What religion is right for me?

[The Sum of Awe]

I was looking at my friends' religious views on facebook to see if they could influence me at all...

My boss's say "The Truman Show"

I'm pretty sure he is joking lol

 

[Breathe]

Have you considered Buddhism or Jainism?

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I'll just try Buddhism again.

 

[astarath]

Go with Christ.

 

[Breathe]

I'll just try Buddhism again.

Hope it works out.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I'll just try Buddhism again.

Bit of advice. Fluff your Zafu before sitting. Avoid pillow fights. ;O)

 

[The Sum of Awe]

It wasn't doing so well for me

Oh well, I will just continue to seek until something comes along

 

[Breathe]

Not to worry. Sometimes they take time to "click", my friend.

Have your beliefs changed at all, or are they still the same?

 

[Maury83]

I think you should take religion seriously and consider the one that satisfies you spiritually mentally, fisically, socially but also allows you to give something in return to your brothers.
In other words something that makes you a better person.

Let me know how it goes!!!

 

[Gaura Priya]

I think you should take religion seriously and consider the one that satisfies you spiritually mentally, fisically, socially but also allows you to give something in return to your brothers.
In other words something that makes you a better person.

Let me know how it goes!!!

It's hard to take just one religion seriously when each one will have some form of triumphalism in one way or another. :no:

BUT you do have a point... a religion should satisfy you in all realms of sensation - thought, action, movement, and speech. If you feel that it makes you a better person because of it, one should cling onto it, despite perhaps the outward form of the religion chosen.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Odion: Nope, my main focuses are still the same and written down on the first page.

Maury: I am, that is why it is hard for me to find just one, because I see that all religions are likely to be equally right and equally wrong in some directions.

I wrote once in a book of my philosophical ideas: "Religion is like looking at a bird with your friends. One friend sees it from the left angle, you see it from the right angle, another friend sees it from the front angle, and the last friend sees it from the bottom angle. This is how religions work."

Madan: I agree.

 

[Breathe]

Okay, thanks.


From looking through your list, can you clarify a little bit?

What do you mean by "Human characteristics"? Do you mean like, Biblical God? Hates, angry, prefers things? Or has feelings like love and intelligence as well?

And reincarnation, do you think there is a possibility of "escaping reincarnation", or that there is no end to reincarnation?

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Odion: For human characteristics I mean speaking in our languages, being a male or a female, looking anything like a human, and also for what you described.

As for reincarnation, I don't really know. I think there might be a possibility of resolved unconsciousness but also I do not think so. I don't even know if there is reincarnation, just a probability.

So for reincarnation that's a maybe, I think that reincarnation would last forever but I also have a hard time believing that anything lasts forever.

 

[Breathe]

So it's formless and impersonal? (Forgive me, I'm just trying to find some things that are similar to your own views)


I suppose I could suggest something like, Deism, or Deist-flavoured Paganism. You could look at Arya Samaj, but I don't know if that would be your thing. I suppose I could suggest philosophical Taoism, too?


Which religions have you looked at, may I ask? For example, did you look at Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, as well as Theravada and Zen Buddhism, and did you look at Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism, Baha'i, etc?

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I've looked at tons and tons of religions, here are two charts that I've seen a long time ago:

The Big Religion Comparison Chart: Compare World Religions - ReligionFacts

Home - Biggest Chart of Religions on the web!!

I've seen some that are not listed on the chart.

I've looked into almost every Buddhist practice there is, I'd be a Theravada Buddhist out of all of them.

I was an atheist before this religious confusion happened for the 2nd time. It happened again because I wanted to try faith so I guess I should believe in a god.

 

[Gaura Priya]

You can always try the Belief-O-Matic for fun. I have done this a few times, and it seems pretty accurate or gives you some other ideas in terms of finding a Faith.

Belief-O-Matic- Beliefnet.com

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Madan: Yes I have taken that quiz!

Although, sadly, their answers do not always fit every single belief out there, including some of mine.

 

[Gaura Priya]

That's always alright.

I think I ended up eventually getting 'Unitarian Universalism' and although I am a very liberal, very non-conforming Baha'i (except for Baha'u'llah's laws), I kind of need the community... :|

Well, continue looking. There is always a place with yourself and your spiritual life, if not in any existing community anyways.

If you do not mind some eccentrics, quirkies, tree-huggers, staunch atheists, and really bad music with hand-holding, but allowance of questioning belief and religion and allowing freedom of belief, maybe Unitarian Universalism is for you?

 

[Breathe]

I find some problem with the URLs you have provided, Cosmos. They seem to offer over-simplistic (such as the Sikh one in "Biggest Chart") and sometimes one group-centric, and sometimes even incorrect information.

For example "Biggest Chart of Religions on the web!!" has Hinduism with many Goddesses and Gods, but most Hindus believe only in one Supreme God, with a myriad of forms--among others. It looks in the information to be more akin to polytheism, when Hinduism isn't really polytheistic.

 

[Gaura Priya]

For example "Biggest Chart of Religions on the web!!" has Hinduism with many Goddesses and Gods, but most Hindus believe only in one Supreme God, with a myriad of forms--among others. It looks in the information to be more akin to polytheism, when Hinduism isn't really polytheistic.

Yes... Hinduism has always seemed to be either monistic, monotheistic, pantheistic, panentheistic, or even atheistic... but never has it ever been literally polytheistic. Ever.

Maybe the local village religions, but never Hindu Dharma in itself!

Now that I have looked at the links, yes, ReligionFacts is pretty comprehensive, but they have pretty wrong information about many Faiths, and leaves it somewhat lacking. And the chart is not very well done, even for basic belief scanning. Beliefnet has always been nice, but for religious searching, Wikipedia has always been the best for me.