How many of you . . .?

Question

How many of you who bash particular groups have actually read about their beliefs? If you are against Christians, have you read the Bible? If against Islam, have you read the Quran? If against evolution, have you read the science? etc

I think they all have something to offer. Wouldn't it be great if everybody went out there and started reading before they came here to attack other groups?

Answer 1

Though I dont think I bash other groups, I must say that yes, I have read the religious books, and that's what makes me Atheist because I cant agree with them.

But you have a point, I guess, if everyone went out and read the books, there would at least be more educated fights.

Unforunatly, most people are closed minded and refuse to believe that any other religion is right, therefore reading their beliefs are a waste of time.

Answer 2

I am completely against the christian religion and yes I have read the bible 69 times (yes I stopped at that number on purpose). I have also read the text in hebrew and aramaic (the language of jesus). I have studied comparative religion and philosophy all my life. My degree in theology is from a conservative christian college. I have read the vedas, the quaran, the book of mormon and the pearl of great price, the gnostic gospels the apocrypha, the available dead sea scrolls, and many more. I have studied evolution and the science of many theories. So yes I have read and will continue to read....however even if a christian came to me with indisputable proof I would still want nothing to do with their god or religion.

The question is how many christians have actually read the bible cover to cover and studied it outside the structure of their religion. ie: being spoonfed by their leaders.

Answer 3

I've read much of the Bible and the Qu'ran, I try to keep up with science...I just wish Christians & Muslims knew more about their own religions and how they came about and to question and examine it's origins a little more stringently, read some unbiassed research or at least some that attempts a real balance. Can't people distinguish between propaganda and research any more I wonder?

Criticism need not be synonymous with attack, criticism is healthy and should be encouraged.

Answer 4

I've read the bible (more than once), the quran, the book of mormon, the talmud, the hebrew bible and various other religious texts. And yes I've read plenty of books on evolution, psychology, sociology, history, astronomy, astrophysics as well. I prefer my belief system and I don't particularly care what others believe unless they decide that twisting my arm to their beliefs is the way to go.

Answer 5

I have read and researched in an even handed way. Some things I have concluded:
The Koran is dull, repetitive and scary.
the book of Mormon is plagiarized fiction.
Eastern religions are interesting, but empty in the end.
The Bible is full of difficult stories, but the people in it are real -- not superheroes.
In the end I am still a Christian, and stronger in my belief for examining the others.

Answer 6

Yeah, I have nothing against religions. I think that they are helpful to people. I think that the problem more lies in the way that people try to use religion as a weapon against others. This was not the intention of any religions. I assume that the religions are there to help one progress to a higher level of thinking. Many people do not question things and just accept what is told to them. That is why they take things the wrong way. To not question is to have no faith.

Answer 7

I think bash is a strong term. I try to raise questions people may never have considered. I grew up Catholic, so I know a little about the Bible. I feel comfortable raising questions regarding God.

I don't form opinions without knowing what I'm talking about.

Answer 8

No religion is the correct one, and all religions have got it wrong.

There are many major religions in the world, such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, and so on. Within each major religion there can also be many minor religions. For example, within Christianity there is Catholic, Protestant, Anglican and so on. Within Islam there is Shiite, Sunni etc.

In summary there are many hundreds of different religions in the world all with their devoted believers and followers. Talk to any devout religious person and they will almost emphatically insist that their religion is the right one, it’s fact, and any non-believer is doomed.

Commonsense and logic would suggest that if there was any truthful or factual basis to religion, then only one of these religions could be correct, not all of them. However, in my view, it’s highly unlikely that any of these man-made religions bear any resemblance to fact or the truth, and are more likely to be the result of simplistic human intelligence looking for an escape from reality.

Answer 9

Yea! It sometimes seems to exemplify the antics of the "lowbrows" on the Jerry Springer show. There's way too much troglodite, knee-jerk reactionism to those groups that may seem to carry messages contrary to one you've come to embrace... so dogma, entrenched endoctrinations, etc. continue to overwhelm human rationality and responsible "reconnouitering dialogue!" Good Question! It needed to be asked!

Answer 10

Agreed. The biggest problem related to religion, however, and has long been this way is when one particular group professes that their way of believing and living is the ONLY way or the best way, and all others are somehow wrong or misdirected.