A Religion's true nature is reflected in its followers actions and attitudes? True or False?

Question

The true teachings and virtues of any Religion is reflected on their followers...True or False? Imagine teaching about Peace, Harmony and Kindness... and next you know, any connection you see of that faith is mostly associated with Violence in the name of divine and Holier than Thouness. If the Majority of the global followers are mostly reactting the negative way, isnt that because the teachings are not fully understood or the Holy Priest/ministre had been preaching nonsense? thk you

Answer 1

True. Seen through out history.

Crusaders ( supposed to represent the CHurch) pillaged. plundered and destroyed cultures, people and nations. The daily family believers are not like that, maybe, but if the Highest representatives portray the faith as such, its as good as saying MY god permits it.

"Extremists of Islam" destroyed a building full of innocent people and claim its god's calling. Which loving god calls his/her people to destroy each other to serve him?

"Salem Witch hunts" ( out of which most were not witches anyway, poor women poor cats )

"Spanish Inquisitions"

Hindus and Muslims in India

In several Dynasties of Ancient CHina: Burning of opposing religion's temples and monasteries..and their holy texts ie. Daoist Emperors persecuting buddhists and Buddhist Emperors persercuting daoists both claiming to weed out rebels found within the sects ( sound familiar?)

every religion ALWAYS claims they are not a religion but a path to god, divine, relisation of enlightenment etc etc etc. but the word religion is nothing but a label... exchange the word religion for path, spirituality etc and you will get the same thing if the followers are practising the total opposite of what their saints had taught them Imagine a Violent Buddhist who meditates on Non-violence, Ahimsa? A hateful Christian who says Jesus loves You? A war-mongering muslim who says Peace to You?... the list goes on.

Even if the individual minority doesnt do as above ( hate, violence,war), we should not condone such activities by the "higher powers", if by democracy the majority WINS then, isnt it true the Majority has spoken and THAT reflects what they believe in unless of course we have the misfortune of being born in a land where CHOICE isnt even an option! Eeeks!

Answer 2

Both true and false. You will find that throughout history, there will be those that who will follow a religion's teachings, including the love, generosity, care, and peace you hear about. This is generally the root of things, and you will find that at the core of many religions that are popular today. You will also find people who take those things to heart, including the bad, which might include persecution or toleration of something they might not like.

But anything as powerful a force as a truly extensive religion can be abused just as easily. This isn't the fault of the religion, but rather the fault of the people who practice it for their own purposes. Those are the kinds who use their religion to further their own desires, and use it to validate as well as justify them to a population. If a population already follows a religion, it serves as a convenient tool to reach out to them on a level that is deeply meaningful to them to relate. Usually this does involve a deep understanding of the religion itself, which is followed by the corruption of mind to twist those to their own purposes, whatever those may be.

To look at it on the third hand, there are times where it is genuinely meant to be a religious effort that involves violence. The crusades to the Holy Land in the Middle Ages, for example, were actually an effort of pilgrimage rather than forced conversion. Unfortunately the people who came to control the Holy Land during those times made the mistake of mismanaging them and making things hostile for pilgrims. Either way, it serves an example of how sometimes well-meaning intentions end up at warfare.

That's the short of it... The long of it would be HIDEOUSLY long. I could make a book out of it...

Answer 3

I believe this is an unfair generalization. Nobody knows so many people of any particular Religion, that they are in a position to judge the entire group. How can anybody say, "the Majority of the global followers" .... do you KNOW the Majority, know them all personally? No, you don't. Your statements are ridiculous.

There are many other factors which make people act a certain way... and not everybody acts according to the religious beliefs they hold.

We are all human and we all sin and fall short of what is expected of us.

Casting judgement on other people, and other religions, is such a waste of a person's heart and soul.

Why carry this resentment and hatred around all the time?
This is just religious bigotry. Shake it off and let it go. Live and let live.

Answer 4

I'm not sure I agree with you. It seems to me that people will take any teaching and turn it towards their own needs. I've known Christians who are the salt of the earth, loving, kind, helpful... For lack of a better term, Christ like. I've also watch Christians spiritually and emotionally eviscerate their own and all the while claiming that they are doing god's will and work.

I've celebrated with Pagans who are giving, generous, helpful, selfless and gentle. I've also watch as some Pagan men try to bed as many young women as they can over the course of a Pagan retreat and claiming they are doing the work of the god. They're the ones who wear nothing but a loincloth and a 4 inch diameter pentagram. ERRRRR!!! Sorry, I digress.

Bottom line: In any group of people you are going to find good folks and some not so good folks. Throwing something out because there are mean, selfish people in it is a mistake. IMO

Answer 5

Very true, by claim religion doesn't make a person faithful. Ones actions will either confirm their faith or condemn them. Being faithful will guide your actions when you follow the teachings of your faith.

I claim faith in Jesus, and in so doing I have to learn what he did. Try to model my life in that manner and live as best I can by those teaching. Not always easy, but it is my goal. I fall short but I don't give up. I have to walk daily by faith. So to know if my faith is real you will have to judge my actions, not my words. My words are hollow if my actions never back them up.

It is not about pushing my beliefs on others but about being real to what I claim. If I am then what I believe becomes real. If someone chooses to believe as I do that is you to them. I have made my choice and that is all I can do.

Answer 6

While it may not be unreasonable to judge a religion by what you observe in it's followers (such is all you would have to judge by unless you actually studied that religion) that does not follow that it is an absolute reflection of said religion.

Consider judging other institutions by that merit. Is the nature Socialism reflected in the Nazi party? There are extremes that we could probably all agree on that prove your synopsis false.

Answer 7

False. "Organized religion" is all about control, and way less about spirituality. That's why most major wars througout history have been fought in the name of religion, and why the fundie Islamic factions want to wipe out anyone not of their faith. And rulers, including religious rulers, have used this as a tool of power for centuries!

Answer 8

A religion is a collection of people following a particular set of tenets. How would you judge a Boy Scout Troop? By how the boys conduct themselves, right? A university, by the accomplishments of it's graduates, right? What's the difference?

Answer 9

False

Answer 10

Forget religion.

Christ is the path of salvation.
Christ is the truth of God's Word.
Christ is the life eternal.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Christ is the tree of life.

Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: