Are any of us that far apart in terms of belief or lack thereof?

Question

After much thought about these things I have a few observations:
Having been raised Catholic, I was taught that the reason for suffering was not trusting in God or somehow not doing enough penance etc. etc. Buddhism has a whole set of beliefs that fall along the same lines in terms of the causes of suffering except that we are fully responsible for our suffering (even though I think Catholicism has the same concept just differently stated). If one is an atheist, hell is here and we can either work to change it or just live with it and die. In the end, we all suffer, we all have some different degrees of what we believe our responsibilities are in creating it and that in some ways our actions or lack thereof create a hellish existence........Does anyone else see the correlations here? Namaste

You don't have to agree with me, I'm merely asking a question. I think it is always good to question to understand where others are coming from. I'm using 'hell' as a general term........

Answer 1

Yogini dear, you are in good company with your observations:

"Since many of these major world religions evolved a long time ago in human history, I am quite sure that many aspects of their religious teachings and traditions reflect the needs and concerns of different times and cultures. Therefore, I think it is quite important to be able to make a distinction between what I call the "core" and "essence" of religious teachings and the cultural aspects of the particular tradition. What I would call the "essence" or "core" are the basic religious messages, such as the principles of love, compassion, and so forth, which always retain their relevance and importance, irrespective of time and circumstances. But as time changes, the cultural context changes, and I think it is important for the followers of religious traditions to be able to make the necessary changes that would reflect the particular concerns of their time and culture.

"I think the most important task of any religious practitioner is to examine oneself within one's own mind and try to transform one's body, speech and mind, and act according to the teachings and principles of the religious tradition one is following. This is very important. Conversely if one's faith or practice of religion remains only at the intellectual level and knowledge, such as being familiar with certain doctrines without translating them into one's behavior or conduct, then I think that is a grave mistake. If someone possesses certain intellectual knowledge of religious traditions or teachings, yet his or her consciousness and mental continuum remain totally uninfluenced by it, then this could be quite destructive. It could lead to a situation in which the person, because of having the knowledge of the religious beliefs, could use the religion for the purposes of exploitation and manipulation. So, I think, as practitioners, our first responsibility is to watch ourselves.

"The situation of today's world is completely different from the past. In the past, human communities and societies remained more or less independent of one another. Under such circumstances, ideas of a single religious, monolithic culture, and so forth, made sense and had a place in the cultural context. But this situation has now completely changed as a result of various factors . . . human society can no longer function on that model.

"In the history of humanity there have been very tragic events which came about because of religion. Even to this day, we see that conflicts arise in the name of religion and the human community is further divided. If we were to meet this challenge, then I am sure we would find that there are enough grounds on which we can build harmony between the various religions and develop a genuine respect toward each other."

-- His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Answer 2

Oke doke.
You might do well to consider the following verses:
Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned to see under the sun that the swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor; because time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all. 12 For man also does not know his time. Just like fishes that are being taken in an evil net, and like birds that are being taken in a trap, so the sons of men themselves are being ensnared at a calamitous time, when it falls upon them suddenly.

Answer 3

If this is hell, then I'll take it. My life is good. Sure, I have my share of heartaches when someone I loves dies, but everyone dies and we must move on. We suffer because we are vulnerable, being a lifeform. Many things can go wrong with our fragile bodies and having free will, other people's free will can overlap with ours. I see nothing about suffering that requires leaning on mythology, but I do see that we do have a responsibility to make our lives as good as possible. Can we control everything, no, but making the attempt is half the battle.

atheist (THINK)

Answer 4

I understand the point you are trying to make, but i don't agree. If you are atheist hell is not on earth. There is no hell.

I think life has it's ups and downs and that is just the way it is. Why does it have to be because of some higher entity? Most of the problems I have in my life are because of other people or myself making stupid selfish decisions.

Answer 5

If you are trying to tell me that all words say the same thing, I would have to disagree.
Jesus said :
"I" (emphatic in the original Greek)
Am the Way,
And the Truth,
and the Life;
No Man comes to the Father except through Me."
John 14:6

Either He was right,
or He was wrong.
You choose your fate.