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Poll: Chopping off a hand for religious reasons?

would you chop off a hand for spiritual/religious reasons?


  • Total voters
    33
  • Poll closed .

1213

Well-Known Member
...Poll: would you cut off one of your hands for spiritual reasons? For instance, to get closer to God?...

I probably would not do that. However, it is not necessary very easy question. For example, what would you do in the case that your hand is stuck in a machine that will kill you, if you don’t cut your hand off? By what I know, many people are willing to amputate legs or arms to stay alive. If there is afterlife and one would lose it, if he would not amputate, it would not be a bad choice.

If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna. If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not your whole body be thrown into Gehenna.
Matt. 5:29-30

And obviously, if there is no afterlife, then that is a quite poor choice. Luckily I think there is always better way to avoid Gehenna (hell).
 

loverofhumanity

We are all the leaves of one tree
Premium Member
Only my thoughts here but if he did this for personal gain then I believe it is a selfish act resulting in no merit gained whatsoever. It was, I believe, if true as reported, an act of religious fanaticism and irrational extremism that was mindless.

Better would it have been for him to perform acts of service for the benefit of the poor and needy ‘without thought’ of gain, karma or merit, because I believe that only when we do things selflessly for others without any reason of gain then it becomes an act worthy of merit but we should not perform acts of kindness in order to gain something in return, I believe that to be insincerity.
 
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