5 ms·

My question is why as a Western dude who grew up with lots of exposure to Christian scripture and surrounding culture elements or churches I can visit am I gonn

My question is why as a Western dude who grew up with lots of exposure to Christian scripture and surrounding culture elements or churches I can visit am I gonna try and learn someone else’s religion (with none of those advantages) when even taking the “easy” route is extraordinary difficult?

narag 7y ago
Some of those traditions are previous to Christianism and most likely had a strong influence on it. So maybe for context.
- bigred100 7y ago
  So reading and learning a bit is cool. But I guess the part I wonder is how you’re gonna use it as a guidebook for life or something if you have none of the context and are kind of just guessing (maybe you’re not). For the record I actually have a similar issue with a lot of American Protestant Christians I’ve seen (have seemingly no connection to anyone but are convinced they can figure out how to successfully apply a 2000yr old middle eastern religious text to modern life on their own).
  - narag 7y ago
    I don't know. I wouldn't use any book as a guidebook for life, either if it was written 2000 years ago or yesterday. Actually most religious people I know have a bond to a community, being The Book kind of an identity "totem" of such community.
zahreeley 7y ago
Hinduism is not a religion instead it’s a Dharma. There is no equivalent English word for it as English has limited vocabulary and fails to describe yogic sciences. Hinduism gives you a way to explore the life and even question the existence of God. Can we redefine God better? Yes we can. Define in a way it works for everybody and removes extremism.
justwake 7y ago
The Bible has been translated so many times, perhaps even changed for forgotten political motives, such that reading holy text from other enlightened messengers helps us discern original intent. Paul said “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” What if both teach correct principles? Is it easier to stay a confused captive of ignorance or our own ego or be set free from our self-deception through knowledge and truth? Just a retorical questions, no judgement intended. I have found incredible sympathy and cultural understanding by reading the defining texts of other cultures, and noticing the similarities.
rblion 7y ago
I grew up in the Bible Belt in post 9/11 America. Being first generation, I was given the culture of India from my family while also playing baseball and having Windows '95 when I was 5. Also, I was introduced to the Gospel of Jesus when a youth pastor decided to give me his Bible as a gift because he sensed my hunger for wisdom, which I still have 12 years later. My grandma told me Christ and Krishna had the same gospel but for different people of different temperaments, all rivers lead to the Ocean. I have never explored Islam but can understand what a Muslim feels because I've been bullied for being brown and 'looking like a terrorist'. I've felt very lonely at times being an outcast amongst my culture and in America for being a dropout, for not getting married at 25, for choosing experiences over things, for not resenting or worshipping success. Having the Dharma and the Gospel as a guide has helped me stay aligned with what really matters in life: service to others and savoring life in the moment. Without them, I would be lost in the rat race chasing after desires that would never satisfy me fully. tl;dr - All rivers lead to the Ocean, take whatever raft works for you but see it through to the end and know all the others who preach love and truth as the highest virtues as equally valid.

narag 7y ago

Some of those traditions are previous to Christianism and most likely had a strong influence on it. So maybe for context.

bigred100 7y ago
So reading and learning a bit is cool. But I guess the part I wonder is how you’re gonna use it as a guidebook for life or something if you have none of the context and are kind of just guessing (maybe you’re not). For the record I actually have a similar issue with a lot of American Protestant Christians I’ve seen (have seemingly no connection to anyone but are convinced they can figure out how to successfully apply a 2000yr old middle eastern religious text to modern life on their own).
- narag 7y ago
  I don't know. I wouldn't use any book as a guidebook for life, either if it was written 2000 years ago or yesterday. Actually most religious people I know have a bond to a community, being The Book kind of an identity "totem" of such community.

zahreeley 7y ago

Hinduism is not a religion instead it’s a Dharma. There is no equivalent English word for it as English has limited vocabulary and fails to describe yogic sciences. Hinduism gives you a way to explore the life and even question the existence of God. Can we redefine God better? Yes we can. Define in a way it works for everybody and removes extremism.

justwake 7y ago

The Bible has been translated so many times, perhaps even changed for forgotten political motives, such that reading holy text from other enlightened messengers helps us discern original intent. Paul said “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” What if both teach correct principles? Is it easier to stay a confused captive of ignorance or our own ego or be set free from our self-deception through knowledge and truth? Just a retorical questions, no judgement intended. I have found incredible sympathy and cultural understanding by reading the defining texts of other cultures, and noticing the similarities.

rblion 7y ago

I grew up in the Bible Belt in post 9/11 America. Being first generation, I was given the culture of India from my family while also playing baseball and having Windows '95 when I was 5. Also, I was introduced to the Gospel of Jesus when a youth pastor decided to give me his Bible as a gift because he sensed my hunger for wisdom, which I still have 12 years later. My grandma told me Christ and Krishna had the same gospel but for different people of different temperaments, all rivers lead to the Ocean. I have never explored Islam but can understand what a Muslim feels because I've been bullied for being brown and 'looking like a terrorist'. I've felt very lonely at times being an outcast amongst my culture and in America for being a dropout, for not getting married at 25, for choosing experiences over things, for not resenting or worshipping success. Having the Dharma and the Gospel as a guide has helped me stay aligned with what really matters in life: service to others and savoring life in the moment. Without them, I would be lost in the rat race chasing after desires that would never satisfy me fully. tl;dr - All rivers lead to the Ocean, take whatever raft works for you but see it through to the end and know all the others who preach love and truth as the highest virtues as equally valid.