Everybody bashes, but can you tell me what these religions really are?

Question

And I mean REALLY. What is judaism? What is christianity? What is islam? What is wicca? What is buddhism? What is paganism?

Who or what is GOD? Who or what are you?

I know there are pros and cons for each. But not for the peace that exists within each. Only pros. I myself am islamic/hanif. But far from a fanatic. As much as we bash and critisize, what are these religions REALLY compared to the people who subscribe to them? It is not the religions that are bad, only given bad reputation by "some" people who subscribe to them. And if you are atheist or agnostic, "to each his own".

And if you are a spiritualist, much respect. It seems a lot of religions lost that great attribute.

a1Tommy: Yes, even though I am religous I know how it is the very truth how the people on top use religion to control the masses. To instill fear. But reality is scary enough.

Answer 1

I agree with you. I am spiritual and belong to Christ. I respect all who respect mankind. Gods greatest gift is love. Thank you for your loving words.

Answer 2

Judaism is the traditional religion of the Hebrews. Their bible is called the Tanakh (the Torah, or Books of Moses, is the first part of the Tanakh). There are Orthodox, Conserative, and Liberal Jews. They have special dietary laws (no shellfish, pork, and a few other items, also no milk & meat may not be mixed in food). There is much ritiual in this religion, and the emphasis of salvation is the Jewish people and not the individual.

Chrisitianity was based on Jesus' (argueably Paul of Tarsus' interpretation of his teachings, but some will find this biased) teachings. To the Tanakh they add the New Testament. Three main groups: Roman Catholics (a highly ritualized religion), Protestantism (over 1000 different denominations with different beliefs), Eastern Orthodox (like Catholocism, very ritualized). Christianity believes Jesus was the Messiah promised to the Jews.

Islam was founded by Mohammed (born in Mecca, modern Saudi Arabia). Their holy scripture is the Qur'an (often spelled "Koran"). They view Jesus as a prophet, but not a messiah; Mohammed is the last, greatest prophet. They believe in fasting during the month of Ramadan, making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives, among other things. There are three main branches: Shiite, Sunni, and Sufi, the last of which is a very mystical religion.

Wicca is a modern revival of the old "pagan" religions of Europe. It is a ritualized religion, has no specific holy book, and is based on recognizing the spirits found about in nature.

Buddhism is a religion founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (also known as the Buddha) from India. Buddha himself was an atheist, but a religion was built up around him. There are several sacred text, the most important probably the Dhammapada. There are several branch of the religion; the religion of the Dalai Lama of Tibet is a branch of Buddhism.

I myself am a Deist. I do not believe in holy books, prophets, or messiahs. I believe God gave man a brain, and reason can decipher out the rest.

Answer 3

The Best defination i can give you is Jusaisn is the people of Jewish decent who follow the Mosaic law and other teachings of the Old Testament AKA as the Hebrew Scriptures as far as Christians thre are two branches the original which follows the teachings of Jesus Christ and hence are called Christians and then centuries later an off shoot that tries to mix apostate teachings Judaism, and pagan teachings and philosophies togother started by Constantine called christendom who claim to be christian but whose teachings and conduct are not Christian and wicca is basically devil worship in disguise decidedly NON- CHRISTIAN!!! as far as Islam not all that familiar with it as far as i know it refers to Muslims who submit themselves to the will of allah and also follers of their prophet muhammad I also heard that they follow the Holy Quran the Hadith or Sunnah and the Shariah as for Buddhists I believe they follw the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and the pali cannon is also part of their teachings and as for pagans they subscribe to the theory that there is no god and some to polytheism Myself Iam a CHRISTIAN hope this answers your rather complex question this is by no means meant to be inclusive of everything each believes just a brief overview Gorbalizer

Answer 4

Wicca...
Fundamentally, Wicca is a modern-day religion based on pre-Christian religious practices. Wicca was founded by Gerald Gardner back in the early '50s. We don't deny that it is a new religion, but the basis for our beliefs goes back thousands of years. Besides, even Christianity was new at one time.
http://paganwiccan.about.com/cs/whatiswicca/a/aawhatiswicca.htm


Blessings )O(

Answer 5

Here is part of a great FAQ on my religion, Asatru, as written by by Ingeborg S. Norden. It is very informative and one of the first places I send people when they ask me about my faith.

Q. What IS Asatru anyway?

A. Asatru (literally, "faith in the gods") is a modern reconstruction of the religion that the Germanic tribes practiced before their conversion to Christianity.

Q. What do you mean by "Germanic"? I thought Thor, Odin, and so forth were Viking gods!

A. "Germanic" is a collective name for many of the ethnic groups that live in Northern Europe. It is NOT a racial term, but refers to culture and language. The Germans (obviously) and the Scandinavians are Germanic--but so are the Dutch, the Frisians, the English, and several other ethnic groups that have died out or intermarried over the centuries.

Most of these groups believed in the gods we know as "Norse". However, people think of them that way because Scandinavians wrote down most of the surviving myths and folk beliefs. (The other tribes probably had similar stories too, but those are almost totally lost.)

Q. Is Asatru related to any other religion?

A. No--at least not in the sense of "borrowing" other religions' gods or teachings outright. Asatruar may have some basic beliefs in common with other pagans, or with religious people in general; but Asatru is NOT an offshoot of any other faith. (In particular, Asatruar are not "devil worshippers"; they do not even believe that a devil exists.)

Q. I've heard Asatru called a "nature religion"; does that mean that you really worship the earth, trees, and so forth as gods?

A. Asatruar do believe that the natural world is sacred and living. The sun, moon, and earth are personified as deities; there are also local nature spirits (dwarves, elves and landvaettir). But "nature" in that sense is only a part of Asatru; the gods are no more one-dimensional than we are. Thor, for instance, may be a thunder god; yet he is also a protector of man and the social order. Frey may be a fertility figure, yet he is also a god of peace and kingship. People are as much a part of "culture" as they are of "nature"--why would the gods be any different?

Q. Aren't "Asatru" and "Odinism" just different names for the same religion?

A. It depends. Germanic pagans in England do tend to use those words interchangeably. In the United States, though, the name "Odinism" is generally avoided: it implies that Odin is the center of attention at all times and for all people, but that simply isn't true. (Many Asatruar focus on some other deity, and still others believe that putting one deity above others is too narrow-minded.)

Q. Why choose to follow the Germanic gods at all? Aren't they just aspects of a universal whole--or even of the worshippers themselves?

A. Some religions do indeed teach that all deities are one; Asatru, however, does not. The gods are distinct individuals and exist independently of their worshippers' minds. (A Hindu might call Odin an emanation of the Brahman; a Wiccan might call him an aspect of the Father God; and a Jungian psychologist might call him a Norse version of the Wise Old Man archetype. To an Asatruar, Odin is ODIN: as unique an individual as his followers, not an aspect of any other god, and definitely not "all in the mind".)

Q. How literally do you take the myths? For instance, do you actually believe that a huge, red-bearded man with a hammer is driving a wagon through the sky when it thunders?

A. On the one hand, Asatruar definitely believe that the gods are real and that they have power over the world. On the other, they admit that all myths contain some symbolic language: The Norsemen described Thor as a huge, red-bearded man with a hammer because that's the best way they could understand him. (How many Christians, after all, believe that they are actual sheep and that Jesus is an actual shepherd? Not many--but they still accept that Jesus exists and takes care of his followers.)

Q. Do Asatruar consider their gods to be the only true ones?

A. No. Asatruar, as a rule, don't seek to convert the rest of the world--largely because they don't see it as the one right religion for everybody. If a non-Asatru pagan wants to worship Diana or Cernunnos, that is perfectly acceptable; if a Christian wants to remain Christian, that too is acceptable. The Norsemen generally didn't belittle other people's gods, or claim that those gods didn't exist. Even in the late Viking Age, the attitude towards foreign religions was "You stick to your gods and I'll stick to mine"; that attitude has carried on into the modern Asatru revival.

Some extremists may be anti-Christian--either because they were raised as strict churchgoers, or because they feel bitter about the forced conversions to Christianity during the Viking Age. That attitude is not usual, however, and Asatruar neither expect nor encourage each other to oppose any particular religion.

Q. But isn't Asatru anti-Semitic? After all, Hitler claimed to believe in "Nordic" gods, and he used Germanic pagan symbols as part of his political agenda.

A. Hitler himself was raised Christian, and never actually believed in any of the Germanic gods. If anything, his beliefs most resembled those of the so-called "Identity Christians", who use a warped interpretation of the Bible to justify racism and male dominance. The Germanic symbolism was used mainly because it appealed to the masses' nationalistic feelings--and even then, its meaning was perverted into something that the pagan tribes wouldn't have recognized or accepted.

There are, of course, extremists in every religion who will use their beliefs to justify racism (or sexism, or another prejudice). But Asatru itself does NOT teach or promote those people's attitudes; the two should not be confused.

Q. Isn't Asatru sexist? The Norse stories do show a definite slant toward male deities and heroes.

A. The Germanic tribes were no more patriarchal or sexist than any other pre-Christian society in Europe; neither was their religion. Strong, independent women (and goddesses) do appear in the stories that survived. But the myths were not recorded until centuries after the conversion to Christianity--and it was often Christian clergymen who recorded them. Because of this, much of the woman-related lore is gone.

There is evidence that the tribes had some matriarchal and goddess-centered groups--but some scholars (such as Gimbutas) have romanticized or exaggerated their importance. (The matriarchs and goddess worshipers were not totally peaceful, nor were the patriarchs and god-worshipers totally violent.) Ancient Germanic religion didn't glorify either gender over the other, and the modern revival doesn't either.


~Morg~

Answer 6

Christianity is all about a restored relationship with God. Adam and Eve sinned, so humans and God were separated. Jesus came down and paid the atonement of our sins and now humans can now have the relationship with God again.

Answer 7

For information on Celtic Reconstructionism (a neo-pagan path):
http://paganachd.com/faq/index.html
The site is just information. The site is not trying to convert anyone, it doesn't bash any other path, nor does it profess that it is the one and only "true" path.

Answer 8

I don't claim a specific religion. If I were to describe what my spiritual beliefs are they would probably fall under pantheism.

Answer 9

they are all people looking for the truth, and hoping to benefit from the little bit of truth they know.

Answer 10

power structures for control freaks at the top.