My GOD is better than your GOD!!!
63My way or the Highway (And that is the usual contention for achieving Nirvana, Moksha, Heaven or any other after life results attributed in all Major religions). Hence, the question arises whether is my way the only way or there are more ways to the same goal as all the religions do preach the same/similar great virtues. The issue is not of what religion you profess but what kind of person you become. We have all the religions in the world to divide each other but not enough to love each other. The greatest religion is not islam, hinduism or christianity but it is of humanity. Religion is a means to achieving spirituality. And every religion is equally good to achieve that objective. I remember a small story a frog from the ocean falls into a well and the frog in the well asks how big is the ocean. It takes a jump and the ocean frog says it is much bigger, takes another jump and still the ocean frog is surprised that this frog has the temerity to compare the well with the ocean. The reason iam telling this is that each of us tends to stay in the well of our own religion and proclaim it to be the greatest and when in reality the greatest religion is that of humanity. Hope you guys don't mind my thoughts and open your mind to all the religions in the world.
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I agree all frogs belong to the ocean but still one could be Indian, other atlantic and the next pacific. Hence, where should I throw all of them?
It does not matter which one you throw them into, all five oceans are connected. Please throw those frogs back into the sea!
Sure, will put them off the shore in kanyakumari meeting point of bay of bengal, arabian sea and Indian ocean. I guess its a good meeting point for all frogs at Vivekananda rock!! LOL :-)
Vievekananda rock? Is it something in memory of Swami Vivekananda?
I agree countrywomen...it's the person you are and how you behave with others that matters...labels and denominations do not make people.
It is so simple isn't it? Different paths, same goal. Yet intelligent human beings fall prey to the quicksand of dogma. Sad!
did someone say "quicksand?" ... I am right here. :)
This is a very interesting hub CountryWoman and informative. There is just one thing that you didn't clarify. Religion is men's (or women's way to reach God) and it is as varied as there are individuals. Christianity is God's reach for men and there is only one way. Christianity is a way of life and the way to reach God is simply by accepting Jesus Christ as lord and savior of our lives. This is one stumbling block to everyone who wants religion. It's too simple.
Although it is simple, it cost Jesus his dying on the cross so that we don't have to. But, the main thing, the only thing that is really different between any religion and Christianity is that you can always go to the founder of any of the religions you mentioned and you will always find where he died. (or at least where humanity claims he died.) Christianity is the only belief system that does not have a dead creator but a very alive one.
Thanks so much for bringing this topic up. It is so frustrating to so many people who prefer to impose their dogma or belief on others and have no tolerance for any belief in Jesus Christ.
Thank God that Jesus Christ is alive and well and will continue influencing and changing lives inspite of threats from governments, megalomaniacs, and misguided individuals.
Beautiful, simple, and true hub. Thanks for having the courage to share that people need to stop this condescending behavior.
Thanks SweetiePie. I just hope judging eachother we leave it to God and try to understand/respect each other.
I agree as we all should have open minds, as one religion is not better then another.it is simple perception and nobody should be judgemental of another.
AEvans,
Iam glad you feel the same way. I wrote another hub on (It's ok not to be a christian) please let me know your thoughts on that. And thanks for stopping by.
Interesting take on "my way or the highway"... I appreciate the new perspective. :)
Sumo- Glad you appreciated it and hopefully I get to know your perspective too. Thanks for stopping by.
I was thinking of starting my own religion but that does not mean it will compete with others. Islam for example claims to be for all men, which is fine with me, I'll just take what's left over...
Correct respect all Religions equally.
RELIGIONS
The entire Buddhist monk’s life is but a preparation,
For his Death Point or moment of separation.
The Jains have santhara,
Quitting life consciously to join with the paramatma.
Hindus go into Samadhi,
Where there is no Congress, Shiv Sena, BJP or Samajwadi.
The Christian merges with the Holy Spirit,
Peace, no more desperate.
The Sufi mystic to become one,
Dances, twirls, prays, trances to get the job done.
Aghora means Illumined with Light,
Longing for Shiva in whom they delight.
Shamanism or the Art of Ecstasy,
The ultimate being one with the super entity.
There is no need to change your faith,
And on your old religion lay a wreath.
Mohit- Thanks for the wonderful poem. I really appreciate the effort taken.
Allensood- Glad you liked it. Thanks for your encouragement,
Hi CW,
I'm going off-line in a minute, but just wanted to check whether your friends and family were all okay in India following all the events in Mumbai? I do hope and trust that they are! Best wishes
Mandy
Amanda - Everyone I know personally in Mumbai are safe but still feel sad for such a gruesome violence that was committed. These terrorist even attacked a Maternity Ward in a hospital with more than 100 new born babies and mothers (really how much more bad can it get?). Yes it's prayers from kind souls like you that help bring some sanity back into this world.
I hadn't heard about the maternity hospital in the news. That's just disgusting. What are these people like? Religious extremism in all it's forms has a lot to answer for.
Amanda- Yes that is really sick. The government says the particular terrorist group have links to Al Qaeda and were keen to target US, UK & Israeli people for their role against al qaeda operations. I don't know which religion teaches violence against even new born babies/moms and denying them medical attention/care. Here is one link about that shameless act : http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Terrorists
I just checked your link. Those poor women must have been terrified. What do these people hope to achieve? Do they not know that people will not warm to their cause simply because they're scared of them? It's madness. Violence brings more violence, and innocent people get caught in the middle.
Amanda- I don't think they bother about others warming to them as much as getting this kind of publicity. Such publicity may help those organizations recruit more volunteers to commit these violent acts. You are right violence is never the solution to a problem but only further complicates the problem. I guess & sane rational people from all regions need to stick together to withstand people who subscribe to such madness.
So much of this is little more than brain-washing. Unfortunately negative influence can be just as motivating as positive influence in the wrong hands.
Some people perceive things differently. As they say "one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist". These people maybe "role models" for others who have been or want to be brain washed.
We've seen the same sort of behaviour in Northern Ireland over the years. Thankfully things have been much more peaceful there of late, but we still hear the occassional rumbling of discord.
I read the belfast agreement resolved it. But yes like shia/sunni disputes in Iraq it was I believe between Protestants/Catholics in Northern Ireland.
That's how it started, but it's also about partition. The Catholics in the North want to be unified with the rest of Ireland which is an independant State, and has a separate currency (the Euro) and a separate parliament. The Protestants traditionally are happy to remain allied to the rest of the UK. Partition is the bigger issue these days.
WOW!! Learned something new today. Northern Ireland does it want to have a total independent identity separate from UK/Ireland? Btw why is UK not willing to accept Euro which most of Europe has accepted as common currency?
This is a wonderful hub. It's so good to read something calling for tolerance and peace instead of division. I'm so sorry about the horrifying events in Mumbai. It's hard to understand why anyone would do these things. It seems like a form of insanity to me---to be willing to cause that kind of suffering on purpose. Thank you for writing this, We all need to learn to be more tolerant and understanding,
I think we probably will accept the Euro eventually, but the British are a naturally cautious race, and I suspect that our government wanted to wait until the Euro was firmly established before making the decision. It's also a bit of a political hot potato as there are many Brits who would like to see us pull out of the European Union.
As to Ireland, the Catholic minority in the North want an end to partition, and would like to see one, unified Ireland.
Pgrundy- Well actually my grand father used to often say "we have all the religions in the world to divide each other but not enough to love each other". I have even met atheist who do so much of humanitarian service to the world that I feel should merit more than merely paying lip service. I liked crazyhorseghost "True Christian" hub about practice being more important.
Most of the times when people tend to only believe what is comfortable to them to believe and any gaps in understanding fill it with their own perspective to make the whole picture. Very few people like you have the will and the dedication to pursue independent thinking for themselves.
Some of these people are brain washed at an early age and they may not even know the horrible acts that they are in reality committing.
Amanda- So Euro may or may not still be accepted. But on northern ireland the status quo will last for some more decades atleast then.
I've read that some of them are horribly poor too--not like that is an excuse. It isn't a good excuse to go around blowing other people up and killing people. But maybe if they had better things to do--jobs, families, etc, maybe they wouldn't volunteer to do these crazy things so much. It seems like most of them are very young men who think they have nothing to lose. Maybe we need to make sure they have something to lose.
I don't know. I thought the same thing on 9/11--why would anyone hate us so much they'd volunteer to die blowing up a bunch of innocent people just to show us how much they hate us? Then I saw how horrible their own lives are, and how all they have is this hate. That is the center of their lives. Seriously, what if they had hope for more? Maybe dying for hate would seem less attractive.
I believe so. I've family in Ireland , and I've visited both North and South. The border control between them is minimal. I think most Irish people are fairly reconciled to the situation. but there's always a few disaffected people in any community.
pgrundy - some of those suicide members family gets some money after these people commit the act. I have seen one youtube video which was very disturbing about how a guy became a terrorist in Afghanistan (it showed that the guys brother was killed in an accident by the US troops and he wanted revenge. Another video the guy was very poor and govt doesn't have any work hence on being contacted by Al Qaeda in return for some money to his family he joined against the allied troops). Yes these are social issues and pretty complicated. It's so easy to get carried away hating someone without understanding their background. I don't know what can be done about it either.
Amanda- We have had enough violence in the name of religion and hopefully it will never be about Protestant/Catholic anymore. Land disputes can be resolved much more peacefully over a period of time.
Pam, I heard on the news that some of the current batch of terrorists in Mumbai are British born Pakistanis. I don't know if that's true, but if so, poverty is not the reason they have followed the jihadi route. It's more likely political disaffection whipped up by radical Muslims working within our own society. The enemy within.
Amanda - Yes those are sophisticated terrorists who go undetected easily. But I have lesser sympathy for those sort of terrorists who have political disaffection. If one has to disagree one can go to the news media, stage protests or simply deny my vote to that party but violence can't be the solution.
Cw - You're so right. There are far better ways of expressing disaffection. This certainly grabs attention however, but not in a good way.
Amanda - These people are then doing a great disservice to the fellow peace loving Muslims who are also then looked upon with suspicion. I have to take some rest now and will catch up later. It was really great talking to you on different subjects on two hubs simultaneously....hehe
Good night CW. It was great to talk to you too. Sweet dreams!
Thank you amanda. It was my pleasure.
Countrywomen: As the Dalai Lama says, "There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness". This too is my path. I love spirituality without religion because there isn't the divisiveness and judgment which has caused separation and animosity in mankind.
I am sorry about the attack by terrorists in Mumbai, couldn't bear to look at the pics- but sent my prayers. I wonder if its the same group that was planning a recent subway attack in NY but the plot was foiled by the FBI.
May peace prevail one day on earth.
Good hub!
VioletSun- Everybody aspires to be spiritual but follow a ritual to achieve that goal. If one's ritual(path) is to be kind and loving to all living entities than that itself is a beginning into spiritual advancement for that soul.
Well their are reports suggesting that this attack is a precursor to some major event likely in NY/London railway stations. Terrorists could have a network of associations and a single group like Al Qaeda may/may not be directly involved in all these operations around the world. Anyway they now have the feedback about attacks on hotels, railway stations and hospitals from the recent Mumbai blasts. May their be peace and love in this world.
All is Well to everyone. May the blessings of the Almighty be with you and your family for the upside of spirituality. Good to hear from a beautiful woman that the world is also very beautiful. We just have to look.
and here I thought Islam means "peace". What about the Zohar and mystics and wiccans and all those other ones. Oh, major religions. Anywyas, I am right there with ya, course I like to say I subscribe to the religion of love but please call me human. :) xoxoxo
Sandra- I have included Zorastrians(if zohar is the same?) and yes have to include Wiccans too. I subscribe to that "religion of love" too. Islam from the religious sense means what I mentioned but you are right it does mean peace too http://www.barghouti.com/islam/meaning.html
CW Your outlook and attitude of "love of humanity " is uplifing and is I believe spirituality in the truest, most down to earth sense - "to try and be kind and loving to everyone around you all the time" (while not always easy!) would certainly help in the long run to bring peace little by little to those around you (even if they too are of like mind) - like the ripple in the pool... follow the examples of love not those of hate - And what do bombs do? - create more hate - a family loses a son to martyrdom and then they too hate; receiving money in exchange for your child isn't equitable - & so the flames of hate rise and spread like a cancer crossing borders, taking root in unexpected places to lie dormant until fanned into existence to engage and kill again..........But if we could all be less domineering with this shoving of your own personal belief system down each others throats (& I am sure we have all read the hubs) and become more open minded about religion, spirituality and then just maybe the world could be a better place...... just a thought...cheers
Ajcor- Thanks ajcor for the vote of support for "love of humanity". That too coming from a woman whose husband is a Christian Minister. I guess it is very easy to say to be kind and loving but difficult to practice. One of the reasons in India people like Gandhi is because they say a great man shouldn't be judged by his speeches but whether he/she practices what he/she preaches. In his classic book "My Experiments with Truth" he says that if some one attacks you with words or deeds don't hit back be passive then when the person(s) who attacks expects a retaliation and doesn't get it then it will force that person(s) to introspect and then the change of heart takes place. I guess the philosophy of passive resistance is not a easy practice for the weak hearted. An eye for an eye leads the whole world to go blind and some where the chain has to be broken to heal the broken hearts.
and a biblical reference along the same lines CW - "Turn the other cheek"....
Ajcor- Thanks for the Biblical reference. I once mentioned this and was admonished since I or Gandhi wasn't a Christian we don't have the right to define what Christian means. Do you find this objectionable as said by Mahatma Gandhi "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ"
CW - I cannot believe that if you were admonished for saying "Turn the other cheek" - would you admonish me if I used your Gandhi reference? This is exactly what I mean - live and let live - my husband said that your " "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ" is apt because unfortunately in some instances,the fact of the expression can be found to be true.... but you know CW everyone needs to try and aspire to better than they are.....
CW I am sorry but I left a word out of the above comment - but AS you know CW everyone needs to try and aspire to better than they are.....& which with most people is the case ....cheers and thanks CW for this great hub...
Ajcor- That's fine with me but it just taught me to be more sensitive to people who may not take too kindly of others making any statements unless they also belong to the same group. I guess I learned my lesson. Yes we all are evolving constantly to be better human beings when we just try to be kind and loving to everyone. Thanks for your comments. I am babysitting a family friends kids and been busy with them so far. Sorry for the delay in response. I always look forward to your inputs and glad you liked this hub.
I find all gods are good only people makes them wrong
Doesn't the Bible state that true religion is to care for the widows and the orphans. Need we have more?
Lgali- If something/someone makes a person do better things and transforms that person into being a kind, loving and open minded person than that is ideal for that person to evolve.
Jimmurdoch- That is so true as we may be tied up with theory and not perform the practicals. As Gandhi once said "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ"
What passes for "GOD" I do not understand....
What passes for "Love" I do not understand....
Deelstra- I have left a comment at that blog. Thanks for pointing out these often abused words "GOD" and "LOVE" Thanks for stopping by.
You know, people need to understand that you do not even need a religion to do things that are preached in books. You would find even an atheist doing them. Except for praying and stuff. If someone helps others and leads a good life, how does it matter what religion he is.
I have another question, get back on it soon. Great thoughts :)
religion sounds like region ;)
I absolutely share your sentiments, countrywoman!! It's actually tiring hearing people say their chosen path is the only way. I think it's the truly intelligent people or atleast the ones that have examined major religions with broadmindedness, that realize that God is not limited to religion nor limited to anything and therefore cannot be understood by our limited brain!
I interpret religion to be like this: it is simply a school and the preachers are the teachers that are supposed to guide a person toward the absolute goal. Whichever religious path we're on, is decided by our integrity, as a child goes through various levels of education from kindergarten to graduation. You cannot expect a kindergarten attendee to understand the level of education in Highschool, etc unless the child has the brainpower and willingness to learn. So likewise different religious institutes offer different levels of spiritual education, you cannot expect to find ALL the answers at one institutes doorstep.
To me, atheists are simply non attendees of the schools of religion because they don't have the inclination for spiritual knowledge yet or they have been unwittingly seeking answers in the wrong places and, when a religious school on the level of a primary or even kindergarten claims to be the only way to God then that results in much damage to people and society as a whole.
It is the duty of the religious institute to not lay false claims nor adjust original scripture to ascertain it's popularity and membership. Or else it is known as misleading people.
I guess when people stop singing the glories of their religion and how God specifically told them that it is the only way, maybe we can actually learn something about God.
Perhaps the religion people are following is the ONLY way if they're following the RULES sincerely, and perhaps when they look at other religions and discover, hello! the rules are practically the same!, then perhaps people would realize that God wasn't talking about the path as being the only way but His commands as being the only way!
...learning how to be merciful, compassionate human beings, with loads of love in our heart that we stop discriminating between our neighbours (who in this world are humans, animals, nature) and we start to revere everything with equality in the realization that everything was created by One and the same supreme God, is the first step on that spiritual journey :)
Cool information about other religions.....nice perspective.
these pictures are suck!!!!!
Absolutely agree with you countrywomen, the greatest religion is that of humanity and all religions provide us the roads to spirituality. But isn't the point of following any religion to point to us the path that follows closest to the religion of humanity yet guides us to spirituality? :) There are many ways to do a single thing, and you must agree that the way you do that thing is as important as what you are doing. Doing a right thing by a wrong way is as wrong as doing a wrong thing.
quicksand Level 4 Commenter 3 years ago
Yes, like the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome. Likewise all good motives lead to Moksha or Nirvan. Both frogs belong to the ocean. Please grab them and throw them back!