Can you tell me something interesting about a religion not your own?
151829
I am a Catholic, but of an Eastern Church.\n\nOne fascinating aspect of the Antiochean Orthodox are their hymns.  They date from the first century, when pastors complain that their hymns are from the fifties, they could take a lesson from the hymns of the actual fifties.\n\nI find the Buddhist use of negation a powerful tool for thinking about issues.  The scientific method is a philosophical method that says you cannot show things are true, rather you can only show things are false.  The rest is tautology.  This really is a powerful method and limits discord and division really.\n\nThe Jain idea of ahimsa is really agape made practical.\n\nTwo components of Wicca are interesting.  The idea of a Book of Shadows, which is an individual recording of that which is useful, meaningful etc.  In essence, you write your own scripture.  That leads to the second component of Wicca, and why I don't believe it will last more than two more generations, is that it is a very idividualized religion.  There isn't a lot that is mandatory, and hence little to object to. It opens itself up to syncratic thought, but it doesn't then have the problem of followers not fitting the orthodoxy.  Very few people are really orthodox, though many believe they are.  Wicca purposefully bypasses the problem\n\nI love the Cargo Cults, it proves that religion is such a deep part of human existance, and that real knowledge and religion can be completely disconnected.  Just a note, I believe intelligent design is a Cargo Cult, a comment that will likely bring screams of blasphemy down on me.  Nonetheless, it has all of the features of one.\n\nIslam is fascinating in its absolute insistance upon submission to the will of God.  Most people don't realize that the United States and Islam are really philosophical mortal enemies.  Submission really requires a complete surrender of freedom.  It is philosophically an anti-freedom religion.  The whole goal is to eliminate anything against the will of God and to bring the world back to God.  Certain radicals have decided to do this violently, but that isn't really the point.  The United States is the pure autonomy, do what you want state personified.  The government is designed to create a laizze faire environment, even if that has partially disappeared since the crisis of the Great Depression.  Protestant Christians from the US often mistake Americanism for Protestantism.  Christianity has a submission element to it as well, just not as pronounced.  It also has the balancing passages that proclaim that if the Father has given us free will, why should we take away the freedom of others.\n\nTao is interesting.  If you abolish good and evil and look at balanced and unbalanced you get a different view of the world.  It is a fundamentally different question to ask if you are in line with what is natural for you and are you doing it in a healthy (balanced) way.\n\nOne thing interesting I think about my own part of the Catholic Church is that our service is a reduced down version of the Liturgy of James.  The service has changed little since it was given at Antioch.  We still have the lines, optional when out of times of persecution, "The doors, the doors, in Wisdom be attentive!"  Reminding the doorkeeper to watch for Roman soldiers, but also that what is going on inside is far more important and so to be attentive.  The only real changes our service has was the adding of "air," to the line where we pray for "all who travel by sea, air and land," with the coming of flight.  There was a change in the year 750 to move the prayers of the faithful from after the scripture readings to before in order to put ourselves in prayer before God as the first action.  There was an insertion called the hymn to the Only Begotten added in the 400's I believe.  There was a shortening by John Chrysostum in the early 300's and a shortening (taking it to about 1 1/2 to 2 hours) by Basil of Ce
845712
Did you mean to post this question about your church under MYTHOLOGY & FOLKLORE?
214928
Thank you for posting the site! I've been meaning to look into the religion for a long time!
840852
have you got your own religion?\n\n sign me up!
1094464
Today, I think that most, if not all, organized religions are off the mark a bit.  To rephrase, while I am struggling with the notion of God, I know that I do not believe in the God that Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Bahai's belive in.  Today, I believe that if there is a God, that he/she/it pressed the "start button" and left us to work out the rest for ourselves.
400853
What piece of art or literature are you speaking about? And why is this in the Religion section?
967827
If you really want to know more about Islam, please browse the site at the link given below.\n\nListen to the song "Islam's not for me"\n\nIt's really funny.\n\nGreat Cartoons there, too.\n\nAnd a lot of testimonials.
1058313
I cannot speak for my fellow atheists.....but as I said, hon, religion fascinates me.  :-)\n\n\nHey, friend, below me!  Spiritual atheist here too!  :-D   Nicetaseeya! :-)
495499
Spiritual atheist speaking.  I love learning about various religions of the world, what they believe, why they believe this and not that, what deities they have, and about their sacred texts.  I still do not believe after all what I have learned. \n\nPlus, I do like giving the "other side of the coin" to a question.  It would get boring if all the answers were just one-sided, right?
597509
http://www.wicca.org/\n\nhttp://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm\n\nHere you go...enjoy.\n:)\n\nFor anyone reading and doesn't want to go to the site... here is what they say it is...\n"This previously underground religion has much to teach every human about survival and about the ethical use of natural innate powers.\n     The Craft is a way of life that investigates every potential that you have.  The Craft draws its strength from the diversity of Nature itself; indeed it rejoices in diversity. Your views and interests are just as valid as anyone else's, and we hope that you too will help to push back the artificial barriers that surround many religious dogmas.\n     As we will mention several times on this website, \nWitches are not Satanists. The negativity in that offshoot of Christianity is not for harmonious thinkers such as Witches."
1010342
I have learned a lot from other religions.  The similarities show what could potentially be universal truth.  The differences show what is probably just subjective.
210034
Maybe can you tell me more?
1022685
You could know about all religions and their believers from here : \nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion#Present_day_adherents
711299
Try this website for starters:\n\nwww.religoustolerance.org
114446
Tell me about your culture.\nWhat is your religion and the religion of the majority of people in your country ?\nHave you been to United States or Europe or etc.. ?\nTell me about your country. What are the good and bad aspects of your country?\nHow are the people of your country like ?\n\nby her/his replies you can ask more Qs...
861357
I have the Zoroastrian Holy Books.\n\nI love their religion, it is amazing.\n\nI personally beleive that the monotheistic religions of Abraham (Christianity/Judaism/Islam) all came from this religion.
1097776
what does this have to do w/ religion and spirituality?\n\ntry to get interested....