Month: October 2022

My disagreements with other people about the teachings of Jesus

These are some examples of my disagreements with other people about the teachings of Jesus. Currently I’m thinking that:
– the gospel of Jesus is about His kingdom, not about any salvation doctrine of Christianity.
– the kingdom of Jesus is here and now, whenever and wherever people are serving and obeying Him above all others because they want to, and learning together to live the way He says to live.
– the Creator Himself has never entered into His creation, to be a part of it.
– the way that Jesus was conceived is not what makes Him the Son of God.
– the Holy Spirit is like a person in some ways, and not like a person in some other ways.
– there aren’t any belief requirements for salvation, and there aren’t any beliefs that can save a person.
– the baptism of Jesus is not with physical water.
– people do not always need to believe that anything in the gospels ever actually happened, or that they are about a real person, or that God exists, to enter the kingdom of Jesus and/or to be saved.
– the reason for the miracle stories in the gospels is not for people to believe that they really happened physically, but to teach some lessons, like the kingdom parables.
– it’s an open question for me whether Jesus was resurrected physically or not.

(Longfellow Oct 5, 2022)

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https://www.interfaith.org/community/threads/20403/

My view of a fundamentalist Muslim

Respecting some questions, here’s what it is.

I consider myself a fundamentalist Muslim. I even sometimes consider myself an extremist Muslim. But these terms might scare some people off because the media has created some special meanings around these words. It’s not relevant to me.

I have my Islam and I believe in the fundamentals, not the peripheral’s. Fundamentals are that you could go to war only upon other peoples aggression, I must spend money to free slaves, I must give what I could to the wayfarer, and the needy, and I must be a family man doing my best to provide to my family, with absolute loyalty, no cheating or sleeping around, and this could keep going on for a long time.

This is my understanding of fundamentalism, and I am extremist. There is no exception. My loyalty to my wife is absolute and there is no way out of it. I do not cheat people or/and steal. Well. That could keep going too.

I understand that a lot of people will have a lot of views so these English terms can be used as arbitrarily as anyone wants. I just don’t agree with them. Yet, I would like to hear forum members thoughts on this. This is the first time in my life I think I have ever spoken about this particular but simple topic. But when writing this I feel it’s a very interesting topic. Thus, if you are in a position to, please do spell out your thoughts.

Thank you and peace.

  Firedragon  25/10/2022

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https://www.interfaith.org/community/threads/20423/

Women

I am not a woman so someone might deem I have no right to speak about women. Let that go ahead.

I remembered something that happened in Iceland. Almost all the women stopped working one day (statistically I maybe a little off) as a protest. And the result was, that day was dead. Nothing happened. It proved that when the women stop working, nothing works.

Would the same take place if all the men stopped working one day? My opinion is that it’s a “no”.

People might be all for this so called equality and etc etc but the reality is most of those who take care of the household are women, and most of those who provide for the household are men. It’s just a discovered outcome. So if men stopped working one day, it is only going to stop some revenue, but if women stopped, it’s a standstill.

What do you think? What are your thoughts?

  •  Thread starter Firedragon 
  •  Start date 26/10/2022

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https://www.interfaith.org/community/threads/20425/

Translation and the challenges it poses

Firedragon said:

You are right. When translating many of the languages I am sure one word cannot be translated into one word. BUT, words can be explained. The problem is these explanations will fill up the whole room. Imagine someone translated the Tipitaka into English and goes to explain. It will be a disaster. That is why most people I have come across all over the world make huge blunders. Maybe I should not say blunders.

Pali is the perfect example. I have never come across another language that is as concise as Pali. It’s so concise, if you translate a paragraph into English, the direct translation will be the size of two paragraphs. For example. What does Buddha mean? If you translate it how would you translate it? It’s actual meaning is “one whose Buddhi is settled in the highest place”. So the difference between Buddhi and Buddha is just a syllable. That is called “Kombu”. One vowel. That’s it. Buddhi meaning intellect or intelligence.

The word “Vera” in Pali means “hatred”. To negate the word Hatred or say something like “lack of hatred” all you have to do is put an “A” before the word. Avera. That means “lack of hatred”. Now you might remember the saying in Buddhism from the Sutta Pitaka “hatred does not help negate hatred. Only love can help negate hatred”. Now that is an English translation, and is very very famous. Maybe I have worded it wrong but the gist is the same everywhere. Do you note the blunder? Love is not the translation of Avera. It’s such a big blunder. Huge. Translators have twisted it sideways.


Hm, not sure which passage you mean? Dhammapada Verse 5?

Na hi verena verāni, sammantīdha kudācanaṃ;
Averena ca sammanti, esa dhammo sanantano.


My stilted, mostly word-by-word translation:

Not, indeed, is hatred by hatred appeased here at any time;
By non-hatred it is appeased, this is the law, everlasting.

However, I don’t see any blunder in the more conventional renderings like the Ven. Sujato’s version:

For never is hatred settled by hate, it’s only settled by love: this is an eternal truth.

Can you point out which blunder you meant?

  •  Thread starter Cino 
  •  Start date 26/10/2022

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https://www.interfaith.org/community/threads/20424

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There is no justice if atheism is true

@Ahanu makes a very strange statement in another thread.
Ahanu, how did you arrive at that?
There are laws of the nation and the laws of the society in which you live. Does atheism asks one to disobey those laws?
I submit to both. My being atheist does not exempt me from them.

(Aupmanyav Oct 9  2022)

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https://www.interfaith.org/community/threads/20409/

This is my path and what I believe.

There are billions of people on the planet all searching for “why” we exist, “why” we are here, “is there” a God, “is there” an after life. There are hundreds of religions all with their take on life here and the afterlife there, but what is your belief?

What is your personal path? What do you personally believe? What is your personal belief about why we are here? What other then religion teaches you about how to live your life?

Powessy

(Discussion in ‘Belief and Spirituality‘ started by powessy, Sep 16, 2022)

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https://www.interfaith.org/community/threads/20338/

The Style of the Persian Bayan

Back from a short break! 

@mrym, would you mind sharing what your experience of reading the Bab’s Persian Bayan is like? Would you say the use of the Persian language in this 19th century text is similar to how it is used today in Iran? I am wondering if your experience with the Persian text is similar to how a modern English speaker would feel reading Henry David Thoreau or other 19th century English writers?

Then again, some of these questions are completely inadequate. One must put “Persian” in quotations here. I am under the impression that it would be impossible to properly translate the Persian Bayan into English without losing its artistic value. To really capture its artistic value, one would have to know both Persian and Arabic, for, according to what I have read, in the Persian Bayan the Bab used Arabic for nouns and adjectives, whereas he used Persian for verbs, pronouns, and particles. Furthermore, the Persian Bayan is arranged according to Arabic syntax. In other words, you can keep the same word order, translate it into Arabic, and it would be rendered eloquent to an Arabic speaker. I find this concept to be fascinating!

“If a person knowledgeable of Arabic, but unfamiliar with the Writings, reads an Arabic translation of the Persian of the Báb (without altering the syntax), he would deem it eloquent. However, a Persian unfamiliar with the Writings would not be able to understand the Persian Writings of the Báb. Therefore, we can conclude that the Persian writings of the Báb are outwardly Persian but inwardly Arabic. This is not farfetched, as the Báb seems to allude to it in the Ṣaḥífa `Adliyya (p. 4), where He says that “Arabic truths” (ḥaqíqat `arabiyyat) have flowed from His “Persian verses” (áyát-i `ajamiyyih). Behmardi also remarks that the Báb‟s penchant for Arabic nouns and adjectives in His Persian writings is also evident in the Guardian‟s Lawh-i Qarn.”

behmardi_stylistic_analysis.pdf (bahai-library.com)​

(Discussion in ‘Baha’i‘ started by Ahanu, Sep 24, 2022)

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https://www.interfaith.org/community/threads/20354/

Did he die for our sins?

A thought was posed….

First of all G!d of all eternity spends 33 years on earth….not he, but a physical representation of he…. 33 years a blink of an eye to eternity…

Then he dies for our sins…

Well he was gonna die anyway right? 66 years, 33 years…he was gonna return…

But then he didn’t die… death had zero effect on him…..

And then he returned from whence he came….

So where is the sacrifice?

Serious question.

(Discussion in ‘Christianity‘ started by wil, Jul 17, 2014)

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https://www.interfaith.org/community/threads/17119/