Search results

Going off the responses to this thread and what I could find off Google, is this some kind of Biblical controversy?

I feel like this is such an interesting question. I've known people who refuse to become involved in organized religion because of the 'rules' and because they don't want anyone 'telling them what to do/believe'. But in a very real way, we're all sort of bound by the religious customs and...

Transcendentalism, from my knowledge, links Western religious thought with Eastern. I was also under the impression that it considered all religions as coming from the same divine source, but I can't find that again, so I might be mistaken. Your linking of Jesus' teachings with other traditions...

The way I've always heard this passage discussed is in the context of Jesus emphasizing the importance of both baptism in water and baptism of the Holy Spirit and how this process is a spiritual rebirth; it makes you a completely new person in Christ, a member of God's Kingdom. I'm curious, is...

Yes, sorry, I think I do recall reading that Buddhism is non-theistic (or at least, theism isn't the focus). My main interest and knowledge is in the Abrahamic faiths (and other forms of monotheism), so I'm sadly uninformed when it comes to Buddhism! I do agree that religion/spirituality and...

I think the issue is more the use of Buddha statues (or those of any religious figure) as a mere decoration. At my local store, they're stacked next to things like gardening tools and pink flamingo decorations; they're not really dealt with as devotional items but as typical secular garden...

That makes sense! These statues seem to be a fixture at every chain dollar store I've been to though, so they must be selling well; I wonder if its because of how popular Buddhism has become in the mainstream modern West? I know of non-Buddhists who would display a statue of Buddha in their...

I see these decorative Buddha statues in my local dollar store all the time, and I find them so puzzling. I wonder what created the secular market for such items? You don't get the same treatment of statues of Krishna, for example, or Jesus; I can't imagine many secular people or non-adherents...

To hold a delusion, it follows that someone must be deluded, at least in part. I respect your belief system but from what you've posted in this thread I have to echo the sentiment; I don't see how this perspective contains any more logic or scientific basis than the belief in God, or a...

I'd personally welcome a thread on your thoughts on Aquinas! I referenced him because I think he was an extraordinary intelligent man, and my understanding is that his contributions to Scholasticism was revolutionary in marrying faith and logic, but I don't know too much about him (or...

It's unfortunate that you think so. There have been many logical, rational people who deeply thought out their faith. I wouldn't consider Aquinas, Isaac Newton, or Kierkegaard deluded people (all of whom believed in God, albeit expressed differently). I have to say I'm surprised to hear such a...

I definitely can see what you mean. I struggled for a long time with Catholic teaching before it made intellectual 'sense' to me...and then it stopped making sense again, so I'm also kind of in limbo (no pun intended) faith-wise right now. I don't think you have to worry about being misled...

Yikes, don't you think this is a condescending and limiting view of religion? I was 'indoctrinated' into atheism, the same way anyone is 'indoctrinated' into religion. I was raised without religion and came into it later, partly because of its intellectual appeal to me, not because I was...

I don't have anything especially profound to add, simply that I can very much relate to this sentiment. I recently left the Christian faith (though I am still highly influenced by Catholic values), but consider myself firmly monotheistic. What has guided me so far is simple prayer and research...

Definitely. In fact, coming from someone who was raised atheist and then converted to Christianity (AKA, having a sole background in Western religion and Western secularism), I find myself a bit overwhelmed by the diversity of religious expression and thought in religions such as Hinduism. The...

Interesting! I've heard the opposite before- growing up in Catholicism, my mother was told that we would all be like children in Heaven (although obviously that isn't official Catholic teaching). It's fascinating seeing how much variation there is in belief within different schools of Christian...

Ooh, interesting; I've never heard this before. Is there a certain tradition or denomination of Christianity that teaches this?

Thank you for these examples! It seems like there is a trend, although of course it could be coincidental rather than consequential. Your last comment makes sense; the 30s are arguably a kind of 'middle' state. It's interesting that this appears across cultures and eras, even in regions and...

Hey everyone! Recently I was reading an interesting text by Lewis M. Hopfe, called Religions of the World. I noticed something peculiar about several religious founders/figures he mentioned; he states that the Buddha was around 35 when he was 'enlightened' (127). Apparently, Zoroaster also went...

That makes sense! I've also heard that the Magi were possibly (likely?) Zoroastrian priests. It's quite a fascinating faith; from my studies it appears to be the first significant monotheistic faith that we know of, with the possible (albeit controversial) exception of Atenism.