Info on religions other than Christianity?

Question

Hi, I was raised strict Catholic, but am not religious at all now (I'm 20). I am interested in learning more about religions other than Christianity. I know the basics of most religions, but does anyone have any input on their religion and why they believe in it/some of their favorite traditions? Did you convert or were you raised it? I'm especially interested in Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and the Baha'i faith, but others too! thanks :)

upallnite, your answer is hilarious. i'm glad i grew out of it too :p.

as for the answers about Hinduism and Buddhism so far, those are great, thanks!
what do these religions say about sexuality and sexual freedom? One of the big problems I had about Catholicism was its intolerance of sex, especially homosexuality. I think if 2 guys love each other, they should go for it!

Answer 1

don't just take other persons word about it just because it was told to you by a teacher/elder person, don't take a book just because it was written, don't believe tales or stories just because it was told over and over again. Instead find out about buddhism through books,life endeavours, teachings of the Buddha and by listening to Dhamma talks as it was said by the Buddha "Ehi Passiko" (come and experience it for yourself) in other words,come and find out for yourself and make the decision for yourself, we are all capable of training our mind to know good.

Answer 2

"Hi, I was raised strict Catholic, but am not religious at all now"

I too was raised a strict Catholic, but when I started asking asking serious questions about it that were not in accordance with their thinking, I was persecuted and finally ended up imprisoned for a time (my father lied to the police and had me jailed after an arguement about attending church). I left the Church forever and began a journey of prayer and study to find the truth.

This is a personal journey and can not be forced upon people, they must seek and find for themselves. Prayer is an important part of it. I examined all the religions and found the Baha'i Faith. I then discovered that it was what I believed.

Do not believe because others tell you to do so, search, examine, and pray. It is only then your journey will be successful. It took a few years for me to discover my answer, and it is possible that could happen to you, but do not get discouraged. In the end, the answer will manifest itself. You are on the right path now.

For information about the Baha;i Faith: www.bahai.org

BTW: Baha'i children are encouraged to study all the religions and then at the age of 15, given the right to make their own choice. If they do not choose Baha'i, they are not ostracized or alienated by either family or friends for their choice.

Answer 3

"why would you study religions other that Christianity?" haha, she said she was raised Catholic didn't she? hehe... okay....

as to Buddhism, I know that my uncle is Buddhist and he is gay, so that should give you some insight on to their beliefs and tolerances to that. I personally am Wiccan. Have you ever heard of Tribe.net? It has a crazy amount of tribes on there that are for any and everything. If you'd like to talk to people in those specific religions, I'd say it would be a great place to go and join. There are over 2000 tribes in the Religion and Beliefs section alone so I'm sure you could do a search to find exactly what you are looking for. It's in a better forum than this because you can post topics where people can respond to the post itself, or email you, etc.... The topics are not time limited. If you'd like, I can send you some tribe links to specific topics about the religions, you can read them without being a member.

Happy Hunting!

~ Scarlet

Answer 4

You might try looking into neo-paganism (also refered to as paganism, but most religions that fall under it are reconstructed, so it's more appropriate to call it "neo"). Those who practice neo-pagan beliefs tend to be more open to different sexual practices, and there are many different beliefs to choose from!

Myself, I'm Wiccan. I researched many religions after deciding as a teenager that Christianity just wasn't right for me, and that's the religion that I chose. You can learn more about it here: http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.html Also, that's a really good site to begin basic research on many religions, including those you've listed.

For information on neo-pagan beliefs in general and specific groups, you could try Wikipedia, http://www.paganetwork.net , and http://www.paganlibrary.com . Those are all good places to get a good grounding in the general beliefs and customs.

Personally, one of the aspects that drew me to Wicca was the duality of the Higher power as male and female; I didn't see why there should only be a male deity without a female counterpart. That just didn't make sense to me. I find that I respond much better to the idea of a duality. However, you don't necessarily have to believe that to be Wiccan; there are Wiccans who believe in a genderless Higher Power as well. Also, I believe that reincarnation is real and that it takes many lifetimes to get your soul to the point where you will get to join with the Divine.

My favorite traditions are probably the rituals. No matter what kind it is, either religious or a ritual to work through a personal problem, I love them all.

Answer 5

Buddhism is all about attaining happiness and contentment by finding it within yourself. You can't expect any diety to bring you happiness all the time, it's something that each person must learn how to do on their own. They are big into meditation as a way to learn control over the mind and emotions. The Buddha was born to a wealthy Indian family. He was a hedonist and knew every Earthly pleasure, but He found that it didn't bring Him happiness or contentment. He joined several Indian religious groups, learned and practiced their teachings, and became a devout worshipper of the Hindu gods. Still He found that reliance on the gods didn't bring Him the happiness He sought. One day, while meditating beneath a tree, He attained Enlightenment. He basically figured out how a person could find Inner Peace and Happiness.

Answer 6

Im a Shaolin Zen Tao Buddhist persay. With eastern religions they tend to hit around the same area. Buddhism is about not taking anyones word on anything and trying it out and seeing how it works for you. Try something seriously to find the result. You cannot accomplish an understanding of these things Until you educate yourself more. Your body is your temple, you must hold it sacred.
The dharma is a set of guidelines for living a decent life...
be moral...
ect...
8 rules,
4 noble truths
you find them.
my words will lack.
We must train ourselves constantly to be better and more connected with god. What ever you call it.
Seek balance of self, connection with god and some other stuff..
but thats debateable in Buddhism since each buddhist is their own rule maker... You must find truth on your own and accept it on your own. I cant supply enough info.
You want the Truth? You cant handle the Truth!
The truth is, if you stop searching hapiness will find you.
You can not reach happyness by going down a path...
it happens when all desire and attachment is let go of
You must not search for god, happiness ect...
Live in the moment.
Be the Moment.
Dont question... questions deplete happiness and contentment.
Just look around and observe the world as it is.
You tell me.

www.wikipedia.com?

Answer 7

:) Hi.

Well, I can tell you a little bit about Islam, since I know majority of the people who convert to Islam are Catholics. The two religions are the closest in belief, but Islam is like the more modern form of Christianity.

Our whole way of life/religion is centered around firm belief in One God alone. And also believing that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the Last messenger of God.

Once you believe in just one god, everything else starts to fall into place - it's a totally natural religion, and it gives rights to all types of humans, and places restrictions where there could be harm for a human being.

It's a very peaceful religion and promotes kind treatment of humans, animals, plants, everything. :) I love being a Muslim and those people who come into Islam and understand it really love and appreciate it too. :)

I hope that helped! :D

Answer 8

You've received a lot of awesome responses, and to tell the truth, I'm not really answering your question, but asking you one instead.

Have you considered the idea of not having a religion, but instead embracing a philosophy?

Taoism is a fantastic philosophy which allows you to remain a spiritual and 'good' person without the standard religious requirements or beliefs.

Just a thought. I hope that you find a belief system that you can put all of your faith behind.

Love and peace,

Sebastian

Answer 9

Thankyou very much rian for so beautifully explaining about Hinduism. My 2 cents would be :-
=> Hindus Never attacked any country for conversions
=> Hindus do not say Non-hindus will go to Hell
=> Hindus are very tolerant,open-minded, flexible and accepting people
=> Hinduism believes in re-incarnation, evolution and is no where contradictory to scientific advancement/development. Rather scientific discoveries are confirming the Truth revealed by Sanatan Dharma centuries ago.(Like Tantra explains about the big-bang, oscillating universe, expanding universe and Black Matter)

Answer 10

"Hi, I was raised strict Catholic, but am not religious at all now (I'm 20)." LOL, Glad you grew out of it.

Out of the religions you mentioned Buddhism is my favorite.

I am a Freethinker. It is not a religion but I have not ever found a religion that works. Here is some info on what a freethink is...
http://ffrf.org/nontracts/freethinker.php

Answer 11

You should think about your question first. You say you want to learn more about other religions? Learn about Christianity!!! Catholic and Christian are two different things. Christians don't believe in prayer beads or praying to false idols or dolls. Catholics do. Christians don't wear crusifixes, cathlolics do. Christians don't change their rules to work around peoples beliefs, whatever is in the bible thats what they believe, those are the only laws, catholics change rules and laws on a daily basis to work around their own schedules. When a christian does something bad or dishonorable, they only have to pray and ask God for forgivness. A Cathlolic has to go to see a preist to be exhaled. Christians move in the Holy Spirit...Cathlolics don't even know what thats means. Read the bible more, instead of trying to find falseness in the world. Pray to Jesus and ask him this question.