Why do all religions oppose each other?

Question

I'm an agnostic, but I cannot ignore the fact that all major world religions (or most of the ancient ones anyway) seem to have one major message at their heart.

Love each other and do unto others as you would have done unto yourself.

Surley that's the whole point and the rest is just what we as human's have added in. If there is a God then surley he would want us to listen to what's at the heart of his holy writtings, instead of all the, go out and kill people parts, or the sexist, racists, ignorant parts...???

Am I really wrong for thinking that religious texts don't actually matter?

Answer 1

I agree 100%. look into yourself for the answers not a book or a bunch of fairy-tales. Only you have to walk the path you choose so only you can take the 1st step. Never close your mind and never be disrespect full to others beliefs but don't caiter to them either. Be strong and do what YOU feel is right for you.

Answer 2

All religions do not oppose each other. Many oppose each other. There are some beliefs that are different. The church I belong to does not oppose any other religion. It recognizes the good in almost all religions. It recognizes that all good people will come forth into the Millenium . It recognizes that there must be a way back for those who died without the law. My ex sister in law believed I would die and go to hell. She was a baptist. I was sure that she was a good person who did most things right and believed she would not go to hell but would be in the millenium, or if she died would come forth in the first resurrection. Her church made a bad film against my church. My church does not make bad films about any religion. So, some churches talk against other churches. Some churches do not. I am not a congregational church member but understand they accept all faiths into their meetings. They could be another church that does not talk down other churches. My church has a world wide aid to catastrophies including the two large hurricanes that caused damage. We had enough members in the area to establish a help organization. However, when we don't, our aid is administered by the Catholic church who has a good reputation of getting the aid to the people throughout the world. We even helped the salvation army in one of the hurricane areas because they needed food that would be quick and easy to prepare. Within 24 hours a 40 foot trailer arrived with open and heat meals. Several more followed. I wish other churches did not slam one's belief, but that may never happen. It is so sad when the protestants fight the catholics. It is exceptionally sad when muslims want to kill jews. By the way, jews do not allow any other religion to prosylite in jerusalem. Muslims kill a muslim who becomes a chrstian. These give all other religions a bad name. I feel sad for that.

Answer 3

Doctrine is the divider. Some religions split into two or more sects because of differences in doctrinal interpretation.

And as far as love being the key, that's what Jesus said a long time ago. "Turn the other cheek" he said. Muslims, for example, on the other hand, say that if someone harms you, you repay them 100 fold with grief.

...See how differences can cause wars and world conflicts? All religions ARE NOT created equal, regardless what PC people and ecumencialists say. Even if THEY believe that to be true (and aren't just wishfully thinking it's so), they live in a world where other people disagree vehemently and will show it violently.

What to do, what to do?

Answer 4

No at all. Religious texts are a great place to start but they are not "God's Word" they are man's word. Many of those texts were designed and created to control the masses, create community and gain strength in numbers. I am sure that there are some really important ideas in those holy texts, but it is often hard to weed through the nonsense.

I think religions oppose each other because they want to keep their congregation in their pews and donating.

I agree with you that many of the world religions have a core message - what you said and the all important way home, what happens when we die.

You are so not wrong - in fact you are completely correct. This kind of thinking is just what god wants from each of us - to recognize "him" and ignore the fluff that others would cloud him with.

Peace!

Answer 5

I agree with a lot of what's already been said. Major world religions have to oppose other religions. Where would ignorant, ordinary people be if the Great Religion of (insert faith here) said, "Oh, and by the way, all faiths are great and it really doesn't matter what you believe"?

You're right about the major tenet of most religions. Tolerance. I think they mean, Tolerance towards all people of your religion, unless you think you can convert them.

Religious texts are great, sometimes, but mostly for unintelligible poetry. Congratulations for thinking.

Answer 6

The Catholic Religion Started by the 12 apostols, St Paul, and the Holy Ghost. When Luther Martin came, he started the Protestant Religion. The King of England wanted to marry a commoner, so they starter they own religion. The mormon could marry as many wives as he could afford. The Goverment put a stop to that!!

Answer 7

Most faiths actually have that statement in the negative, ie don't do to others what you would not have done to you. That's fairly easy. If I don't want to get hit, I won't hit anyone. If I don't want to be let down, I won't let anyone down. Christianity, however, has it the way you put it, in the words of Christ, 'do unto others ....etc'. This is much harder and demands a sacrifice of me. If I want to be loved unconditionally, I must first learn to love unconditionally. If I want to be kept safe, I must keep others safe. If I want to not be judged, I must not judge. Do you see the difference? Christianity makes me think about others in a big way. The heart of it is love, not passiveness. It's a difference worth exploring.

Answer 8

Jesus' teachings are true today as they were 2000 years ago
In the year 1332AD, the Antichrist is manifested through a radical attack on the faith in the word of God. Through the philosophers who begin to give exclusive value to science and then to reason, there is a gradual tendency to constitute human intelligence alone as the sole criterion of truth. There came to birth the philosophical errors which continue through the centuries down to these days of ours. The exaggerated importance given to reason as an exclusive criterion of truth, necessarily leads to the destruction of the faith in the word of God Indeed, with the Protestant Reformation, traditions is rejected as a source of Divine Revelation, and only Sacred Scripture is accepted. But even this must be interpreted by means of reason, and the authentic Magisterium of the hierarchical Church, to which Christ has entrusted the guardianship of the deposit of the faith, is obstinately rejected. Each one is free to read and to understand Sacred Scripture according to one 's personal interpretation. In this way, faith in the word of God is destroyed. The work of the Antichrist, in this period of history, is the division of the Church and the consequent formation of new and numerous Christian sects which gradually become driven to a more and more extensive loss of the true faith in the word of God.

Answer 9

Ah, but cynically I say, how would people then get to feel self-righteous? Whence would come their sense of having beaten the system and gotten in on the ground floor of the CORRECT religion, beating out the stock of all the imperfect religions whose adherents are bound for eternal damnation?

Religion divides because people want it to divide. God is a judge of those people we disapprove of. Love is taught, but ignored, just like geometry in the 10th grade.

Answer 10

The problem arises (and it is true for the non-religious too) in that we need a certain amount of confidence in our beliefs to practice them. Like I said, this is true for the non-religious too, even though they pretend to be above this.

You need confidence in your religious path to make progress. This is how it needs to be on a *personal* level.

At a *public* level we need to understand every mind is different and every religion has different processes in developing the mind. So on the *public* level the individual needs to understand the value of pluralism and diversity.