Which Religion is the REAL one

I'm glad you made this topic Amuk, alot of the people on this board need to think about why they hang on to one specific doctrine.

I don't know which religion is real and I don't think we have the mental capacity to understand the nature of the universe. Which is why I'm an agnostic... I don't know which religion is right, but i'm pretty sure some are wrong.

But really, there have been thousands of religions since the beginning of mankind. There are probably billions of intelligent alien species out there each with thousands of religions. How would somoene know that theirs is right? For away we know the only correct religion is one practice by 5 "people" on some planet 500,000 light years away. Maybe none of them are right.

I don't get how someone can lock themselves into a particular religion, believe its doctrine, then think that everyone else is wrong. They're so sure that their religion is right, they have the gall to try to impose their religious rules on everyone else. It's not just the religious though...I'm not sure how atheists can be so sure that there's "nothing".

To me it makes the most sense to say "I don't know" and go on with my life, searching for some truth along the way.

The only natural, prime religion is non-doctrinal science.
All human made religion and churches are only tools to manage people. Simple.

To start with, this is my personal opinion.
Secondly, everyone is entitled to believe what they want to believe/do what they think is right, and I don't attempt to try to persuade otherwise. My point really is that I think that it is very important to really delve into and research the background of one's beliefs/religions.

I think that all humans, at some point in their lives, want to know why they exist and whether or not there is in fact, any meaningful reason for their existence.
I have researched into the theory of evolution and personally believe that it takes more 'faith' to believe in that, than to believe in 'God'. Just looking up into the night sky and learning about the incredible mechanisms and design found in Nature- prompted me to think that there has got to be a Designer. How would the processes of evolution form flower petals and leaf structures that are in Fibonacci sequences?

The next step I faced was trying to determine who in fact was this 'Designer'? A gaseous cloud of universal consciousness, or something more tangible?
With the plethora of religions/faiths out there, all attempting to provide the REAL Truth-an answer to this question, in some respects, can be very confusing.

So, the next logical step would be to read all the masses of spiritual/religious info that is out there. I can't claim that I have read ALL of it, but I sifted through Hindu mysticism, Buddhist teachings, gnostic texts, various mythologies, Catholic texts, the Koran etc....and then the Bible.

Through comprehensive study of the Bible, I realised that this text is what it says it is, the Word of God.
I do not believe that it is a bunch of allegorical writings that have been constructed by men. I think that is instead, an easy way of disregarding a lot of the Bible in favour of man-made doctrines.
For example, when I read the Bible I did not find any conclusive scriptures that support the various doctrines that are emphasised by Catholicism and mainstream Christianity, such as the Heaven/Hell, Sunday worship and Christmas beliefs.
So, I researched into those various doctrines and have concluded that many of them are in fact reincarnations of pagan Babylonian beliefs.
That's why many believe that a lot of mainstream Christianity is in fact not credible. Which is actually partly the truth!
Unfortunately, most people then disregard ALL of Christianity's beliefs and most importantly, the truth that's found in the Bible.

Also, in regards to Buddhism, gnosticism etc...from what I have studied, their roots also sprout from Babylonian paganism.
"Oh, but so is the Bible!" you may say.
Well, for one thing, the Bible does not actually contain the doctrines that would make it seem to stem from Babylonian beliefs and instead reveals a really amazing Plan for all of Humanity.
I believe in following the Bible in its ENTIRETY, both Old and New Testament. Which is supported by the actions and words of Christ and His disciples. A lot was changed by the Catholic church and their various councils approx.100AD onwards.
I have momentarily forgotten the author's name but a book I found illuminating when I was researching is called "The Two Babylons."

I could go on and on but I'm not going to!
I'm also not going to sprout any scriptures to try and convince you all out there (though will if asked) as you will all continue to believe what you want to believe in - that's your right!

I just wanted to offer my two cents!

I was talking to some priestabout this, and he said that allreligions are true and keepus "moral"inGodsworld and we bothagreed that all the Gods and Goddesses are minions of a biggerand more important being.

Stella,

I found myself doing the same thing, over a 15 year (ish) period. Throughout that time I studied Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Paganism (inc. Wicca and Asatru), and several hundred sects/subgroups therein.

My conclusion was different to yours:

I found that Buddhism was really the philosophy that made sense to me most of all. The methods and teachings therein were such that I could actually put them to the test myself, and see them working in action in ways that other paths had not (though admittedly, the concept of being responsible for your own actions - instead of perhaps relying upon a third party to save you, or forgive you, was also key to me. I'm big on the personal responsibility thing). But there isn't one "fits all" faith. Everyone has different needs, different views, and that makes it hard for there to even be a "one size fits all" religion - similarly, there is often more than one truth to any situation.

Having said that, I also found that most religions contain more similarities than differences; this in turn implies that the only concept of "one truth" is one that was originated by man - not God, who (whether such exists or not) did not sit down and decide "well, ok, but X, Y and Z are absolutely not true...". Naturally, I'm sure there are many, many Biblical quotes that would disagree with this statement, but my view is that the Bible was written by man - and therefore is subject to exactly the same errors and mistranslations as any other ancient text. And that's not even touching on individual interpretation....but that aside, I simply don't believe that one religious text should be considered "the only truth", over all others.


But that's just my 2 pence worth

In a way, all religons are similar.


Here is a link to proove that:www.2012.com.au...

Not all religions fit every personallity type. This, in my opinion, is one of the reasons we have so many different religions (besides cultural differences and historical events). This may be especially true in bible-based religions as there are several denominations. I'm reminded of a quote by Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon [while teaching a student]:

"It's like a finger pointing to the moon [student gazes upon Lee's finger...Lee smacks student on the head] Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory...."

I felt this quote was profound when applied to the question of religion. Perhaps we are all arguing over which finger to look at, when all we need to do is look up?

I dont think any ONE religion is right, but I think they all share certain aspects which are correct. For example, most of them believe in some type of God(s). That is obviously true.

I dont think we as humans will ever know about God and the universe fully, so we cant say any religion is right.

No religion is real, and it's really too bad that question would ever come up.

Figuring out something is an concept of our own creation in the first place, who says which is real, and which isn't?

Base our actions off logic, and the towards happiness for all. I don't need a book to tell me that, I understand perfectly.

There is no REAL religion, there is no REAL absolutes, but then even that sentence in itself would be an absolute which creates a paradox.

There is no TRUE path, exept you create for yourself.

Originally posted by Ksnazdnzon
No religion is real, and it's really too bad that question would ever come up.

Figuring out something is an concept of our own creation in the first place, who says which is real, and which isn't?

Base our actions off logic, and the towards happiness for all. I don't need a book to tell me that, I understand perfectly.

There is no REAL religion, there is no REAL absolutes, but then even that sentence in itself would be an absolute which creates a paradox.

There is no TRUE path, exept you create for yourself.

Using your own disfunctional logic, your post is not real, your brainwaves that were almost thoughts were not real, you are not real. Your post had zero impact because regardless of what you think you see, it is not there.

Now I ask you... Did you add any value to the thread with your post?

All known creation started with gas. Now were did the gas come from...

All religion is self induced faith. None of them have one iota of proof of a God.

You simply decide at some point in your life that what somenone taught you as truth is truth.

For some religions (in some countries) you are born under its oppression and force fed it to the point of brain washing, and this makes you a helpless mindless follower with little or no free will of your own.

These people are a lost cause and are the current cause of terrorism.

All the spiritual feelings you may experience are self induced and a reaction of brain function and chemicals. You brain wash yourself.. (faith) with no proof

All relgions are a myth based on writings of long dead uneducated (by todays standard) people. Some stories based on actual historical fact are in these
mythical books (bibles).

These bibles can bring communities together and teach some good moral and ethical standards to live by that when followed by many can help people live more peacefully together yet when pited against each other they cause wars and murder.

Was earth seeded by a superior being? Maybe..but if so then that being came from gas.

Does the universe have a consious? Maybe..

Religions of peace and harmony are probably a good thing even if they are based on mythical super beings.

Most likely when you die you will be recycled back into the universe as food and energy of some sort.

Now having said all that, and the above is what everything I have learned thus far in life prove to me I still have an inner feeling of something more.. but this is not proof of something more. It is only proof that I have a feeling that there is.

Sooner rather than later the Univerese will be explained and its creation known to humanity and then we will know for sure.

I see a day comming were most of the educated peoples on earth will no longer follow mythical teachings and beings.

God is the ultimate ruse and the ultimate invisible friend.

Belief in god is probably a good thing for most of humanity to maintain peace and not have to fear death all your life.

I would LOVE for someone to show me one iota of absolute proof that there is a god so I can know I will die and continue with consiousness in another life.

All I need is one Pink cloud..or one voice in the night to wisper to me..and I could believe.

I am sorry.. but I cannot have my mind changed by your overwhelming faith or words from ancient myths to make me believe.

God needs to show me/us. Why if there is a loving god would he leave us all to wonder with no presence.

Make the moon purple or write "hello children" in the stars...anything..

None of them are the Real Religion.

X

[edit on 15-6-2005 by Xeven]

Just maybe back in the beginning of "Religion", the good book was brought about in an attempt for the NWO. Throughout the times and the different cultures it was adapted to fit into those life styles. And regardless of how faithful or how big of a believer you are in any religion, we are all sinners and have failed the NWO.
So what is the next attempt at NWO and will it work?

Originally posted by Xeven
All known creation started with gas. Now were did the gas come from...
All religion is self induced faith. None of them have one iota of proof of a God.

Yeap - and you can't give one iota of proof otherwise, can you?

For some religions (in some countries) you are born under its oppression and force fed it to the point of brain washing, and this makes you a helpless mindless follower with little or no free will of your own.

These people are a lost cause and are the current cause of terrorism.

This doesn't address those folk who actively choose a religious path and commit acts of terrorism afterwards. Richard Reid, anyone? Eric Rudolph? Such generalisations are inaccurate and tend to exacerbate the entire "us versus them" mindset associated with terrorism.

All the spiritual feelings you may experience are self induced and a reaction of brain function and chemicals. You brain wash yourself.. (faith) with no proof

Again, I'm not sure of your point here. Falling in love is much the same process....does that make it any less real? Course it doesn't. Faith doesn't require proof. Neither does falling in love, really

But that's why it's called....faith.

All relgions are a myth based on writings of long dead uneducated (by todays standard) people. Some stories based on actual historical fact are in these
mythical books (bibles).

Once more I'm not sure of the point you're making. So...some people wrote some books. Ok, I'm with that. Some of these books contain elements of historical or archaeological fact. Alrighty. So some of it is myth? You've just acknowledged that the subject matter was actually written by humans. Moreover, that some texts contain facts. So is it inadmissable because such texts may contain allegories, metaphors or simple moral tales?

These bibles can bring communities together and teach some good moral and ethical standards to live by that when followed by many can help people live more peacefully together yet when pited against each other they cause wars and murder.

Again, a sweeping generalisation that is rendered moot by it's overwhelming umbrella'ed content.

Religions of peace and harmony are probably a good thing even if they are based on mythical super beings.

Yup. And so are those based upon living people. You know, the ones whose existence is supported by historical evidence. Buddha would be one of those chaps. I'm wondering though, which religions aren't based largely in peace and harmony? The problem perhaps lies not with the message, but with the interpretations thereof.

I see a day comming were most of the educated peoples on earth will no longer follow mythical teachings and beings.

But it'd be ok if these educated folk follow the teachings of humans who've existed? That's a relief, I'm sure

Here's the thing. You're asking for proof of something which is completely based on the idea of faith. By it's own definition, "proof" is not required outside of the vaguest concept of "proving to myself".

Religion is real. It'd be illogical to deny this, as it's we see examples of people living for their faith, on a daily basis. This doesn't mean religion holds any concrete basis in fact though - it simply means that it exists.

Even asking, "which religion holds the most truth, or the most provable facts" is begging for a million different answers; and to those asked the question, their answer is of course the correct one.






[edit on 15-6-2005 by Tinkleflower]

Originally posted by cruella
Just maybe back in the beginning of "Religion", the good book was brought about in an attempt for the NWO. Throughout the times and the different cultures it was adapted to fit into those life styles. And regardless of how faithful or how big of a believer you are in any religion, we are all sinners and have failed the NWO.
So what is the next attempt at NWO and will it work?

The thing is....the "good book" came after the inception and spread of quite a few other religions (I'm taking a liberty and assuming you're referring to The Bible). So...I'm not sure what you're saying here. For one thing, the concept of being a sinner isn't present in many other faiths - some of which date back to well before the time of Christ.

Help me out here? What exactly are you asking?

Using your own disfunctional logic, your post is not real, your brainwaves that were almost thoughts were not real, you are not real. Your post had zero impact because regardless of what you think you see, it is not there.

Now I ask you... Did you add any value to the thread with your post?

However, my friend Jake you are not real either-all is an illusion set up by the father. I sense frustration and judgement.

Was any value added to this thread with your condemnation? All deserve to have their say whether one likes what they have to say or not. 'Tis the American and GODly way.

Originally posted by madmanacrosswater

Using your own disfunctional logic, your post is not real, your brainwaves that were almost thoughts were not real, you are not real. Your post had zero impact because regardless of what you think you see, it is not there.

Now I ask you... Did you add any value to the thread with your post?

However, my friend Jake you are not real either-all is an illusion set up by the father. I sense frustration and judgement.

Was any value added to this thread with your condemnation? All deserve to have their say whether one likes what they have to say or not. 'Tis the American and GODly way.

It even applies to us non American and atheists. Go figure.

Originally posted by Amuk

What do you believe and why?

I believe that our existence is made up of spiritual as well as physical beings. I believe in visible and invisible material. Our lives are a combination of everyday normal and logical things as well as paranormal events and unexplained actions. The force that pushes us foward is as much spiritual as it is natural. The Divine, and Mother Nature, colliding or co-existing as you wish.

What is Religion? Religion is worship, love and dedication. And eveybody worships something or someone be it/they tangible or not. So although many deny it, we are all to some extent very religious. However, in explaining religion a little better, I'd say religion is being faced with the mystical and unseen part of our world, and making that/it, part of one's everyday life. This, I believe, is the main business of religion. For me It would be impossible to worship or know conclusively whether God exists unless He takes the initiative and reveals Himself to me.You see, Religion, is not a matter of learning how to think about God, but of acutally encountering him.

What/who is God ? God is a word, a tag name, or better said a label given to something or someone worshiped. In christian faith we worship The Father , the Creator of life and all there is in it. The Spirit of God is the great unmasker of illusions, the great destroyer of icons and idols. God's love is so great that He does not permit the harboring of false images, no matter how atttached to us, it seems they are. And its painful, because illusions are the things most people live by. God strips those falsehoods from us no matter how naked it may make us, because it is better to live naked in truth than clothed in fantasy.

What truth ? Every religion has three elements, Intellectual, Ritual or Sacramental and the Personal element. The ritual element consists of the traditions and ceremonies of worship. The intellectual comprises of what a religion believes, its doctrines or dogmas, and the mystical element which is the personal relationship with God that confirms the intellectual element. In christianity Jesus stands at the center of truth in each of these aspects. He Is the doctrine. He Is the Revelation. And He Is the one that is worshiped. And He and the Father are One.

Who is Jesus? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not....And the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

What does it mean to know Jesus? To know him is Life, everything else fades into twilight and darkness. Regardless of what you think christianity is or what you heard the archbishop doing the other day or who wrote that and who changed this or what you heard the church pastor say etc etc. Christianity is not a tedious, piously written ethical man-made code of lagalism and moralism. It is a love affair, a Spirit-filled way of loving God, aimed at making us live In-Christ.

What is In-Christ? "In Christ" as Paul explains, is much more than just a simple cliche. God made the world and all there is in it, for Christ. The Father loves the world only through Christ. He is the center of reality and the reason for its existence. In Him me move and have our being. As Paul writes "For by him all things were created and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together".

If you ask yourself "Why am I walking around this planet, why do I exist?" Paul says, For the sake of Christ. If the angels were to ask, they must point to the Nazarene carpenter and make the same answer, "We exist for the sake of Christ." If the whole cosmos were suddenly to become articulate, then from north to south and east to west, they would cry out in chorus, "We exist for the sake of Christ." The name of Christ would issue from the seas and desserts. It would be tapped out by the patterning rain. It would be written in the skies by lighting. The storms would roar the name "Jesus Christ" and the mountains would echo it back. The sun's fierce nuclear furnance would blaze out: The whole universe is full of Christ. He is the Way the Truth and the Life the parable of the Father unraveling the riddle of existence."

I am a Christian and that is my Manifesto




[edit on 18-6-2005 by MisTicaL]

reply to post by iori_komei


Dear Fellow ATS forumer,

Buddhism is old wine in a new bottle. Aum or Om and Swastik are Hindu Symbols, Adopted by Buddhists, Karma is a Hindu concept adopted by Buddhism,Maya or illusion or Mithya or Myth is a Hindu concept again copied by Buddhism.

Vegetarianism: It was practiced and prescribed in Vedic culture much before Buddhism, and was practised by Brahmins, much before Buddhism.

If We come down to the basics, There is no such religion called Hinduism. Its a Huge umbrella preserving every possible Philosophy, Belief system and spirituality. If Buddhism is analogous to a river then, it originated from this Huge glacier called Hinduism.

I hope the evidence presented need not be cited, because the things I described are known to you as well, if not then google is your friend.

Here is a hypothetical situation.

Let's put 1 person from every major and minor religion who is an example of a devout member of their particular faith on a
Airbus 380 which can hold over 500 people, and lets say a extreme radical terrorist Muslim is on the plane and blows it up and everybody dies.

Here is the question.

Do they ALL go or end up where their belief teaches they would go at death?

If you say no, your on to the next step.

Forget about religion, focus on what is the correct belief structure, on any given spiritual topic. For example what happens at death. There can be only 1 reality on this point. Opinions and faith are irrelevant to this.