Hinduism or Islam.

Ah that's good on the vegetarian thing. I'm skinny enough as it is haha. Ok so not all Hindus are vegetarian. What about memorizing scripture? Do you have to memorize it Sanskrit to get the benefits? I noticed ISKCON videos and audio they chant the Sanskrit then recite the Gita verse in English.

All the things you mention are just the ritual trappings of man. Why not glean the benefit of the aspects of different religions you like, instead of feeling like you must follow one exclusively, and "correctly"....???

There is wisdom to be found in the teachings of the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, the Vedas, etc., etc. What really matters is what YOU feel...not the day to day do's and don'ts devised by priests.....

Originally posted by TinFoilHatMan55
There is no temples or mosques where I'm at so I'd have to rely on the internet for information.

i would choose Hindu only because it has such a colorful pantheon and it is more interesting to study as far as the mythos.

Islam is more straightforward and simpler; that is, if you stick to the Q'uran and the original religion as set forth by the Prophet (PBUH).

i see them as equally valid - there is truth available anywhere we choose to look for it - it's up to us to discern. and they are both extremely rich and beautiful religions, imo.

but, in a way, i see Hindu more along the lines of "fiction" and Islam as "non-fiction." which doesn't mean Hindu is not real or actual, it's just more colorful in its presentation.

i hope that made sense
i'm not saying it's literally fiction, just presented more in that fashion.

but it's kind of like:
Taj Mahal or Mecca??

*WOW*

what a choice!
good luck with your decision!

reply to post by TinFoilHatMan55



That's a no brainer. Hinduism. I hope Islam falls into the garbage heap of history real soon. No offense to anyone, but I do.

reply to post by TinFoilHatMan55


Gnosticism is a good alternative to Christianity. I actually own the Nag Hammadi. However, as you said, really there are only excerpts of what it was trying to say. It's a difficult thing to practice.

Originally posted by TinFoilHatMan55
Or do you recommend taking religion piece meal and have a new age type view?

Well,I tend to be "new age," myself. Now, the thing is that at some point, you do have to have some cornerstones to what you believe.

For example:

Do you believe in God or gods?

Do you believe in life everlasting or a resurrection at some unforseen time in the future?

Do you believe in reincarnation?

Do you believe that we are an experiment by some other terrestrial beings?

Et cetera.

First, you have to figure out at least one prime thing that you believe and build from that. To me, of course, I am way over analytical, it seems you don't have anything to build from. You're still searching for a foundation to build from.



[edit on 24-12-2009 by SpeakerofTruth]

That's pretty good advice... Figure out some of your basic beliefs, and then see what (if anything) closely mirrors those ideas... If nothing does, then bam! You're an individual and don't need guys wearing robes and funny hats to tell you how to communicate with the Universe....

I have more leanings towards Islam since it believes in One God that can forgive sins. It makes a lot more sense than Christianity.

I am a Hindu myself. I will tell you why I am Hindu

* It is the only religion that is a philosophical system and encourages independent thinking. It would be safe to say Hinduism is the philosophers religion.

* There is no one single scripture. Although the Vedas are considered the most sacred, Hindus are not required to read the Vedas. There are hundreds of texts you can read in Hinduism, as per your preference. Almost all of these texts are goldmines of wisdom

* It is tolerant of divergent systems of thought. At most if a Hindu disagress with another religion or philosophy they will argue their points rationally, but they are not expected to engage in violence and rarely would a Hindu do so.

* It is realistic. There is no evil counterpart of god, evil is seen as created by the ignorance of human beings. Just as a child can be ignorant and do misdeeds, so too does the human. When they become more enlightened they will lose their "evil" tendencies

* It is fair and just. There is no eternal damnation. The kind of life experiences you have are based on your own previous choices, and you always have the choice to make different choices to have better life experiences in the future.

* It is cosmic and scientific. Hinduism is about eternal laws and principles which govern the universe and living according to them to remain at harmony with the universe.

* It is very colourful. Hinduism believes in one ultimate supreme being/god, but believes that this god has infinite forms. He is the radiant one(Surya), the cosmic intelligence(Indra), the divine architect(Vishwakarma)m, the creator(Brahma), the preserver(Vishnu) the destroyer(Shiva). Each personification of an attribute of god has their own mythology, temples, art, festivals. Hinduism is full of festivals.

* It is liberal. There are many ways to god, not just one. There is the way of philosophy and knowledge, the way of devotion, the way of selfless service, the way of meditation. It accomodates every kind of personality.

* It is very fascinating. It is the oldest religion in the world. It has the largest body of mythology and the the oldest history. Nothing comes close to the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

* It has the most impressive metaphysics of all systems of metaphysics in the world. The best descriptions of the various planes of reality, the best descriptions of spiritual anatomy(subtle body, chakras) and tried and tested methods to work with them directly

* It has its own sciences. The science of grammar, the science of music, the science of architecture, the science of medicine and health, the science of mind. These are even more advanced than their modern counterparts.

Islam is the complete opposite.

[edit on 2-1-2010 by Indigo_Child]

Yeah that would be funny to refute a Baptist when they talk about Hell. It'd be like "Oh I'm a Hindu, hell would temporary until the alotted bad karma is gone." lol same for heaven too with good karma unless moksha is reached.

I agree that Hinduism is cerebral though and always offers an interesting read.

Islam isn't all that bad. It strives for justice for the poor and down trodden. Also it's theology is straight forward which is good.

[edit on 2-1-2010 by TinFoilHatMan55]

Originally posted by TinFoilHatMan55
Yeah that would be funny to refute a Baptist when they talk about Hell. It'd be like "Oh I'm a Hindu, hell would temporary until the alotted bad karma is gone." lol same for heaven too with good karma unless moksha is reached.

The Hindu argument to the baptist is simple: If god is giving infinite punishments or rewards for finite actions, then your god cannot be a fair god. In contrast, in Hinduism every action has a consequence and we will only reap what we will sow. Ultimatey, even by doing good actions we will only get good results and once those karmas are spent the balance is restored to zero. So even good actions will not take you to infinity. To attain the infinite you must liberate yourself from the cycle of birth and death by attaining transcendence in this life - directly experiencing god.

Islam isn't all that bad. It strives for justice for the poor and down trodden. Also it's theology is straight forward which is good.

Islam is only good(to an extent) for the believers. The non-believers, on the other hand get everything from unfair taxation to death by the sword.
For a woman Islam is not all that good either, she has an ambigious postion in Islam, on one hand she is given the right to divorce her man and on the other she is expected to be subserviant to her man and cater to his every need and wish. A man also has the right to hit his woman.

In Hinduism a woman's role has varied historically. In the later times Hindu society was more oppressive to women, and in early Hindu society a woman was equal to a man, and could become a spiritual teacher, even compose scriptures, fight in the army, remarry and even divorce her man.
Hinduism has far more examples of powerful women than any other religion.

[edit on 2-1-2010 by Indigo_Child]

reply to post by Indigo_Child


awesome posts!

i think it is just more FUN
for girls (?)