How can we bridge the gap between different religions & faiths?

Question

http://www.hinduwisdom.info/contents.htm

Answer 1

Namaste.

Thank you for including with your question a link to an informative website on hindu wisdom.

Maybe we can bridge the gap between religions and faiths by understanding that each presents a model of self and world designed to offer believers a way of explaining existence to self and orienting self towards existence; and appreciating that a diversity, variety and number of ways of make up minds only limited by our collective abilities and imaginations makes the global culture a far more entertaining place then would exist if everyone made up their minds about self and world in exactly the same way.

The mystery of existence of self and world inspires me to wonder and dream. Who am I? What am I? Where am I? When am I? How am I? Why am I? I think these grand enigmatic questions of identity involve infinite elements hidden beyond the grasp of the senses and tools of my fractal infernal temporal seed body. I believe the divine eternal essence of finite self and infinite world transcend energy space and time. Even with all the marvels of modern scientific achievement, super computers, space telescopes, and electron microscopes once one attempts to describe the mechanism that created our universe, one has crossed over from truth and knowledge based on scientifically reproducible discovery to myth.

Within our global culture, communities of faithful believers self organize around a favored way of ornamenting a model of self and world with myth. This way of ornamenting a model of self and world with myth helps communities of faithful believers to create an identity for themselves. With their favored ways of ornamenting a model of self and world with myth communities of faithful believers answer the grand enigmatic questions of identity. They explain to themselves and to the rest of the global culture who, what, where, when, how and why they are and how they came into existence. Through art, music, drama, science and ideology they communicate myths of creation and existence. With myths of creation and existence, they fashion reality.

It may be of paramount importance to our continued survival that we learn to answer these grand enigmatic questions of identity in a manner that leads us to have the highest esteem of self and world we can possibly imagine. Perhaps if we recognize the limitations of the senses, and adopt an agnostic position; and we ornament a model of self and world with myth and fantasy that produces the most powerful emotional response of joy, faith and love that we can possibly imagine then we will put ourselves in the best possible position to take control of our emotions, overcome obstacles, and progress towards victory. Maybe if we devote energy, space, and time to thoughts, beliefs, and expectations about higher self and higher world then may be this will lead to a higher future.

Answer 2

The gap between religions can't be bridged. There are so many beliefs that are close in the differant faiths. I've seemed to find that the more a person gets into what they believe they start to realize one of the main struggles is within themselves. The struggle of what is right and how we actually act and think. This is a generalization but it seems to be common with a lot of groups. The differances are vast.

If we treated each other as individuals and realized that all ethnic or religous groups are just made up of individuals perhaps the world would be a more gentle place. It's the all Christians or Jews or Muslims or Hindus etc. are like this mentality that hurts.

Answer 3

How can we build a bridge from Washington DC to the moon?
How can we build a bridge between a moth and an elephant?

The gaps between religions exist because there are fundamental theological and historical differences that cannot be reconciled. For instance, orthodox Christianity is not all of a sudden going to say to themselves; hmm you know something, we should just forget believing Jesus is the Son of God and accept Muhammad as the Gods greatest prophet. Mormons arent going to just decide overnight, hmmm, we should just throw away the Book of Mormon and be Christians.

The divides are there by virtue of what each believe and cannot be "bridged" anymore than you can mix a quart of 10W30 with cookie dough and expect to get a product that either helps an engine stay lubed, or make good cookies.

Answer 4

If everyone was as openminded as the people who follow the "New Age" or other beliefs than Christianity, i think they would see the good in the other beliefs/religions. That is the only way to bridge the gap between the different religions and faiths.

Answer 5

Ah, an ancient question. Religion is based solely on human dogma!

The first rule of power and control is to,

"Divide and Conquer!"

What better way to achieve both power and control than to divide most of the souls on our planet through defining, declaring and
promoting different "Religions?" Always keep in mind that religion is about "mystery!"

So long as there are any human beings on our planet who disillusion themselves into believing they are better than others and have all the right answers to all issues human beings have to face there is no way the gap between different religions or faiths can be closed.

But there is at least one answer to this dilemma. Seek and you shall find it!

Have fun but be safe.

Answer 6

Very good question. Unfortunately I don't believe it is possible to bridge all faiths and religions. All because of Christians and every derivative from that religion. They have a monotheistic belief. They are also told that they will suffer if they accept any other God other than Jesus.It would be possible to take all the polytheistic religions and unite with them. Most Christians are too brainwashed too accept any other faith then what is in their Bible so they would have to be left out. Then you have the atheists. They don't believe there is a god, so it would be hard to unite with them also. I think they best way for us to accomplish your question is for everyone to agree to disagree. Let everyone live together without trying to push their ideas on one and other. If we could all accept each other for who we are then we could be closer to living in harmony.

Answer 7

Atheism is a lack of conception. i do not position self belief in a God, because at present there is not a unmarried shred of evidence to point there is one. technology may not have 100% evidence for the vast bang, yet faith would not actually have a million% evidence to the help the claims it makes. If faith can ever locate evidence to back up the claims it makes i am going to trust it, yet till then I proceed to be an atheist.

Answer 8

The gap that can't be bridged is between religion and reality.

Answer 9

We cannot. Different religions teach and believe different things.

Hinduism teaches that there is one god (Brahma) who appeared in different forms (avatars) and taught different villages different and contradictory teachings. That doesn't make any sense.

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.


Those who follow the teachings of the Bible cannot accept any other teaching.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

We can live together peacefully, but there cannot be unity without agreement.
Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Answer 10

it is not possible, if you may have read revelations in the bible there will never be peace on this earth until the end of the earth times and the Bride of Christ is with the Heavenly Father. All prophecies can be proven historically that has already come to pass, we are just waiting for the rest of it to unfold. Please ask Jesus to enter into your life asap! for you own sake you do not want to be here on this earth when the left overs of the rapture has to deal with the rest of the unrolled scrolls.

Answer 11

I think many different religions with very different doctrines do cooperate on humanitarian efforts. Kindness, seems to be a principle, you'll find in most religions.