peexinxmyxpants asked:


I’m Catholic, but many of my friends are of other religions. I have always been open to new ideas that don’t really involve anything too bizarre or unhealthy, one of which including that of religious aspirations. But from any religion’s background and stand point, is it wrong to try different religions? I find many good things in other religions, including the one religion I’ve grown up with, and I find many likes and a few dislikes about all of them. But what I’ve never been able to ensue is the answer to my question: Is it ok to try other religions? and at that rate, convert to other religions? can you tell me your opinion?

Dalip Singh Wasan asked:


Basics in all the religions are the same

Dalip Singh Wasan, Advocate.

The people who could conduct a survey of principles contained in all the religious books in the world have come to know that all the religions are having the same concepts about God. All the religions have admitted that there is one God. All the religions have accepted that all the people on this earth had been sent by God and while sending them on this earth God Himself wrote their luck and destiny and they enjoy and suffer as per these entries in luck and destiny and when the time prescribed is over the man is called back and then he is liable to give all his accounts before God and if his record is good he is sent to Heaven and if the record is bad, he is sent to Hell. All the religions believe that God never takes His birth nor He ever dies. All the religions believe that God is Omnipotent and Omnipresent and we cannot conceal anything from Him. All the religions believe that God sends some people to give guidance to this man and this rehearsal is repeated at the prescribed intervals.

People in all the religions believe that the people who enjoy life are availing of the benefits of their good work either in this life or in such a life in the past and the people who suffer are those who had not been good people either in this life or such a life in the past. All the religions are guiding us that we should suffer and do not make a complaint before God because God is giving us punishment and when we enjoy, we must believe that God is awarding us. They say that after each suffering, we face a happy occasion and after each happy occasion, we have to face a hard time. When we are suffering, our good days are standing at our doors and they shall be knocking very soon and we should wait for those good times. We have been told that all pairs are decided in Heaven and we just celebrate marriages on this earth. All the religions are telling us that we should lead a clean life and we should be truthful, sincere, faithful and we should not be a criminal, sinner or a person who commits misconducts. All the religions are advising us that we should live on this earth like members of one family because we are children of the same God and since we are placed at different places on this earth, therefore, the names and styles of our religions are different. Otherwise all the religions are giving us the same principles of life and if we follow those principles we shall lead a happy and prosperous life and we are on the wrong path we shall suffer.

We must be sorry to note that all the religious concepts and principles laid down for our guidance had been mis-interpreted by the man on this earth and that has been the reason that the man on this earth had been divided on the basis of different religions and they had been fighting just to establish that their religion had been good or better than the other. It is on record that they had been killing people in other religions or they had been trying to convert others to the fold of their own religion. All bad records are before us and therefore, we must admit that we had been in the wrong throughout in history and therefore, time has come when we should come on the right path because in this period of science and technology, if we fight, we shall destroy this whole earth. We should remain in peace and we should try to utilize all these blessings which science and technology are bring for use and we must try to establish Heaven on this earth. We must try to understand that all these fights amongst the religions shall destroy this earth which shall mean that whatever we have achieved in the past shall go out of our hands and we shall have to start once again from the stone age. We should go ahead and we should not go back. All this terrorism, all this imperialism, all these riots, all these wars are futile exercises and we must stop and concentrate on our development through the use of science and technology which have come to our hands.

Dalip Singh Wasan asked:


Religions keep us away from God

Dalip Singh Wasan, Advocate

There might have been a time when some people established religions to show this man the path which would lead him towards God. The man could not reach God, but on the other hand this man had been divided into different religions, had started fighting in name of religion and it is on record that this man is now a divided lot and they have got no unity amongst themselves. They are Hindus, they are Muslims, they are Sikhs, they are Christians or the like and if we start counting sub religions, then we shall have to consume so many note books for this purpose. The man started to reach God through these religions and through these sub religions and he is still showing that he is on the path. But centuries have passed and this man is still not near to God.

In all the religious books, we have been told that God is one and one only, but only this concept contained in all the religious books could not be adopted by this man. If he admits this concept, that is an artificial admission. In reality, this man is divided only in name of God and that is the reason all the religions have given God different names and they are not accepting that one God is equal to the other God. They are divided in names of religions and in names of Gods and they are preparing for a next world war in which religions shall fight and they shall try to finish religions.

The people of the world have reached a stage where they shall have to pray before God that He should send another person on this earth who should abolish all the religions on this earth and should establish one and only one religion so that the divisions which had been made in this world should be abolished and this man could be united as one force on this earth. And till these divisions on the basis of religions are there, this man would never unite and till he unites, there shall be no peace and till peace is not there, this man shall consume most of his time, resources, energy for preparation of war heads and those energies shall never be utilized for the welfare of this man. If we have a deep look on the present circumstances, we shall come to the conclusion that one set of people are turning terrorists, as other set of people are turning rioters and another set of people are preparing themselves for attacking the terrorists and the rioters with the forces of arms in their hands. It seems that this man is living last days of his life on this earth and we shall be destroying everything on this earth and we shall compel this earth to give birth to the man once again and that man shall have to start from the very beginning.

It seems that even the people and scholars who are trained in religions and who claim that they know everything contained in their religious books, they must come forward and must tell the people true meaning of religion and they must tell the people that all the religious books and all the religions are telling us the same things and therefore, there is only one and only one religion on this earth and that is humanity. No man should be allowed to say that he belongs to a particular religion. In all the records maintained, this man should be declared as a human being and he should stop calling himself as a Hindu, as a Christian, as Sikh, as a Muslim or the like. The scholars should sit and prepare one religious books for all the people which should be so simple that everyone could understand the contents and they should not need people who should sit and collect them for explaining the texts. The religious book should be translated in all the languages so that the contents could be understood by all and not concentrated to a few. The religion must play right role and that is possible. The people who had been telling us the contents of religious books had been misleading us and today they have brought us at a very dangerous place where we are ready to die and kill people of other religions. This is bad and time is there when we should see our mistakes and we must correct our mistakes without any further loss of time.

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BG asked:


If some Catholic says “Islam is a lie, Christian is also a lie”, will it be considered religious discrimination or the right to freedom of religion ? Can anybody tell me ?

Robin Calamaio asked:


Human beings are a complicated mix. For example, we are quite social and operate in groups … yet, we are also unique, individual units. Some activities are correctly pursued in group, but some pursuits must be solo. As Christians, we become part of the body of Christ – yet, we remain an individual. God says it this way: “You are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.” Furthermore, He distributes spiritual gifts “to each one individually just as He wills” and places “the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desire(s)” (1Cor 12:11,18 and 27). Those in this group actually have their individuality enhanced – by imparted gifts. But, … let’s move back a step.

The most important, the most crucial, indeed the most non-negotiable of all solo actions, centers on the salvation issue. This matter begins and ends with the individual and the Creator. There is no activity more solo. And it puts us in the weakest of positions because “all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb 4:13). It’s no wonder we hide “in the trees” like Adam – looking for cover (Gen 3:8). It is ironic that the shield of choice is often … religion.

The only religion I am interested in discussing here is the Christian religion.

The Christian Religion

In my mind, the Christian religion and the Christian faith are two different things. It is not imperative that you adopt my demarcation between the two, but if you think (for this moment) in the framework I am presenting, the following discussion will make more sense. When I think of religion, I think; “ceremony, ritual, dogma – and formulas for these things.” When I think of faith, I think; “inquiry, study, knowledge – and persuasion of what is true.”

Using this definition, the Christian religion … is easy. Formulas are presented that lead one to salvation, then directives are clearly defined for “good” Christian living. Altar calls, confirmations, or baptisms are soon followed by church membership, tithing, and the church calendar.

It is a natural weakness for man to fall into religion. The reason is really quite simple. Religion tells the follower everything he/she must do. The directives are not to be questioned – just obeyed – and everything will be fine. Many people feel like they have actually accomplished something by following religious orders. This has great appeal for the participant – and often provides great comfort. But, this comfort does not end in life.

The Christian religion rests on two primary pillars. First, those in the pew are sheep who must be led. And the second pillar is (you guessed it) – the leaders. They are to be obeyed. Two huge blunders are created by this model. For starters, Christians – as sheep – is a “figure of speech” (Jn 10:6). Sheep are depicted as naive, defenseless and quite dumb (However, they only answer to the trustworthy voice of their master … and ignore a stranger’s voice [Jn 10: 1-5,16,27]. People would do well to imitate this. They often follow “strange voices” … who lead them into death). But, where does Ezekiel’s verse fit in the “dumb sheep” analogy? “‘As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord” (Ezek 34:31). This is consistent with Paul’s admonition to the wayward Corinthians: “in your thinking be mature … Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1Cor 14:20 and 16:13). Where is it that God calls His children – to be stupid sheep?

Secondly, the leaders of the Christian religion are exempted from this “figure of speech”. They are over the dumb sheep. But, they themselves … are not dumb sheep. One of the most oft quoted passages supporting this position comes from Hebrews: “Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you” (Heb 13:17). At first glance, it does appear the religion model is accurate – sheep are supposed to obey leaders. But, a simple language lesson will demand a closer scrutiny.

This English translation (from Koine Greek) contains at least three problems.

First, in the English translation: “Obey” is a verb in the active voice. But in Koine Greek, this is a verb in the passive voice. The passive voice means the subject is acted upon – not doing the action. The actual word translated, “obey” (peitho) has several potential meanings (just as English words do). The root meaning of “peitho” is “persuasion.” Blind obedience is outside the circle.

Second, in the English translation: “leaders” is a noun. But, this is a participle in the Greek – not a noun. A participle is a verbal adjective. There is a huge difference between “the leading ones” and “leaders.” In this instance, “the leading ones” refers to the more mature Christians “of you all” (a plural genitive). They seek to persuade the less mature by instruction and example – and call for imitation. “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1Cor 11:1 – and this is the Apostle Paul … to the Corinthians!).

Third, in the English translation: “to them” is a prepositional phrase. This is not in the Greek at all and should just be forgotten.

Hebrews 13:17 should be translated more like this: “You must allow yourselves to be persuaded by the leading ones of you all … and yield.” The less mature are commanded to allow themselves to be persuaded (passive) by the more mature among them – and then yield to accurate handling of the word of God (doctrine and lifestyle) – not to them. This is totally consistent with all the other foundational Biblical injunctions of the Christian faith. “Examine everything; adhere to that which is good” (1Thes 5:21). The Bereans “were more noble minded than those in Thessolonica … examining the Scriptures daily” to see if Paul’s assertions were correct (Acts 17:11). “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2Cor 13:5).

Those who are leading must account for how they led. But, they are not responsible for wrong choices by their listeners (assuming they had led correctly). Paul was not guilty before God for the errant choices of the wayward Corinthians or the bewitched Galatians. Their choices did bring him grief … but not guilt.

I cannot explain why translators have so fouled this passage from Hebrews. If you can find a Greek scholar who can explain this – let me know (“Peithesthe” is not a middle deponent verb to be translated active either). By the way, Jesus did talk about leaders one time. “Do not be called leaders; for One is your leader – Christ” (Mt 23:10). Does He need to repeat Himself?

The Christian Faith

This arises when individual circumstances converge on a person – forcing an intense search … for the Creator. While God may use people, or even some of the structures of religion as cited above, these things are secondary (at best). The Christian faith is the search for God. “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God – for the living God” (Ps 42:1,2). Furthermore, He tells us, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jer 29:13). This is hard. In fact, I don’t think we can really know when we have truly sought Him with all of our heart. Duplicities, known and unknown, infest us.

God calls people to the Christian faith. He calls them … one by one. No one can get into heaven on the coattails of another. Adhering to the greatest of preachers … will not work. Supporting, or participating in, the most fruitful Christian church … will not move God to accept that one. Even following hard on the heels of the most devout of mothers … will not usher one into glory. There is but One Advocate before God the Father who can make a successful case for one’s inclusion into His favor (1Jn 2:1). And one must deal with Him solo. Nothing we will ever undertake is more solo – and absolutely necessary.

The extreme emergencies of life … are faced alone. The only One who can help us – is God. When Stephen was being stoned to death, he needed Christian faith – not some version of Christian religion (Acts 6 and 7). Our situation will be different, but the reality of need will be the same. The Christian faith is spiritual independence from man … and total spiritual dependence upon Jesus Christ.

Andrew Sandon asked:


What Is Religion?
Religion has existed for thousand years, but still there is no concise and even accurate definition of religion, which would reflect the nature of this phenomenon. Every person has his own understanding of religion interpreting things in a peculiar way. In the world, there are dozens contemporary religions exist, and there were dozens of “dead” religions which disappeared. Nevertheless, it does not diminish their role in general formation process.
Taking into account the nature of religion, it is possible to say that religion is a strict, unwritten code of essential rules (including morals and traditions) established by humans in order to control social life of the society.
Unity of meaning is the main source that allows the construction and experience of religion. As a collective sentiment, religion needs to be upheld and reaffirmed at regular intervals. The concept of religion is not a static one evolving during centuries. Egyptian religion or religion of Ancient Greece do not disappear, they transformed and matured, and became the core for newly developed religions such as Christianity or Catholicism. On the other hand, it is important to underline the fat that understanding of religion is also transformed as a person matured. In childhood, we believe subconsciously in superficial power of some thing beyond our understanding, in adolescence period, we deny everything being unable to join scientific knowledge about the world and unscientific knowledge on which religion is based. When we mature, we understand the limits of our science and, as the most important (if we are not skeptics), develop and coin personal interpretation and understanding of religion. This point of view can be supported by numerous example from every day life. For instance, if you ask truly Christians about the meaning of religion, all of them interpret it differently. It does not mean that they are “poor” believers, but it means that life experience and personal values have a direct impact on our understanding of religion.
I suppose that my definition of religion is a subjective one, because all people are influenced greatly by socialization processes and accident of birth. Also, people who have communicated with their god are not merely people who see new truths of which the unbeliever is ignorant; they are individuals who are stronger, feel more powerful in enduring the trials of existence, or in conquering them. I suppose that my interpretation reflects bias, because knowledge of the religion is discovered through an understanding of the whole congeries of social and communal bonds which determine character, and this in turn depends on an appreciation religious life. Nevertheless, I do not bias against any religion seeing it as a part of the process.
Seeing religion as “an identity presupposed by the unity” does not limit religion to what it has in the past allowing to apply this definition to the present. It is possible to say that the essence of religion has not been changed. Pagan religion or Hinduism share the same core structure, but expressed through different rituals. Ritual plays a crucial role here. In essence, there is little difference between different religions in their object, the results which they produce, or the processes employed to attain these results. The power of ritual dominates in religion.
I suppose that my definition of religion has a sufficient precision, because I try to be as much objective as possible. I do not account on any religion, but interpreted religion as a universal process based on “humans beliefs in abnormal phenomenon”.
To answer the question “What is religion?”, I can say that religion is a set of abstract rules for anonymous agents to live by, but consists of distributive practices, sanctioned by a tradition of behaviour, within which identifiable agents can achieve some kind of unity with a social whole that exists apart from their choices. This is a universal approach which helps to understand religion as a process free from prejudices and bias.
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Jeremy Parker asked:


Being diagnosed with a potentially life threatening medical condition, such as lymphoma, can often cause a person to revaluate their life and many find religion in the process. While some return to a lapsed religion, others find faith for the first time and, more often than not, just believing that there is something or someone in charge of their destiny can help them to come to terms with their predicament.

The very act of going to a place of worship, be it a church, synagogue, mosque etc. and interacting with others who have faith can give a lymphoma sufferer the positivism and strength to fight their condition. This is especially true when the sufferer lives alone or has no close family because the congregation pulls together and acts as a ‘super-family’ in times of need. They often make meals, help with the grocery shopping or just sit and listen so that the patient never feels alone and this solidarity can severely help during rigorous treatment regimes and during recovery.

Finding faith can also help a lymphoma patient to make amends with their God should the worst happen. It may be that they followed a religion in their younger years however because of other commitments they let their faith lapse. Finding themselves in a life or death situation may make them think about what they gave up and bring them back to the fold and under the protection of their God once more.

Even when a person has never shown any interest in religion before their diagnosis, they often find themselves suddenly believing in an all powerful, all forgiving entity simply because they don’t know what else to do. Many people who are faced with an uncertain future find that they need something solid to cling on to that will remain in their life for as long as they need it and religion fills this requirement. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like or even what you have done in your past, most religions are all encompassing and nobody is ever turned away. You don’t have to smile everyday and make jokes with other people; religion will be there on the good days and the bad days when you can’t find a civil word, unlike humans who tend to get upset when a cancer sufferer goes through a bad or depressing patch.

In addition to religion, other lymphoma sufferers may find faith in other places. Many find faith in their families and vow to live for them alone whereas others may believe in Mother Nature and so pray to her for a long and fruitful life. Faith can be found pretty much anywhere you look for it and different people find it in very different places. Lymphoma patients should believe in whatever they want to believe in to get them through their tough times, whether it is conventional or not. Who is to say that praying to the cancer fairies is any less useful than praying to a religious icon – whatever gives a person faith also gives them hope.

Amanda E asked:


Hi, I was wondering if there is any way that you can tell the difference between fake & real True Religion jeans? I have a pair I want to buy off ebay but was wondering if there is a way to tell? Thanks!

jonathan.townend asked:


I’m a christian and I really enjoy science. It’s interesting looking at science from a religious point of view, and I was wondering if anyone else has noticed patterns where science and religion intertwine?

William Nugent asked:


A young college woman sits down at her desk on the first day of a course on comparative religion. She thinks it’s a good deal. She gets college credit for a casual review of her own Christian faith and gets to learn about other world religions.

The professor enters the room fashionably late. He’s casually dressed in frumpy clothes and his hair is in a thin gray ponytail that’s so tight it stretches all the wrinkles out of his face. What follows in that first class and throughout the rest of the semester is a battle for the souls of the students in the class.

The professor’s secular, atheistic, materialist bias is revealed from the first time he opens his mouth. He nevertheless gives all religions a modicum of respect except for traditional Christianity for which he reveals unvarnished disdain.

The professor, when dealing with the Christian faith, attacks it in a manner commonly used in comparative religion classes in college. His bright shining lie is the claim that in the early centuries of Christian history there were several “Christianities,” each with their own sacred texts, competing with each other on a more or less equal basis to become the dominant mainstream branch.

(Incidentally, the murder mystery thriller, The Da Vinci Code, promoted the view that a feminist Gnostic sect had the greater claim to be the true Christian faith.) The truth is far different. The truth is that traditional apostolic Christianity, which is the Christianity of the New Testament, was the mainstream form of Christianity from the very earliest days of the church.

The Gnostic sects are very different from traditional Christianity and are by no means on an equal scholarly footing with the traditional Christian faith.

Nevertheless, this “60′s geek” professor with his persuasive words is able to shake the faith of some young Christian students. A careful student who takes some time to do some research will see through the “strawman” the professor has set up.

The “strawman” tactic is commonly used in debates and lectures. It consists of distorting Christianity into a strawman of inaccuracies and contradictions and then attacking the strawman and giving the impression that Christianity has been disproven.

Let me give a thumbnail sketch of early church history. The religion of the ancient Greeks was Olympianism which is similar to the Hinduism of present day India. The Romans essentially adopted Olympianism but referred to the various gods by Latin instead of Greek names.

Hindus believe that the material world is “Maya” which means illusion. The Hindus essentially believe that material objects don’t really exist. The ancient Greek Olympians similarly had a disdain for the material world.

To them, anything physical or material was lower than the realm of spirit and was corrupt. This is why many people of the ancient world had a hard time accepting the Christian doctrine of the incarnation.

The incarnation is the Christian doctrine that Jesus, Himself being divine, was born as a baby and grew to manhood. In other words God took on human flesh and dwelt among us.

The Olympian, Hindu-like religion dominated the thinking of the Pagans of the ancient world. It is from this soil that Gnosticism grew. Gnosticism was a syncretism (mixture) of Christianity and Olympianism. Full blown Gnosticism didn’t appear until the second or third centuries AD.

The sacred texts of Gnosticism were written in the second and third centuries which removes them a long way from the historical events of the life of Jesus and the apostles. Traditional Christianity and its sacred texts which comprise the New Testament were mainstream and generally accepted from the earliest days of church history long before gnosticism reached full flower.

The best scholarship shows that the books of the New Testament were written in the first century. They were universally accepted by the early Christians and were later formally codified as the New Testament.

The Gnostic writings attempt to connect Christ to a Greek philosophical and religious worldview. The Gnostic writings make little mention of real events of real history. The traditional gospels and epistles of the New Testament rightfully connect Christ to the Hebrew worldview and make many references to real events that occurred in real history.

The New Testament shows that Jesus was the promised Messiah of Israel who came in fulfillment of over 300 Old Testament prophecies. No other faith, including Gnosticism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism and Jainism has anything to compare with the Old and New Testament record of prophecy and fulfillment of prophecy.

Most sacred writings of other faiths contain no prophecies at all. I have often said that the many hundreds of Bible prophecies and their fulfillments are like God’s signature on His holy book and prove that God inspired the writing of the Bible.

The professor in that comparative religion class would do well to look into the matter of prophecy and fulfillment of prophecy. If he does he will find that traditional biblical Christianity is beyond compare! Gnosticism is a faith different from Christianity and it came centuries later.