So everyone has a different viewpoint on religion, everyone belives something slightly different right? So I’m just wondering, why is any one persons religion more correct than another’s, like if your a Christian, why is Christianity correct, whereas atheism or islam or Buddhism not correct?

I've heard from a religious researcher that a guy named Ion wrote Revelations 500 years prior to Christianity. Is that true ? And if so where is the source ?

Not planning on committing suicide, we were just having a conversation. I was always under the impression that everyone is give a chance to repent their sins, regardless.

I have noticed during some viewings that some people will be laid out with their hands or arms folded across their chest and was wondering if it symbolizes anything?

...how is that supposed to work?

Like, if I stretch, on my hands and feet and breathing slow, it magically changes my religion? Or is it only if I call it a "downward facing dog"? Only if I call it by its proper sanskrit name? Only if I do it in a series of asanas? Only if it's meditation? Only if I'm already more or less a hindu?

How do they explain that many avid practitioners of yoga still don't believe in shiva?

Seriously, I would like to know how people who say stuff like that, actually imagine it to work.

EDIT: For clarification, I know that not all christians think that (likely, only a tiny minority), I'm wondering specifically about those who do.

EDIT#2: I know that this is fringe. Even if it were 1:100.000 christians, I would still love to hear their reasoning.

EDIT#3: The most baffling part of this, to me, is that there is a reverse position where nationalist hindus think that christians' love for yoga is a covert attempt to convert them. And/or that hinduism/yoga/india are inseparable and thus chrsitians shouldn't do yoga.

My mother had children with different men. Thus my oldest siblings (female) has a different father than the rest of us. She is the oldest to my mother and her father.

The middle sibling (male) has a different father but isn’t the oldest child to that father. He was adopted by my father later on in life but has my mothers maiden surname. Because he was adopted by my father he was the oldest child in the household as my sister was moved out and married by that time.

I (female) however am the oldest child of my father. My parents were married but got divorced after +/-6 years of marriage, thus breaking the household up.

Due to the divorce older brother (middle child) was “un-adopted” by my father (in other word mom got sole custody and he was out of my father’s life )

In our family, if an ancient curse would break out, Killing all first borns. Who dies?

The question is in the title, but I'll elaborate. If God (and I'm talking primarily about the Abrahamic God, although the same could probably apply to a lot of gods worshipped throughout history) is all-seeing, all-knowing etc., knows what is in our hearts and truly wants to accept us into His Kingdom, then why does He place so many caveats on what worship ought to look like?

Why, for example, do Muslims have to pray at five EXACT times, all facing in the direction of Mecca? Is prayer in and of itself insufficient? Is there a reason it has to be performed in a specific direction and at specific times? Does God only listen at those times, and can He somehow only see people who are facing Mecca from His vantage point?

Or, in Christianity, why does God care if a person had water rubbed on their head as an infant? If that person grows up to accept Jesus as his/her saviour, and lives according to Christian principles, then what does it matter if he/she was baptised or not?

So, I know that a few different segments of Christianity use Holy Water for rituals and reasons, but I was wondering, is the water, once "holied" consistent? Is it considered good to go regardless of the denomination of the priest that holied it?

So if a Catholic priest blesses some water, can another denomination take that as good enough and just go with it, or would they have to re-holy it?

So, I know that a few different segments of Christianity use Holy Water for rituals and reasons, but I was wondering, is the water, once "holied" consistent? Is it considered good to go regardless of the denomination of the priest that holied it?

So if a Catholic priest blesses some water, can another denomination take that as good enough and just go with it, or would they have to re-holy it?

Like, could he bless an aquaduct, and therefore an entire town or city is drinking "blessed" water? Or has anyone ever thought about blessing the ocean?

I realize the question sounds odd, so to clarify: For the purpose of this question, "liturgical language" is defined as a language through which religious services are traditionally conducted, which is not the vernacular language of the communities in which the religion is most commonly practiced. Whether the lay people commonly understand it is not relevant, what makes it a "liturgical language" is that it is not in common vernacular use outside religious contexts, and may be culturally connected to the religion.

Example: Until about the 1970s, Roman Catholics conducted services in Latin, even though most of the laity did not understand it. This still occurs in traditionalist Catholic groups and some schismatic sects.

A potential example - doesn't fit exactly what I mean, but fits my technical definition: Some high church Anglicans will use "archaic language" in liturgy, this being Early Modern English circa 1660s when the oldest Anglican liturgies still in common use were written, and while archaic, this is usually understood.

I am wondering if this sort of thing is known to happen in Protestant churches? I am aware of this in Eastern Orthodox churches and other religions, but I would like to know if it exists in post-Reformation Christianity.

Hi guys! My first post on this subreddit! I am a Christian and I have heard people say that being gay is alright according to the Bible, despite the many verses that condemn it. I am accepting to any answers to this question!

I guess under normal circumstances, you have someone who can lead you in prayers, and give thought provoking sermons. But when there is a pandemic, and a million churches are offering online services, why do you have to go in person? If god is everywhere, can’t god hear you pray at home? Doesn’t the fact that you can catch the virus, and transmit it to someone whom it kills sound like something god would want you to avoid?

What is God? or god(s) ?

As a child I deeply wanted to know but nobody could give me a good answer. Since then, I have developed a model for belief, a way to understand religious believers. We have three basic types of belief in God or god(s)* and also non-belief; people believe all four to some degree, whichever is dominant in a person, I call that the type of believer they are. Someone can be a mix. *I'll just say God moving forward, you can substitute god or gods if you like where I say God.

So what are the three types of belief in God in my model? They are α, ϐ, and γ. You'll see I focus on different aspects of this question than others.

So what is α? (Alpha) It is a belief in Saint Augustine's God, a perfect, all good, all powerful, all knowing being. I call this the 3-O God, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. When I took Philosophy 101 this was the definition of God used; when referring to other definitions, we used a small "g". It was assumed this was what most Christians and Muslims believed in but I'm very skeptical. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustinian_theodicy

There is a great problem with this definition of God. The problem of evil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_evil https://youtu.be/9AzNEG1GB-k

For example, some people defend the above definition of God by saying evil is necessary as it builds better souls. It hardens us up so we're better people when we get to heaven. But then why would God not just have created us as better people? It implies that God is limited in its power.

This brings up ϐ. So what is the ϐ type of belief? (Beta) This is a belief in a God but not the 3-O God, but instead some being that is deserving of the title God but not 3-O. There are deists who I've encountered throughout the years, they fit in this category. I've encountered others who seem to be these kind of believers but they can't put their belief into words. But if I'm not told what it is, how can I even evaluate the possibility of its existence? Give me a definition, lets talk about it! Otherwise why should I take your God seriously? I don't even know what it is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceptions_of_God

The last kind of believer, γ, appears to be the most common in my experience. (Gamma) γ are believers in name only. "God" is just a slogan. It has emotional weight but no real meaning. I was this kind of believer as a child. It was just a label. It meant nothing to me but I was a good little boy because I told everyone how much I loved God and Jesus. You can't tell the difference between a γ believer and an α or ϐ believer who can't or won't put their understanding of God into words. That's why I say this "appears" to be the most common type of believer but that's an assumption, I don't know.

I can remember a recent debate with someone on the topic of the existence of God. I pushed them on what they thought God was and they ended up just throwing their arms in the air saying "Oh, I don't know, just something greater than us!" Well, what's greater and how is it greater? The Federal Government is greater than us in power? Is it God? "Oh, I don't know!" Is this a type α, ϐ or γ believer? I'm thinking γ but, as I said, I don't know.

Then the non-believer, δ. (Delta) This is someone for whom the word "God" is just a label used by others for some abstract concept but it's existence and/or even definition is unknown or perhaps even strongly believed not to exist. These are your Atheists, Agnostics or Ignostics.

So what kind of believer are you?

I was raised Mennonite. I thought it was all true as a kid but I had my doubts when I got to high-school. I didn't have the sophistication at that time to understand my doubts or even what I thought I believed in; I was a γ believer. Then I went to a religious non-denominational high-school where the teachers were very evangelical with born-again beliefs. A much more abrasive religious environment than I encountered at my Mennonite Church. At that time my church asked me if I wanted to get baptized. Mennonites have "adult" baptism but the definition of "adult" they use is a bit young; I was in grade 9. I took this very seriously. This high-school I went to also had morning chapel each day where they told me I'd be going to hell if I had doubts; I had doubts and thanks to them, fear, a lot of fear! I then read the Bible cover to cover, the NIV translation. After that, I thought I must have read the wrong version, this book was complete madness. I told my church I wasn't ready to get baptized, lets talk next year. I read some books on critical thinking including Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan. An excellent book. I wanted to understand what God was so I wanted a good definition of God. Nobody could provide me one I found satisfying. Then I read the Bible again, this time the NKJ translation. By the time I finished the NKJ I had shifted from a believer to a non-believer (γ became δ). I was, and am, done with Religion. I said no to my church regarding baptism and have gone on with my life without religion clouding my mind though I still love a good discussion or debate.

What's your story?

like obviously religious people don’t like people having children out of wedlock but it happens. what do you think should happen to those children? or should it be the parents that have something happen to them?

I don't want to go to Hell due to my beliefs, but I've always wondered what he does in Hell. Is he just there?

I have been watching the musical Jesus Christ Superstar this evening, as a non religious person myself I appreciate the music more than anything, however, the story of Jesus and the general narrative of the musical has spurred a question that I feel would be better answered by those who are religious or who have at least read more religious texts that myself.

Obviously Judas kills himself after handing Jesus in to the romans which lead to his crucifixion, I remember hearing in multiple films, tv shows etc in main stream media that suicide was the “cardinal sin”, my question here is; why exactly is it seen as the cardinal sin?

Please forgive the small mindedness sounding of this comment but if god “has a plan” for everyone, is their suicide not just his part of his plan?

I am genuinely not trying to cause any ill feeling with this I am just trying to seek answers from those who will be more knowledgable in religious beliefs than myself.

EDIT: whilst I know this is very much centred around Christianity I would also be interested in hearing other religions views on suicide and whether it is considered a sin in these religions as well.

EDIT 2: Thanks so much for the conversations on this! I find it fascinating and very insightful!

Groups that are commonly seen as cults - let's stick to the big ones we all know, for practical reasons: Jehova's Witnesses, the Mormons. As soon as there's more than 20 people, I'm sure there must be a "liberal" and a "fundamentalist" wing. At least that's my working hypothesis, based on the common-sense experience that people just love to disagree on the tiniest minutiae of doctrine.

But what does that mean - in regards to groups who are, more or less, universally seen as fundamentalist from the start? What is a liberal JW? Is there such a thing at all?

Hello in the time of COVID-19 I was thinking about some religions requiring men to keep beards.

Everyone is advised to wear masks now and beards definitely get in the way, so how do people reconcile with religious rules?

What is the reason for men to keep full beards (rather than let’s say a moustache/goatee/soul patch)?

Premarital sex is never mentioned in any for the Torah, the Bible, or the Quran. Why, and how, did all three Abrahamic faiths come up with "fornication" nonetheless?

I want to learn about Shintoism, not some redditor's moral conundrum about God not Existing because He can't Eat a freaking pineapple or how xyz religion is suspicious bc some nobody said something ludicrous that no sane human being would say outside of a carefully monitored environment like a debate* or academic/philosophical lecture.

Let's see some questions like "why are some religions centralized like the Khilafah and Papacy, while others are 'do your own thing'?" Or like "how did you learn to integrate your religion into the city you live in?" Even though I have accepted Islam as the Absolute Truth, I still want to learn about your experiences. I know that sounds contradictory, but think of it as that line from Captain America: Civil War where Tony Stark tells Peter Parker not to do anything he would do, and definitely not to do anything he wouldn't do, and how there's a fine line in there where he (Peter) comes into play. Basically, use your head and don't overcomplicate it. /endrant

Edit: *I hate debates bc they don't usually result in any real growth. I rarely ever see either side give a genuine interest in learning about the other side. It's like how Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings upon him) said to avoid excessive argumentation bc it can kill the heart. If you take this to start a debate, then you should automatically be banned. We need to have some standards on this sub.

Hello,

Recently I have heard an Iranian man and Norwegian man arguing and it got hot. At some point Iranian man shouted that he is allowed by his religion to rape blonde man. This meant to be an insult. I do not take any sides here, because Norwegian was very rude too, but this statement kinda shocked everyone in the room. Can anyone elaborate on this ? Can someone confirm or deny ? What are the basis ? Is there any historical reasons behind such a statement ? Thank you in advance.

I get the feeling that a lot of religious people don’t really care if their beliefs are true or not. I think a lot of people are happy just to try to fit in to the culture of their peers and buy in to whatever beliefs make them feel good until they die.

These are all I can gather that was religiously inclusive:

• My favorite religious passage is... because...

• I feel God's presence most when...

• I feel distant from God the most when...

• Sometimes I get angry with God about...

• What does God's voice sound like?

• What does God's presence feel like?

• What does God physically look like?

• God is good because...

• The attributes of God are...

• What attribute of God is most significant to you?

• How are Santa Claus and God similar? How are they different?