multiple religions?

Question

what would you say if someone told you they had multiple religions? would you just call the spiritual? for example somone says they're pagan and buddhist. i mean religions that are more closely related. or would it be an oxymoron like light beer, christian wiccan, or president bush?..maybe he's just a moron.

*someone.

i really can't type today.

Answer 1

Well, it's possible to have your own beliefe system, but multiple religions? That I'm not sure of... in order for that to be the case, I think you would have to balance them perfectly between eachother, and then it's still not really those other two (or however many) religions anymore.

Say you were to mix pagan and Buddhist... well, in that case, it would still be paganism in my eyes, because Paganism is about what feels right to you. And doing them both together would be a bit difficult, anyways- Buddhists don't have a "god' per se, so much as a Hero to look up to.

As for those oxymorons... I have heard of Christian Wiccans, and I think it is possible,- look at Santeria, after all. I think it is the Wiccan take on Santeria, and seeing as they work the Christian end and not the Catholic, it really only leaves room for a God, Goddess and Son ( God, of course as the God, either Eve or Mary Mother of Jesus(becuase there was so many Mary's I thought I'd clarify) as the Goddess, and then of course Jesus as the Son. However, taht does leave a bit to be desired...)

And on the President Bush thing... I would say it's both a bit of an Oxymoron and that he is a moron.

Answer 2

I wouldn't say a person with multiple religions is spiritual, I would call them confused, indecisive maybe in the midst of change.
I would say both Buddha and Jesus outside of religion were both very spiritual because they understood life and how to coupe with problems within it.
As far as looking at two separate thinks at once, do it to find similarity's and contradictions this is the way of higher learning.
Once you are good at seeing these things life takes on a whole new view, people can't trick you and you instantaneously see the big picture of everything.

I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy though because you'll constantly see wrong in everything, but you'd also learn compassion because you'll see that humans are always like children and can't do any better than they do.

I've noticed that atheist are contradictory, it's like they straddle the fence. I thought atheist didn't believe in gods so why do they constantly care that someone else does.
Wish they would quit being a half asser and make up their minds, I think they would make good Christians because they like passing judgment on others too.
If they don't want that then they should be a good nonbeliever and stop caring about it and find a hobby or something intelligent to do besides whining.

Maybe they are practicing multiple religions, an atheist/christian. There's your oxymoron's, do humans have some kind of moron fetish going on. :)

Answer 3

I'd tell them to learn what 'religion' means and what the religions they follow mean, most religions are not compatible – take ChristianWicca for example, two totally different religions, in fact one is a religion one is an initiate-only priesthood, one is monotheistic the other hard-polytheistic and many other reasons why they do not go together.

Religion is a group of people with specific beliefs, practices and doctrines, if you do not fall into the definition of a religion by following these things you are not that religion. I'm all for New Age, part of this is having personal faith, and this does allow for the incorporation of different ideas from different religions – but you are not part of every religion you take influences from.

Answer 4

I know lots of people who believe elements of several different religions or philosophies. That's quite common in the Unitarian Universalist tradition, for example. I'm a Humanist UU. Some of my friends are pantheistic Wiccans who embrace Buddhist meditation and Taoist philosophy. Another friend is a Christian Buddhist.

Answer 5

I would be more apt to call them spiritual since you cant really be a member of two different faiths, even if they are closely related just because each religion has a different view point on how the world works.

but if someone doesnt identify with one religion they can appreciate and follow different areas of multiple religions without subscribing to the tennets of a single faith.

Answer 6

I once knew someone who identified himself with all religious, was a student of them all, and a practitioner of as many as he could.

The thing that most religious people don't seem to realize is that, within any one religion, there's a variety of ways of thinking and of holding that religion, and that all religions have a lot in common.

BTW, Gandhi was one of the people you're talking about. He tended to focus more on the commonality among religions than their differences.

The best stuff in all religions is shared by them all (or at least by most).

Answer 7

It is very common in Asia. Many consider themselves to believe aspects of anciant religions, Buddhism and even parts of western religions. It is a very open minded belief.

The odds that any one religion is correct is nearly nill so you improve your odds by believing in several.

Answer 8

u'd think people would b happy/full up enough on 1 religion, having more than 1, must cause conflict.
mad, some folks must b mad and aren't happy without a dose of inner-turmoil, to liken themselves 2 the suffering of the Founder of said religion/religions
madness!

Answer 9

Good question! For me, religion and religiosity has led to so much confusion that I'm currently working to get back to the basics. You know, love the creator and love each other as yourself. But, I'm not judging anybody on what they believe.

Answer 10

I would say they're very confused. Most religions, regardless of what they claim, are exclusive and don't like it when you try to be more than one thing at a time.