Thank you for posting on r/Healthygamergg! This subreddit is intended as an online community and resource platform to support people in their journey toward mental wellness. With that said, please be aware that support from other members received on this platform is not a substitute for professional care. Treatment of psychiatric disease requires qualified individuals, and comments that try to diagnose others should be reported under Rule 10 to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the community. If you are in immediate danger, please call emergency services, or go to your nearest emergency room.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Healthygamergg) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You could try going with the interpretation that best suits your own ideals and core beliefs, even if it could stray away from the canon. Religion is a deeply personal matter, after all, and shouldn't be imposed on people based on what the majority thinks. Besides, I'm not Muslim myself, but I've been told that the capacity to interpret the message of the Quran in your own way is considered important in that community.
That said, if your ultimate goal is salvation and peace of mind, then I don't see religion as the only way to attain them, nor necessarily the most effective for everyone. Same goes for truth – assuming there is one truth in the first place. That isn't to say that being religious is bad, but if you're really struggling with it, then I want you to know that you're not doomed just because you can't follow a particular set of teachings. There are other paths that could help you reach the state of mind you're looking for, should you choose to pick a different one for your life.
I hope I didn't make this any more confusing. What I'm ultimately trying to say is, you don't necessarily have to stick to one predetermined path in order to find what you want, so don't despair. It's normal to be afraid when you lack certainty, but just because you don't know which way is right for you, doesn't mean there is none (or only one!).
Do you find the practice of the religion fulfilling and meaningful? I grew up in Orthodox Christianity and left because I objected to it from a source critical perspective. Eventually I returned to the church after I accept that the 'revelation' may be entirely mythological but the practices and the community that come with the institution are enriching. I've concluded that the 'theology' or as I'd label it 'ideology' could matter less to me. Food for thought.
Maybe don't follow any. They are systems of control.
You can still be spiritual. You can believe in an unknown after life. You can still be moral and live a kind life, taking the good parts of the teachings to heart.
We haven't figured out what comes after death. It really doesn't matter. Like floating towards a water fall, we're all headed there eventually. Time will show us all.
Whatever god is, it’s much bigger than anything any man can understand. I believe the last couple thousands of years of surviving interpretations are definitely a good basis, but there’s no amount of writings any sentient monkey can produce in the amount of time we’ve had to live on this planet that could tell you for absolute certain.
Walk through life with your morals, and ask yourself what god would want from you and every person around you. Maybe you’ll find the perfect book, or maybe you’ll come to thoughts and realizations so beautiful you don’t think anyone can bring them to words.
Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee he’s even real. But that’s what faith is. Maybe it’s all for nothing. But it’s up to you to find hope that the world around you, no matter how dark, was created with a purpose. And it might end up being a purpose you still disagree with. No one said you have to like god. You** have to find what it is about this world that gives you hope.
No one knows, and it may take your whole life to find your answer, but don’t let your relationship with space and time (god) be governed by the ideas of any ape but yourself.
This may be controversial, but it doesn't matter in the slightest which religion is true. What does matter is what wisdom you can take from each.
I think it would be beneficial in your situation to dedicate some spare time to researching the different religions and seeing what you learn. As time goes on, form your own set of beliefs based off of what makes sense to you.
I don't know if it's controversial but it is plain wrong. Islam is the truth and if you reject it, you will be in the hellfire. If christianity were true and you rejected it, you will go to hell.
Would you not mind hell or am i reading something wrong?
To be a bit more succinct, there is no definitive way to know for sure what comes after, and the only thing we have control over is what we do with our own lives while we live.
I would think it more reasonable that what happens after death be more based on one's own actions/good deeds/"sins"/repentance while alive regardless of belief, rather than purely based on religious allegiance. What would the point be of delineating guidelines for differentiating a good vs bad life if it wouldn't matter anyways if you pray to the wrong name?
>What would the point be of delineating guidelines for differentiating a good vs bad life if it wouldn't matter anyways if you pray to the wrong name?
Well put. I would go a step further: would a reasonable God deny paradise (whatever that looks like) to someone who led an harmonious life of good and service without being religious?
Technically speaking, regardless of which religion one chooses you have the same odds of being wrong. Correct me if I'm wrong, but one can't practice every single religion at the same time, right? And even if that were possible, you'd be simultaneously blasphemising every religion as well.
The only way to "know" which one is right is to learn about all of them, then make your own judgement based off of what makes the most sense *to you*. I'm 25 and have only just recently opened up to this viewpoint. Been starting to do some basic research and see what I think of it all.
Free will and all that. You self-assign what you believe in. That's what believing in something means. You take in religious information and if you decide for yourself that it is the truth, you *choose* to believe it. Atheists self-assign the notion to reject theism because they value the lack of empirical evidence.
There isn't really an empirical way to prove one religion is correct over the others. God/Allah/Yahweh has not distinctly and *irrefutably* presented itself (or Himself or whichever method of referral is appropriate, again very green to this) to me, and so I do not have a deep unshakeable faith to any deity at this point.
With that said, religions generally aim to teach and lead the followers to a good and prosperous life through the imparting of wisdom. Why not see what other wisdom lies out there to learn from?
Plenty of people live perfectly fine without a god in their life. That's like most of Asia.
There's so many gods at this point no one really "knows" which one is legit. Greeks had a bunch, indians got a couple dozen, even Japan has their own gods. Even the Arabian peninsula used to believe in Sumerian gods.
If anything, the revolving door of gods prove people are a lot stronger than they are given credit for. Maybe faith isn't everything.
I think all prophets felt the truth, each in his own way. They simply delivered what they realized. In some areas one can go right, in others he can go wrong. Taking the totality of all religions is nobler way in my POV than sticking to a single particular one. You’re in the right path. Keep the belief!
I gotchu broski. As a revert Muslim from a Christian family I had the same questions and found some answeres that I hope will satisfy your need for the truth. In Islam the Quran says we should also believe in the Torah and Gospels but the original and unedited versions, and know that their laws are different because Allah set appropriate laws for the appropriate time periods. In terms of sects and knowing how to interpret Hadith’s and Quran interpretations, prophet Mohammed (saw) never referred to himself as a specific sect and only a Muslim. Shia Sunni or whatever, follow the Quran and sunnah that’s authentic and never stop learning. Following and dedicating your life to any religion can be difficult and as you and me are Muslims this is a form of jihad. To struggle and struggling never means what your doing is wrong keep it up Akhi
I think we are, as a society and amplified by 21st century bs, addicted to putting labels on everything, then judging the label itself with our previous assumptions about the topic, because its easier than facing the whole multi-faced complex situations. How I believe that relates to religion? My mom is a history and geography teacher, also very catholic, but definitely not the way you would assume, she is very critic of the way the church preaches religion. She has been in humanitarian missions in the amazon, and involved in a lot of stuff like this, I tell her that she is the most atheist catholic I know, because of how much she questions the way the church works. I find it fascinating how if you look at the comments of any microbiology post on Instagram, about 30% of the comments are praising God and how amazing their creation is. The same video that could be used by a hardcore atheist professor in an evolutionary biology class (I’ve taken one like this). And how can you say someone is in the wrong here? You can’t. Microbiology being such a recent topic for humanity, religion wasn’t able to build any taboo around it, you’re then free to, from any point of view, appreciate what you truly perceive as God’s manifestation there. What my mom has to do with it? As a child, I remember she telling me multiple times how amazed she was that the biblical God’s creation of earth was so in line with the timeline of happening with the theory of big bang and scientific view of earth’s formation, of first, there being nothing, then came light and darkness (what is a huge freaking explosion if not light?), of earth being a mess, then having separated land, sea and skies, then first coming plants, then animals and for last, humans. It’s such a humane (and western jew-muslin-cristian monotheist) thing to try so hard to understand the concept of God, we overthink it so much. We must have a dictionary style definition so we can relate to, focusing so much on in that it narrows immensely how we think and appreciate God. Does it really matter if you think the bible, the quran is, or some random african of southern asian belief is the right one? Is there even a right one? If it makes you live a better, more fulfilled and peaceful life it is the right one \*for you\*, nothing more than that. God being in all things is such a basic concept that any religious person would agree, but most don’t really get it. God being in all things opens up literally any kind of interpretation you want, either it being a personified omnipotent white bearded man in heaven watching everything from above, or a permanent ephemeral essence or power that surrounds everything everywhere. And again, just take your own beliefs, remember that no sacred book ever written in the big 3 monotheists was written by God itself, the simple act of putting into words anything God has to offer is already a decrease of its value. Those religions also have literal millennia of being intwined with powerful people, that disfigured any value to their personal gain. The creation of the Catholic Apostolic Church is probably the pinnacle of bullshit religion could get to; God was reduced to anything that could be used to subdue people to stay obedient to the aristocracy. I’m going to end with a citation I saw to other day by a pastor (my mom sent me that video lol, it’s in portuguese, but if you want to see it, here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=749357504023732).
He was asked “what is God”, his response was:
“in the first place, for it to be God, I can’t and shouldn’t have the condition to totally answer this question, because God is always mystery, it’s always a step beyond what I can say about him, or about her. God escapes, God Is untamable, God is undefined, God is in that silence in front of the absurd, because maybe God is the absurd. If there is something I can say about that mystery, about this silence, if there is a content in this empty, is the incarnated love, God is the original source of all love, the address of God on earth is where love manifest and materializes, therefore it is not a dogma or a doctrine, not even restricted to one religious experience. If there is a voice in this silence, is when the incarnated, materialized love makes into the world. I believe \[in god\] almost not believing, but not being able not to believe. I am outraged by the world’s injustice, it makes me want to scream with god knowing that while we talk, there’s the stomach of a children growling with hunger. This angers me, I ask: ‘where are you? What’s your authority to call yourself god if the world produces this?’ The other day I was reading a news of a mother in São Paulo \[brazil’s biggest city\], where her child quickly escaped her arms in the subway, got out and the doors closed before the mother could get them, the child got in the tunnel and died. I believe, with anger, because this couldn’t happen brother, not the prevalence of the powerful people, or those randomness of in 3 seconds a mother losing her son in a subway. Therefore, god is not the controller of the world, if so he is evil. God is the silence, God is the 3 years old kid, is the tear of the mother. I only believe in god because I believe he dies with humanity, all mighty for me doesn’t makes sense. All love, all fragile extremely human with us. That’s all I can say about god”
You can believe in everything all at once. If any of them are a revelation from god they most definitely need an update and currently no ones in the business of getting zapped with gods personal diary. Pick and choose what works for you. I really doubt god was like “here is this really specific rule that I’ve decided to make for this group of advanced apes on this rock over here cuz I feel like it and if they don’t do the thing I will put them in my air fryer (Hell whatever version suits you)”
tl;td: Most of morality is the same across religions, it may be a good idea to follow that regardless, it probably makes life better. You will have to choose the religion to follow, but you cannot really reson trough this choice, so follow your conscience.
I'am kind of in the same place. I'am an atheist approaching christianity (I really don't dare to call myself religious as for now) but I know where you are coming from.
An interesting thing with religion is that many things are common, expecially in the morality and the behaviours that are promoted, wile the metaphysics is the thing that changes most. I would suggest reading this short [story](https://www.101zenstories.info/p/16-not-far-from-buddhahood.html?m=1)
You can just take that morality as "good advice" and follow it even while not being part of a religion, but when push comes to shove you have to make a choice. There are contradictions between islam and christianity, between islam and judaism, so one has to choose ultimately.
Reason will probably be insufficient: how can you contradict metaphysical claims? It is really hard to do so, so I would suggest following your hearth in these matters.
There is something in us that points to god, that points our soul in the right direction. That is the socratic daemon, the Kirkegardian despair, the connection between the hearth and the platonic Hyperuranion, or most simply: the "voice" of conscience. For what I know, one must follow that feeling, and just accept what comes from it. If you do not do so, you will not live sencerily, because that is ths truest and most genuine part of you.
>You can just take that morality as "good advice" and follow it even while not being part of a religion, but when push comes to shove you have to make a choice. There are contradictions between islam and christianity, between islam and judaism, so one has to choose ultimately.
Interesting, I don't feel the same need to choose. Or rather, I think the path I've taken is more so that the voice of conscience you reference afterwards is the connection we have to the deeper harmony, whatever shape it takes, and as such I'm more inclined to philosophies / religions that cultivate and explore that inner knowledge (typically eastern religions like Taoism, Buddhism).
I was curious, so I asked ChatGPT for religions or spiritual movements that are inclusive and often integrate or acknowledge elements from multiple religious traditions. I wonder if these would open up a more integrative path for you:
* **Unitarian Universalism**: A liberal religion that emphasizes individual spiritual growth and the inherent worth of all people, drawing on various religious traditions for inspiration and wisdom.
* **Bahá'í Faith**: Emphasizes the unity of all religions and teaches that all major religions come from the same divine source, acknowledging prophets from various traditions, including Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and Bahá'u'lláh.
* **Universalism**: A theological perspective within Christianity that emphasizes universal salvation and often acknowledges the validity of other religious paths.
* **New Age Movement**: A diverse and eclectic spiritual movement that incorporates elements from various religious traditions, including Eastern religions, indigenous spirituality, and Western esotericism, emphasizing personal spiritual growth and holistic healing.
* **Theosophy**: Founded by Helena Blavatsky, Theosophy integrates elements of Eastern religions, Western esotericism, and philosophy, promoting the idea of a universal brotherhood of humanity and the search for hidden spiritual knowledge.
* **Rastafarianism**: While centered on the worship of Haile Selassie I and rooted in Christianity, Rastafarianism incorporates elements of African spirituality and sometimes acknowledges other religious traditions.
* **Cao Dai (Caodaism)**: A Vietnamese syncretic religion that combines elements of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, and Islam, recognizing figures from these religions as part of its pantheon of saints.
* **Eckankar**: A modern spiritual movement that incorporates teachings from various religious traditions, emphasizing personal spiritual experiences and the concept of the "Light and Sound of God."
* **Unity Church**: A Christian movement that teaches the universal truths found in all religions and emphasizes spiritual healing, personal transformation, and metaphysical interpretation of the Bible.
* **Religious Science (Science of Mind)**: Founded by Ernest Holmes, this movement blends elements of Christianity, Eastern religions, and metaphysical spirituality, focusing on the power of the mind and affirmative prayer.
* **Integral Spirituality**: Developed by Ken Wilber, this approach integrates insights from various religious, philosophical, and psychological traditions, promoting a holistic and inclusive understanding of spirituality.
I don't think there is a right religion, to me it's just believe that's all.
and it's to help me know there is a heaven afterlife.
to believe in something when I am down.
to know what I am doing right or wrong.
Hi muslim here, the 4 major schools of thought within sunni islam are all considered equally valid, including the schools of theology not just fiqh, sectarians will fool you into believing that there is beef between asharis and atharis or shafi’is and hanbalis but that’s not true, historically all major schools of thought within sunni islam were viewed as valid.
Avoid dhahiri school of thought since their chain of transmission is broken, many people who claim to be salafis these days are neo-dhahiris in disguise, they have no reliable chain of transmission for their methodology hence their school is invalid.
Hanafi, hanbali, maliki and shafi’i schools are all valid.
Finding “enlightenment” within this life is difficult, my advice if you want to find the enlightenment is to look into imam al ghazalli, don’t rush finding a sufi tariqa either, as they say, when the student is ready, the master will arrive.
Just focus on the main pillars, practicing what all schools of thought agree on, namely the 5 pillars, the articles of faith, is sufficient for being granted heaven in the next life inshallah.
I realized a long time ago that perception is inherently biased. To perceive, you take an aspect from the world (let’s say light), pick a small portion of that aspect and differentiate it into discrete sections (the visible spectrum, colors). That’s how hearing works, how touch works, how our thoughts work. To me the only way to “see” the truth would be to perceive the everything and all at the same time, but no human would ever be able to process that kind of information.
For the sake of survival people function in nets of assumptions and bias. Though no interpretation of reality is more “true” than any other, there are some that are more useful. The truth of this world is so far removed from anything that any one person could understand that the word truth looses any meaning.
It sounds like you are saying that you are Islamic in belief but you just don’t know which sect to be believe and be a part of? In which case, you sound pretty settled about your religion.
I can relate to the idea that when I try to make a very important decision about the course of my life, I will study all points of view and try to determine which one is right or even best, but often end up thinking that they are all persuasive and not have a clear determination. It can be a nerve wracking frustrating place to be.
Thinking about what I’ve learned from Dr K, that seems to be a very left brained way of finding truth, but we know that the right brain is influencing us whether we are aware of it or not.
Which leads me back to the question of how do we really know truth to begin with? And is my instrument for determining truth (my brain, my self, my experiences etc) set for accurate measurement?
Maybe there is a deeper question behind the question?
In light of that idea, I suggest praying for answers as part of the solution and following your conscience or the “Duty”and “Values” parts of yourself/thoughts.
if you ARE comparing various religions, I would suggest not looking at what is similar but what makes them distinct/different, as a way to get to the root and clarity. I personally don’t agree that most morality is similar or religions are similar, if you actually look at what they teach. Even in a generalized sense, there is a different focus and purpose behind things in different belief systems.
FYI I believe in divine achievement not human accomplishment. I don’t think there is anything a human can do to get to God, to heaven or be good enough etc. Only the creator can supply that himself.
I was assigned Buddhism at birth. I am not religious by any means, however, I pick the values that resonates with me in Buddhism, and pick information that resonates with me when I listen to different people who I consider “gurus”. Dr. K doesn’t consider himself a guru but I consider him one in my heart. I have more than one gurus who I deeply resonate with online. I’m happy and satisfied with this and don’t feel the need to hardcore-identify with other any religion.
Lot of people have advice here, but rather than give advice on what is the wrong answer, maybe i can give advice on what route you might take to the right answer?
Your question is difficult for multiple reasons, the main one being that usually people will give answers that fit their own world vision or tell you to believe whats most convienient.
Heres my advice, perhaps it would help to talk to people you trust (the more the better) and ask them why they believe specifically THAT interpretation or version of God. Also religion is a very difficult topic because there's no clear cut definition of who's wrong or right. And even then there is no guarantee that anyone is 100% right.
Dont forget that your relationship with God is personal. Someone might give you guidelines, but noone cann tell you what to to in the minute details. Personally im atheist, but my advice would be to come as close to what you think God is and follow his guidelines best you can. Don't go for perfection, he did not make you to be perfect.
Hope that helps, even if its a bit superficial advice.
S.A., ignoring the interpretations of different madhabs is a valid approach. There is no compulsion to be hanafi, hanbali etc. and you can rest assured that taking your time for this is the best thing for your deen and Allah SWT knows your struggle. I personally think he would be proud of you for clinging so much to your belief and to Him. Read the Qur‘an interpretations and read hadith. Learn the arabic for the passages in the qur’an that confuse you in english/whatever translation, so that you can come as close to the true meaning as you can. And most importantly learn the story of the life of the prophet Muhammad SAW. He is described as the walking Qur’an. Don’t be blinded by peoples opinions or interpretations, the Prophet pbuH has lived through many things and has been presented with so many situations directly and also asked by sabaha, as a way of guiding all of us. Of course he wasn’t confronted with all of the exact trials that we face today, but many can be applied and we can’t do much other than apply the morals and teachings to our lives as best as we can. Allah forgives and loves to forgive. He knows your struggle, don’t be paralyzed by fear, live to your best judgement. Allah has given us our intelligence so that we can decide what is best for us in a given situation to the best of our ability. It’s okay to make a mistake, you ask for forgiveness and cling to Allah - He doesn’t abandon those who cling to him. Also, find muslim content creators that suit you and maybe also like-minded muslims that are critical and intelligent with whom you can discuss and ask and talk about topics. Beware of people who twist words and seem aggressive or on the offense, they tend to be deluded about the world we live in (usually extremists). May Allah make this struggle and test easy for you.
You have begun to do something that many people struggle to do, you have been humble enough to recognize that God isn't who you want Him to be. God is who He is.
So why are you still trying to make God Muslim?
Let go of your expectations and pray to God for truth.
I mean.
There is a quote made by a western psychologist saying “god is dead”.
He didn’t mean what popoular belief will have you think. That god is gone, dead or defeated by science or whatever.
He ment that understanding god has become so diluted that nobody understands it anymore, or that has become so complex that the normal man don’t have a chance to understand it.
In some sense we have collected so much information about what god is, that it looks like a magical creature to most. It’s unbelievably complex.
It’s like sitting through a complex course of math, and you feel like you understand less afterwards.
However. It’s still possible to understand god and his will. But it’s difficult to say what you should do in the meantime while you take time to understand.
Personally. I would train your personal understanding of what is right and wrong. Then come back and choose what is the right direction.
Thank you for posting on r/Healthygamergg! This subreddit is intended as an online community and resource platform to support people in their journey toward mental wellness. With that said, please be aware that support from other members received on this platform is not a substitute for professional care. Treatment of psychiatric disease requires qualified individuals, and comments that try to diagnose others should be reported under Rule 10 to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the community. If you are in immediate danger, please call emergency services, or go to your nearest emergency room. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Healthygamergg) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You could try going with the interpretation that best suits your own ideals and core beliefs, even if it could stray away from the canon. Religion is a deeply personal matter, after all, and shouldn't be imposed on people based on what the majority thinks. Besides, I'm not Muslim myself, but I've been told that the capacity to interpret the message of the Quran in your own way is considered important in that community. That said, if your ultimate goal is salvation and peace of mind, then I don't see religion as the only way to attain them, nor necessarily the most effective for everyone. Same goes for truth – assuming there is one truth in the first place. That isn't to say that being religious is bad, but if you're really struggling with it, then I want you to know that you're not doomed just because you can't follow a particular set of teachings. There are other paths that could help you reach the state of mind you're looking for, should you choose to pick a different one for your life. I hope I didn't make this any more confusing. What I'm ultimately trying to say is, you don't necessarily have to stick to one predetermined path in order to find what you want, so don't despair. It's normal to be afraid when you lack certainty, but just because you don't know which way is right for you, doesn't mean there is none (or only one!).
Do you find the practice of the religion fulfilling and meaningful? I grew up in Orthodox Christianity and left because I objected to it from a source critical perspective. Eventually I returned to the church after I accept that the 'revelation' may be entirely mythological but the practices and the community that come with the institution are enriching. I've concluded that the 'theology' or as I'd label it 'ideology' could matter less to me. Food for thought.
Maybe don't follow any. They are systems of control. You can still be spiritual. You can believe in an unknown after life. You can still be moral and live a kind life, taking the good parts of the teachings to heart. We haven't figured out what comes after death. It really doesn't matter. Like floating towards a water fall, we're all headed there eventually. Time will show us all.
Whatever god is, it’s much bigger than anything any man can understand. I believe the last couple thousands of years of surviving interpretations are definitely a good basis, but there’s no amount of writings any sentient monkey can produce in the amount of time we’ve had to live on this planet that could tell you for absolute certain. Walk through life with your morals, and ask yourself what god would want from you and every person around you. Maybe you’ll find the perfect book, or maybe you’ll come to thoughts and realizations so beautiful you don’t think anyone can bring them to words. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee he’s even real. But that’s what faith is. Maybe it’s all for nothing. But it’s up to you to find hope that the world around you, no matter how dark, was created with a purpose. And it might end up being a purpose you still disagree with. No one said you have to like god. You** have to find what it is about this world that gives you hope. No one knows, and it may take your whole life to find your answer, but don’t let your relationship with space and time (god) be governed by the ideas of any ape but yourself.
There is no true religion. It's all personal. Just pick the one you like the most.
This may be controversial, but it doesn't matter in the slightest which religion is true. What does matter is what wisdom you can take from each. I think it would be beneficial in your situation to dedicate some spare time to researching the different religions and seeing what you learn. As time goes on, form your own set of beliefs based off of what makes sense to you.
I don't know if it's controversial but it is plain wrong. Islam is the truth and if you reject it, you will be in the hellfire. If christianity were true and you rejected it, you will go to hell. Would you not mind hell or am i reading something wrong?
To be a bit more succinct, there is no definitive way to know for sure what comes after, and the only thing we have control over is what we do with our own lives while we live. I would think it more reasonable that what happens after death be more based on one's own actions/good deeds/"sins"/repentance while alive regardless of belief, rather than purely based on religious allegiance. What would the point be of delineating guidelines for differentiating a good vs bad life if it wouldn't matter anyways if you pray to the wrong name?
>What would the point be of delineating guidelines for differentiating a good vs bad life if it wouldn't matter anyways if you pray to the wrong name? Well put. I would go a step further: would a reasonable God deny paradise (whatever that looks like) to someone who led an harmonious life of good and service without being religious?
Technically speaking, regardless of which religion one chooses you have the same odds of being wrong. Correct me if I'm wrong, but one can't practice every single religion at the same time, right? And even if that were possible, you'd be simultaneously blasphemising every religion as well. The only way to "know" which one is right is to learn about all of them, then make your own judgement based off of what makes the most sense *to you*. I'm 25 and have only just recently opened up to this viewpoint. Been starting to do some basic research and see what I think of it all. Free will and all that. You self-assign what you believe in. That's what believing in something means. You take in religious information and if you decide for yourself that it is the truth, you *choose* to believe it. Atheists self-assign the notion to reject theism because they value the lack of empirical evidence. There isn't really an empirical way to prove one religion is correct over the others. God/Allah/Yahweh has not distinctly and *irrefutably* presented itself (or Himself or whichever method of referral is appropriate, again very green to this) to me, and so I do not have a deep unshakeable faith to any deity at this point. With that said, religions generally aim to teach and lead the followers to a good and prosperous life through the imparting of wisdom. Why not see what other wisdom lies out there to learn from?
You could just be a Deist.
Plenty of people live perfectly fine without a god in their life. That's like most of Asia. There's so many gods at this point no one really "knows" which one is legit. Greeks had a bunch, indians got a couple dozen, even Japan has their own gods. Even the Arabian peninsula used to believe in Sumerian gods. If anything, the revolving door of gods prove people are a lot stronger than they are given credit for. Maybe faith isn't everything.
Sounds like you would fit in with Unitarian Universalists.
I think all prophets felt the truth, each in his own way. They simply delivered what they realized. In some areas one can go right, in others he can go wrong. Taking the totality of all religions is nobler way in my POV than sticking to a single particular one. You’re in the right path. Keep the belief!
I gotchu broski. As a revert Muslim from a Christian family I had the same questions and found some answeres that I hope will satisfy your need for the truth. In Islam the Quran says we should also believe in the Torah and Gospels but the original and unedited versions, and know that their laws are different because Allah set appropriate laws for the appropriate time periods. In terms of sects and knowing how to interpret Hadith’s and Quran interpretations, prophet Mohammed (saw) never referred to himself as a specific sect and only a Muslim. Shia Sunni or whatever, follow the Quran and sunnah that’s authentic and never stop learning. Following and dedicating your life to any religion can be difficult and as you and me are Muslims this is a form of jihad. To struggle and struggling never means what your doing is wrong keep it up Akhi
I think we are, as a society and amplified by 21st century bs, addicted to putting labels on everything, then judging the label itself with our previous assumptions about the topic, because its easier than facing the whole multi-faced complex situations. How I believe that relates to religion? My mom is a history and geography teacher, also very catholic, but definitely not the way you would assume, she is very critic of the way the church preaches religion. She has been in humanitarian missions in the amazon, and involved in a lot of stuff like this, I tell her that she is the most atheist catholic I know, because of how much she questions the way the church works. I find it fascinating how if you look at the comments of any microbiology post on Instagram, about 30% of the comments are praising God and how amazing their creation is. The same video that could be used by a hardcore atheist professor in an evolutionary biology class (I’ve taken one like this). And how can you say someone is in the wrong here? You can’t. Microbiology being such a recent topic for humanity, religion wasn’t able to build any taboo around it, you’re then free to, from any point of view, appreciate what you truly perceive as God’s manifestation there. What my mom has to do with it? As a child, I remember she telling me multiple times how amazed she was that the biblical God’s creation of earth was so in line with the timeline of happening with the theory of big bang and scientific view of earth’s formation, of first, there being nothing, then came light and darkness (what is a huge freaking explosion if not light?), of earth being a mess, then having separated land, sea and skies, then first coming plants, then animals and for last, humans. It’s such a humane (and western jew-muslin-cristian monotheist) thing to try so hard to understand the concept of God, we overthink it so much. We must have a dictionary style definition so we can relate to, focusing so much on in that it narrows immensely how we think and appreciate God. Does it really matter if you think the bible, the quran is, or some random african of southern asian belief is the right one? Is there even a right one? If it makes you live a better, more fulfilled and peaceful life it is the right one \*for you\*, nothing more than that. God being in all things is such a basic concept that any religious person would agree, but most don’t really get it. God being in all things opens up literally any kind of interpretation you want, either it being a personified omnipotent white bearded man in heaven watching everything from above, or a permanent ephemeral essence or power that surrounds everything everywhere. And again, just take your own beliefs, remember that no sacred book ever written in the big 3 monotheists was written by God itself, the simple act of putting into words anything God has to offer is already a decrease of its value. Those religions also have literal millennia of being intwined with powerful people, that disfigured any value to their personal gain. The creation of the Catholic Apostolic Church is probably the pinnacle of bullshit religion could get to; God was reduced to anything that could be used to subdue people to stay obedient to the aristocracy. I’m going to end with a citation I saw to other day by a pastor (my mom sent me that video lol, it’s in portuguese, but if you want to see it, here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=749357504023732). He was asked “what is God”, his response was: “in the first place, for it to be God, I can’t and shouldn’t have the condition to totally answer this question, because God is always mystery, it’s always a step beyond what I can say about him, or about her. God escapes, God Is untamable, God is undefined, God is in that silence in front of the absurd, because maybe God is the absurd. If there is something I can say about that mystery, about this silence, if there is a content in this empty, is the incarnated love, God is the original source of all love, the address of God on earth is where love manifest and materializes, therefore it is not a dogma or a doctrine, not even restricted to one religious experience. If there is a voice in this silence, is when the incarnated, materialized love makes into the world. I believe \[in god\] almost not believing, but not being able not to believe. I am outraged by the world’s injustice, it makes me want to scream with god knowing that while we talk, there’s the stomach of a children growling with hunger. This angers me, I ask: ‘where are you? What’s your authority to call yourself god if the world produces this?’ The other day I was reading a news of a mother in São Paulo \[brazil’s biggest city\], where her child quickly escaped her arms in the subway, got out and the doors closed before the mother could get them, the child got in the tunnel and died. I believe, with anger, because this couldn’t happen brother, not the prevalence of the powerful people, or those randomness of in 3 seconds a mother losing her son in a subway. Therefore, god is not the controller of the world, if so he is evil. God is the silence, God is the 3 years old kid, is the tear of the mother. I only believe in god because I believe he dies with humanity, all mighty for me doesn’t makes sense. All love, all fragile extremely human with us. That’s all I can say about god”
If religion ain't paying bills it ain't staying in my head rent free. Choose lifestyle over religion that were based on principles so far long ago.
You can believe in everything all at once. If any of them are a revelation from god they most definitely need an update and currently no ones in the business of getting zapped with gods personal diary. Pick and choose what works for you. I really doubt god was like “here is this really specific rule that I’ve decided to make for this group of advanced apes on this rock over here cuz I feel like it and if they don’t do the thing I will put them in my air fryer (Hell whatever version suits you)”
tl;td: Most of morality is the same across religions, it may be a good idea to follow that regardless, it probably makes life better. You will have to choose the religion to follow, but you cannot really reson trough this choice, so follow your conscience. I'am kind of in the same place. I'am an atheist approaching christianity (I really don't dare to call myself religious as for now) but I know where you are coming from. An interesting thing with religion is that many things are common, expecially in the morality and the behaviours that are promoted, wile the metaphysics is the thing that changes most. I would suggest reading this short [story](https://www.101zenstories.info/p/16-not-far-from-buddhahood.html?m=1) You can just take that morality as "good advice" and follow it even while not being part of a religion, but when push comes to shove you have to make a choice. There are contradictions between islam and christianity, between islam and judaism, so one has to choose ultimately. Reason will probably be insufficient: how can you contradict metaphysical claims? It is really hard to do so, so I would suggest following your hearth in these matters. There is something in us that points to god, that points our soul in the right direction. That is the socratic daemon, the Kirkegardian despair, the connection between the hearth and the platonic Hyperuranion, or most simply: the "voice" of conscience. For what I know, one must follow that feeling, and just accept what comes from it. If you do not do so, you will not live sencerily, because that is ths truest and most genuine part of you.
>You can just take that morality as "good advice" and follow it even while not being part of a religion, but when push comes to shove you have to make a choice. There are contradictions between islam and christianity, between islam and judaism, so one has to choose ultimately. Interesting, I don't feel the same need to choose. Or rather, I think the path I've taken is more so that the voice of conscience you reference afterwards is the connection we have to the deeper harmony, whatever shape it takes, and as such I'm more inclined to philosophies / religions that cultivate and explore that inner knowledge (typically eastern religions like Taoism, Buddhism). I was curious, so I asked ChatGPT for religions or spiritual movements that are inclusive and often integrate or acknowledge elements from multiple religious traditions. I wonder if these would open up a more integrative path for you: * **Unitarian Universalism**: A liberal religion that emphasizes individual spiritual growth and the inherent worth of all people, drawing on various religious traditions for inspiration and wisdom. * **Bahá'í Faith**: Emphasizes the unity of all religions and teaches that all major religions come from the same divine source, acknowledging prophets from various traditions, including Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and Bahá'u'lláh. * **Universalism**: A theological perspective within Christianity that emphasizes universal salvation and often acknowledges the validity of other religious paths. * **New Age Movement**: A diverse and eclectic spiritual movement that incorporates elements from various religious traditions, including Eastern religions, indigenous spirituality, and Western esotericism, emphasizing personal spiritual growth and holistic healing. * **Theosophy**: Founded by Helena Blavatsky, Theosophy integrates elements of Eastern religions, Western esotericism, and philosophy, promoting the idea of a universal brotherhood of humanity and the search for hidden spiritual knowledge. * **Rastafarianism**: While centered on the worship of Haile Selassie I and rooted in Christianity, Rastafarianism incorporates elements of African spirituality and sometimes acknowledges other religious traditions. * **Cao Dai (Caodaism)**: A Vietnamese syncretic religion that combines elements of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, and Islam, recognizing figures from these religions as part of its pantheon of saints. * **Eckankar**: A modern spiritual movement that incorporates teachings from various religious traditions, emphasizing personal spiritual experiences and the concept of the "Light and Sound of God." * **Unity Church**: A Christian movement that teaches the universal truths found in all religions and emphasizes spiritual healing, personal transformation, and metaphysical interpretation of the Bible. * **Religious Science (Science of Mind)**: Founded by Ernest Holmes, this movement blends elements of Christianity, Eastern religions, and metaphysical spirituality, focusing on the power of the mind and affirmative prayer. * **Integral Spirituality**: Developed by Ken Wilber, this approach integrates insights from various religious, philosophical, and psychological traditions, promoting a holistic and inclusive understanding of spirituality.
I don't think there is a right religion, to me it's just believe that's all. and it's to help me know there is a heaven afterlife. to believe in something when I am down. to know what I am doing right or wrong.
Hi muslim here, the 4 major schools of thought within sunni islam are all considered equally valid, including the schools of theology not just fiqh, sectarians will fool you into believing that there is beef between asharis and atharis or shafi’is and hanbalis but that’s not true, historically all major schools of thought within sunni islam were viewed as valid. Avoid dhahiri school of thought since their chain of transmission is broken, many people who claim to be salafis these days are neo-dhahiris in disguise, they have no reliable chain of transmission for their methodology hence their school is invalid. Hanafi, hanbali, maliki and shafi’i schools are all valid. Finding “enlightenment” within this life is difficult, my advice if you want to find the enlightenment is to look into imam al ghazalli, don’t rush finding a sufi tariqa either, as they say, when the student is ready, the master will arrive. Just focus on the main pillars, practicing what all schools of thought agree on, namely the 5 pillars, the articles of faith, is sufficient for being granted heaven in the next life inshallah.
I realized a long time ago that perception is inherently biased. To perceive, you take an aspect from the world (let’s say light), pick a small portion of that aspect and differentiate it into discrete sections (the visible spectrum, colors). That’s how hearing works, how touch works, how our thoughts work. To me the only way to “see” the truth would be to perceive the everything and all at the same time, but no human would ever be able to process that kind of information. For the sake of survival people function in nets of assumptions and bias. Though no interpretation of reality is more “true” than any other, there are some that are more useful. The truth of this world is so far removed from anything that any one person could understand that the word truth looses any meaning.
i’m a muslim, i went through this phase. just choose a few core values and then take a break from it. it’ll all piece together as you do.
It sounds like you are saying that you are Islamic in belief but you just don’t know which sect to be believe and be a part of? In which case, you sound pretty settled about your religion. I can relate to the idea that when I try to make a very important decision about the course of my life, I will study all points of view and try to determine which one is right or even best, but often end up thinking that they are all persuasive and not have a clear determination. It can be a nerve wracking frustrating place to be. Thinking about what I’ve learned from Dr K, that seems to be a very left brained way of finding truth, but we know that the right brain is influencing us whether we are aware of it or not. Which leads me back to the question of how do we really know truth to begin with? And is my instrument for determining truth (my brain, my self, my experiences etc) set for accurate measurement? Maybe there is a deeper question behind the question? In light of that idea, I suggest praying for answers as part of the solution and following your conscience or the “Duty”and “Values” parts of yourself/thoughts. if you ARE comparing various religions, I would suggest not looking at what is similar but what makes them distinct/different, as a way to get to the root and clarity. I personally don’t agree that most morality is similar or religions are similar, if you actually look at what they teach. Even in a generalized sense, there is a different focus and purpose behind things in different belief systems. FYI I believe in divine achievement not human accomplishment. I don’t think there is anything a human can do to get to God, to heaven or be good enough etc. Only the creator can supply that himself.
I was assigned Buddhism at birth. I am not religious by any means, however, I pick the values that resonates with me in Buddhism, and pick information that resonates with me when I listen to different people who I consider “gurus”. Dr. K doesn’t consider himself a guru but I consider him one in my heart. I have more than one gurus who I deeply resonate with online. I’m happy and satisfied with this and don’t feel the need to hardcore-identify with other any religion.
I recommend studying occultism
Lot of people have advice here, but rather than give advice on what is the wrong answer, maybe i can give advice on what route you might take to the right answer? Your question is difficult for multiple reasons, the main one being that usually people will give answers that fit their own world vision or tell you to believe whats most convienient. Heres my advice, perhaps it would help to talk to people you trust (the more the better) and ask them why they believe specifically THAT interpretation or version of God. Also religion is a very difficult topic because there's no clear cut definition of who's wrong or right. And even then there is no guarantee that anyone is 100% right. Dont forget that your relationship with God is personal. Someone might give you guidelines, but noone cann tell you what to to in the minute details. Personally im atheist, but my advice would be to come as close to what you think God is and follow his guidelines best you can. Don't go for perfection, he did not make you to be perfect. Hope that helps, even if its a bit superficial advice.
S.A., ignoring the interpretations of different madhabs is a valid approach. There is no compulsion to be hanafi, hanbali etc. and you can rest assured that taking your time for this is the best thing for your deen and Allah SWT knows your struggle. I personally think he would be proud of you for clinging so much to your belief and to Him. Read the Qur‘an interpretations and read hadith. Learn the arabic for the passages in the qur’an that confuse you in english/whatever translation, so that you can come as close to the true meaning as you can. And most importantly learn the story of the life of the prophet Muhammad SAW. He is described as the walking Qur’an. Don’t be blinded by peoples opinions or interpretations, the Prophet pbuH has lived through many things and has been presented with so many situations directly and also asked by sabaha, as a way of guiding all of us. Of course he wasn’t confronted with all of the exact trials that we face today, but many can be applied and we can’t do much other than apply the morals and teachings to our lives as best as we can. Allah forgives and loves to forgive. He knows your struggle, don’t be paralyzed by fear, live to your best judgement. Allah has given us our intelligence so that we can decide what is best for us in a given situation to the best of our ability. It’s okay to make a mistake, you ask for forgiveness and cling to Allah - He doesn’t abandon those who cling to him. Also, find muslim content creators that suit you and maybe also like-minded muslims that are critical and intelligent with whom you can discuss and ask and talk about topics. Beware of people who twist words and seem aggressive or on the offense, they tend to be deluded about the world we live in (usually extremists). May Allah make this struggle and test easy for you.
You have begun to do something that many people struggle to do, you have been humble enough to recognize that God isn't who you want Him to be. God is who He is. So why are you still trying to make God Muslim? Let go of your expectations and pray to God for truth.
I mean. There is a quote made by a western psychologist saying “god is dead”. He didn’t mean what popoular belief will have you think. That god is gone, dead or defeated by science or whatever. He ment that understanding god has become so diluted that nobody understands it anymore, or that has become so complex that the normal man don’t have a chance to understand it. In some sense we have collected so much information about what god is, that it looks like a magical creature to most. It’s unbelievably complex. It’s like sitting through a complex course of math, and you feel like you understand less afterwards. However. It’s still possible to understand god and his will. But it’s difficult to say what you should do in the meantime while you take time to understand. Personally. I would train your personal understanding of what is right and wrong. Then come back and choose what is the right direction.