عاکفه asked:


I would like a thorough explanation of the concept of how Judaism is passed on from the mother to the children. We are a bit confused as to how this could be, as my friend and I were discussing that women are not allowed to perform ritual prayer, only men. Yet women are the ones who pass on the religion to their kids that is why a woman can marry a non jewish person, but a man must marry a Jewish woman.

Any clarifications, explanations, corrections welcome.

Drakim asked:


A lot of Christians and Muslims act like their religion is an obvious choice, and if you don’t convert, it’s your own damn fault for sending yourself to hell. You choose to reject God!

So, let’s say I’m a lost soul. I have no idea what is the correct religion, or even if there is a correct religion. How can I possibly find this out?

Rose Ariadne asked:


Witchcraft is a religion that wasn’t founded by any single individual. It was a natural development in a world that was controlled by unknown forces of mysterious origins. It is believed that magick in its original form existed in the Paleolithic times that is almost twenty five thousand years ago!

Recent research has proved that Africa was the cradle of civilization. When people spread to other parts of the world, they began to develop different styles of worship and culture. As a result we have many different types of magickal religions that probably co-existed and thrived in different parts of the world.

In ancient times, people used to depend on crops and hunting for sustenance. As they worried about natural disasters and famine, it was only natural to start praying to deities who were assumed to be in charge of the future. They knew that the Sun, the moon and other planets influenced the weather patterns and the crop cycles. So they started praying to the Sun, the Moon and other deities such as the Fertility Goddess and the Hunter God. As people moved from one place to another, the traditions, beliefs, customs and the names of the Goddesses and Gods changed with them. Interestingly, we have several common deities in different magickal religions many thousands of miles apart.

Here are some of the different types of magickal religions:African Magick. As human civilization started to sprout and expand on this planet, witchcraft was born. There was no Messiah, no priests and no monolithic churches to take charge of private Gods. The people believed in the magick of nature and the power of the land to help them survive. As the number of humans expanded, the different ways in which they worshipped their unseen deities also expanded.

Africa was a rich land, full of dense forests and wild animals. The only way the inhabitants could help each other was through prayers and visualization techniques. Healers were in charge of helping the sick and wounded. They became more and more powerful. As people started moving around, these healers found new ways to help others from a distance. Voodoo was born. Later, as Christian missionaries found their way into this pristine land, they also managed to slander and vilify the African way of life. In their fervor to corral humans into their huge business of religion, they decided to describe everything that stood in their way as evil.

Azmi Jahan asked:


Religion is the best explanation for the human origin when it comes to the religion of Islam. From the beginning to the present time, the religion of Islam gives a detailed explanation parallel to science. Darwin made good points of the development of creatures but his weakness was the origin of life, the main source of life. The Islamic holy book, the al-Qurán, explains repeatedly that the source of the human origin is the creator all mighty. Religion also gives a good explanation of evolution and how humans come to be of what they are today.

Life, without doubt, originated from the divinity. And the words of the divine show the proof. “We created man from sounding clay, from mud molded into shape” (Qurán 15:26). With science, we know that the elements that humans are made up of are the same elements as the ones on earth, such as carbon. Also, according to Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), scientists just found that clay may have been a catalyst that spurred fatty acids into small sacs creating the first living cells (Chase). In the verse Earth is considered to be the source of the clay which has the mixtures of elements. Also the verse states “molded” which is that creation of life is a process. “Clay also acts as a desiccator, removing water so that large organic molecules can be formed” (Rashid). Science illustrates that clay is an important component in the beginning of creation which is mentioned in the Qurán many times.

The exact time of certain events, such as the creation of Earth, was never mentioned in the Qurán. So, the words of the divine do not contradict the scientific evidence, of when the Earth was created, which was about ten to twenty billion years ago.

Evolution is not exempted from this because the words of the divine clearly states that it occurs. “And Allah has created every animal from water; of them there are some that creep on their bellies; some that walk on two legs; and some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills: for verily Allah has power over all things” (Qurán 24:45). This verse clearly states that from marine organisms creatures evolved to numerous land creatures. For example, birds walk on two legs, but they originated from reptiles. Birds have genes of teeth in their DNA, even though their phenotypes do not show it, which is proof of a link between reptiles and birds. One of the first marine creatures was without limbs, they just had fins, and because they originated from the waters they “creep on their bellies” like a snake. This leads to the idea of adaptation and deeper into evolution. Creatures that rose from the waters sprouted limbs in order to adapt to their new surroundings. This idea also leads further to what Darwin called “monstrosity,” in present time called mutations.

Evolution science can explain certain components of the developing life; however, it cannot explain the source of it. “…relates to weather modern humans evolved from Homo erectus, fairly recently, in Africa…” (Overview of Human Origins p.9). The article states that humans migrated to all over the world from Africa, but it does not say how they originated from Africa. This takes away the credibility of the science community.

So, religion gets more credibility when it comes to the origin of life, especially the religion of Islam. This can be considered to be from the scientific community; however, the scientific community does not provide the source of life. The Quránic verses were dictated over 1400 years ago, the 7th century, in a time where evolution and DNA were never heard of. The divine’s words were sent at that time proving that humans do have a creator.

 

 

 

Work Cited

Iqbal Ahmad Rashid, StoryofPakistan.com, Copyright © 2000-2003 Jin Technologies, 23, Feb., 2004, http://www.storyofpakistan.com/contribute.asp?artid=C062&Pg=15

Isquith, Irwin Richard. “Prokaryote.” World Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc. 24 Feb. 2004.

Jones Bridge RoadChevy Chase, MD, Submission.org,

©2003 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 23, Feb., 2004, http://www.submission.org/quran/clay.html

Overview of Human Origins, Copyright © 2003 Board of Regents, Washington State University, 23, Feb., 2004,

Allen Rubin asked:


Scientific Models that support religious symbols help us understand who we really are. The Real Da Vinci Code, the Da Vinci Man (Vitruvian Man), is a very important bridge between scientific models (the material world) and religious symbols (the spiritual world). This was exactly Leonardo’s intention:

“The outstretched arms and legs of a man form a square and a circle: the square symbolizes the solid physical world and the circle the spiritual and eternal. Man bridges the gap between these two worlds.” -Leonardo Da Vinci, “The Magical Proportions of Man”

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man (the Da Vinci Man with four arms and four legs in a square and circle) is the most popular secular symbol in the world. My ten years of research suggests that the Vitruvian Man is a universal symbol for greater love, relationships, success, health and the new age 21st century paradigm of indivisible wholeness, the paradigm for world peace. A New Renaissance!

The Da Vinci Man is a universal translator between scientific models (represented by the Da Vinci Man in the square) and religious symbols (represented by the Da Vinci Man in the circle). Therefore, the Vitruvian Man (Da Vinci Man) is a bridge between science and religion. There are amazing similarities between the sacred geometry of the Da Vinci Man, Yin-Yang, Star of David,Tree of Life, Christian Cross, Angels and Kabbalah.

Over the last ten years, my intention has been to discover a way for individuals to accept their experiences of higher states of consciousness, unity and indivisible wholeness. My research compares amazing similarities between higher states of consciousness, modern scientific models and ancient religious symbols or art. This comparison of scientific models, conscious experiences and religious symbols can be referred to as Sacred Studies.

Sacred Studies is the study of the convergence between Science (S), Consciousness (C) and Religion (R). The first letter of each word creates the letters SCR, an acronym for the word “Sacred.”

For example, the scientific description of electrons surrounding the nucleus of the atom seems very similar to descriptions of angels surrounding the throne of God.

This experience of angels surrounding the throne of God has been the experience of saints and seers throughout the ages. It is illustrated in the beautiful drawing of “The Saintly Throng in the Form of a Rose,” described by Dante and beautifully drawn by Gustave Dore. This also resembles “The Unity of Creation” with the nine Choirs of Angels surrounding the Throne of God as drawn by Saint Hildegarde of Bingen in the 13th century.

Furthermore, the three-in-one description of quarks at the center of the nucleus seems very similar to the descriptions of the three-in-one aspect of God found in most religions (Jewish Mysticism or Kabbalah, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism).

There are other amazing coincidences between modern scientific models and ancient religious art and symbols. For example, scientists believe that all creation began from a cosmic singularity. Most religious traditions also believe that nature arose from a cosmic singularity. This is the Keter of Judaism (Kabbalah), Easter egg or Cosmic Orb held by Jesus, the Yggdrsl of Norse and the Bindu Golaka of Hinduism.

The Ten Dimensions in Science and Religion Most religions believe in a three-dimensional cosmic being (a holy trinity) as well as the angelic realm, which also consists of three dimensions. Our material existence also consists of three dimensions of length, width and height. Time is allotted the fourth dimension. All together, these comprise ten dimensions.

Scientists also believe that there are ten (or eleven) dimensions. There seem to be very interesting similarities of these dimensions as described by scientists and the experiences of saints and seers of all religious faiths throughout time.

By good fortune, I happened to see the Da Vinci Man placed in the O of Google on the anniversary of Leonardo’s birthday, April 15, 2005. This gave me the confidence that the world was ready for a book on the true significance of the Da Vinci Man as Leonardo’s real secret code–to help us understand that the Cosmic Person we really are, created in the Image of God, is connected to the whole universe.

From here we feel one with the Divine, Divine Creation and all humanity. From here we experience our neighbor as our self and can, therefore, love our neighbor as our self. This experience of interconnectedness is espoused by religion and now validated by science.

David Bohm and the Paradigm Of Indivisible Wholeness John Bell was inspired by his teacher, David Bohm. Proof of Bell’s Theorem indicates that subatomic creation, the subatomic particles which make up our body, is interconnected and indivisibly whole. Indivisible wholeness is the paradigm for the 21st century. Feeling connected, no longer feeling separate, we find inner peace. This will lead to greater peace on earth and good will towards all.

The current paradigm in science is based upon atomism and creates an artificial duality between man and nature. This results in a feeling of separation and is responsible for man trying to dominate nature and others. This also leads to environmental destruction and war. The new paradigm of wholeness began with Einstein’s unified field and continued with David Bohm’s proposal for a paradigm based upon the undivided wholeness of creation.

David Bohm discovered that plasma, the operation of fluids at very high temperatures (like those found on the sun), was a fourth state of matter (in addition to solids, liquids and gases). As a result of this work, Bohm also discovered that matter not only exhibited energy (as in E=mc2), it was also imbued with intelligence! Bohm discovered that many electrons seem to be able to work as one whole and are able to detect the previous existence of a magnetic field.

David Bohm was an assistant to Einstein. Einstein considered Bohm to be his intellectual heir and proclaimed, “If anyone could discover a unified field, it will be David Bohm.” In 1967 David Bohm’s student, John Bell, proposed an experiment that could prove the existence of indivisible wholeness. Proof of Bell’s Theorem was demonstrated by Alain Aspect in 1987. This has been proven time and again and has shaken the very foundations of quantum physics.

Like the Yin-Yang, Star of David and Christian Cross, the Da Vinci Man is a universal symbol for this indivisible wholeness. Deep within the atom is a powerful field of indivisible wholeness. From here, with the help of the Da Vinci Man code, we can experience the essential unity of all creation and humanity. I have spent over ten years comparing the amazing similarities between modern scientific models and ancient religious art and symbols. There are incredible coincidences between the findings of modern scientists and the experiences of ancient saints and seers.

Jade asked:


Personal experience testimony welcomed. Seems that all aggressive religion strains have three things in common:

1. they claim to be the only truth or at least the best purest truth

2. They claim to be the fastest growing religion in the world

3. They claim to be the only religion hated and persecuted by others

Question Everything asked:


In ancient times, there were gods for lightning, floods, earthquakes, etc. But now that science has explained those ‘phenomenons,’ almost all aspects of religion have to do with morals, emotions, etc.

What branch of science do you think will explain away religious aspects and what do you think they will explain?

Rose Ariadne asked:


Wicca is a personal, positive religion that is based on respect of nature and celebration of all things that exist in the physical and ethereal world. Practitioners of Wicca follow the precepts of Shamanism, which is believed to be the first “religion” on Earth.

Most practitioners of Wicca commune with the Goddess and God during rituals that allow them to understand and guide these energies which created our Universe. These rituals are usually enhanced by the use to tools, chants, music, dancing, etc. that increases the practitioner’s mental acuity and intuition to high levels not easily available in most other religious practices.

These altered states of consciousness allowed human beings to communicate with the powerful energies of the Universe and persuade them to move in the direction of their intentions. Stated simply, many practitioners of Wicca are able to change the direction of their future. This ability of these practitioners is called Magick and the actions that are required to perform Magick are called Spells.

Wiccans use Magick to effect change in their lives as well as in the lives of others who request their help. By communing with the deities and listening to the messages from nature, they understand what needs to be done and go about doing it.

The most important rule of the Wicca (or the Craft as it is called) is that people can choose to do anything so long as it doesn’t harm anyone. Wiccans believe in reincarnation and the thee-fold Law which states that the effect of what we do to others will return to us three fold. As a result of this dogma, Wiccans usually stay away from negative Magick, for if they practice it, they will feel the devastating effects of their actions.

Wiccans are practitioners and not followers because they do not “follow” anyone. This way of life believes that each one of us is capable of communing and communicating with the Powerful energies that created life.

Magick is used in many ways. Some witches can use just their minds to control the energies. Others use tools such as the Athame, the Besom, the Wand, Chalice, etc to supplement the power of their own energies. Wicca is a very personal religion and communing with the Deities may be performed anywhere since the energies exist everywhere.

Most celebrations are held outdoors if possible because the Wicca practitioners believe that nature cleanses or purifies our surroundings easily. Also, communing with the deities mean communing with nature, so the best place for this meeting would be where most of the energies exist.

Ernie Fitzpatrick asked:


To the best of my “self-deceived” psyche, I have abandoned the lifestyle of fear based religion. I’ve found that while more and more are finding the joy and peace of such, there are few who have the courage or proclivity to go against the crowd of status quo maintainers. The church which is to represent God (who is love) manifest something quite the contrary when some major doctrine is even questioned, let alone challenged.

Fear based religion usually goes hand in glove with a heaven-earning religion.

At the core, but little understood is the Old Testament “works oriented” paradigm that has carried over into the New Testament. Faith without works is dead; however, such an over emphasis can lead one into leaving the courts of grace before knowing it. And the club that’s most often used to enforce church conformity and control is the threat of HELL! For way too long I believed in an eteranl hell. Now, hell is just a “cleansing gate” outside the confines of eternal life with our Creator (what most call heaven).

I simply believe that God’s grace does not end with the grave.

Man’s condemnation of other men is simply a egoic paradigm that has enormous control over us, justifies us, and leads us into areas unlike Jesus walked. When we reduce religion to an institution to control society (as Constantine did), we too often create people with little self control: the opposite of the intended goal.

James Mulholland put it this way, “The problem with controlling religion is that it is so convinced of the depravity of humanity that it cannot believe anyone could live a good life without manipulation or coercion.” Listen, whoever created this world is not going to give us a pass wherein we don’t have to experience life on our own terms and conditions. Without free will, there can be no love. As hard as that is to embrace, it’s still true and the longer we live and experience life, the more we begin to understand the incredible wisdom of God- and the folly of man’s ego: especially organized religion.

There is more to life “outside the gates” as Jesus said.

Be sheep only in regards to the Creator, not to the institutional church!

pinkpixielove asked:


My husband was watching the zodiac killer and in one of his letters he says the people he kills will become his slaves in the afterlife. He was wondering what religion that was. It sounds kind of egyptian in nature I believe.