|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Murder of Angels Captain
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 10:03 pm
One of my favourite things to do is study religion. It is one of the few things that holds my interest long enough for me to get anything out of it. I recently finished reading a book about Gnosticism and have started reading a book about Hinduism. In the past I've also studdied Christianity, Native American Shamanism, Wicca, Druidism, Neo-Paganism, Judaism and Satanism.
How many people here study religions other than their own? What religions do you find the simplest, or easiest to learn about? What religions do you find the most complex?
~~~~~~~~~~
Personally, I find Shamanism to be the simplest and Judaism to be the most complex. That is, out of the religions I've studdied so far...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 10:19 pm
I love to study religion very much so, and have several books on spiritual matters. In fact, I am in a "Religions of the World" class and, not surprisingly, this is the class I enjoy most and feel that I am doing the best in.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:13 pm
Hindu = most complex, just because its not really part of any major culture or subculture around here.
Christianity = easiest, because everyone is Christian and its on every movie and churches are popular in movies too. Easier access
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:23 pm
xdarktigress Hindu = most complex, just because its not really part of any major culture or subculture around here. Christianity = easiest, because everyone is Christian and its on every movie and churches are popular in movies too. Easier access While that's a good way to look at it, think of it this way... Say you had absolutley NO spiritual knowledge whatsoever. Now imagine there were an equal amount of people practising each and every religion ever to exist and you have to learn about them all fro scratch. I doubt you'd think Christianity would be the easiest anymore, in context of this argument.
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Murder of Angels Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:29 pm
A Murder of Angels xdarktigress Hindu = most complex, just because its not really part of any major culture or subculture around here. Christianity = easiest, because everyone is Christian and its on every movie and churches are popular in movies too. Easier access While that's a good way to look at it, think of it this way... Say you had absolutley NO spiritual knowledge whatsoever. Now imagine there were an equal amount of people practising each and every religion ever to exist and you have to learn about them all fro scratch. I doubt you'd think Christianity would be the easiest anymore, in context of this argument. Well, if everyone practiced them the same amount, we'd all be exposed to each one just as equally. Therefore, no religion to be harder to learn than the other. Learning is based of experience and familiarity. The more familiar you are with something, the easier it is to learn about. Especially if you grew up with it as a kid. Kids grow up exposed to Japenese, spanish and English and learn all three languages with equal ease if given the same amount of exposure to each one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 7:23 am
GameAngel64 I love to study religion very much so, and have several books on spiritual matters. In fact, I am in a "Religions of the World" class and, not surprisingly, this is the class I enjoy most and feel that I am doing the best in. gameangel and i are pretty much in the same boat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 11:56 am
I believe that one of the most complex religions to learn about are some of the christian ones, like traditional roman catholicism. other ones are those that are not exposed to us, such as hinduism.
some of the easiest in my opinion are satanism, and some other pagan religions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2004 5:19 pm
I think Fluff Bunny Wicca is the easiest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:06 pm
chaoticpuppet I believe that one of the most complex religions to learn about are some of the christian ones, like traditional roman catholicism. other ones are those that are not exposed to us, such as hinduism. some of the easiest in my opinion are satanism, and some other pagan religions. What about Gnosticism? Complicated?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:40 pm
GameAngel64 chaoticpuppet I believe that one of the most complex religions to learn about are some of the christian ones, like traditional roman catholicism. other ones are those that are not exposed to us, such as hinduism. some of the easiest in my opinion are satanism, and some other pagan religions. What about Gnosticism? Complicated? doesn't that fall under christian?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2004 9:39 am
chaoticpuppet GameAngel64 chaoticpuppet I believe that one of the most complex religions to learn about are some of the christian ones, like traditional roman catholicism. other ones are those that are not exposed to us, such as hinduism. some of the easiest in my opinion are satanism, and some other pagan religions. What about Gnosticism? Complicated? doesn't that fall under christian? I suppose that it would but in some ways it is different than how most people perceive "Christian." If by using the word Christian you wish to include all of the different sects, then I'd certainly agree that would be difficult just for all of the varieties out there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2004 10:35 am
I've studied Budism and found it quite easy to understand.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Murder of Angels Captain
|
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 12:11 am
chaoticpuppet GameAngel64 chaoticpuppet I believe that one of the most complex religions to learn about are some of the christian ones, like traditional roman catholicism. other ones are those that are not exposed to us, such as hinduism. some of the easiest in my opinion are satanism, and some other pagan religions. What about Gnosticism? Complicated? doesn't that fall under christian? There were also Pagan Gnostics, both before and after Christ. I personally found the general concepts and basic beliefs of Gnosticism very easy to learn. However, all the text and dogmas that actually lay out the paths to Gnosis are extremley complex and make it extremley complicated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 12:59 pm
Whenever I can I like to study other religions- not that I have much time, since public high school has determined that other than studying the basics in World History I on the big five (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism) and a one week review at the beginning of WH II, we don't need to study religion. Instead I apparently need to understand rational functions. Why I need rational functions more than comparative religion, I don't know. But when I have time I have picked up on this and that, and since most of my friends are from all over the spectrum, I've managed to learn enough. Having religious discussions during lunch can be fun, as long as you don't try to protest someone's belief in how things work.
Weirdly enough, I find my own religion hardest to understand and the easiest to understand. I'm Jewish, and attended Jewish Day School for years. So in terms of basic beliefs and laws, I understand Judaism more than anything else. But at the same time, when I try to go more into depth with Judaism I just get confused. It's a weird and complicated religion! In fact, I think I'll still be confused by parts of Judaism when I die.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2005 11:17 am
i read several times a week in different books, in print which is handy and i can take notes, and online hich is cheaper. i like oriental religions, wise storytellers such as sufis, eastern european rabbis, zen masters, the desert fathers, and so on. i like spiritual direction books. mystics like theresa of avila, julian of norwich, john of the cross. activists like dietrich bonhoeffer and eberhard arnold. thomas merton who is both.
oh yeah 3nodding
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
