This board is heavily weighted with Christian themes. Understandably so
as most ppl are pro/anti christian. Is there anyone with a different
faith? Buddist? Hindu? Jewish? Post here, share thoughts - start
threads. Help us all learn a little bit about how you see the world.

Nice topic MM.

If I have done my research right there should be 9 of them.

I dont mean the Sects, Cults, Offshoots etc...

I mean there have been 9 major prophets that founded faiths in their
time.

I wonder if anyone will actually post.

I have spent many years studying a number of the different prophets and
religions, for want of a better word....

I find the Buddhist/Taoist way resonates best within me, and have found
I adopt many of the philosophies attached to these.

In studing some of the diferent faiths I have discoverd a kernal of
basic things that are the same in them all.

I did find budduhism to be quite simple and yet deeply complex.

Hmm. Different religions, eh?


I, myself, and Ariran. We're an offshoot from the Zaoastric religions
that would branch off and eventually form Judaism. Ours ended up
mingling with the Gaelic/european religions of the region. With a
healthy dose of Grecian philosophies.

Oh, and there are at least a LOT of seperate religions.

Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are the most populous. Buddhism. Then
Hindi. And taoism, but that's not really a religion.

Three major "celtic" religions. Seven if you extend to include the
other islands.

About eight Gaelic religions.

Santaria (voodoo), or its root religion in africa, at least. Plus two
or three other African faiths.

Then ten or fifteen truly seperate Native American religions. Including
Inuit (eskimo), Navajo, Croatan, whatever they called the Longhouse
building tribes' religion.



That's religions that have been standing for at LEAST a thousand years
or so, and are still practiced today. The numbers increase dramatically
if we include "extinct" and "new" religions.

Well, I am a Christian, but am willing to learn about other
religions......I love learning new things all the time. So I'll just
read through this thread, if anyone else posts.

I myself am pagan/heathen. I cant believe in something I cant see I know
the earth, sun, moon, and nature are real and so does everyone else. and
the fact is Christianity has pagan DNA.

Poet, may I ask where you receive your information from?

Where it is that you research these statements you make?

Can you provide links, cite books, authors, even television shows??

When you make such definitive statements, it really does tend to
motivate a less than ideal for dialogue...just an observation..

In regards to your post,

Buddhism is not a religion, it is a philosophy, the same as Taoism, and
if you are to call one a religion, then you need to call both of them
that.

It is the western mindset that chooses to classify Buddhism as a
religion, but it is not.....Taoism, is centuries old, over 4000 years,
and is one of the 'seeds' that buddhism stemmed from...

Well, I'm Wiccan...which before we go into an argument of whether it's
evil or not, I'll say first off, NO, we're not evil. Wicca is a
realatively new religion based off of old Pagan beliefs. It's a
religion based on nature worship, where everything in the universe is
connected in one way or another. There is the God and Goddess, though
it is up to you which pantheon [set of] Gods and Goddess you follow, if
any. Me personally I do not have a set god or goddess, but a believe
that there a source of energy that holds feminine and masculine energy
that bind the rest of the universe. Yes we practice rituals and perform
spells, but it's a way of extending your own abilities to get what we
are trying to achieve from these rituals/spells. Magick is just
basically conciously bringing out what you are already capable of
through added energy that you send out. And before you ask, no, we
cannot, or at least shouldn't, send out negative energy. We believe
that anything negative we send out will come back 3 times worse than was
intended for the others.

Well I saw a post here about Zaorastrian beliefs. Zoraster was the
second major prophet.

Adam was the first. From my studies it would appear that Adam & Eve
were the first Earth Mother and Father of the wikken. Although most
christians prolly don't believe this.

Hmm. I'd have to crack out the theology textbooks again. Most of what I
recited (other than my own religion's history) was, quite literally,
basic theology.


It's kinda like being asked to cite proof that acids and bases mix to
form salt, water, and usually hydrogen.


And buddhism is considered a religion by its focus on post-life events.
Including doctrines of reincarnation. Taoism doesn't.


And, yes, I do believe Taoism is that old. I never stated anything to
the contrary, did I?

Hmm. Interesting on the "earth mother" thing. But it doesn't quite
count.


Wicca was invented in the 50s (more or less- it's kinda open to
debate). It's big (and old) enough, now, to be considered a religion and
not a cult. But it's only been around a few decades, so whatever
references to its beliefs would have no ancient historical contexts
besides what they cobbled together from ancient (usually dead)
religions.

No you didn't that section of the post was not exclusively for you...but
for any reader interested...

As a practising(?), (for want of a better word), Buddhist, for over 15
years, I think I may have some insight into whether it is a religion, or
not....even the 'Chosen One', the re-incarnate, of this faith,(?), The
Dalai Lama, does not call Buddhism, religion...

OMG, Poet, where do you get your information from??? Sheesh.


Wiccan practices have been around for thousands of years...Stonehenge
ring a bell???

But it's a lifestyle that comes with doctrines, leaders, AND views of
the afterlife. That pretty much defines it as a religion. Perhaps in the
same way that a platypus is defined as a mammal, but still a religion.


I still don't know exactly why taoism isn't always counted.

Jess. Go read Miss Moon's post. She said herself "relatively new".

Stonehenge is one of the oldest structures on earth. And you could
argue as to what the title of the creators were, may as well call the
"Druids" for lack of better immediate definitions. But they were a
pre-celtic religion that died long, long ago.

Wicca came along many millenia later and copied pieces of what might
once have been their practices.

Wikken has been around a lot longer than that it just stayed hidden
because of a healthy dislike of stakes and fires.

When I was in germany I found a book in a german library that listed
some of the history. Way older then 50 years ago. Older than judaism
by a long shot. I believe we say the name wrong. But I am not a
linguist.

You're probably looking at a celtic religion, then. Or gaelic. My own
religion fits in to those somewhere.


Wicca also blends many Native American AND oriental beliefs. It simply
couldn't have existed any longer than a century or two ago. Period.

I am as diverse as the country I am from.

Since I believe that the IDEA of the post (poet) is to give some
insights to YOUR beliefs and not so much of a class on presumed
knowledge as taught by cookie cutter factory schools.



Im an agnostic mix. Not a devout anything really, believe in a lot of
what the budhist are trying to attain in their quest for enlightenment/
inner peace and harmony, coated with the belief of a taoist in that
balance is the natural order to things, softness of something wouldnt be
defined without the rigidity of another. crop dusted by celts very close
relationship to the earth, and since i was raised in different religious
homes (all of which were christian) i have a dash of the do unto others
as you would have done unto you mentality, as well as their eye for an
eye. but most importantly I am a firm believer in the Religion of
Dennis, its main teachings of logic and common sense and how it relates
intrinsically to all things in life- be that a sense of honor or duty to
respect and compassion really resonates with in me.

point I would make about religion in general is that it is there for
you, whatever you choose to follow. With over six billion people on the
planet I would argue that there is probably some truth to all of it, and
some glorified fabrications to all of it as well, religion is man made
afterall and as a race we're pretty flawed.

with rgard to other people (according to the R.o D.)
coexist and tolerate, love if you must

doc

>>> it just stayed hidden because of a healthy dislike of stakes and fires.