Religion is an enigma, wrapped inside a riddle of culture.

Yes. I believe religion to be a clever illusion (as do many). A bubble if you will, perfectly encompassing all of what you know and have known, mixed in with all you fear, and have feared.

This thread is not intended to seem like a perceptional epiphany because this realization is anything but new. That said, our instincts make us territorial. So it is our instinctual reaction to believe in our own first and for most.

Religion is a recycled template of control, based around the culture in which a member is from, and a universal portion of truth miraculously holding it together. FYI, the full truth needs nothing to hold it together. Only portions of the truth are suitable candidates for discourse.

Religion survives because of our instincts to protect our culture and territory. Take nature out of it for a moment and what becomes clear is the same thing. There is one God who we all hope to impress with our actions. Not thousands of Gods that make us hate another person and their evil god just to suffice their own religious arrogance.

God is larger than culture, so we must be larger than our perception of culture. Culture is what we are at war with, not extremism, not terrorism, but culture, and our mindless disapproval of cultures outside of our own.

Remember the crusades? Force-feeding religion didn't work too well. Now here we are force-feeding democracy like it is going out of style. Cultures are different and so are the ideas surrounding them. You all know the saying, "you can take a man off the farm but you can't take the farm out of the man." Knowing this cliche, and yet we still continue to "go against the natural grain" of life.

Religion = Culture

Accept others cultures FOR WHAT THEY ARE and we may understand the similarities of our religious beliefs.

Author's Note: This thread is for those that WANT to find a way to Peace. I cannot argue with someone who thinks another human is less than himself.

Just thought I'd share my thoughts.

AAC

Religions have developed some beautiful cultures that should be preseved, imo. The backstreets of Jerusalem will inspire you. In the ideal sense, religion should become 'ritual' and beliefs inherent should become 'disillusioned'. I can hope, right?

Agreeable and deep post.

Originally posted by SteveR
Religions have developed some beautiful cultures that should be preseved, imo. The backstreets of Jerusalem will inspire you.

I agree. This is another reason it makes it harder to "let go." If there is beauty in the breakdown, yet you are lost in the beauty, what gives? A universal breakdown of sorts.

AAC

Originally posted by AnAbsoluteCreation

Religion is a recycled template of control.

The full truth needs nothing to hold it together.

Remember the crusades? Force-feeding religion didn't work too well.

First of all, I really liked your thread. I also liked it because the three above quoted lines are exactly what Jesus stressed during His ministry.

1) No rites or rituals are needed to come to Him. His salvation is available for the asking for free. No control is possible as no man can get in the way unless we let them (church hierarchy for example). We're saved through grace only and Jesus is the only intercessor.

2) Truth. Yes, beautiful. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. No lies or manipulation. Just pure truth.

3). Exactly. No forcing religion onto anyone. Jesus said if anyone does not listen to our message than we are to shake the dust off our shoes and move along. No burning at the stake, hangings, or beheadings. Too bad so many didn't heed this advice.

At its core, it is a very liberating movement but it is a shame so many distorted it throughout the ages in order to do pretty much the opposite of everything your post states. We're also told to not force another "culture" into our beliefs but to separate ourselves from it (live and let live in other words).

I know your post was focusing on all religions but thought I'd throw that in. The reference to the crusades stuck out in my mind and made me think of just how much of the lesson such individuals completely missed. Such things as well as control in general makes me sick and it is nobody's responsibility to get in between another person and God.

[edit on 2/8/2008 by AshleyD]

reply to post by AshleyD


Thanks for the kind words.

We the people are the procurers of truth within. Jesus was amazing, because he taught such timeless beauty in a day of wretched hypocrisy.

My favorite passage from Jesus, "You can do everything I can do, and more." He was the living example of God's true intentions for us, which was to live peacefully at our highest potentials. We are luckily approaching another chance for spiritual redemption.

AAC

Jesus was amazing"

Ok then do you believe what he said that hes the saviour and only way to heaven, God in the flesh?

you cant have it both ways, you either believe or not.. and Christianity is a religion.....


Its not just a culture its revealed truth. 2000 years of saints have seen him work miracles including I seeing cancer cure from prayer and many other miracles me and my family seen..

St gemma one of the many stigmatist in my signature seen her agel almost daily and was cured of a deadly illness..

it goes way deeper then just being a cultur,, faith produces evidence, and to some the faith becomes the evdence...


" God is larger than a culture "


Yes but God has something called revealed truth. If God is all religions hes divided against himself in truth.. (one) has to be right and not all of them.......

I believe its Christ and his church... Im doing a post soon I did on BTs about the trintiy imp,anted on our bodies please read it...


peace.

Originally posted by JesusisTruth

Ok then do you believe what he said that hes the saviour and only way to heaven, God in the flesh?

Jesus Christ was the way, the truth, and the light. He led by example, in the name of god. He revealed the way to salvation, I agree. I would also advise not to get lost in translation.

you cant have it both ways, you either believe or not.. and Christianity is a religion.....

You can have it anyway you choose. That is life. Jesus never intended christianity to be the divided ideology that it is today. Jesus didn't outlined the perimeters of the movement as it is being interpreted today. However, I am smart enough not to argue those points.

Its not just a culture its revealed truth.

This statement leads me to believe you have a shallow understanding of culture, if you think it doesn't carry truth with it.

2000 years of saints have seen him work miracles including I seeing cancer cure from prayer and many other miracles me and my family seen..

I have seen hindu prayer heal the sick. This was the entire point of my thread. Do you really think that Christianity is the only religion that heals through prayer? It is through love and thought projection that is doing the work, not someone's specific deity. This thread asks you to look at the big picture and see it for the forest, rather than the tree.

St gemma one of the many stigmatist in my signature seen her agel almost daily and was cured of a deadly illness..

Again, you are having tunnel vision if you think that the saints are the only ones to experience miracles.

it goes way deeper then just being a cultur,, faith produces evidence, and to some the faith becomes the evdence...

Of course it goes deeper than culture, because whatever culture has obtained a portion of the UNIVERSAL truth, and their culture transformed that into the "ONLY WAY."

Other cultures have their "ONLY WAY." All I ask is to look at the big picture.

And for all the doubters out there. Are any of you perfect? Because the imperfections you acquire may be the result of a blemished interpretation.

Jesus was love. Love is the way. That is what makes him the truth.

(one) has to be right and not all of them.......

Don't you find it convenient that your way is the one right way? Isn't it funny how each culture believes they are right? Thank you for helping me with my point.

I believe its Christ and his church...

I respect you beliefs.


AAC

[edit on 8-2-2008 by AnAbsoluteCreation]

The hardest thing for most will be accepting that spirit is the only real religion.

AAC