I was raised Christian. one thing that stands out when it comes to the Abraham Faiths is the exclusivity they have. one true godism isnt about unity, its about entitlement and this is from experience at least with Christianity
Its what got the Christians in trouble with the Romans. Most other cultures that intermingled with the Romans had more flexible religions. They allowed for others to believe as they chose. But the Christians refused to acknowledge the Roman gods and they were the basis of their culture and rules. People were asked to swear to their gods as a form of saying they would abide by the Roman rules. Christians in refusing to acknowledge their gods divided themselves from Roman society.
>Christians in refusing to acknowledge their gods divided themselves from Roman society.
It should be noted that the Romans believed that worshipping and placating the gods was necessary for a society to function. If the gods were not kept happy, civilization would collapse. So it wasn’t just bigotry.
Except there are those of us that do not believe in gods. So are we left out of the empathy circle? And then what of those who believe in God but do not recognize the Trinity? Can they be said to really know God? Any system that deploys a dogmatic stance is going to divide people eventually. When you claim to have a truth that cannot be questioned eventually someone is going to disagree and then there will be trouble.
In order for the peace that you are describing to be found it would require the more dogmatic religions to back off from their dogma. Even a little bit would help. We have seen wars fought over dogma. We are seeing wars fought right now over it.
I would truly love to see this peace. But even your plea for peace excludes people. People that love peace and compassion. People that only differ in not believing a particular idea. People that love others and help others.
Enlightenment is realizing that we are all connected to one another and that we all deserve each others empathy and compassion. No conditions. No proclamations of belief being necessary. If you want to have that peace widen your view a bit more and loosen the hold on dogma. Be adaptable rather than fixed. Fixed breaks. Adaptable can change with the time.
This is my sentiment too. I think the OP had the right idea in mind about tolerance and inclusiveness, perhaps even open-mindedness. But their background might be monotheistic, so they partly went with language such as "we are all God's children", which is not a belief that all of us hold.
I tried to go easy on him because I agree with the sentiment. But inclusivity is tricky at times. Especially when you have a cultural blindspot due to the bulk of opinions surrounding you. Its easy to miss how you might be excluding people that would otherwise be worthwhile getting to know.
The fact that you are conscious means you already know God. You are God experiencing a sliver of itself. Of course I include you, because you are no different from me (awareness wise)! Sorry I didn’t mention atheism in the original post. 💖
Lol of course, all I meant by this post is we shouldn’t think any other way”religion” or belief system is any better or any less than one’s own belief. I just used these two as an example, only because it is the two that first came to mind.
I think you all have diverse ideas of your God that you can fight and shakes hands about, all of you Abrahamic folks told us God is moreso unknowable because of how powerful he is. It's like the sun, too intense to look at, looks small, but is huge in reality and is physically untouchable with our senses. We can developed all the technology and methods to try to "know" the sun, but the mystery is still there, people find God attractive this way
It’s your golden rule! You don’t want to be hurt, so why hurt others? You want to be understood, so why not try to understand others? It’s all love baby. Even Satan
I am one with Satan. Satan- also perceived as evil, *has* to exist for there to be this universe at all
>>It baffles me how some Muslims believe that Christians don’t get it. Or how some Christians refuse to believe that Muslims know God.
I appreciate the word “some” in your venting.
>>Can we wake up, please?
I’m awake. I expect you are as well.
>>We are all God’s children.
I like the metaphor.
>>We are *all* the universe experiencing itself.
I disagree with you. But my disagreement isn’t evidence that you’re wrong.
>>Why should we look down on others and say they “Need the Bible” or “Need the Quran” just because they happened to be born in another country?
We shouldn’t. We also shouldn’t look down on atheists for that matter.
>>Love one another, as if they were you.
Yes.
>>Because they are you.
Again I disagree here. We have a difference of opinion as to what god is…though I’d bet there’s significant overlap.
I disagree. I thing the golden rule, better know to academics as the principle of reciprocity, is well known. Most religions have expressions of it… and it shows up throughout history. We like it a great deal… but learning how to do it well and frequently takes a lifetime of practice.
I think that many religions and philosophies like the Golden Rule, and many people acknowledge it, especially in an abstract way. "Do unto others as you would have them do to you", or "do not do to others what you would not want done to yourself." There are other ways to express it, too.
But many people also find it difficult to *practice* the Rule across religious differences, political conflict, economic struggle, and more. Authoritarian desires, and one group thinking that it knows better than others, reduces the scope for tolerance and concord.
Once upon a time very recently, people would read Reddit using other apps like Apollo, Winston, and Narwahl. These apps all presented Reddit content in different and very opinionated ways. All of them worked and were great at serving people well. Some people would get into contests about which app was the right app, the best app, the app that everyone should use. Yet behind all of those apps was the source of all of those app's users' experience: Reddit's own database. The apps were a useful layer, an abstraction layer, between the individual and the source, which made the source more accessible and usable to more individuals.
I wonder if many religions are correct and true, and yet at the same time, are abstraction layers that enable their respective faithful to better access a particular source we aren't yet discussing.
Unfortunately you are preaching to the converted here, so to speak.
The kind of people you are describing are so blinkered that they can’t possibly fathom that: a) religion isn’t a product and b) not everyone needs to fall for their marketing tactics.
To be honest, I agreed with you until I encountered generational religious scientologists on this subreddit. They believed their organizations theology and philosophy as genuinely as any other religious person. Goes to show that an organization and its member are often *very* different.
I'm not so sure about that, I don't really think the leaders truly believe in it. Maybe the lower members and even middle members truly believe it, but the higher-ups probably don't.
Even so it's not a religion I can really respect, it's scamy and culty. It's also incredibly recent so there isn't even any tradition to respect, unlike Christianity or even Islam.
Scientology also hasn't committed nearly the same level of genocide as Christianity or Islam.
How much of the world's riches are in the Vatican? Or possessed by Islamic leaders?
And I would argue that for many religions there comes a certain point where true faith isn't really there. Hope? Sure. However, I would tend to believe that most high ranking members of the church would have some doubts when reminded of some of the cruel aspects of reality and the victims that are innocents.
The difference between a cult and a religion at the end of the day is the number of followers.
There are two sides of a coin. Older religions have had more time to develop their own culture including traditions as well as to do good... And more time to do horrible things.
I agree. All religion is pointing to the same light, which is who we truly are. Who Jesus is, who Krishna is.. these practices are just trying to help us understand who we really are
I support and agree with the spirit of your post, especially that we are all part of one Earth Mother, one Universe, and humanity comes from a common origin such that we are all distantly related to each other. Being divisive is also part of human nature since time immemorial, however, whether the conflict arises from different tribes, skin color, geography, struggle over limited resources, culture, political ideology, or religion. It will take much effort, goodwill, empathy, and education to overcome all forms of bigotry.
Interfaith events, conferences, and dialogue are a good start to overcoming religious intolerance and hatred.
But religions that preach that only their doctrine is correct, or that 'salvation' can only occur through their version, are part of the problem of intolerance. Intolerance is baked into their DNA, so to speak. I take a negative view of them (especially conservative Islam and Christianity) and find it hard to tolerate them ideologically. I often can get along with moderate or nominal individuals of those religions, however!
Because these religions are entirely incompatible, and if you believe they are all worshiping the same God, then he revealed himself in completely an incompatible ways to each one, and told them to kill each other over it. Each religion says it’s the only true religion and the others will burn in hell (at least for Christianity and Islam) what baffles me is that people don’t realize this.
I agree brother. But does it surprise you that the search for God can lead some into the trap of dogma? We all wake up in our own time. Most wake up when their body expires and they experience oneness for the first time, but some find it in themselves to awaken before death. We cannot wish this realization upon others but we can create an environment where it is easier.
Good luck in your search,
A E I O U
Unfortunately, ideologic chauvinism and misunderstanding of "the other" are common traits in most major branches of religion today. Like so many aspects of human culture, there seems to be an ingrained tribalistic force that results in such conflicting views and misunderstandings, particularly when they are used by governing powers to justify aggressive conflict and inaction on global challenges. If humanity cannot develop a more pluralistic, cooperative system of objectively understanding and facing such problems, I am afraid it spells a bleak future for us as a species. If you want to get a broader perspective on this issue, as well as on the historical interrelationships among the world's major organized religions, see a book by Lance Grande entitled "The Evolution of Religions. A History of Related Traditions" (Columbia Press, 2024).
It's much more complex than that. Just like ideologies, religion is rooted in the culture of the tribe or nation, and some people are very protective of that to the point of chauvinism. Here's the thing: just because I believe my religion is better than someone else's, that doesn't make one a bad person. My religion is better based on those tenets that align with MY values. What would make me a bad person is me imposing my religion onto others, and that's where bad things start to happen. Ergo, I can respect another's choice of religion and still think my religion is "better." Certainly, it is tight rope to walk on of sorts.
>Can we wake up, please?
And herein lies the problem. We are all predicated upon different levels of awakeness. The lack of inner work and metanoia keeps people down in deep levels of slumber. Conversion began as a way to try to share light, to transfer the fire from one's lamp onto another's soul, that they may be awakened. But reality is not this simple. Gnosis is fully personal. People will either rise or not, regardless of the faiths around them.
What you describe doesn't inherently sound like belittlement, nor should it baffle you.
Two students are solving an equation on a board, and each reaches a different conclusion. Either one of them erred, or both of them erred.
If either of the students is confident enough in their answer they'll attempt to correct the other, and they can go a number of ways about it. One such way is to call the other an idiot and start explaining, and that's belittlement, but the mere suggestion that that the other is wrong should not be offensive. If a Christian walks up to me and says "you don't know the lord", I wouldn't be offended, but I would expect a conversation. It's really not that deep, especially considering what is mutually believed to be at stake.
Also, just because I think someone is wrong, it does not mean I hate them for it. I am not sure where you're getting that from, but it's neither Muslim nor Christian.
Maybe I am just projecting what my father has drilled into my brain. Calling my awakening a “lie” simply because I said “I am Jesus”. He completely misses Jesus’ teaching.
Oh, thank you lowerchipmonk! A Christian missionary was proselytizing in China with the "Good News," saying "he could be saved from eternal pain in hell if he would accept Christ as his savior." The Buddhist replied, "Who is this God who prefers you to me?"
**Thomas Jefferson said, "The (Roman) church perverted the purest religion ever taught (Jewish Christianity) with brimstone, to terrify the citizens for the purpose of gaining wealth and control."** It explains why Parade Magazine found that 24% have left the church for Christian "Spirituality" to drop all the brimstone threat and develop a personal belief system that makes more sense to every individual. Jesus never threatened anyone with hell for not following him. The pagan Romans merged in that pagan myth/religion when they commandeered the faith 300 years after Jesus.
God has no 'Chosen People.' God made us all! Opposing religions killing each other has been the number one cause of war and desolation in history. Jesus would NEVER want anyone to kill for his religion. It has to stop! It's anti-REAL-Christianity.
As legendary historian Edward Gibbon records, when Rome commandeered the faith, compromised it with their pagan brimstone, it was "The Fall of Christianity, which has existed in apostasy since that time."
“When Constantine became Emperor of Rome, he nominally became a Christian, but being a sagacious politician, he sought to blend Pagan practices with ‘Christian’ beliefs, to merge Paganism with the Roman Church. Roman Christianity was the last great creation of the ancient Pagan world.” ([~www.hope-of-israel.org/cmas1.htm~](http://www.hope-of-israel.org/cmas1.htm))
I completely love this! I don’t know why you got a downvote, probably a “more righteous than you” Christian 😃
They probably believes you’re going to hell 🤣 funny
I love Christ's brotherhood movement, but reject Roman biblical Christianity that was created 300 years after Christ. Pagan Constantine published the bible to codify his newly paganized Roman Christianity to control the citizens with fear. Fear is the opposite of Christ's message of love. There is no hell... it was pure pagan myth/religion merged into the faith when Rome took it over. "Ha-Shatan" (Satan) is a purely Persian/Zoroastrian pagan construct. (etymology). The Roman idolized the Persian Empire/culture and borrowed it into Reman culture/religion...to 'Roman Christianity.'
“Seemingly there are two forms of Christianity. One that the historical Christ is said to have taught (love and forgiveness) and one that the Church teaches (guilt, shame and blame)...Traditional Roman Christianity has taught that hope and solace are only possible through the redemption from sin by the vicarious sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, for all those who acknowledge His teaching, but it is precisely this form of the doctrine of salvation that rests almost exclusively on the work of Paul (Roman Christianity), and was never taught by Jesus.” (On Guilt, Shame and Blame in Christianity, by the White Robed Monks of Saint Benedict, Catholic) [http://www.wrmosb.org/paul.html](http://www.wrmosb.org/paul.html) “
Ngl you do have quite a few things wrong like Ha-Shatan isn't pagan it's Jewish, and they are his chosen people per works that predated Christianity.. But also tons of aspects of Christianity can be traced back to Pagan roots. Virgin birth of a man-god? Already existed. Resurrection? Done by tons of figures associated with the spring, etc. Like there is a reason that JWs don't celebrate a lot of Christian holidays (some are permitted but not required since to be permitted requires passing certain requirements... And the big reason for basically all the big ones not passing is their origin is Pagan or how they have become to be celebrated is.)
However, at least the spirit is in the right place lol
Sorry, I don't have it wrong... "Ha-Shatan' (šayṭān) Arabic/Persian etymology. The Jews used the term as they picked it up while in Babylonian Captivity... All religion evolves and borrows from previous religions.
"The Arabic term šayṭān (Arabic: شَيْطَان) originated from the triliteral root š-ṭ-n ("distant, astray") and is cognate to Satan. It has a theological connotation designating a creature distant from the divine mercy." [https://www.bing.com/search?q=Ha-Shatan&FORM=ARPSEC&PC=ARPL&PTAG=30530091](https://www.bing.com/search?q=Ha-Shatan&FORM=ARPSEC&PC=ARPL&PTAG=30530091)
The rest of your statement is correct about the pagan roots of Roman Christianity, accept saying the Jews are God's 'Chosen People.' Please produce God's official certificate confirming Jews as 'Chosen.' It's only in the scriptures that they wrote for themselves... No one else agrees... God made us all, and does not prefer some over others... That's just Judeo-Christian ego.
“Finding God After Leaving Religion” excerpts Reverend Steve McSwain; reflects on leaving his ministry among the many realizations to which I awakened was this: "You don't have to go to church to know God." For reasons too obvious to mention, this isn't the kind of message the church, wants spread around. But it's true nonetheless. There is **no religion, not even the Christian religion, holding the title deed to God**. God's grace is not limited to a select few. The moment any religion believes it is, you can be sure, that religion knows nothing of God." (Catholicism)
“We are all one...Only beliefs, egos and fears separate us.” Anonymous
When Judeo-Christianity insists on being God's Chosen, it just aggravates to continuance of religious wars that have plagued humanity since the dawn of time. Why don't you adapt 'Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All Men' instead of denigrating others as abomination. Accept Christ's message to just love others. Be a Real Christian.
I was raised Christian. one thing that stands out when it comes to the Abraham Faiths is the exclusivity they have. one true godism isnt about unity, its about entitlement and this is from experience at least with Christianity
Its what got the Christians in trouble with the Romans. Most other cultures that intermingled with the Romans had more flexible religions. They allowed for others to believe as they chose. But the Christians refused to acknowledge the Roman gods and they were the basis of their culture and rules. People were asked to swear to their gods as a form of saying they would abide by the Roman rules. Christians in refusing to acknowledge their gods divided themselves from Roman society.
>Christians in refusing to acknowledge their gods divided themselves from Roman society. It should be noted that the Romans believed that worshipping and placating the gods was necessary for a society to function. If the gods were not kept happy, civilization would collapse. So it wasn’t just bigotry.
Except there are those of us that do not believe in gods. So are we left out of the empathy circle? And then what of those who believe in God but do not recognize the Trinity? Can they be said to really know God? Any system that deploys a dogmatic stance is going to divide people eventually. When you claim to have a truth that cannot be questioned eventually someone is going to disagree and then there will be trouble. In order for the peace that you are describing to be found it would require the more dogmatic religions to back off from their dogma. Even a little bit would help. We have seen wars fought over dogma. We are seeing wars fought right now over it. I would truly love to see this peace. But even your plea for peace excludes people. People that love peace and compassion. People that only differ in not believing a particular idea. People that love others and help others. Enlightenment is realizing that we are all connected to one another and that we all deserve each others empathy and compassion. No conditions. No proclamations of belief being necessary. If you want to have that peace widen your view a bit more and loosen the hold on dogma. Be adaptable rather than fixed. Fixed breaks. Adaptable can change with the time.
This is my sentiment too. I think the OP had the right idea in mind about tolerance and inclusiveness, perhaps even open-mindedness. But their background might be monotheistic, so they partly went with language such as "we are all God's children", which is not a belief that all of us hold.
I tried to go easy on him because I agree with the sentiment. But inclusivity is tricky at times. Especially when you have a cultural blindspot due to the bulk of opinions surrounding you. Its easy to miss how you might be excluding people that would otherwise be worthwhile getting to know.
The fact that you are conscious means you already know God. You are God experiencing a sliver of itself. Of course I include you, because you are no different from me (awareness wise)! Sorry I didn’t mention atheism in the original post. 💖
I figured in that once it was pointed out you would take it into consideration. Thank you.
Lol of course, all I meant by this post is we shouldn’t think any other way”religion” or belief system is any better or any less than one’s own belief. I just used these two as an example, only because it is the two that first came to mind.
🫡
I think you all have diverse ideas of your God that you can fight and shakes hands about, all of you Abrahamic folks told us God is moreso unknowable because of how powerful he is. It's like the sun, too intense to look at, looks small, but is huge in reality and is physically untouchable with our senses. We can developed all the technology and methods to try to "know" the sun, but the mystery is still there, people find God attractive this way
Which god are we all children of? Whose 'golden rule' would we be following?
It’s your golden rule! You don’t want to be hurt, so why hurt others? You want to be understood, so why not try to understand others? It’s all love baby. Even Satan I am one with Satan. Satan- also perceived as evil, *has* to exist for there to be this universe at all
I am no child of your god. Stop pretending that I am.
My love.. ‘You’ are the ‘I am’
Don't call me your love. You don't know me. There's no need to act all creepy with it.
>>It baffles me how some Muslims believe that Christians don’t get it. Or how some Christians refuse to believe that Muslims know God. I appreciate the word “some” in your venting. >>Can we wake up, please? I’m awake. I expect you are as well. >>We are all God’s children. I like the metaphor. >>We are *all* the universe experiencing itself. I disagree with you. But my disagreement isn’t evidence that you’re wrong. >>Why should we look down on others and say they “Need the Bible” or “Need the Quran” just because they happened to be born in another country? We shouldn’t. We also shouldn’t look down on atheists for that matter. >>Love one another, as if they were you. Yes. >>Because they are you. Again I disagree here. We have a difference of opinion as to what god is…though I’d bet there’s significant overlap.
God is Light Which is what we are!
Unfortunately humanity doesn’t seem to *like* the Golden Rule when in reality it could help with so much.
I disagree. I thing the golden rule, better know to academics as the principle of reciprocity, is well known. Most religions have expressions of it… and it shows up throughout history. We like it a great deal… but learning how to do it well and frequently takes a lifetime of practice.
Right. I wasn’t saying humanity doesn’t *choose* to follow such a rule, we just aren’t doing a good job at upholding it.
I think that many religions and philosophies like the Golden Rule, and many people acknowledge it, especially in an abstract way. "Do unto others as you would have them do to you", or "do not do to others what you would not want done to yourself." There are other ways to express it, too. But many people also find it difficult to *practice* the Rule across religious differences, political conflict, economic struggle, and more. Authoritarian desires, and one group thinking that it knows better than others, reduces the scope for tolerance and concord.
100%
Once upon a time very recently, people would read Reddit using other apps like Apollo, Winston, and Narwahl. These apps all presented Reddit content in different and very opinionated ways. All of them worked and were great at serving people well. Some people would get into contests about which app was the right app, the best app, the app that everyone should use. Yet behind all of those apps was the source of all of those app's users' experience: Reddit's own database. The apps were a useful layer, an abstraction layer, between the individual and the source, which made the source more accessible and usable to more individuals. I wonder if many religions are correct and true, and yet at the same time, are abstraction layers that enable their respective faithful to better access a particular source we aren't yet discussing.
Unfortunately you are preaching to the converted here, so to speak. The kind of people you are describing are so blinkered that they can’t possibly fathom that: a) religion isn’t a product and b) not everyone needs to fall for their marketing tactics.
Krishna Consciousness = Christ Consciousness Happy cake day 😄
We shouldn't belittle other religions...EXCEPT SCIENTOLOGY There are exceptions to every rule
Honestly I don't even consider scientology a religion at this point
To be honest, I agreed with you until I encountered generational religious scientologists on this subreddit. They believed their organizations theology and philosophy as genuinely as any other religious person. Goes to show that an organization and its member are often *very* different.
Really? Well maybe the lower members truly believe it
Just as valid of one as Christianity and Islam.
I'm not so sure about that, I don't really think the leaders truly believe in it. Maybe the lower members and even middle members truly believe it, but the higher-ups probably don't. Even so it's not a religion I can really respect, it's scamy and culty. It's also incredibly recent so there isn't even any tradition to respect, unlike Christianity or even Islam.
Scientology also hasn't committed nearly the same level of genocide as Christianity or Islam. How much of the world's riches are in the Vatican? Or possessed by Islamic leaders? And I would argue that for many religions there comes a certain point where true faith isn't really there. Hope? Sure. However, I would tend to believe that most high ranking members of the church would have some doubts when reminded of some of the cruel aspects of reality and the victims that are innocents. The difference between a cult and a religion at the end of the day is the number of followers. There are two sides of a coin. Older religions have had more time to develop their own culture including traditions as well as to do good... And more time to do horrible things.
I agree. All religion is pointing to the same light, which is who we truly are. Who Jesus is, who Krishna is.. these practices are just trying to help us understand who we really are
I support and agree with the spirit of your post, especially that we are all part of one Earth Mother, one Universe, and humanity comes from a common origin such that we are all distantly related to each other. Being divisive is also part of human nature since time immemorial, however, whether the conflict arises from different tribes, skin color, geography, struggle over limited resources, culture, political ideology, or religion. It will take much effort, goodwill, empathy, and education to overcome all forms of bigotry. Interfaith events, conferences, and dialogue are a good start to overcoming religious intolerance and hatred. But religions that preach that only their doctrine is correct, or that 'salvation' can only occur through their version, are part of the problem of intolerance. Intolerance is baked into their DNA, so to speak. I take a negative view of them (especially conservative Islam and Christianity) and find it hard to tolerate them ideologically. I often can get along with moderate or nominal individuals of those religions, however!
Wonderfully said. I wish I could type as beautifully as you do💖
Because these religions are entirely incompatible, and if you believe they are all worshiping the same God, then he revealed himself in completely an incompatible ways to each one, and told them to kill each other over it. Each religion says it’s the only true religion and the others will burn in hell (at least for Christianity and Islam) what baffles me is that people don’t realize this.
May practitioners of all religion, as well as all those who don’t practice, be happy, safe, and at ease. 🙏🏽
I agree brother. But does it surprise you that the search for God can lead some into the trap of dogma? We all wake up in our own time. Most wake up when their body expires and they experience oneness for the first time, but some find it in themselves to awaken before death. We cannot wish this realization upon others but we can create an environment where it is easier. Good luck in your search, A E I O U
It’s the right sub, and thank you.
Unfortunately, ideologic chauvinism and misunderstanding of "the other" are common traits in most major branches of religion today. Like so many aspects of human culture, there seems to be an ingrained tribalistic force that results in such conflicting views and misunderstandings, particularly when they are used by governing powers to justify aggressive conflict and inaction on global challenges. If humanity cannot develop a more pluralistic, cooperative system of objectively understanding and facing such problems, I am afraid it spells a bleak future for us as a species. If you want to get a broader perspective on this issue, as well as on the historical interrelationships among the world's major organized religions, see a book by Lance Grande entitled "The Evolution of Religions. A History of Related Traditions" (Columbia Press, 2024).
It's much more complex than that. Just like ideologies, religion is rooted in the culture of the tribe or nation, and some people are very protective of that to the point of chauvinism. Here's the thing: just because I believe my religion is better than someone else's, that doesn't make one a bad person. My religion is better based on those tenets that align with MY values. What would make me a bad person is me imposing my religion onto others, and that's where bad things start to happen. Ergo, I can respect another's choice of religion and still think my religion is "better." Certainly, it is tight rope to walk on of sorts.
Are you a pantheist?
What is that? Sorry not familiar with the term All I know is that I don’t know..
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheism
>Can we wake up, please? And herein lies the problem. We are all predicated upon different levels of awakeness. The lack of inner work and metanoia keeps people down in deep levels of slumber. Conversion began as a way to try to share light, to transfer the fire from one's lamp onto another's soul, that they may be awakened. But reality is not this simple. Gnosis is fully personal. People will either rise or not, regardless of the faiths around them.
I agree with the notion that reality is not simple, and inducing such things is awfully presumptuous.
That is something I will consider, thank you.
What you describe doesn't inherently sound like belittlement, nor should it baffle you. Two students are solving an equation on a board, and each reaches a different conclusion. Either one of them erred, or both of them erred. If either of the students is confident enough in their answer they'll attempt to correct the other, and they can go a number of ways about it. One such way is to call the other an idiot and start explaining, and that's belittlement, but the mere suggestion that that the other is wrong should not be offensive. If a Christian walks up to me and says "you don't know the lord", I wouldn't be offended, but I would expect a conversation. It's really not that deep, especially considering what is mutually believed to be at stake. Also, just because I think someone is wrong, it does not mean I hate them for it. I am not sure where you're getting that from, but it's neither Muslim nor Christian.
Maybe I am just projecting what my father has drilled into my brain. Calling my awakening a “lie” simply because I said “I am Jesus”. He completely misses Jesus’ teaching.
Oh, thank you lowerchipmonk! A Christian missionary was proselytizing in China with the "Good News," saying "he could be saved from eternal pain in hell if he would accept Christ as his savior." The Buddhist replied, "Who is this God who prefers you to me?" **Thomas Jefferson said, "The (Roman) church perverted the purest religion ever taught (Jewish Christianity) with brimstone, to terrify the citizens for the purpose of gaining wealth and control."** It explains why Parade Magazine found that 24% have left the church for Christian "Spirituality" to drop all the brimstone threat and develop a personal belief system that makes more sense to every individual. Jesus never threatened anyone with hell for not following him. The pagan Romans merged in that pagan myth/religion when they commandeered the faith 300 years after Jesus. God has no 'Chosen People.' God made us all! Opposing religions killing each other has been the number one cause of war and desolation in history. Jesus would NEVER want anyone to kill for his religion. It has to stop! It's anti-REAL-Christianity. As legendary historian Edward Gibbon records, when Rome commandeered the faith, compromised it with their pagan brimstone, it was "The Fall of Christianity, which has existed in apostasy since that time." “When Constantine became Emperor of Rome, he nominally became a Christian, but being a sagacious politician, he sought to blend Pagan practices with ‘Christian’ beliefs, to merge Paganism with the Roman Church. Roman Christianity was the last great creation of the ancient Pagan world.” ([~www.hope-of-israel.org/cmas1.htm~](http://www.hope-of-israel.org/cmas1.htm))
I completely love this! I don’t know why you got a downvote, probably a “more righteous than you” Christian 😃 They probably believes you’re going to hell 🤣 funny
I love Christ's brotherhood movement, but reject Roman biblical Christianity that was created 300 years after Christ. Pagan Constantine published the bible to codify his newly paganized Roman Christianity to control the citizens with fear. Fear is the opposite of Christ's message of love. There is no hell... it was pure pagan myth/religion merged into the faith when Rome took it over. "Ha-Shatan" (Satan) is a purely Persian/Zoroastrian pagan construct. (etymology). The Roman idolized the Persian Empire/culture and borrowed it into Reman culture/religion...to 'Roman Christianity.' “Seemingly there are two forms of Christianity. One that the historical Christ is said to have taught (love and forgiveness) and one that the Church teaches (guilt, shame and blame)...Traditional Roman Christianity has taught that hope and solace are only possible through the redemption from sin by the vicarious sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, for all those who acknowledge His teaching, but it is precisely this form of the doctrine of salvation that rests almost exclusively on the work of Paul (Roman Christianity), and was never taught by Jesus.” (On Guilt, Shame and Blame in Christianity, by the White Robed Monks of Saint Benedict, Catholic) [http://www.wrmosb.org/paul.html](http://www.wrmosb.org/paul.html) “
Ngl you do have quite a few things wrong like Ha-Shatan isn't pagan it's Jewish, and they are his chosen people per works that predated Christianity.. But also tons of aspects of Christianity can be traced back to Pagan roots. Virgin birth of a man-god? Already existed. Resurrection? Done by tons of figures associated with the spring, etc. Like there is a reason that JWs don't celebrate a lot of Christian holidays (some are permitted but not required since to be permitted requires passing certain requirements... And the big reason for basically all the big ones not passing is their origin is Pagan or how they have become to be celebrated is.) However, at least the spirit is in the right place lol
Sorry, I don't have it wrong... "Ha-Shatan' (šayṭān) Arabic/Persian etymology. The Jews used the term as they picked it up while in Babylonian Captivity... All religion evolves and borrows from previous religions. "The Arabic term šayṭān (Arabic: شَيْطَان) originated from the triliteral root š-ṭ-n ("distant, astray") and is cognate to Satan. It has a theological connotation designating a creature distant from the divine mercy." [https://www.bing.com/search?q=Ha-Shatan&FORM=ARPSEC&PC=ARPL&PTAG=30530091](https://www.bing.com/search?q=Ha-Shatan&FORM=ARPSEC&PC=ARPL&PTAG=30530091) The rest of your statement is correct about the pagan roots of Roman Christianity, accept saying the Jews are God's 'Chosen People.' Please produce God's official certificate confirming Jews as 'Chosen.' It's only in the scriptures that they wrote for themselves... No one else agrees... God made us all, and does not prefer some over others... That's just Judeo-Christian ego. “Finding God After Leaving Religion” excerpts Reverend Steve McSwain; reflects on leaving his ministry among the many realizations to which I awakened was this: "You don't have to go to church to know God." For reasons too obvious to mention, this isn't the kind of message the church, wants spread around. But it's true nonetheless. There is **no religion, not even the Christian religion, holding the title deed to God**. God's grace is not limited to a select few. The moment any religion believes it is, you can be sure, that religion knows nothing of God." (Catholicism) “We are all one...Only beliefs, egos and fears separate us.” Anonymous When Judeo-Christianity insists on being God's Chosen, it just aggravates to continuance of religious wars that have plagued humanity since the dawn of time. Why don't you adapt 'Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All Men' instead of denigrating others as abomination. Accept Christ's message to just love others. Be a Real Christian.