Are other religions as defensive of their beleifs as christianity?

Question

This isn't meant to stereotype or offend anyone, I know you cant judge an entire group by the action of a few, this is only based on the majority that I have encountered.

I love discussing religion, I love to listen to others ideas. I have the problem that most people I know only get offended when presented with ideas different than their own. Most everyone around here is christian so I am not around many other religions. Most of the christians (not all mind you, but 90% of them) I know get mad and start quoting scripture when you ask "why" or ask them to explain themselves. Their answer to most questions is "well the bible says so in romans 15,.....". I know in this country we are taught to memorize and regurgitate from the time we start public school, but can't people think for themselves and draw their own conclusions from the facts presented to them? I have no problem with someone believing whatever they want but I do think they should know why they beleive it.

Anyway I am rambling. So my question is, is this common in other religions? Do they get defensive when you question their beleifs, and can they answer your questions without opening a book and reading scripture? Is it universaly a human trait or is it taught more in christian churches?

Thanks for the responses, alot of really good points, a few I had not thought of. I don't mean to poke holes in anyones belief, you can do that to any one. It's really more to make them think, and explain to me why they believe this way, because on many of these points I am not sure myself

Answer 1

Well, born-again Christians believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. So, when anyone asks a question about what they believe, they naturally will go to scripture to lay the groundwork. If I can't back up what I believe by what's in scripture, I really don't have a leg to stand on.
Use the analogy of building a house: if you don't have a solid foundation, that house will eventually cave in and fall apart. The Bible is the foundation for Christians. I know there are some who are very passionate about what we believe and can be zealous but I also know there are those who would rather make a point to make a point than speaking the truth in love. I look at it like this: God doesn't need me to defend Him...He's quite big enough and capable enough of doing that. My responsibility is to represent Him the best way I know how by sharing my beliefs in a respectful way. I've made my choice and that choice is Jesus Christ. I can't make that choice for anyone else and I don't want to. After all, it is called free will.

Answer 2

Probably. A person's belief system is something that is very personal and people find it offensive when what they hold true is mocked. I know what you're saying but, from a Christian standpoint, it's hard to explain every little thing. They don't have all the answers and anyone who wants to prove them wrong knows this and tries to stump them. They do the scripture quoting because they can't explain everything.

Some are taught to be overzealous but that's a personal choice really. You can believe in something but not freak out when someone questions it. Lots of other religious people are like this. Look at some Muslims. They're willing to die or kill for their beliefs. It's not just Christians, they seem the loudest but they're not the only ones.

Answer 3

Friend when I first got saved in 1970, I too, had many people coming to me with their ideals, & to a point I thought I need to find out who is right, Everyone could not be right. Therefore I said to myself, I will see what the Apostles of Old had to say, & since then I have stuck with the Apostles doctrine, Acts 2:38-47 Friend, it does not make me mad if someone condems my beliefs, I could have very well myself been stuck in a situation like that if it was not for God looking at the humbleness & honesty of my heart.

Answer 4

Yes, try to change a muslim. Plus just because someone is a "relgion" doesn't mean much, it matters what they believe and how strong with believe in it. Taught to be defensive? I'm a christian and I'm very open. I say, "OK" lets see who is right? I think the evidence is pretty heavy. One thing can only be true, so that makes the rest false, you have to decide.

Answer 5

No religion is defensive, but religious people are.
Our lack of knowledge prompts us to fight for the preservation of the names, the forms, the traditions...which gives the impression that one relgion is a citadel to another one!
In reality, each religion, established by a Messenger of the One True God, is a successive divine school to train man in expressing selfless love to all mankind. When each believer concentrates on learning and practicing this divine lesson, religion no longer appears as harmfully defensive, but constructively cooperative.

Answer 6

Even though Buddhists seperated away for Hinduism,
Buddha is still accepted by the Hindus as an
incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Elsewhere in the world, what others have is monotheism.
What we have in India is polytheism. We all know that
all rivers finally reach one ocean. In the same way,
the Hindus believe that worship of any god will finally
reach one Almighty.

Answer 7

I think it is in anything with 'a book'. However Buddhism, Hinduism and paganism for example have no 'book' and also don't really have any central organization so everyone in them is used to interpreting ideas in different way and believing their own thing so if you want to ask in a non-offensive manner ask away.

Also should note that most Hindus believe all paths lead to the same point anyway so to them whatever you believe is compatible with whatever they believe too.

Answer 8

Yes it is common in most major religions.
Did you miss the furor over the Danish cartoons and the Pope Benedicts statement that outrage much of the Muslim world.

Answer 9

“Then woe to those who write the e book with their very own palms and then say: ‘it relatively is from God’, to site visitors with it for a depressing fee. Woe to them for what their palms do write and for the income they make thereby.” (Quran 2:seventy 9) “And whilst there got here to them a messenger from God, Confirming what replaced into with them, a social gathering of the individuals of the e book threw away the e book of God in the back of their backs as though (it have been some thing) they did no longer understand.” (Quran 2:a hundred and one) “Ye shall no longer upload unto the word which I (God) command you, neither shall ye cut back [ought] from it, that ye might shop the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2) enable us to start from the initiating. No Biblical pupil in this earth will declare that the Bible replaced into written via Jesus himself. all of them agree that the Bible replaced into written after the departure of Jesus peace be upon him via his followers. Dr. W Graham Scroggie of the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, a prestigious Christian evangelical challenge, says: “..specific, the Bible is human, regardless of the actuality that some out of zeal which isn't in accordance to awareness, have denied this. those books have exceeded in the process the minds of adult men, are written in the language of adult men, have been penned via the palms of adult men and submit to of their type the features of adult men….it relatively is Human, yet Divine,”[a million] yet another Christian pupil, Kenneth Cragg, the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, says: “...no longer so the recent testomony...there is condensation and modifying; there is determination duplicate and witness. The Gospels have are available in the process the innovations of the church in the back of the authors.

Answer 10

YES MAN IT IS TRUE PEOPLE RANT AND RAVE ABOUT THERE PARTICULAR BELIEF SYSTEM