Coming into one world religion

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US Bishops support Pope's call for dialogue
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Zenit.org) -- The U.S. bishops' conference echoed Benedict XVI's call for dialogue between the Christian faith and the modern world and between all cultures and religions.

In a statement, Bishop William Skylstad, president of the U.S. conference, said that the episcopal body "enthusiastically supports the call for dialogue made by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in his audience message today, Wednesday, September 20. …

"Given the circumstances of the last week, it is clear that dialogue is essential between Christians and Muslims, a dialogue in which we respect, in the words of the Holy Father, 'what is sacred for others.'


As i've been thinking all along, bringing together all religions to talk, make a council, Doings all by RCC.
Is this the begining of what we can consider the world religion forming?

Probably not. Organized religion seems to be rapidly becoming outdated.

I'm say greater dialogue between religions is a lot better than Holy War between them, or a second crusade for example, which comparisons were made with over last weeks Pope's speech kerfuffle.

There will never be one religion, the channel between religions in this world is way too far apart.

Dialogue is a good thing, but will it work I donot think so, not when you have one religion having no respect for another religion.

Didnt they say that the Anti-Christ would bring all religions under one religion?? If all of that is true, personally I dont think it is.

IMO, I think this is a good thing. It's not unlike countries talking diplomatically with each other; the goal is to prmote understanding between 2 "cultures" which can be very different. Anything peaceful that promotes understanding between different beliefs is a good thing.

The RCC is not the only one prmoting such a thing. There is the Interfaith Council started by I believe a Baptist, some sort of Protestant anyway. And there are a number of such interfaith organizations that have been started by Jewish rabbis. They seem to be doing a good job, too.

Originally posted by forestlady
IMO, I think this is a good thing. It's not unlike countries talking diplomatically with each other; the goal is to prmote understanding between 2 "cultures" which can be very different. Anything peaceful that promotes understanding between different beliefs is a good thing.

The RCC is not the only one prmoting such a thing. There is the Interfaith Council started by I believe a Baptist, some sort of Protestant anyway. And there are a number of such interfaith organizations that have been started by Jewish rabbis. They seem to be doing a good job, too.

I agree here as well, peace is the ultimate challange we have to make work, by using force will only add more anger, fear and hate meaning Terrorism if acted on.

But even though, dialogue is a good thing, i feel this could take a turn for the worst and what i mean by this is that most religions in the world are peaceful, until they are attacked or threatened. I feel that the muslim community sees these actions as threats, feeling this way especially when they are so devoted and set in there only views when your seeing family and friends dying and your religion trying to be torn apart your not going to think that the other side is there to help.

The comments that the pope made even though it was a quote form hundreds of years ago, effected the whole people of the world, depending on where you stand depends on how you viewed this statement. It should not have been said if the Pope wants peace. May God be the judge but he well knew what he was doing....

I think it's a drum call to support the Catholic/Christian views, and to strenghten and group together the Good and separate what the christians think are evil,

I seriously to don't think that there will be one "World Religion" but think that in order to make a unified model of peace IN RELIGION, all religions would need to unite under one council that keeps the order, something Pope John Paul II was working on previously, remember when he bowed and kissed the Koran back in 1999. This was an act of respect, and one that was shown the world. When you call a Religous leader Evil and unhuman, or quote someone in the past knowing the world is listening thats a sign of disrespect, bringing back old demons from the past, causing a negitive effect as we are seeing today happen, i think it was planned on purpose,


All in my honest opinion,

I can't see there ever being a one world religion, at least by the means you suggest of merging all of the existing ones. While many religions today share common themes, they are fundamentally too far apart to ever merge, I think.

I could see 'the powers that be' perhaps starting a new religion or choosing an existing one and making that the only 'acceptable' religion, kind of like Constantine did with Christianity for the Romans. But you will never get Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and all the rest to join together in one massive new world religion.

I would definitely like to see more peace between religions. In some areas of the world, people let you believe whatever you want as long as you don't bother anyone, but there are places where people are dying and fighting each other over religion, and this simply has to stop.

Let's see here...a religion that we'll all believe and accept as truth..???...it almost sounds like prophesy of the 'end times' come to life....it'll be based on ourselves as a race and our 'individuality' and the 'power' we possess as spiritual entities within a shell of flesh and bone....we'll no longer see 'god' as a possibility..in fact we'll see ouselves as 'gods in the making'....sound about right?

whooah...i'm freaking myself out.......

Okay,
well saying that there was a choosen Head council that watched over the whole of all religions to keep the peace one that all would agree and support causing the possiblity for world peace?? This is something i think could be valided, and not redical enough to say i'm crazy, Cause the RCC already said that they would be willing to lead, but nothing less. They would Head the council. Stating that they basicaly have say in the direction the council is to go, but of course only out of respect they say, i'm definitely not anit-catholic as you may think for my thoughts, just steping out of the box and seeing a different angle as to what might be. True will tell on it's self.

Dark_Raven

Peace

if there was an alien event, staged or real, during which they shed light in human spirituality and how all faiths are simply externalising various intermal archetypes (jungian concept), therefore all originate from the same source, then maybe there could be some reconciliation between the various religious institutions. a new council or such with a revised understanding of how faith is the manifestation of the collective unconscious may be the logical solution.

of course, it is rather sad that it would take an outside force whom we respect more than ourselves to point out this very obvious truth to us. reminds me of an old ronny reagan quote, perhaps someone can dig it up...

The only way there could ever be a one world religion is if every single person on the planet bar a couple were eliminated so they could start a fresh. The few that were left would have to then teach the rest about the one religion. Not quite that simple i know but you get my drift.

So looks like thats not going to happen!

Saying that though, give Bush time........theres still a few countries left

CX.

I'm pretty much a young idealist, but this will never work, not in our lifetimes anyway.

Maybe after all the fundamentalists have wiped each other out, my generation will unite in some form of unified spirituality but I highly doubt this as I don't really see any religion stepping up to the plate so to speak, not even the dreaded New Age Movement.

My generation seems to have a problem joining things in general, its just not cool to be involved with anything I suppose, not when you can stay at home and watch it on TV in high def

We don't even really have a united pop culture, like generations past, unless you count drugs.

This is quite a serious point actually, drug use is rampant, unchecked, and even encouraged by pop culture.....perhaps chemically induced shamanism could be the New World Religion?

Can they stamp a tax on peyote juice?

Maybe I'm more of a realist than an idealist actually.

I do not think there there will ever exist unity between Muslims & Catholics.
The source referenced in the OP stated that Muslims & Catholics believe in the One God. But the Muslims reject the trinity out of hand. The reject the divinity of Christ & do not consider him to be equal to God.

I cannot forsee either side willing to admit they their concept of "Truth" is incorrect.
I cannot see either side willing to submit to the other. The only solution is for both of them to be dissolved. Then perhaps real progress can be made. False religion has been and continues to be a cancer on man.

[edit on 30-10-2006 by Sparky63]

Humanity is at a stalemate with religion, as other people have said there are too many differences beween religions for there ever be only one. We need to see beyond religion to progress and this can only be done by the realisation that religion is used to keep us from reality. Once the mind is freed from the shackles that religions impose on people, we will be able to look beyond and search together for what life really means.

Originally posted by fiftyfifty
Humanity is at a stalemate with religion, as other people have said there are too many differences beween religions for there ever be only one.

Wars and our inhumanty towards each other will chip away at those differences, unfortunately. To think that the greatest conflict happening in the world today is a theological split between two religions is almost unbelievable, but, there it is...

There could be a world religion very easily instituted if we were to make it personal rather than external.

On the other hand, I don't see religions, as they are today, as being stagnant either. They seem to be evolving rapidly and in all directions. I'd even go so far as to say that sports is also a new religion. (Good idea for a new thread, actually)

We need to see beyond religion to progress and this can only be done by the realisation that religion is used to keep us from reality.

I actually very much agree with that statement. But, what is the reality? Is it that there is only the flesh and no spirit whatsoever? That I would disagree with. If you were to say that religion keeps us from realizing the reality of our spiritual part, then I'd agree, because most religions would have you think that such things existed apart from us.

Once the mind is freed from the shackles that religions impose on people, we will be able to look beyond and search together for what life really means.

They may be shackles to those who are told what to believe and what not, but they are a freedom to those who find that there is a duality at work on the material plane. There are two words which, when fully understood, will open up an entirely new internal vista to those who believe there is nothing but the flesh.

Those two words are 'phosphenes' and 'entoptics'. To understand what they mean is to understand why religion persists even in this 'modern' world. It's because visions are the foundation upon which they were all built.

To become aware of our own potential for 'internal vision' is to slough off all dogmatic religions as second hand knowledge.

quote: We need to see beyond religion to progress and this can only be done by the realisation that religion is used to keep us from reality.

I actually very much agree with that statement. But, what is the reality? Is it that there is only the flesh and no spirit whatsoever? That I would disagree with. If you were to say that religion keeps us from realizing the reality of our spiritual part, then I'd agree, because most religions would have you think that such things existed apart from us.

Dont gt me wrong masqua, i dont consider myself an atheist as i do believe that there is something more to life spiritually. However i believe that believing what you are told to believe is being passed on through generations and the beliefs that these people hold prevent them from believing other possibilities.

To become aware of our own potential for 'internal vision' is to slough off all dogmatic religions as second hand knowledge.

I agree with this statement, we could acheive and understand more by using what we currently know and how our world is today. Religion focuses very much on the past. It is the future we need ot be focusing on.

Understood, 5050.

Originally posted by fiftyfifty
Religion focuses very much on the past. It is the future we need ot be focusing on.

...the future through understanding the present, imo.

Ok...in the spirit of speculation, this is a fledgeling thought, and entirely off-the-cuff;

-what is the most unifying factor between all the different cultures in all the various countries on this dirtball we call Earth?

Sports.

The Olympics are the pinnacle of world sports, I suppose. It is a transient 'Vatican' of sorts, forming every four years in some place or other, where all athletes and adoring adherants gather like some great pilgrimage from all corners of the globe.

It is in that arena where the human body is pitted against the achievements of the past, always striving to improve itself in a way that reminds me of Darwinism and the survival of the fittest.

Would I be wrong to say that the total amount of wealth expended in the pursuit and enjoyment of all sports exceeds all the amounts spent on all the worlds religions? I don't know, so I'm asking.

This is a novel idea, and I may make some of you shake your heads in disbelief at it, but how widespread and how old is the competition of The Game?.

An athlete has two basic requirements;

1. a body which has physical strength, agility, co-ordination, etc.
2. a mind which is focussed, determined and willing to push past the pain.

The successful athlete is so respected by those who love sports that they are made almost god-like. No-one has to look far for examples. Here, Wayne Gretzki is called 'The Great One'.

The new World Religion is sports.

I'll probably be stoned to death for this.