Anyone else share this belief?

I have embraced a view that religions (at least at their best) are all simply different roads heading in the same direction.

There are even churches that take this approach. Here's a link to the "About" page for Spiritual Life Center, which appears to have this attitude. (I've never been there, but the founding ministers once served a church in my general area.)

SLC World | Who We Are

 

I completely agree, my religion is to be happy, to love others, and to at least try to rid this world of all the hate. If being myself is wrong, I don't want to be right. (&&&)

 

To me, saying that you believe in a system that you describe is no different than just ignoring all the bad bits found in religion and pasting it all together to form this happy filled belief system. It looks appealing from the outside, but all it is is a view that is created through shear ignorance of the facts

 

You're welcome!

As I recall, I heard a story that the Morans (the SLC founders) had a vision for this type of church when they were in seminary.

The irony is that I met someone in my area who quit attending the church where the Morans served ca. 1990. He felt that Michael Moran was "too Christian."

 

I don't subscribe to any particular religion or church nor do I regularly attend a church but I am a believer so I call myself a Christian.

 

Tell that to Martin Luther. Or any other number of people who start new religious traditions.

Yes, I can see that there is a problem with going through and selecting the "happy parts" and leaving all the rest behind. Or worse finding excuses to ignore the unpleasant parts. (I am seeing that with one neighbor who claims to be a Christian, and is probably going to be starting a war with another neighbor soon. So much for "love thy neighbor." But she probably can find an excuse, like "my neighbor is not a good Christian like I am!")

But there is a huge difference between selecting happy parts vs. seeing truths in different traditions. Or seeing areas in one's tradition which one feels is not right.

---------- Post added 30th Mar 2013 at 12:14 PM ----------

Going off topic a bit (sorry!)...

But I think it would be nice if everyone could all at least respect other religious traditions. The wars that have occurred over differing religions are insane.

 

I do believe that all religion has roots in the same basic source, the diversity we see in how people implement their beliefs being down to the fact we're human beings who pass down our traditions from generation to generation, forming a unique strain of the same basic idea that best represents our interpretation of life, history and belief.

I also believe that there is something to be taken from most religions, that there are elements that are better to be viewed and appreciated than scoffed at just because there is bad too. Everything has good and bad bits, people performing vile acts because of religion is no different to people performing vile acts for other reasons. If we focused on ignoring/dismissing everything due to the bad bits, we'd live very dull lives indeed.

I'm not sure it's the formation of a happy belief system, it's an acknowledgement that the various religions found throughout the world stem from the same ancestral tree. They are connected, they have similarities, there are truths which exist in each of them in different forms. Bad and good, humans are as humans are and they'll do what they do.


(and of course, I mean all religions where people are not simply taking the pee out of people who do believe in various interpretations of creation, life and death - a time before science, rich in culture and history, with traditions that have carried on in some form or another into the modern day, deserve more than derision. Personally. )

 

I believe that the rainbow that comes out of nyan cat sparked the creation of the Earth.

 

Your beliefs sound very similar to what i've read about about the Baha'i faith. Which, from what i understand, is that all religions are part of gods plan and that each major 'messiah' is used by god to further and evolve humanity.

Tbh, i haven't read anything on it in a while, all i really remember is that they're quite a peaceful and accepting, and Omid Djalili (english comedian) follows the religion.

 

I think that everyone needs something to cling to, be it the notion of a supreme overlord or some other outlet. About what you said about not following one specific religion, in Japan, people follow both Buddhism and Shintoism simultaneously. It can be done.

---------- Post added 30th Mar 2013 at 01:12 PM ----------

Why you no OMFGDogs?

 

I myself am a Christian, and I believe that everyone goes to Heaven no matter what. Yes, I believe that even the people who have done horrible, horrible things go to heaven. I see heaven as simply the place people go after they die, not a reward.

I believe true virtue is following morality or good just for the sake of being good - not out of fear of Hell. When we die, all past memories of our life on Earth are erased - and our Earthly memories are replaced with complete knowledge of the universe. And, as humanity advances - Heaven and Earth become closer and closer until one day when they become one and the same.

So, in a way, all faiths (and lack of faith) are right - I follow Christianity because it makes the most sense to me. But there is also the element that no one really knows, the mystery that we try to attach a name to, because we can't understand. Maybe, God is the universe...?

But yeah, that's my beliefs in a nutshell. I know, it sounds kind of crazy, doesn't it? xD

 

What's wrong with it? Seems a helluva lot better than embracing and encouraging the bad bits. It sounds to me like Ace is also aware that not all religions are thoroughly rosy, so they are not being ignorant.

 

I think the world would be a much better place without *any* religion, organized or not. Thats all im saying about that.

(disclaimer: I was born/raised Catholic, but am now obviously atheist.)

- Johnny

 

I totally understand.

I believe that religion started off based on the principals morality. Man have taken it and twisted it to their own preferences, and thinking. Despite what we all believe or who we believe in, the same person, being, god, thing created us. That is a fact.