Your Religion

[WhatandWhy]

I am curious about other religions and currently I am studying many of the major religions, but I want to hear your side. I would like for you to tell me your religion the core beliefs and your main argument for your religion. This is not a debate on religions I just want to understand it from your perspective. Thanks for your time.
-Ian

 

[Storm]

Religion: UU
There are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

As part of my "free and responsible search for truth and meaning," I've developed my own theology. If you wish to discuss it in detail, check out the thread linked in my sig. For now, the elevator speech:

I believe in what someone cleverer than I dubbed "the living Godiverse." That God is a sapient organism whose body is the cosmos. I further believe that this being is a juvenile, and reality as we know it is the Becoming, the process of God's maturation.

ETA: Forgot the part about the argument. Anyway, I don't proselytize, so I don't have one.

 

[Autodidact]

I think your question is too broad to get much response, WandW. I think you will have more success with a more focused question.

 

[Gentoo]

I'm an eclectic pagan, which means I borrow from many different cultures and mould it into something completely my own.

 

[Herr Heinrich]

I'm a Taoist. Taoist believe in the Tao which basically drives the universe. If you want to learn more I suggest reading the Tao Te Ching. It is not very long and has something for everyone. The Stephen Mitchell translation can be found in paper form or on the internet-webs. I am also in the process of becoming a lay Buddhist. Here are the core values of Buddhism;

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
1.There is suffering
2.Suffering is caused by ignorant-desire
3.There is a cure for suffering
4.It is the Noble Eightfold Path
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
1.Right View or Understanding
2.Right Thought
3.Right Speech
4.Right Action
5.Right Work
6.Right Effort
7.Right Mindfulness
8.Right Concentration

 

[Katzpur]

I'm a Latter-day Saint Christian. I believe that God's purpose in creating me and putting me here on earth was that I have joy. He also wants me to know Him and understand that I'm His daughter. Those things are what draw me to my religion.

 

[TheKnight]

I believe in Judaism as an observer of the Seven Laws of Noah. It is also known as Noahidism.

Essentially, we are non-Jews who believe that the religion of the Jews is true. However, we are people who do not wish to become Jews in full. We believe that there are 7 basic principles that mankind must live by.

 

[Madhuri]

I am a spiritual Hindu, meaning that I am not part of any particular cult or institution. I follow Vedic scripture, which is the oldest known in the world.

I am a follower of the Advaitadvaita philosophy, which views God as both personal and impersonal and sees the individual as simultaneously one with and different from God. Therefore my view is that God is both male (Purusha/Spirit/Self), female (Shakti/energy/cosmic energy) and Brahman (consciousness/Bliss).

I believe that the material universe is one aspect of God's nature. It represents the struggle between selfish desire and Love (that's a very basic way to put it). WE, the soul, represent this aspect of God. And so we go through life after life, exploring our own nature and evolving our consciousness until we reach a stage of conscious advancement that we are liberated (enlightened) from material bondage and are no longer trapped in the cycle of reincarnation. We go to God, but I am not entirely sure of what this means. There are a few beliefs and I am not stuck on any particular belief. There may be a manifest Heaven, or we may all merge into Brahman, the Cosmic Consciousness. I don't know.

The meaning of life is to grow, mature, gain knowledge and wisdom and expand one's Love. Love, in my religion, is the most important thing. It is the sense of connection one has with others. In reality we are all part of the whole/the One and all equally important. Under the spell of Maya, which is the nature of this universe, we see duality everywhere. But beyond this layer of duality there is Oneness. Love is this feeling of connection and importance to Self. We love our children, they are so much a part of our very Self. We love our partners, they are our other half. The more our awareness is evolved the more we see God, and our connection to everyone and everything and our love expands. It keeps expanding and expanding. When we become Enlightened, we are finally able to see clearly, past the illusion, and are able to Love everything. Everything is limitless, and so is Love.

This is my philosophy. I matches perfectly with my sense of morality, which is to do good as much as possible, to limit suffering, and to care/love for everything. Even if I stopped belieivng in God, I would hold on to those values.

 

[Runewolf1973]

I don't really have a religion. It is more of a personal understanding or worldview. I believe that everything that exists is life. Everything has that animating, activating, causative factor or principal that I call Spirit (not something supernatural). Even atoms are vibrational and animate, have an action and a reaction. I believe that the human level of awareness or consciousness evolved out of this same simple action/reaction that all energy and matter has.

 

[Andal]

Namaste,

My religion is Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) I belong to Vaishnavism which means we believe Vishnu is the supreme lord. My philosophical beliefs are from Vishishtadvaita school. We believe that three things make up the universe- Jivatma (sentient beings), Jagat (insentient or the material world), and Isvara (God, Vishnu) All three together make up Brahman which is completeness or unity. Vishnu is the creator, maintainer, and destroyer of the universe. He is the perfection of love, knowledge, and power. We are a part of him but we are not him. We have a very special relationship with Sri Vishnu.

We are caught in cyclical existance thanks to our ignorance. While in the material world we are bound by the law of cause and effect. This caries on life and life and is what propells us into a new birth after death.

The goal is to get out of this and realize our true existance (moksha) This is achieved through cultivating loving devotion to Vishnu and complete surrender to him.

Some of my daily practices include meditation, puja (ritual offerings), and bhajan (devotional songs)

Hope this was helpful

Hari Om!

 

[Runewolf1973]

We are caught in cyclical existance thanks to our ignorance. While in the material world we are bound by the law of cause and effect. This caries on life and life and is what propells us into a new birth after death.

I too believe in such a cyclical existence, cause and effect, and yes...reincarnation, however I do not believe it is necessarily due to our ignorance (although it can be). I believe part of it is just the natural flow and ebb of things. We are like the tide that comes and goes, the sun that rises and sets only to rise again another day.

 

[Onkara]

I didn't choose my religion, I was seeking truth and undesrtanding of life in philosophy. I found an answer in Advaita Vedanta. I have taken the label "Vedanta" as a pointer to help others to understand my way.

A description can be simplified: the ulitmate goal is liberation by being one with God (Brahman). This can be possible whilst living and in this life (Jivanmukta). Two major factors stand against the aspirant: Ignorance (avidya) i.e. not knowing truth, and Maya i.e. an illusive power of Brahman which makes everything appear real, seperated and limited. Brahman is Sat (Truth/Being) Chit (Consciousness) Ananda (Bliss) at Its core. Everything exists in non-dual Brahman. The meaning of life can be described as Lila, God's Play.

The removal of ignorance allows the Aspirant to see past Maya and be at one with Brahman, our true Self, the Absolute. It is a Jñana Yoga and does not require worship or rituals. The teaching are based mainly on the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Bhrama Sutras, often wih the commentary of Sri Sankaracharya.

Additonallly I pesonally stand in high praise of Sikhism as a Bhakti Yoga. It is a beautiful religion and the poetry of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib never fails to inspire me and bring out a sensation of love and peace.

 

[rusra02]

I am curious about other religions and currently I am studying many of the major religions, but I want to hear your side. I would like for you to tell me your religion the core beliefs and your main argument for your religion. This is not a debate on religions I just want to understand it from your perspective. Thanks for your time.
-Ian

1. There is one true God, whose name is Jehovah - (Deuteronomy 4:39, 1 Corinthians 8:5,6) God's purpose is to santify his Name. (Matthew 6:9,Ezekiel 38:23)
2. Jesus Christ is God's Son, and the way of approach to God (Matthew 16:16) Christ provided the ransom that frees us from sin and death. (John 3:16)
3. The Bible contains God's word, and is the source of the truth about God and his purposes (2 Timothy 3:15-17.)
4. God's purpose is to santify his Name and bring peace and everlasting life to those who obey him. (Matthew 6:9,10)
5. Most of obedient mankind will live forever on the earth, transformed into the paradise God purposed when he created Adam and Eve. (Matthew 5:5, Revelation 21:3-5)
6. God has established a Kingdom government in the hands of Christ. This kingdom will remove wickedness from the earth and rule the earth in righteousness. (Daniel 2:44, Matthew 6:9,10,Psalms 37:10,11,29).
7. Since there is only one true God, there can be only one true religion. (Ephesians 4:4,5, John 4:23,24)
8. When a person dies, their soul dies. (Ezekiel 18:4) Thus, there is no fiery hell, nor an afterlife. (Ecclesiastes 9:5,10) The hope for the dead is a resurrection. (Acts 24:15).
(There is much more to the true religion, but these are major tenets of what the Bible teaches.)

 

[Kathryn]

1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:
5. The third day he rose again from the dead:
6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:
7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:
9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:
10. The forgiveness of sins:
1l. The resurrection of the body: 12. And the life everlasting. Amen.

These are the tenets of my faith - but what's the application?

I believe that without God's grace, I am lost. I do not believe that my salvation depends on my merits, which will always fall short of perfection. I believe that God's grace toward me is what saves me.

Knowing that I have done nothing to deserve that grace is humbling.

I believe that mankind is made in the image of God and that I was made to serve a purpose - and so was everyone else. This belief instills a great respect for life and for other human beings, as well as for this beautiful world that God has created.

So that leads to my belief that I am made to love God, and love my neighbor as myself.

We are to be stewards of God's creation, so it is imperative that we understand that we are accountable for how we manage our lives, our gifts, and this planet.

I believe that my lifestyle has required a lot of forgiveness from God, so I should extend that same forgiveness to others. I cannot judge others harshly if I expect God to have mercy on me.

On a political level, this belief system has led me to be an independent - one who believes in individual freedoms and limited government. I have high expectations for myself when it comes to personal responsibility, but I also believe in allowing others freedom in structuring their own lives to their own belief system - as long as I don't ask them to subsidize my lifestyle, and they don't ask me to subsidize theirs. Freedom for all - but not at the expense of others.

 

[WhatandWhy]

Thanks everyone for your response so far. This has been very helpful. If any of you have books or sites that you recommend, please inform me as I know not what sites are truthful and what sites are lies. Thanks again everyone!
-Ian

 

[Madhuri]

Thanks everyone for your response so far. This has been very helpful. If any of you have books or sites that you recommend, please inform me as I know not what sites are truthful and what sites are lies. Thanks again everyone!
-Ian

That depends on what you are intersted at looking further into and to what extent. Are you looking or scripture or books talking about different religions for example?

 

[WhatandWhy]

That depends on what you are intersted at looking further into and to what extent. Are you looking or scripture or books talking about different religions for example?

I am just looking for recommendations for books about your (meaning anyone's) religion.
-Ian

 

[BruceDLimber]

Greetings!

I'm a member of the Baha'i Faith (pronounced "ba-HIGH"), and our most central teachings are what we call the "Three Onenesses". These are:

• The Oneness of God, Who is known by many names in the various languages and cultures,
• The oneness of humanity, who are all brothers and sisters, and
• The common foundation of all the great religions, which are all stages in a single ever-evolving faith, the Faith of God!

We have many other teachings, and there's much more I could tell you, but for now I'll simply refer you to these web sites, where you can discover much more about us!:

• www.bahai.org
• www.bahai.us

Many regards,

Bruce

 

[Madhuri]

I am just looking for recommendations for books about your (meaning anyone's) religion.
-Ian

I suggest anything by Yogananda or Osho.

 

[Autodidact]

I have faith in reality. I trust that whatever is, which is greater and more complex than I can understand, is as it should be. It is not necessary to make anything up. Rather I should seek to understand reality by studying it as it is.

For me, to exist is the same as to be at least potentially able to be perceived. That means I'm a materialist naturalist, which means that what exists is the same as the natural world. Nothing exists that we can perceive outside the natural world.

I'm an atheist.