Stick with the religion you were born with??

wil

wil

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Netti-Netti said:
I'd still be interested in a rationale for a new religion. What's wrong with the ones we have already? Maybe stick with the religious tradition you were raised with???...
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Namaste NN and thanx,

So as not to derail another thread thought I'd start this over here.

On one hand you posit 'What's wrong with the ones we have already?' We'll ignore that for the moment although it does imply some acceptance of religions other than the one you were born with but...

Let's get into "Maybe stick with the religious tradition you were raised with??"

Why would we? Comfort? To appease the elders? Because we chose our parent's? Or becuase there is some divinity in the sperm and egg that got together in that space and time which indicates we should stick with the one we were raised with?

But wouldn't that imply that we should not proslytize or convert or otherwise attempt to convince another that their religion is second rate at best?
 
The closest thing to a religious tradition that I was raised with was the goal that all children shall be raised to have their own minds. Now that I think about it, it seems like I really have stuck with that tradition!
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seattlegal said:
The closest thing to a religious tradition that I was raised with was the goal that all children shall be raised to have their own minds. Now that I think about it, it seems like I really have stuck with that tradition!
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You know, I've attempted to do the same. I so look forward to the years ahead to see what my children ask me to go see, what they are reading and want me to read, where and if they worship and how they share it with me. And the people they decide to spend time with, the person they decide to share their life with I wonder but don't direct what color, creed, nationality, gender, religion they will be...

My future's so bright I'm gonna need shades...

back to your regular programming.
 
I was born into pure agnosticism. Seems a good place to have started from. :)
 
If religion is an experience, the sense of or attraction to the divine, then it seems like it's largely a question of "fit". Does the religious institution and community you were born into provide an environment for this sense or this attraction?

Presby church didn't really ring my bell as a child. It may have helped me sense the divine, at least vaguely, but I was frustrated by its pageantry and the ulterior motives and hypocrisy of my congregation.

It was years later when I heard Marshall Vian Summers say, "The world is emerging into a Greater Community of intelligent life. Humanity is unprepared. It is time to prepare." That resonated deeply, even though I didn't know what he was talking about, and led me to the New Message from God.

Perhaps there's a match up between a person's nature (spiritual or otherwise) and a particular faith or tradition. But it does seem that most people practice the faith of their community or family.
 
wil said:
Let's get into "Maybe stick with the religious tradition you were raised with??"
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Hi Wil,

That part was more rhetorical than anything else. When someone is shopping around for a new religion, I think it might be helpful to consider what is missing from the one they were raised with and why another religion would presumably meet the need. It's just not very realistic for someone to decide out of the blue that they are on a quest for a new religion.
 
It's generally a good idea to completely explore the religion of your birth, including the correct method of practicing and then practice it.

Only once you understand how your own religion works, will you understand what the actual limitations are...but understanding the limitations you must also be thoroughly honest.

Ultimately when one changes religion, one admits that all religions are, in fact, NOT the same, something a mind that is prejudiced or too steeped in new age political correctness will not be able to admit.
 
a lot of religion is about culture... a lot of culture is about religion... if you stick with what you know you'll never experience the cognitive dissonance of trying to be a silk purse when you're really a pig's ear... many "converts" have issues with this- they find a religion they like, try it out, and the old faith creeps in... you feel guilty you are "abandoning" your "faith", the faith of your fathers, etc, breaking free from traditions and the rituals which make you "you"...

brought up a catholic, I later became a buddhist... but what an agonising thing that was... my inner questions ran a little something like this...

what if I'm wrong and by becoming a buddhist I've angered the "real" god..?
I can't turn my back on jesus just for buddha, or vice versa... but you cannot serve two masters... why am I worshipping this new god when I don't bother with the old one? can I still go to mass? can I then still go to temple? how do I make my two selves whole?

my easy answer was... do both... believe what I like... as long as my heart stays good, and golden, I'm okay... Jesus nor Buddha would object to what I'm doing, and if they did neither of them would be worthy of my worship...

so now, I am a catholic buddhist... other ppl have a problem with that? stuff them...

(preferably with mushrooms...)
 
What I would say to that is, if you're happy, stick with what you've got and maybe explore it further. If you're not happy with the religion you've got, or want some adventure, go and get another one.

Is there someone who doesn't like your choice? Stuff them! They had a right to choose their beliefs so why not you?:)

Easy stuff.

Do whatever is right for you. It's your life.
 
Netti-Netti said:
Hi Wil,

That part was more rhetorical than anything else. When someone is shopping around for a new religion, I think it might be helpful to consider what is missing from the one they were raised with and why another religion would presumably meet the need. It's just not very realistic for someone to decide out of the blue that they are on a quest for a new religion.
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Namaste Netti,

I apologize if I stepped on any toes borrowing a comment from one thread and starting another. I simply wanted to acknowledge that your thought was the impetus to my thought on the matter.

The all pervading issue to me right now is: We hear it all the time, "You were born X you will be X" Many folks have been raised under that banner. And to add to it, you need to marry only in your religion so your children won't be confused as to what they are.

Is this not fairly standard in dogmatic fundamental circles in any religion, and does not that indicate that if this applies to 'our' belief system it also applies to 'theirs'?
 
Speaking as the devil's advocate, for a moment ...

The Dalai Lama said that if you couldn't find what you were looking for in Christianity, it's unlikely you'll find it anywhere else ... the fault lies with you, not the religion.

I'm pretty sure he'd say that about most traditional religions.

Thomas
 
wil said:
The all pervading issue to me right now is: We hear it all the time, "You were born X you will be X" Many folks have been raised under that banner. And to add to it, you need to marry only in your religion so your children won't be confused as to what they are.
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Um, is it just me, or does this strike anyone else as being somewhat "gay?" (For lack of a better word) :eek:
 
To me the notion of religious affiliation makes no sense. We can find logical errors in almost any religious doctrine that should make us think twice about aligning ourselves with a religious tradition that entails the doctrine.
 
Netti-Netti said:
To me the notion of religious affiliation makes no sense. We can find logical errors in almost any religious doctrine that should make us think twice about aligning ourselves with a religious tradition that entails the doctrine.
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It seems to me that argument is a universal, I see the evidence of that in every field of human endeavour ... which suggests the fault lies with us, so I ask myself, is the endeavour worth the effort?

I suppose my fault is in being optimistic — I always hold out hope that it is possible that humanity might make some advance, I have faith in the best testimonies of human experience as our guide, and I am in love with the light others have shed on the meaning of our existence.

My personal issue with religious affiliation is that it shows me I'm not the spiritual genius that, left to my own devices, I can easily convince myself I am.

Thomas
 
I just stumbled across this thread. First of all, are we born in a religion? Most Christians require infant baptism. What about those of us born into a two religion household (Jewish and Catholic, yeah, neither group ever accepted the marriage)? In the ultimate case one must commit to and accept a religion to practice it in reality. Thirteen seems the youngest age to do that, Quakers let children born in the faith to commit as late as they want.

The genetic (parsees or some jews) argument just seems preposterous to me. Cultural and social arguments (again, to me) seem even more shaky. If Zarathustra had never lived would Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Bahai exist? Doubtful. So the change in a social or cultural history could change a religion. Gees, why stick with it?

As for me, I want something all enclusive. So do I make up my own or become a Hindu (the only religion that is pretty inclusive from the beginning... yeah, had some problem with Buddhists, white huns and muslims, and some had problems with muslims).
 
wil said:
I so look forward to the years ahead to see what my children ask me to go see, what they are reading and want me to read, where and if they worship and how they share it with me. And the people they decide to spend time with, the person they decide to share their life with I wonder but don't direct what color, creed, nationality, gender, religion they will be...

My future's so bright I'm gonna need shades...
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My children never adopted my ways (I am a strong atheist, but of course, hindu). :(
 
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