• 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!

Not sure on what religion to be

D

Dr TJ Eckelburg

Member
Hey everyone, I'm pretty sure I want to be some sort of religion, the only question is - which?
I believe:
Gods don't exist in this plane, but they can be worshipped and acknowledged as real.
There are multiple gods.
The gods aren't beneficial to humankind and are affected by fate.
Prayer is not the only way to solve a problem.
Gods aren't necessarily more powerful than humans, but they can unite peoples.
Reality is different in the minds of different peoples.
The gods are contacted through ceremonies, rituals and magic.
Tradition is more important than scripture.
Science is most likely correct.
Death is a transportation to another plane.
Gods are worshipped in idols.
Multiple religions can be correct.
I think that the closest thing to this is either Buddhism, Taoism or some sort of Paganism, but if so, which?
 
G

GoodbyeDave

Well-Known Member
There are two types of religion: those which have grown up in a community over millennia (e.g. Hinduism and Shinto) and those which were created by one or more teachers who rejected the local religion, either because they thought the "true" one had been revealed to them (Islam) or on the basis of theological argument (Buddhism). The first, for want of a better term, may be called pagan religion. You're a pagan: congratulations!

You aren't a Buddhist. Although many Buddhists worship gods, Buddha himself clearly did not. Also, he taught that the world is a place of suffering and our prime objective should be to perfect ourselves in such a way as to escape from it. Personally, I find that both false and cowardly. The world is not evil and it's problems need action to deal with them, not flight.

All paganism is essentially one. The invented religions all need creeds, to tell you what they've got right and everyone else has got wrong. If you accept one creed, that rules out the rest. But pagans raised in one tradition can feel at home in another, In ancient times, Greek immigrants to India worshiped in the local temples. On this site, a Hindu told me that he'd be happy to worship in a Greek temple, if carried off in a time machine.

There are many current varieties of paganism.

There are religions with a continuous tradition, like Hinduism, Shinto, Shenjiao (China}, and the religions of Africa, which have many followers in the Americas. These tend to attract expatriates, but there are many of European descent who worship in a local Hindu temple and many (especially in Latin America) who are not African-Americans, yet have adopted something like Santeria.

There are also pagan traditions which were stamped out by Christian or Islamic persecution but are now reconstructed. Some are well documented: those of the Hellenes and Slavs. Others have needed a little more imagination: those of the Germans, Egyptians, and Semites. All differ from the unbroken traditions in having fewer members and no local places of worship.

So, it's really a matter of gut feeling. Look at anything local, if you need to belong to a real community. Look at web sites and get library books about various traditions:
Hinduism, Shinto: start with Wikipedia articles on these topica
Shenjiao: Chinese folk religion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Africa: Afro-American religion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hellenism: Hellenion
Asatru: Temple of Our Heathen Gods
Egypt: Untitled Document
Canaanite: Natib Qadish, Canaanite Polytheistic Religion

I haven't mentioned Wicca because (1) it's an invented religion and (2) it's not really a religion at all — a system of ceremonial magic with a bit of religion added on as an afterthought.
 
Sees

Sees

Dragonslayer
David is basically right on the money...most pagans are right there with your points step for step - some natural variation here and there, between different traditions and within themselves. Pagan traditions tend to have more focus on actions, deeds, ritual, celebration, etc. over specifics of belief, dogma, or doctrine. They just happen to share many concepts, ideals, pieces of wisdom quite naturally being based on experiences of life and our connections and relationships.
 
D

Dr TJ Eckelburg

Member
I'm currently looking at that Egyptian link you sent me, looks cool, and aligns with a lot of my beliefs such as reincarnation, polytheism, tradition, magic, the matters of divinity and plus, the gods appeal to me (especially Thoth). Plus, it's the most likely a religion - along with Natib Quadish that my ancestors may have practiced (I'm Jewish). Where else to start?
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
DavidMcCann said:
You aren't a Buddhist. Although many Buddhists worship gods, Buddha himself clearly did not. Also, he taught that the world is a place of suffering and our prime objective should be to perfect ourselves in such a way as to escape from it. Personally, I find that both false and cowardly. The world is not evil and it's problems need action to deal with them, not flight.
Click to expand...

I wonder what your opinion is on Orphism, the Hellenic Mystery religion which pretty much taught the same thing. Gnosticism has a lot in common with it, too, and Gnosticism definitely does not need to be Abrahamic in its cultural application.
 
C

columbus

yawn <ignore> yawn
Multiple religions can be correct.
Click to expand...
This solves your problems. Find a community that serves your purposes. Then learn what they teach.

You need not actually believe every single thing that they teach. Most people don't believe exactly what their religion teaches.

Tom
 
LuisDantas

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
Sometimes I feel like I must have been born in the wrong planet. Is it even possible that there is such a thing as the Abrahamic Faiths?
 
Shuttlecraft

Shuttlecraft

.Navigator
LuisDantas said:
Sometimes I feel like I must have been born in the wrong planet. Is it even possible that there is such a thing as the Abrahamic Faiths?
Click to expand...

Well the Jewish Old T God was a tough cookie and I like him, so for two pins I'd become a Jew myself!
Jesus simply showed us his softer side but the old toughness is still there and nobody better mess with him..:)

"Lord, pour out thy fury upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name" (Psalm 79:6)
fury.gif
 
D

Desert Snake

Veteran Member
I would rather have honest straightforward posts like Shuttles rather than anything vague. Last thing I would want is to join some group then get 'surprised' by their beliefs later, Shuttle is pretty up front, I already know his general beliefs and that's more than I can honestly say for many others who actually have been on RF far longer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top