Which faith and which religion to believe in?

[hasantas]

There are several different religions that make it difficult to get faith and follow true one especially for atheists. That case takes someone to an inappropriate conclusion that non of them is true. İndeed there are same hundred facts in each one although there could be some dilemmas which contrary each other.

İn every Holy faith there is belief of Creator/God, Heavens, Hell, angels, destiny and revelation from God. I do not know much about Hindu/Dharma and ı search some and saw some facts in them. God sent thousands prophets to humanbeing in several times and places. So we can guess that God has sent prophet to every group on the world. God will not charge people to whom He did not sent a Messenger. But by the time the original of revelation changed or declined even yet there could remain some facts in them. So there must be some fact in Hinduism (a creator, heaven, moral values etc) that shows it may be remains of some prophte’s religion.

Religion can be different according to dissimilar times, places in deed and rituals but they always have same main topics in faith. İf someone only look at and observe religions generally he could not see any valid fact in them perhaps he will sink in! But as a first step he must concenrate on main topics in faith.

So we do not need to find the most true one but trues in each one. I am a Muslim and ı can find many facts in Christianity and Judaism (there may be some polemical issues!)

Does any atheist could not see any fact in them?

 

[SimpleChristian]

Hasantas,

You make several apt observations. Although I believe that the Catholic Church is the true Church of Jesus Christ, I find many truths in a variety of religions. I remember reading the Quran for the first time. I was amazed at the similarities revealed to me. Instead of looking for differences, I look for what we all have in common. I pray others will too. God bless you, and thank you for your thoughts.

 

[chefmomster2]

Hasantas,

You make several apt observations. Although I believe that the Catholic Church is the true Church of Jesus Christ, I find many truths in a variety of religions. I remember reading the Quran for the first time. I was amazed at the similarities revealed to me. Instead of looking for differences, I look for what we all have in common. I pray others will too. God bless you, and thank you for your thoughts.

I agree! If we could just focus on our common beliefs with tolerance for our differences the world would be a better place!

 

[PietroPaolo]

I disagree maybe I’m the only one. Ignoring our differences and concentrating only on what religions share in common leads to indifferentism and, frankly, is disrespectful of all religions. It really matters whether Jesus is God Incarnate or was just a holy prophet predicting the coming of a greater prophet. It really matters whether the Eucharist is really Jesus or is just a hunk of bread reminding us of Him. It really matters whether abortion and homosexuality are intrinsically evil and disordered (respectively) or whether they are equally good alternative choices. I could go on, but you get the point.

 

[JamesTheJust]

I disagree maybe I’m the only one. Ignoring our differences and concentrating only on what religions share in common leads to indifferentism and, frankly, is disrespectful of all religions. It really matters whether Jesus is God Incarnate or was just a holy prophet predicting the coming of a greater prophet. It really matters whether the Eucharist is really Jesus or is just a hunk of bread reminding us of Him. It really matters whether abortion and homosexuality are intrinsically evil and disordered (respectively) or whether they are equally good alternative choices. I could go on, but you get the point.

You’re not alone: I agree strongly.

 

[Dorothy]

I disagree maybe I’m the only one. Ignoring our differences and concentrating only on what religions share in common leads to indifferentism and, frankly, is disrespectful of all religions. It really matters whether Jesus is God Incarnate or was just a holy prophet predicting the coming of a greater prophet. It really matters whether the Eucharist is really Jesus or is just a hunk of bread reminding us of Him. It really matters whether abortion and homosexuality are intrinsically evil and disordered (respectively) or whether they are equally good alternative choices. I could go on, but you get the point.

You are correct. It is good to see what we agree with, but we should not ignore the great disagreements and learn how to dialogue about them! Our Lord prayed that all be one.

 

[RedFox0456]

There may be similarities, but many faiths are fundamentally different. Of course, this doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the good in each one, and the good in the people who practice them!

 

[chefmomster2]

I disagree maybe I’m the only one. Ignoring our differences and concentrating only on what religions share in common leads to indifferentism and, frankly, is disrespectful of all religions. It really matters whether Jesus is God Incarnate or was just a holy prophet predicting the coming of a greater prophet. It really matters whether the Eucharist is really Jesus or is just a hunk of bread reminding us of Him. It really matters whether abortion and homosexuality are intrinsically evil and disordered (respectively) or whether they are equally good alternative choices. I could go on, but you get the point.

I do agree that the faiths have huge differences. And THEY DO MATTER! However, our commonality is a good place to start in developing of a level of toleration which does not seek to compromise the integrity of our doctrine but which could avoid the terrible bloodshed that has been on the increase over the past years. We need to recognize one another as Pope Francis said recently.

"The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can. He must. Not can: must! Because he has this commandment within him. Instead, this ‘closing off’ that imagines that those outside, everyone, cannot do good is a wall that leads to war and also to what some people throughout history have conceived of: killing in the name of God. That we can kill in the name of God. And that, simply, is blasphemy. To say that you can kill in the name of God is blasphemy.”

“Instead,” the Pope continued, “the Lord has created us in His image and likeness, and has given us this commandment in the depths of our heart: do good and do not do evil”:

"**The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! **‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

Text from page en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/22/pope_at_mass:_culture_of_encounter_is_the_foundation_of_peace/en1-694445
of the Vatican Radio website

 

[ThinkingSapien]

İn every Holy faith there is belief of Creator/God, Heavens, Hell, angels, destiny and revelation from God.

These are popular but not necessarily universal. In some cases the words may be used to describe very different concepts. For example, the word “hell” is used to describe a place of torment and a place of eternal (painless) sleep. The presence of the word in a doctrine doesn’t necessarily indicate that it shares a similar or compatible concept of the word.

Religion can be different according to dissimilar times, places in deed and rituals but they always have same main topics in faith. İf someone only look at and observe religions generally he could not see any valid fact in them perhaps he will sink in! But as a first step he must concenrate on main topics in faith.

It kind of sounds like you are suggesting some one build a belief system based on popularity across cultures. Am I interpreting that correctly?

So we do not need to find the most true one but trues in each one. I am a Muslim and ı can find many facts in Christianity and Judaism (there may be some polemical issues!)

Does any atheist could not see any fact in them?

I’m not sure what that last question is asking. But I think a consideration before asking that is what level of familiarity do you think that any given person has with Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

 

[empther]

It is a doctrine of the Catholic Church that God moves man’s conscience to do good and avoid evil:

The grace of Christ not only discloses the knowledge of God’s commandments, but also imparts strength to will and execute them.

This doctrine was proclaimed by the Council of Carthage in 418 A,D. and has been taught by the Church ever since.

newadvent.org/cathen/11604a.htm

1 May, 418, in the presence of 200 bishops, the famous Council of Carthage, which again branded Pelagianism as a heresy in eight (or nine) canons

This fundamental idea is applicable to all religions and to all men, even those with no religion.
We all have something in common.

 

[empther]

The complete transcript from that Council:

newadvent.org/fathers/3816.htm

Canon 112. (Greek cxiij. continued.)

That the grace of Christ gives not only the knowledge of our duty, but also inspires us with a desire that we may be able to accomplish what we know

Also, whoever shall say that the same grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord helps us only in not sinning by revealing to us and opening to our understanding the commandments, so that we may know what to seek, what we ought to avoid, and also that we should love to do so, but that through it we are not helped so that we are able to do what we know we should do, let him be anathema. For when the Apostle says: Wisdom puffs up, but charity edifies it were truly infamous were we to believe that we have the grace of Christ for that which puffs us up, but have it not for that which edifies, since in each case it is the gift of God, both to know what we ought to do, and to love to do it; so that wisdom cannot puff us up while charity is edifying us. For as of God it is written, Who teaches man knowledge, so also it is written, Love is of God."

**So with God we can do what we alone can’t. **
:bigyikes: :extrahappy: :bounce:

 

[hasantas]

I’m not sure what that last question is asking. But I think a consideration before asking that is what level of familiarity do you think that any given person has with Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

 

[hasantas]

]… It really matters whether Jesus is God Incarnate or was just a holy prophet predicting the coming of a greater prophet. It really matters whether the Eucharist is really Jesus or is just a hunk of bread reminding us of Him.
…

Ofcourse it is so important the matter Jesus is God İncarnate or prophet but there is a more important issue than Jesus could be God or not that there is a God!

 

[ThinkingSapien]

I try to show that every Holy faith has same basic beliefs:God, life after world, prophets, scriptures, revelation, angels, morality. this similar topic demonsrate that sources of all are same and it is the Creator of everything.

it sounds like you may be primarily talking about the Abraham in faiths. For these some one can believe they have share sources without being convinced those sources were divine. So by itself that may not be very convincing.