Shameful Religions

I was going round ATS looking at various threads and noticed the trend many have of turning into a cyber-religious war, particularly between the Christians Vs Muslims.

Now I was born in Israel to staunch Jewish parents and I've seen just how EF'd up people can get when religion is thrown is thrown in the mix. I was sent to Australia to live because from a young age as I would openly support the Muslims, I'm not pro-Muslim I just feel the need to defend anything being attacked so harshly, and being surrounded by Jews it was often Muslims being abused(verbally).

Now I just wanted to say the basic guidelines for every major religion is the same and not original in the slightest. They are all recycled from earlier works. So why do people seem so strongly to believe their religion is the only truth? We laugh at the ridiculous tales of the ancient Greek religions and the like, but our stories which are so similar are real? What is it in the human brain that makes people do this?

All the religions state that their god is an infinite being, so who are we to try to define them? Trying to explain god is like trying to count to infinity starting from negative infinity, we are not capable of even trying, yet we have no problem assuming that others can.

All these religions are founded on the basic principals of love and trust, yet here we are fighting amongst ourselves because we feel the need to believe we are correct. None of them are correct, they all source back to a single man coming and preaching and going, and then quickly are transformed and abused by religious authorities in the quest for power. Fighting about your faith shows you have no faith whatsoever.

Take a look at yourselves seriously. Jesus never said to create a billion dollar a year industry founded on the systematic takeover of empires, Mohammed never said to strap dynamite to yourself and kill yourself so that others would fear your leaders. Above anything they said simply to love, how is this so hard?

All I want to say is this: If Jesus or Mohammed were alive today and saw what you have turned their teachings into and what you do in their names, they would be disgusted and ashamed. God is infinite, God is above worship, God is above ego and tribute, God is the good, the bad and the ugly. Live your lives to be the best person you can, do not share what faith you have, God has infinite forms, God is unique to everyone. Don;t listen to what the church or mosque preaches, listen to what Jesus and Mohammed preached.

PS. PLEASE NO STARS OR FLAGS!!!!! NONE! NO! ZERO! That isn't the point of this.



[edit on 10-1-2010 by Occy Anonymous]

Dead on OP. Like a laser guided spiritual bullet. As i have said before and will continue to say, us jews, christians, bhuddists, muslims, and hindus must unite and stand strong together. I even think we should stand with the righteous non-believers. People who we can stand by on the fact that their values are almost exactly as ours despite their lack of faith. Righteous-atheists and agnostics. Though we all may disagree on basic levels, perhaps the only way we can truly understand god is by observing it through the eyes of other faiths as well as our own. I know one thing is for sure. When i de-converted from atheism i gained a very profound understanding of god. One that i think i never would have learned had i not been a non-believer.

reply to post by DeathShield


Thank you. Thats exactly it, we should all stand together because faith should not divide people. We should all work together to better understand it all, both scientifically and spiritually. As you said jews, christians, bhuddists, muslims, and hindus even non-believers should stop worrying about the validity of their faith and just evolve together.

Yes to both of you.

Unless we unite, mankind is over. I cannot understand why people cannot see this fact - because it is a fact. If a race cannot stick together, that is the end.

Forget the space collisions and everything else - because we cannot stand united, we have had it, and no wonder.

reply to post by Occy Anonymous


Religions are soul business. It is today as it was few hundreds year back:

"As soon as a coin in the coffer rings / the soul from purgatory springs."

-v

Maybe I'm older than you guys, but religion isn't really the problem. There's never been a 'golden age' of peace and love between humans. If we could *magic* away religion, we'd be fighting over politics still. We'd be arguing over race, color, hair color, sexuality, nationality, territory and a million other petty things. So IMO it's human nature that can sometimes shame us.

Not to come across like a total cynic...human nature also makes us band together with friends and family, give to charities, laugh and love together...and a million other petty things that humanity can be proud of. Awww...yuck!

reply to post by Occy Anonymous


this isn't just muslim and xtians.this is also what religion do to its "faithfuls".i offer you a case in study. a country who has been manipulated by a paticular religion. the "Roman catholics". I have to be specific now.
there was a time when i thought that the government of this counrty was the one in fault. but looking back at the grassroots of the problem this counrtry is saddling, it points more on the 400 yrs. that religion imposed by Spain is more likely the culprit.
case taken? its the philippines..
point is youre a jew and im a pilipino. but religion affects us in so many ways...our religion is based on a judeo-christian sort of mix up...just to mess up all of us...

reply to post by Kandinsky


Hahah, You are probably older then me friend, but I never said to do away with religion. I said people should break away from organised religion based on power and money. I understand why we do actually need religion, without it there'd be no wonder in this world, it established the foundations of science. I'm saying religions need to put aside they're differences, get rid of all the useless frills and go back to the core of their beliefs. They all preach love yet never demonstrate it. they are all simply businesses that people blindly follow.

Ultimately people are the problem, religion if done right is a beautiful thing, but it makes too many assumptions and has been twisted and changed from the noble beginnings they had.

Humanity needs to understand that it doesn't matter if god is real or not, whether god is a he or she, the framework of all religions are the same and we should just live by them. Free of charge or obligation.

reply to post by enkira


While I was raised in a jewish household I never accepted the faith and turned my back on it, I've seen what people become when they're juiced up on faith and I chose to get as far away from it as possible. But yes I understand what you mean to say, and I never said just the Christians and Muslims, I was using them as an example as they're the most publicized. Every religion no matter what you call it, not matter what all boil down to the same principals which people seem to have forgotten.

reply to post by Occy Anonymous
I agree with a lot of that. Humans do like to congregate and they do like to be led.

My problem with religions is the way they are used to screw other people over. They are 'institutions' and seek to exist through time at the cost of people's lives sometimes. The major religions are guilty enough of that. The Pope's recent directions against contraception in AIDS-rife South Africa is pretty low on the 'basic human decency-ometer.' He's an old guy, but I'd happily beat him with his jewelled sceptre for that one!

The trappings of wealth that they draw to themselves seems unnecessary. Worshipping God/Allah/Jehova doesn't require silver crosses, gold leaf minarets or marble synagogues!

And hey! People can have a lot of 'wonder' in their lives without religion too. I'd say a lot of wonder has no connection to religion at all!

Are you telling us to parents sent you away from poor little Israel to live in Australia because you were a defender of the Muslims? then you go on by saying none of the religions are correct and that they are all recycled? I don't think Jesus was spitting recycled garbage. And his teachings were the only ones based on love and trust and how to live life as a good human being as God intended for us all. But besides that I do agree with you about people from all religions paying no attention to what is right from wrong and need to take a harder look at what their actions will do to others.

reply to post by Moonman1111


Yes haha, it's complicated I think I just liked doing the exact opposite of what my parents wanted also I enjoy playing the Devil's advocate, being surrounded by Jews people all I heard was the evils of Islams and it wasn't so much as defending the religion because I believed in it more so maybe I just liked arguing. And then yes I had a big argument with my dad and got sent to live with my Aunty in Australia.

I never it was recycled GARBAGE, I just said recycled. The myths, the figures, the morals are all taken from older religions.

The legend of Jesus himself was recycled from Osiris, Odin and a good number of other figures who came before him not that I'm denying his existence but mosdef the stories were exaggerated greatly, But yes everything about Christianity is recycled, right down to the hat on the pope's head.

I am sorry but you are mis-informed if you believe only Jesus preached about peace and love. Mohammed for example used to teach the believers that anyone who would return love only when love was given belonged on a lower ethical plane. He also state that despite outward differences we are all blood brothers and sisters born from Adam and Eve. Hinduism has many gods and many of them are all about peace, their concept of Karma should be a dead giveaway. As for Buddha, he taught absolute peace, just take a look at how many monks committed bonzo(suicide by fire) in protest of the Vietnamese regime rather then fighting. They rated their enemies lives higher then their own and would rather kill themselves then harm another.

Again it is religious organizations that have misconstrued the principals of it's leaders. But yes you are absolutely correct about your final point.

[edit on 10-1-2010 by Occy Anonymous]

Thank you for this post, it is something that needs to be further explored.

These thoughts are a welcome sight. You touched on a point of view that takes a kind thoughtful approach to all the religious misrepresentation that goes on when it comes to differing faiths.

For me the, the golden nugget that is so often overlooked is that spirituality and religions are all like a huge watershed that eventually leads to the sea. There are many spiritual tributaries, religious streams, philosophical rivers, wetlands, marshes, etc. of differing sizes, but they all lead towards a higher form of human/spiritual expression.

The quality of a person's spiritual character, for me, is measured by their ability to recognize the things they have in common despite the differing definitions of their specific faiths. That is, that they are both peaceful, tolerant, forgiving and understanding human beings engaged in a journey/battle to be true to themselves, be true to the highest expressions of their faith, and be true to their brother sisters/neighbors.

The point of religion is to honor the Creator from an ideal of peaceful virtue, this can't be done by destroying life or by having a destructive mentality towards spiritual understanding, faith and or others.

In the words of the great Bob Marley, "Give a little, take a little, then give a little one more time."

Peace and reciprocity to all

reply to post by sparrowstail


Thank you friend, you put into words what I was thinking better then I could ever have dreamed. I agree with you wholeheartedly and the statement "There are many spiritual tributaries, religious streams, philosophical rivers, wetlands, marshes, etc. of differing sizes, but they all lead towards a higher form of human/spiritual expression." is brilliant.

Bonus points for mentioning Bob Marley too hahahaha.

Wow, All I can think of is that post the other day where the OP (almost as new here as I am) starts out with "Your an idiot. I made my judgement of OP based on that statement. Now I read this somewhat conflicting post and am wondering who he is today.

Oh the ironing!

This post ain't too bad though.


The answer is that people adjust the religion to suit their needs at the time. If population is a problem, just spew out a few more sex sins, then go have your way with the alter boy while chugging down some holy wine.

reply to post by SLaPPiE


lol, yeah I can get a bit passionate about things sometimes, I am far from perfect or even balanced but this is at the least how I wish to feel all the time. Thankya brudda. btw which post was it? I called a lot of people idiots. hahaha, my bad.

[edit on 10-1-2010 by Occy Anonymous]

Originally posted by Occy Anonymous
reply to post by SLaPPiE

 

lol, yeah I can get a bit passionate about things sometimes, I am far from perfect or even balanced but this is at the least how I wish to feel all the time. Thankya brudda.

btw which post was it? I called a lot of people idiots. hahaha, my bad.

[edit on 10-1-2010 by Occy Anonymous]

Here ya go...I looked up your post for you: www.abovetopsecret.com...&mem=Occy+Anonymous

Yes, "they" fixed it. I gotta say that after I read the snipped part, I almost hit the ignore user just to keep myself from getting myself all bent out of shape, but I did not. I will say that as simple as it seems, that was the most offensive thing I have read since joining the board. I will also say it is something I could have done as easy as you did. I come from a sports car board, and we hit pretty hard compaired to here, so I try to tone it down a bit for the mellows round here. So you could have called someone a total freaking moron at my car board and I would have been proud of you for having the big ones, but here it's a little more like a field of wild flowers both young and old.

I learnt from this here!

jesus is still alive today and you are totaly right all the great teachings have been warpt and corupted over the years i myself still try to live the way that jesus wanted and as for other religions i may not agree with there views but i would never hate them for it or belitle them for it

peace and love to every religion out there and i hope you all have a good day
digby

I follow five religions but I believe in one true god which is spirit, that's just me though.

reply to post by SLaPPiE


ah that! yeah, when it comes to people talking down to immigrants it hits a raw nerve with me, so rather then saying what I wanted to call him I landed on idiot and it got snipped. Hate to have seen what would have happened if I said what I really wanted to.

But yeah it was wrong of me to say simply for someone for voicing their opinions but I migrated to a fairly racist country and know that sometimes people might say something so subtle but their true meaning and feelings are incredibly racist.. Racism is a big no no.

Thanks for finding the thread though, gave me something to reflect on.