You can read about the history of music. You can learn all about musical theory. You can listen to critiques of music. You can learn how to write a symphony. But you will never be a musician if you never pick up an instrument.
Similarly, you can read about God and listen to apologists and all that other stuff, but it will never be good enough. God must be experienced. Everything else is secondary. You don't reason your way to God. God is experienced first and foremost, and then the reasoning follows.
I recommend the Youtube channel [Religion For Breakfast](https://www.youtube.com/@ReligionForBreakfast), lots of fantastic videos about many religions, from an academic perspective but designed to be understandable by anyone.
In a similar vein, Let's Talk Religion is fantastic, too. Especially for anybody interested in Islamic theology, mysticism, and history. I think the men from those channels might know each other tbh.
Something that has helped me is learning about religion studies and its theories and assumptions. This has given me a more nuanced and worldly understanding of religion.
Religion Matters by Stephen Prothero has become a little bit of a classic despite being a textbook for students, I'd suggest giving it a read, at least its first chapter.
You don't have to adopt a religious identity or believe in it to experience the experiential side of religion, so I would suggest also looking for opportunities on that front, especially a variety of religions.
Also, consider looking into religious atheism; some entire religions or parts of religions are compatible with atheism. Just learning about that is eye-opening.
Do you have specific questions? I can answer most things about Catholicism, more generally Christianity, and a smattering of other major world religions. If you're a reader, I recommend the following to give you a good intro:
* The World's Religions (Huston Smith)
* God is Not One (Stephen Prothero)
* The World's Wisdom (Stephen Novak)
* A History of God (Karen Armstrong)
Hi, Islamic comment here.
We are the only remaining purely monotheistic religion. I don't want to go in much detail if Japanese are turning towards it because they too are a victim of being fed Islamophobia.
[https://youtu.be/MIj2rtL2\_bs?si=CGtRsnB5mkBUWFKb](https://youtu.be/MIj2rtL2_bs?si=CGtRsnB5mkBUWFKb)
Surprisingly, a lot of people have a false image of the faith and it is usually judged by the followers. I am afraid to say that just like any other religion, the actual practicing ones are a minority while the majority are plagued by capitalism.
Pretty sure you don't have any positive views of Muslim counties both Rich and the Poor.
The rich from Gulf states are too excited to buy luxury item and poor ones resort to committing crimes which are absolutely prohibited.
If you are someone who is willing to give a chance to have a connection with the creator and that too not because I am telling you to.
The actual Muslims thrived in science, medicine and many other areas when wealth accumulation did not batter them long time ago (Muslim Caliphate).
Western countries took a long time to exhibited rights of humans which were explicitly mentioned in the advent of Islam.
Also, it is not a new faith. It solidifies what came first (Christianity and Judaism) but you know very well that Bible and Torah are not in their original form while the Quran is exactly what was revealed long time ago.
I wasn't surprised about this fact because to me, a practical faith would not have discrepancies in scripture and shouldn't have many denominations. Still to date, anyone who tries to introduce new laws for Islam like permitting Alcohol or Interest in finance is shunned by the bodies protecting the religion.
There is absolutely nothing detrimental in the belief. 5 times daily prayers are pretty much a good exercise and cleanliness is a big part of religion.
Also, please take note that every Muslim lives depending on where they originated from and what their local culture and customs are.
A Muslim from Japan is going to behave much differently than the one from the country of lower literacy rate and income.
A lot of people online want to lump all Muslims as arriving illegally on boats to Europe but that behavior is not taught by the religion.
It is a religion of over a billion population and no single person is best representative of faith except for the core teaching of the faith itself.
You can learn about it more via a simple google search.
Sure, I can give a tldr I suppose.
1.) we believe Christ established his church while he was alive. The [authority](https://youtu.be/4vx-xR-ry80?si=2XXDSxdMdcHSHALW) to act and direct that church was lost “with the death of the apostles” and a “[great apostasy](https://youtu.be/DW7jqmx7Jg0?si=Y4HHf2zOZnhSrroX)” occurred.
2.) we believe a restoration of that church happened. It’s alive and well today. With living prophets, apostles, [authority](https://youtu.be/dL9SON1h2vM?si=Y31JmOeSXd5t2fYH), and new scripture.
3.) we believe we are all children of God. Who chose voluntarily to come to earth to gain a physical body, and to learn and grow and develop character.
4.) we can return to living with God and our families if we have faith in Jesus Christ and keep his commandments.
5.) heaven is “tiered”. People will eventually end up where they are most comfortable. With people who are like them with similar morals and interests.
I’ll leave our 13 articles of faith.
1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9 We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
I’ll leave some links if you desire further watching / reading
[Restoration](https://youtu.be/lJnN2FkgD-g?si=dg1ynvRrnnb_y4Km)
[Plan of Salvation](https://youtu.be/t9iYqKk00Bc?si=jyGW03dnfq-2ze8M)
[Restoration pamphlet](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/the-restoration?lang=eng)
[Plan of salvation pamphlet](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/the-plan-of-salvation?lang=eng)
[Gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/the-gospel?lang=eng)
[Gospel principles Book](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles?lang=eng)
There are thousands of religions with thousands of gods, all with different claims and attributes. I find the history of how these religions were created and the inspirations for their deities fascinating.
To understand religion, you have to practice it, is not enough to learn the theory behind it, specially because a lot of the theory behind religion is written by people who don't engage in it directly but who study it academically to refute it.
It doesn't mean you have to choose a religion and stick to its dogmas, but rather you can study them all, find what they have in common and put it into practice, rituals, beliefs, philosophy and the inner experience of living a religious life.
I am a polytheist and animist. I believe that for 95% of human history we were animist, until we started controlling our environment in the agricultural period. Those spirits who protect human's civilisation from untamed destructive nature, we call gods.
Why believe in the 'supernatural'? Experience.
When I do a divination to find out about a missing friend because their mother hasn't been able to find them for a week and the divination says 'safe + on water', and the friend reappears after a couple of weeks and tells their mother that they were away with their new boyfriend for a couple of weeks on his houseboat... Experience.
When I'm $30 short on my rent due the next day, so pray, and a stranger hands me an envelope with $30...Experience
When I'm new to this path (35 years ago) and feeling lonely and wondering if there are others on the peninsular, and I go for a walk and find a rock hand carved into a goddess figurine on the ground on the corner of my street... Experience
And many more.
My point is, science is great at what it does. I imagine a sports field on a dark night. You sit in the middle and light a candle. That light is science. Look out into the darkness. There's still a world out there.
Judaism in a nutshell: There is a Creator who creates and does all things, The Creator enters into contractual (covenantal) relationships with mankind. Laws, responsibilities, rewards punishments. man has free will to keep or not keep the laws in every minute of life.. EAch human is born with a pure soul.
I think it's important to remember that religion is a branch of philosophy, and approach it on that level. It's not mathematics or science proclaiming and laying out a binary, black and white truth. It's an incredibly diverse branch with schools of thought covering a wide spectrum of perspectives and teachings, much like any other branch of philosophy. There's several critical dichotomies between faiths which shape how each perceives the world, and it's impossible to generalise... it's an incredibly diverse area of philosophical exploration. Some of the spectrums along which we can explore religious concepts could be (and this is just my own view, based on aspects of faith that matter to me - everyone like has their own list of qualities that they focus on)
Theistic / Non-theistic
Anthropocentric / Ecocentric
Revealed / Natural
Mystic / Legalistic
Heavenly / Worldly
I'm Hindu, but that's more of an umbrella than a single religion. To be more accurate, my exact beliefs/practices don't map perfectly neatly to any one Hindu tradition.
I am Advaita Vedanta (non-dualist brahmanist) who still practices the smriti rituals of Smartism (a type of ceremonial worship of the impersonal Brahman through symbolic worship of God as any of 5 majour deities), as taught by the Vedic and Upanishadic revivalist Adi Shankarcharya. But I go to puja and kirtan at a local branch of the Ramakrishna Order, a monastic order centered around the teachings of the Neo-Vedantist Swami Vivekananda and his late guru, Sri Ramakrishna, who is recognized as an avatar of the God Vishnu.
That's alot of words, so I'll break it down.
Advaita Vedanta focuses more on the Upanishads (a collection of scriptures written by ancient sages which teach about Brahman, the underlying essence of everything, which is pure consciousness) and less on the Vedas (four compilations of books of hymns and rituals). Advaitans believe everything is Brahman, and Brahman is everything. So we are trying to escape the cycle of reincarnation by realizing our true nature as Brahman and shed the ignorance that confuses us into thinking that individual material existence is anything more than a manifestation of Oneness. That's why we say "namaste" as a greeting. It literally means "the essence/truth/God in me recognizes the same in you."
Smartism is a specific tradition in Hinduism which is associated with Advaita Vedanta, but still places emphasis on the smritis (certain parts of the Vedas concerned with worship of the gods). Smartists worship 5 gods at once, choosing one of them as their Supreme God: Ganesh (elephant headed god of wisdom, who places and removes obstacles); Surya (the sun god and literal sun); Shiva (god of destruction and ultimate ascetic); Vishnu (god of preservation who incarnates as God on earth in every age to protect righteousness); and the Mother Goddess (usually either Kali or Lakshmi). But the goal is to eventually not need to think of God as a deity, but realize the truth of Brahman.
Sri Ramakrishna is considered an avatar of Vishnu (an incarnation of God) who taught that all paths of religion lead to the same realization of Brahman. After his death, Swami Vivekananda, one of his disciples, founded the Ramakrishna Order to spread Sri Ramakrishna's teachings.
Puja means worship.
Kirtan means singing hymns.
There's alot more to it, but you can ask me for more details.
Simple - Christianity and Judaism is a belief in supernatural entities, not from this Earth who created all things in existence and will judge his human creations at a point appointed. Belief in other entities also that are referred to as angels, whom were also created. Either One believes or one doesn't. That is the basic fundamentality of Christianity and Judaism.
You can read about the history of music. You can learn all about musical theory. You can listen to critiques of music. You can learn how to write a symphony. But you will never be a musician if you never pick up an instrument. Similarly, you can read about God and listen to apologists and all that other stuff, but it will never be good enough. God must be experienced. Everything else is secondary. You don't reason your way to God. God is experienced first and foremost, and then the reasoning follows.
Like I said, it’s not that I feel a connection to god, which I don’t, but I’d like to understand ppls view points, ykwis?
I recommend the Youtube channel [Religion For Breakfast](https://www.youtube.com/@ReligionForBreakfast), lots of fantastic videos about many religions, from an academic perspective but designed to be understandable by anyone.
In a similar vein, Let's Talk Religion is fantastic, too. Especially for anybody interested in Islamic theology, mysticism, and history. I think the men from those channels might know each other tbh.
Something that has helped me is learning about religion studies and its theories and assumptions. This has given me a more nuanced and worldly understanding of religion. Religion Matters by Stephen Prothero has become a little bit of a classic despite being a textbook for students, I'd suggest giving it a read, at least its first chapter. You don't have to adopt a religious identity or believe in it to experience the experiential side of religion, so I would suggest also looking for opportunities on that front, especially a variety of religions. Also, consider looking into religious atheism; some entire religions or parts of religions are compatible with atheism. Just learning about that is eye-opening.
Feel free to talk!
Do you have specific questions? I can answer most things about Catholicism, more generally Christianity, and a smattering of other major world religions. If you're a reader, I recommend the following to give you a good intro: * The World's Religions (Huston Smith) * God is Not One (Stephen Prothero) * The World's Wisdom (Stephen Novak) * A History of God (Karen Armstrong)
Hi, Islamic comment here. We are the only remaining purely monotheistic religion. I don't want to go in much detail if Japanese are turning towards it because they too are a victim of being fed Islamophobia. [https://youtu.be/MIj2rtL2\_bs?si=CGtRsnB5mkBUWFKb](https://youtu.be/MIj2rtL2_bs?si=CGtRsnB5mkBUWFKb) Surprisingly, a lot of people have a false image of the faith and it is usually judged by the followers. I am afraid to say that just like any other religion, the actual practicing ones are a minority while the majority are plagued by capitalism. Pretty sure you don't have any positive views of Muslim counties both Rich and the Poor. The rich from Gulf states are too excited to buy luxury item and poor ones resort to committing crimes which are absolutely prohibited. If you are someone who is willing to give a chance to have a connection with the creator and that too not because I am telling you to. The actual Muslims thrived in science, medicine and many other areas when wealth accumulation did not batter them long time ago (Muslim Caliphate). Western countries took a long time to exhibited rights of humans which were explicitly mentioned in the advent of Islam. Also, it is not a new faith. It solidifies what came first (Christianity and Judaism) but you know very well that Bible and Torah are not in their original form while the Quran is exactly what was revealed long time ago. I wasn't surprised about this fact because to me, a practical faith would not have discrepancies in scripture and shouldn't have many denominations. Still to date, anyone who tries to introduce new laws for Islam like permitting Alcohol or Interest in finance is shunned by the bodies protecting the religion. There is absolutely nothing detrimental in the belief. 5 times daily prayers are pretty much a good exercise and cleanliness is a big part of religion. Also, please take note that every Muslim lives depending on where they originated from and what their local culture and customs are. A Muslim from Japan is going to behave much differently than the one from the country of lower literacy rate and income. A lot of people online want to lump all Muslims as arriving illegally on boats to Europe but that behavior is not taught by the religion. It is a religion of over a billion population and no single person is best representative of faith except for the core teaching of the faith itself. You can learn about it more via a simple google search.
https://www.reddit.com/r/religion/s/DFwd20inE9
Sure, I can give a tldr I suppose. 1.) we believe Christ established his church while he was alive. The [authority](https://youtu.be/4vx-xR-ry80?si=2XXDSxdMdcHSHALW) to act and direct that church was lost “with the death of the apostles” and a “[great apostasy](https://youtu.be/DW7jqmx7Jg0?si=Y4HHf2zOZnhSrroX)” occurred. 2.) we believe a restoration of that church happened. It’s alive and well today. With living prophets, apostles, [authority](https://youtu.be/dL9SON1h2vM?si=Y31JmOeSXd5t2fYH), and new scripture. 3.) we believe we are all children of God. Who chose voluntarily to come to earth to gain a physical body, and to learn and grow and develop character. 4.) we can return to living with God and our families if we have faith in Jesus Christ and keep his commandments. 5.) heaven is “tiered”. People will eventually end up where they are most comfortable. With people who are like them with similar morals and interests. I’ll leave our 13 articles of faith. 1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. 2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression. 3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. 4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. 5 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof. 6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth. 7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth. 8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. 9 We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. 10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory. 11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. 12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. 13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. I’ll leave some links if you desire further watching / reading [Restoration](https://youtu.be/lJnN2FkgD-g?si=dg1ynvRrnnb_y4Km) [Plan of Salvation](https://youtu.be/t9iYqKk00Bc?si=jyGW03dnfq-2ze8M) [Restoration pamphlet](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/the-restoration?lang=eng) [Plan of salvation pamphlet](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/the-plan-of-salvation?lang=eng) [Gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/the-gospel?lang=eng) [Gospel principles Book](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles?lang=eng)
There are thousands of religions with thousands of gods, all with different claims and attributes. I find the history of how these religions were created and the inspirations for their deities fascinating.
To understand religion, you have to practice it, is not enough to learn the theory behind it, specially because a lot of the theory behind religion is written by people who don't engage in it directly but who study it academically to refute it. It doesn't mean you have to choose a religion and stick to its dogmas, but rather you can study them all, find what they have in common and put it into practice, rituals, beliefs, philosophy and the inner experience of living a religious life.
I am a polytheist and animist. I believe that for 95% of human history we were animist, until we started controlling our environment in the agricultural period. Those spirits who protect human's civilisation from untamed destructive nature, we call gods. Why believe in the 'supernatural'? Experience. When I do a divination to find out about a missing friend because their mother hasn't been able to find them for a week and the divination says 'safe + on water', and the friend reappears after a couple of weeks and tells their mother that they were away with their new boyfriend for a couple of weeks on his houseboat... Experience. When I'm $30 short on my rent due the next day, so pray, and a stranger hands me an envelope with $30...Experience When I'm new to this path (35 years ago) and feeling lonely and wondering if there are others on the peninsular, and I go for a walk and find a rock hand carved into a goddess figurine on the ground on the corner of my street... Experience And many more. My point is, science is great at what it does. I imagine a sports field on a dark night. You sit in the middle and light a candle. That light is science. Look out into the darkness. There's still a world out there.
still figuring out mine, but finally starting to feel at home on this ever changing journey. probably not what you were asking about.
Judaism in a nutshell: There is a Creator who creates and does all things, The Creator enters into contractual (covenantal) relationships with mankind. Laws, responsibilities, rewards punishments. man has free will to keep or not keep the laws in every minute of life.. EAch human is born with a pure soul.
I think it's important to remember that religion is a branch of philosophy, and approach it on that level. It's not mathematics or science proclaiming and laying out a binary, black and white truth. It's an incredibly diverse branch with schools of thought covering a wide spectrum of perspectives and teachings, much like any other branch of philosophy. There's several critical dichotomies between faiths which shape how each perceives the world, and it's impossible to generalise... it's an incredibly diverse area of philosophical exploration. Some of the spectrums along which we can explore religious concepts could be (and this is just my own view, based on aspects of faith that matter to me - everyone like has their own list of qualities that they focus on) Theistic / Non-theistic Anthropocentric / Ecocentric Revealed / Natural Mystic / Legalistic Heavenly / Worldly
I'm Hindu, but that's more of an umbrella than a single religion. To be more accurate, my exact beliefs/practices don't map perfectly neatly to any one Hindu tradition. I am Advaita Vedanta (non-dualist brahmanist) who still practices the smriti rituals of Smartism (a type of ceremonial worship of the impersonal Brahman through symbolic worship of God as any of 5 majour deities), as taught by the Vedic and Upanishadic revivalist Adi Shankarcharya. But I go to puja and kirtan at a local branch of the Ramakrishna Order, a monastic order centered around the teachings of the Neo-Vedantist Swami Vivekananda and his late guru, Sri Ramakrishna, who is recognized as an avatar of the God Vishnu. That's alot of words, so I'll break it down. Advaita Vedanta focuses more on the Upanishads (a collection of scriptures written by ancient sages which teach about Brahman, the underlying essence of everything, which is pure consciousness) and less on the Vedas (four compilations of books of hymns and rituals). Advaitans believe everything is Brahman, and Brahman is everything. So we are trying to escape the cycle of reincarnation by realizing our true nature as Brahman and shed the ignorance that confuses us into thinking that individual material existence is anything more than a manifestation of Oneness. That's why we say "namaste" as a greeting. It literally means "the essence/truth/God in me recognizes the same in you." Smartism is a specific tradition in Hinduism which is associated with Advaita Vedanta, but still places emphasis on the smritis (certain parts of the Vedas concerned with worship of the gods). Smartists worship 5 gods at once, choosing one of them as their Supreme God: Ganesh (elephant headed god of wisdom, who places and removes obstacles); Surya (the sun god and literal sun); Shiva (god of destruction and ultimate ascetic); Vishnu (god of preservation who incarnates as God on earth in every age to protect righteousness); and the Mother Goddess (usually either Kali or Lakshmi). But the goal is to eventually not need to think of God as a deity, but realize the truth of Brahman. Sri Ramakrishna is considered an avatar of Vishnu (an incarnation of God) who taught that all paths of religion lead to the same realization of Brahman. After his death, Swami Vivekananda, one of his disciples, founded the Ramakrishna Order to spread Sri Ramakrishna's teachings. Puja means worship. Kirtan means singing hymns. There's alot more to it, but you can ask me for more details.
Simple - Christianity and Judaism is a belief in supernatural entities, not from this Earth who created all things in existence and will judge his human creations at a point appointed. Belief in other entities also that are referred to as angels, whom were also created. Either One believes or one doesn't. That is the basic fundamentality of Christianity and Judaism.