What religious tradition other than your own do you most respect and why? | INFJ Forum

What religious tradition other than your own do you most respect and why?

Lark

Lark

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May 9, 2011
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I have to say that I like and respect the most Jewish traditions as I understand them from writers such as Erich Fromm or Martin Buber, although I know that Buber's perspectives are also popular with some hard core zionist circles and the Hasidics who inspired both are highly orthodox, conservative and sometimes considered religiously chauvinistic, it is the strains of humanism and internationalism in each that I like the most.
 
The Islamic tradition of Ramadan. I have a respect for it that I cannot necessarily express in words, but here is an excerpt from the link below that hits on most of what I feel:
As a secondary goal, fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate, and learning to thankfulness and appreciation for all of God's bounties. Fasting is also beneficial to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence.
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(link in case you are not aware of what this is: http://www.colostate.edu/orgs/MSA/events/Ramadan.html)
 
There must be a word between respect and tolerate here because neither fit. Indifference doesnt really fit either but I suppose it would if no other religion impacted my life in any way.
 
I kind of like Buddhism, and the Baha'i.

I am a Christian.
 
Being a wrestler and spending a lot of time hungry made me appreciate food and water. For this reason I've always held the tradition of Ramadan in high regard. It's really quite a beautiful tradition when you think about it. It's like a yearly reminder of how fragile we are, after only a few hours your tummy starts to rumble, and we begin to have an appreciation for the abundance of food and water that we normally take for granted.

A side effect of hunger and thirst is irritability. And I really like how Muslims encourage prayer when you start to feel this side effect. When you feel irritable because you are hungry, you are supposed to use it as an opportunity to thank Allah and pray. It's amazing. Also I love how they encourage charity during Ramadan and reading the Quran from start to finish during the month of Ramadan. They encourage being selfless in a time where you might be tempted to think selfishly more than normal. Anybody ever been hungry and didn't care about anything in that moment besides their next meal?? Imagine feeling that, but overriding it and focusing on selflessness. That's a beautiful message.

I'm a Catholic rockin' a rosary around my neck.
 
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Buddhism, I think. Because it has something very peaceful about it and it seems more philosophical than religious.
 
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I like the vision quest idea of the natives in america. I only assume its a real thing, I only know of it from tv.
 
Lone Wolf said:
Being a wrestler and spending a lot of time hungry made me appreciate food and water. For this reason I've always held the tradition of Ramadan in high regard. It's really quite a beautiful tradition when you think about it. It's like a yearly reminder of how fragile we are, after only a few hours your tummy starts to rumble, and we begin to have an appreciation for the abundance of food and water that we normally take for granted.

A side effect of hunger and thirst is irritability. And I really like how Muslims encourage prayer when you start to feel this side effect. When you feel irritable because you are hungry, you are supposed to use it as an opportunity to thank Allah and pray. It's amazing. Also I love how they encourage charity during Ramadan and reading the Quran from start to finish during the month of Ramadan. They encourage being selfless in a time where you might be tempted to think selfishly more than normal. Anybody ever been hungry and didn't care about anything in that moment besides their next meal?? Imagine feeling that, but overriding it and focusing on selflessness. That's a beautiful message.

I'm a Catholic rockin' a rosary around my neck.
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Fasting actually has health benefits as well

It puts the immune system into survival mode and boosts it

Fasting every year actually boosts your immune system, so traditions like Ramadan are probably there because perceptive people in the past recognised the health benefits of it

I have a fascination with Qabalah
 
muir said:
Fasting actually has health benefits as well

It puts the immune system into survival mode and boosts it

Fasting every year actually boosts your immune system, so traditions like Ramadan are probably there because perceptive people in the past recognised the health benefits of it

I have a fascination with Qabalah
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Yeah there actually are health benefits to temporary fasting, I forgot to mention that. And the same thing applies to most other animals. I once saw a study where they tested dogs who occasionally (like once or twice a month) skipped a day of eating and those dogs were far healthier and lived longer lives than the pets who always had food when they wanted it.

I don't know anything about Qabalah, I'll have to check it out.
 
Lone Wolf said:
Yeah there actually are health benefits to temporary fasting, I forgot to mention that. And the same thing applies to most other animals. I once saw a study where they tested dogs who occasionally (like once or twice a month) skipped a day of eating and those dogs were far healthier and lived longer lives than the pets who always had food when they wanted it.
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Also Islam grew out of christianity and christianity grew out of judaism

Some people will not like me saying that but its true

Islam respects jesus as a prophet but whereas christainity says that jesus was the last prophet, islam says that mohammed was the last prophet

Personally i don't think the cosmos has an inbuilt cap on the number of prophets. I think there are people throughout history who bring a new way of seeing the world and a new way of thinking which then creates a shift in consciousness in society...call them 'prophets' if you like

I would call them 'masters of the temple' (people who have developed their own school of thought)

So a modern day example of a master of the temple would be Carl Jung

Lone Wolf said:
I don't know anything about Qabalah, I'll have to check it out.
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It is the system that unpderpins the western magickal tradition

It is at the heart of judaism and of christianity. No doubt islam has its mystical inner order teachings as well

Islam borrowed its distinctive style of praying from the eastern christian syriac church and it also shares holy sites with christianity and judaism

These religions are really all part of the same tree or family but they have an outer order for the masses (often involving a literal interpretation of the teachings) and they have an inner order (for the preists who work with the esoteric teachings of the religion)

Sadly there are malevolent people who exploit the surface differences of the religions to keep their adherents apart instead of seeing their kinship as human beings and people of faith

Personally i belive most genuine people of faith aren't usually antagonistic towards other faiths...i think its those that lack faith that pick the fights and they will often hide behind a religion to do so
 
I have respect for any faith that doesn't enforce itself upon others and isn't built around gaining new followers.
 
I respect all Abrahamic religions.

But I am really fascinated with Buddhism. Although, I don't recognize it as a religion, I like that it preaches kindness, wisdom and most of all enlightenment, as well as the teachings Buddha established work towards those goals.
 
Odyne said:
I respect all Abrahamic religions.

But I am really fascinated with Buddhism. Although, I don't recognize it as a religion, I like that it preaches kindness, wisdom and most of all enlightenment, as well as the teachings Buddha established work towards those goals.
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Why is it not a religion? I am always very interested in how people define terms and why.
 
There was a seed planted within the human race, the seed of religion. Look at how it grew! With all of its branches and twigs and leaves. I don't know how anyone can ever choose just one. Maybe it's consciousness or human creativity that is the real seed though.
 
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I've just gone through a rather traumatic de-conversion experience, so I'll be the one to say - Secular Humanism.

I spent around 21 years of my life as a religious fundamentalist, 6 as a religious liberal and 1 as an assumed agnostic/atheist. I'm also a graduate student of religion and philosophy, just because I wanted to explore these issues in depth. I really wish I could believe, but no longer find the reasonable justifications for doing so.

I'm dying to read Sam Harris' new "Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion".

So, yeah, I've come to respect (and adopt), a "spiritual but not religious" stance, though I respect those who are more confessional (after all, that was me for a long time).

Cheers,

Jfc46
 
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