How much do you really know (a challenge)?

Question

This is a challenge to all. Religious conflicts just seem endless. We have one side proclaiming its religion as the one and only true religion and another side proclaiming the same. So here's my challenge to all:

How much do you really know about other religions beside your own? And from that much you know, how deep is your understanding of them?

Note: Now, I don't want another version of introducing your religion as why it's the best. Such answer will not be selected as the best answer from me.

Answer 1

Truthfully I don't know very much about any religions (being a former Catholic, I know a little bit about that). It is not because I am afraid to explore, it's just that I have too many other good books to read.

Answer 2

I am an atheist. I have previously and do currently explore all possibilities to whatever extent that is possible, and I have studied many ancient and current religions. I prefer to study a religion as a whole, rather than independent denominations, so memorizing the differences between Lutherans and Quakers, however large they may be, do not seem as important as learning the philosophical basis of Christianity as a whole.

Answer 3

Okay, as a starting point, I am a fundamentalist Christian : raised in a nominal-Christian (in name only, but not in deed) family. From there, I rejected Christianity and sought my own path. And, much to the chagrin and sadness of my family, I became a devout Christian and apologeticist.

In my 'wandering years', I was a nominal Buddhist (learned some about it, but nothing remotely deep), a very broad pagan (I could list every Norse, Greek, and Roman god, a good portion of their relationships to one another, and stories about them, and believed in them somewhat), a Wiccan (learned the basics, some rituals and magic, the relationships of the gods and goddess, but nothing much philosophically deeper than the Rede and the Rule of Three), neopagan/new-ager (too much to list, fairly devout), Satanist (far more than I care to list... made a great many revelations about Satanism during and after that time...), atheist (the most natural choice after my stay in Satanism... very devout, very pro-evolution, and very anti-Christian), nominal spirit worshipper (akin to Native American beliefs, mixed with my own), and was a very nominal Shintoist (a brief passing, know very little about it)... there are others, but those are the ones I stuck to for longer than a month, and none of those are in order.

When I became Christian, it was under the Jehovah's Witness denomination. However, I came across several passages that swayed me from that belief (that is, John 1:1 in the NWT did not match up with the Greek version, and I read Isaiah 9:6, to which I had no rebuttal... I was silenced when I read that, and felt that JW's were lying about their beliefs). I read the Bible, and became an apologeticist.

From there, I studied 7th Day Adventist (some study, my step-mom and dad are somewhat 7DA's), Mormonism (read portions of the Book of Mormon), Islam (have read a good portion of the Koran and Hadith, and some Sunnah ), Jehovah's Witnesses (I sought to expose every lie they promoted, and researched them in-depth... I had access to a great number of Watchtower magazines, many copies of their Bible, and the family was frequented by JW visits), Catholicism (quite a bit, and know some first hand because my best friend growing up was Catholic; have also read the Apocrypha and Deuterocanon), Gnosticism (have read most of the Nag Hammadi library, but admittedly, have forgotten much of it beyond the basic premises), Hinduism (got interested in it after realizing the names of the PSO mags were almost entirely named after Hindu gods, and have learned a bit, but am still learning more), and relativism (I know little beyond "what you think exists may or may not be what I think exists, and each of our beliefs affect reality", easily refuted and defeated).

Throughout my life, I've also been quite taken with the study of mythology, cryptozoology (the study of fantastic creatures), and paleocryptozoology (the study of how said creatures might have a basis in acutal, but ancient, creatures), and have studied, in some depth at least (and in extreme depth in others), the ancient beliefs of the Aztec, Mayan, Norse, Celtic, Japanese, Chinese, African, Native American, Greco-Roman, Egyptian, and various Middle Eastern others (nothing too serious, just bits and pieces there).

I do not say I know all things about all religions, but I would say that I know most things from a few, quite a lot from a small amount, above average on many, and at least a little to average from most.

Answer 4

I'm an anthropologist of religion & a religious historian. I focus primarily on African traditional religions and religions of the African diaspora. I'm also a practicing Vodounist and a Catholic. I don't pretend to be an expert on all religions, but I'll tell you one thing. Studying religion gives you perspective and tolerance. Actually more than tolerance...acceptance.

Answer 5

i know that Christians base their religion on the life of Jesus .. Jews are pre Jesus ( old testament ) ... catholics believe in Jesus as the trinity and respect the saints and the holy mother
Buddhists believe in reincarnation until reaching a state that would bring them total peace from this world and no more lives to live.. and are based on the teachings and philosophies of Buddha
Muslims believe in Mohamed as their prophet but also respect the other prophets who came before him , including Jesus
wiccans believe in nature and using nature and the power of nature for healing purposes etc
i am spiritualist and i believe in respect for others and having understanding of their beliefs

Answer 6

there are many ways to reach ones destination. one can walk, ride a bike, a motorcycle, take a train, an airplane, a car, a bus just to name a few. each of these will take a person to their destination. it is not how one gets to their destination but rather that one arrives.

Answer 7

mmm....
im an atheist...
my parents are christians so obviously i know very much about christianity.
i live in a muslim country so i know pretty much things about islam and muslims

Answer 8

Muslims - Evil nun killing cowards
Jews - Tight with money but OK
Christians - That bible is full of hypocrisy

Personally I think they are all crap