYogeshwars, Shiva-Shankar Shambho drank poison of world and held in His throat, and some others.

The whole thing seems like the philosophy of men without any evidence for it's truth in archaeology.
At least in the Abrahamic religions the historic evidence is there and getting stronger all the time with new archaeological finds.
In my opinion.

Archeological excavations of DwarkA carbon-dated 10000 years have been found.

NASA discovered the Rama setu - the bridge built by the mystical engineering where large stones rocks with the name of Rama floated on the Indian Ocean between TamilNadu and Lanka to Ravan's kingdom.

Mohenjo Daro excavations have shown very civilized society and advanced inventions and knowledge from many 10s of thousands of years.

Greeks learned a lot of Indian philosophy, wisdom and the highly advanced secrets of the Vedas and Upanishads and the western world behaves as if Hinduism and India never existed.

It really sounds like God is on His own big Samsara in each cycle of the universe expanding and contracting, and can't escape, and we just get dragged along for the ride. It has happened before and we try to escape the wheel, but it will happen again and I guess the next time around in God's Samsara, we will be someone else.

Umm slight correction.

Brahman does not DO these things.

Universe is a phenomenon and a multilevel set of phenomena -- that are part of nature of Brahman. It is neither a game nor an accident. It is nature. It is science.
Like you bat your eye-lid.

However, there is a gulf of difference on understanding and perspective between us and Brahman, who knows, is aware of the eternal original, we don't.

We think with our egos and think we are individuals , forget that we are appearances like waves, and blame our mistakes and/or lack of understanding on Brahman. "Why did He cause this suffering?"
He didn't. We just didn't have the right understanding.

but Brahman, out of infinite compassion and love, comes here to gently teach us about it, nourishing, raising and elevating us with His love and widens out perspective and horizon to peace and Sat-Chit-Ananda that we are.

|| om namo bhagavate vAsudevAya ||
 
Last edited:

Link

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I think you should seek insights. If something is proven to you follow it. But don't follow something just because you like it better.

The soul combines truth and also desires falsehood. The cure for that is to overcome it with proofs and insights.
 

Link

Veteran Member
Premium Member
And in the dharmic religions it is more important to be a good person than to believe in God/gods

In Islam, desiring other than God makes you evil. So you have to see which one is more rational. If we go to other than God's doors, where are we really going? (Islam arguing)

If we seek to follow humans or hidden beings (we may call them gods) without proof, why did we do so if God can provide proofs for who to follow and surely would?

Both of these are unforgivable, even if most humans including most Muslims may do them.
 

Ashoka

श्री कृष्णा शरणं मम
In Islam, desiring other then God makes you evil. So you have to see which one is more rational.

It's rational to call someone evil when they believe differently than you?
 

Ashoka

श्री कृष्णा शरणं मम
If they believe other than true God, yes, it's rational. Otherwise it's irrational.

Christianity and Islam teach this; they teach that you are evil for simply believing differently, and this has been the cause and the excuse of many wars and genocides throughout the ages. We forget we are brothers and sisters, that we live on this earth together. We are actually one family, but Abrahamic religions (except Judaism) seek to divide.
 

Link

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Christianity and Islam teach this; they teach that you are evil for simply believing differently, and this has been the cause and the excuse of many wars and genocides throughout the ages. We forget we are brothers and sisters, that we live on this earth together. We are actually one family, but Abrahamic religions (except Judaism) seek to divide.

You can say for simply believing differently, but really, from their viewpoint it's better expressed that God provides signs and proofs, turning way from his guidance is linked to rejecting Him.

The signs of God are various types. There are some that just indicate he exists, a designer exists, a soul proves a Creator for example, then his chosen ones are treasured signs of God that are linked to the fact they guide to who he is and what he is, they guide to his light as they are his light. The divine books all call to Authorities and leaders appointed by him as opposed to leaders chosen by humans themselves and to rely on who God attributes greatness and purity to as opposed to reputation of humans.

Rejecting God's signs especially his chosen ones, is an act of hate towards the light.

Why follow people with no proof of leadership and authority in religion as opposed to those who God provided proofs for?

It's because the soul doesn't want to submit to the light. The darkness wants to remain what it has chosen to be, and be accepted for that choice, well no one forced us to choose who and what we are, so it's better to feel ashamed and admit we are wrong and let the light take over us.
 
Top