Can you name something you appreciate about every religion you're aware of?

[gord44]

Because God put the conscience into every soul. That does not mean that everyone will follow their conscience.

Also conscious's vary a great deal. Not everyone is the same. What seems immoral to one may not be to another.

 

[juvenissun]

This is sad. Very sad. All faiths have some beauty in them, and all people have some beauty in them-- the two are insperiable.

Even if you follow the admonish of Paul and wish all men to come to Christ... if you cannot see the beauty in them, the portions of light and divinity they do have, what are you trying to save?

Beauty and beautiful, true.
But beauty does not necessary represent right.
It depends on what does one appreciate more, the beautifulness or the righteousness.
I can not appreciate much the beautifulness if the object is, evil.

Look at this from another angle, I do appreciate part of other religions which expresses the same concept/idea of my religion. For example, kindness or love etc. But I guess that is not what the OP asked for.

 

[juvenissun]

Because God put the conscience into every soul. That does not mean that everyone will follow their conscience.

That is the Christian way to see it. Other religions may have trouble to agree with this.

 

[Jane_Doe]

Look at this from another angle, I do appreciate part of other religions which expresses the same concept/idea of my religion. For example, kindness or love etc. But I guess that is not what the OP asked for.

The OP was to list something about other faiths you appreciate. Why don't you do that? Things like the love or kindness you mentioned here.

 

[juvenissun]

The OP was to list something about other faiths you appreciate. Why don't you do that? Things like the love or kindness you mentioned here.

I can not.
What are right to them, are also right to me. So they are not worthwhile to mention. In most case, they belong to the general nature of human.
They do not have anything which is uniquely right. Everything unique to them is wrong to me. So I can not see any beauty of them.
For example, these are a beautiful art. But they are very wrong. So I can't appreciate it.

 

[AHH who-stole-my-name]

They all have comradely and are a good part of that which binds the society they are in together.

 

[Jane_Doe]

I can not.
What are right to them, are also right to me. So they are not worthwhile to mention. In most case, they belong to the general nature of human.
They do not have anything which is uniquely right. Everything unique to them is wrong to me. So I can not see any beauty of them.
For example, these are a beautiful art. But they are very wrong. So I can't appreciate it.

There wasn't anything in the OP that says you can't process the trait too. Just asking what you can appreciate in others. For example, I appreciate that Shinto believers are mindful of taking care of the Earth. That doesn't mean I'm mindful of taking care of the Earth too, or that I endorse all their beliefs. Simply that I can acknowledge that bit of Godliness they do have.

Does that make sense?

 

[juvenissun]

There wasn't anything in the OP that says you can't process the trait too. Just asking what you can appreciate in others. For example, I appreciate that Shinto believers are mindful of taking care of the Earth. That doesn't mean I'm mindful of taking care of the Earth too, or that I endorse all their beliefs. Simply that I can acknowledge that bit of Godliness they do have.

Does that make sense?

Yes. However ...

For example, I appreciate the diligence of preaching doctrine to the public by Mormons. While I appreciate it, I also think the action is wrong in motivation. So, this makes me NOT be able to appreciate their diligence.

To the Shinto example, the idea of conservation is good. BUT the reason for them to conserve is because they think everything has the nature of deity. This totally destroy my appreciation to their custom.

 

[awitch]

Yes. However ...

For example, I appreciate the diligence of preaching doctrine to the public by Mormons. While I appreciate it, I also think the action is wrong in motivation. So, this makes me NOT be able to appreciate their diligence.

To the Shinto example, the idea of conservation is good. BUT the reason for them to conserve is because they think everything has the nature of deity. This totally destroy my appreciation to their custom.

Sounds like you have a very lonely religion.

 

[Jane_Doe]

Yes. However ...

For example, I appreciate the diligence of preaching doctrine to the public by Mormons. While I appreciate it, I also think the action is wrong in motivation. So, this makes me NOT be able to appreciate their diligence.

To the Shinto example, the idea of conservation is good. BUT the reason for them to conserve is because they think everything has the nature of deity. This totally destroy my appreciation to their custom.

Do you appreciate the Taoist religion and it's concept of Yin & Yang? If not, you have a very strange avatar choice...

 

[Zoness]

Judaism: I appreciate their dedication to their culture, language an beliefs. I find the cultural persistence of the diaspora to be fascinating.

Islam: I appreciate their understanding of a "one" God and their formula of worship and architectural creativeness inspired by their perception of art re: The Quran.

 

[juvenissun]

Do you appreciate the Taoist religion and it's concept of Yin & Yang? If not, you have a very strange avatar choice...

Yes, I appreciate it and I think it is beautify. BECAUSE the idea fits Christianity.
There are other ideas in different religions that also fit Christianity. However, it is not easy to express them in one paragraph or by one picture. This ying-yang logo is a very special case. It is extremely well designed. That is why I like it.

And, thanks for reminding me. The symbol for Buddhism is also beautiful. However, its meaning is not as complete as it could represent, and the emphasis is wrong.

 

[juvenissun]

Sounds like you have a very lonely religion.

Sort of. But the word lonely is misleading.
A reasonable religion MUST BE exclusive.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

Well I am a Muslim and it keeps me healthy. Very healthy I suppose.

I was a healthy Buddhist once, and left thinking "been there done that". To get back into Samsara.

Sometimes the faith is quite impressive inwardly, spiritual consolations, nice feelings etc, but even that can be boring at times, routine etc and the sense of adventure in life conflicts with tthe motivation to stay.

So I want sometimes to leave, but theres social and institutional pressure to stay put. Which, judging by the fact that "bless and do not curse" hit the air conditioning when I left Buddhism freely, and one of my friends has been known to advise on the virtues of special brew lager, then I feel I am better of being "kidnapped" by the Mujahideen. Persoanlly speaking.

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

Conscience is hardly a supernatural phenomenon. It's about as numinous and mystical as figuring out that biting your own hand hurts (and refraining from doing so is the best option). Morality is all about social behaviour: living in groups, and adopting cooperative strategies for survival.

Oh, sure, there's a lot of cultural baggage on top of that, but that's just mankind. We turn everything into a cultural artifact, even eating, sex, and sleeping.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

There wasn't anything in the OP that says you can't process the trait too. Just asking what you can appreciate in others. For example, I appreciate that Shinto believers are mindful of taking care of the Earth. That doesn't mean I'm mindful of taking care of the Earth too, or that I endorse all their beliefs. Simply that I can acknowledge that bit of Godliness they do have.

Precisely - and I do hope that can be kept in mind since the thread's focus was NOT on what you disagree on.

 

[grasping the after wind]

Conscience is hardly a supernatural phenomenon. It's about as numinous and mystical as figuring out that biting your own hand hurts (and refraining from doing so is the best option). Morality is all about social behaviour: living in groups, and adopting cooperative strategies for survival.

Oh, sure, there's a lot of cultural baggage on top of that, but that's just mankind. We turn everything into a cultural artifact, even eating, sex, and sleeping.

I agree. The fact that people act according to their conscience and do good things while belonging to a religion is not necessarily a quality of that religion. Those people might act the same way while believing in a completely different religion. So to say you appreciate some of the believers in a religion does not really equate with appreciating the religion. Nor would any art inspired by a religion really be appreciating the religion. It would be appreciating the skill of the artist which could have just as beautifully been put to use in a secular work or in a work inspired by a different religion or a person might be unskilled and produce garbage which no one would appreciate no matter the religion that inspires it. There are very few religions for which I can say I have a great appreciation for their belief system and that is what the religion is actually about not the artwork it inspires or the people that happen to believe in it by virtue of proximity.

 

[grasping the after wind]

Precisely - and I do hope that can be kept in mind since the thread's focus was NOT on what you disagree on.

Too bad for me , because there is so much about the initial OP that I disagree with.

 

[Chesterton]

Yes, I appreciate it and I think it is beautify. BECAUSE the idea fits Christianity.

I was going to mention earlier that if there'd never been the Christ, I could probably be a Taoist. Many parallels with Christianity. But Christ showed us He is "the Tao, the truth and the life".

 

[gord44]

But Christ showed us He is "the Tao, the truth and the life".

I'll have to re-read some of the gospels. Never aligned Jesus with Taoist thought but worth examining. When I think of Wu Wei I don't think of Jesus.