What is your religion like?

Although I am an atheist, I am really interested in different religions and what the members believe.

I’m going to ask for people of different religions to step forward and give me some information about your particular religion, specifically (but not limited to):

What is/are your deity or deities like?
What are some basic tenets of your faith?
What is some of the dogma you follow? (e.g. no meat on fridays, church every sunday, etc.)
Is there a heirarchy in your religion?
Afterlife? What’s it like?
Any other details…

I know this is a lot to swallow, but I am interested on getting representatives from Hinduism, Buddhism, all the different sects of Judaism and Christianity, Islam, Wiccans, Satanists, whatever. All are welcome.

I would urge you all to keep in mind that this is not a debate on who’s right or who’s wrong (that’s for GD). Any flames against someone’s beliefs will not be tolerated (take it to the Pit).

This is for learning about what’s out there, and also to assist on some other debate type threads (so that people can look back here and see what people say they believe in a friendly yet nicely juxtaposed setting). I just want to know what certain religions believe and what practices they… well, practice!

Thanks!
-S

I’ll represent a Catholic. Although I’m not currently practicing (b/c there’s lot of things I don’t agree with), its what I know and I can shed some light on it. I also went to Catholic women’s college run by nuns.

They belive in God (the same God as Jews and Muslims do), and that Jesus is the Messiah sent from God. They believe that Mary was an eternal virgin. They belive that Jesus rose on the third day. There are holy days celebrated such as the Ascension of Jesus to heaven, the Immaculate Conception (NOT referring to Jesus’ conception, rather the conception of Mary), All Saint’s Day, the Baptism of Jesus, Pentecost, Christmas, Easter, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and many more. There are also Feast days of Saints (i.e. the Feast of St. Mark, etc.). There is church (Mass) every day of the week (optional), Novena (prayers to Mary) on Mondays, and the usual Sunday worship (also held on Saturday nights). Churches are called parishes, and priests are called Father, Reverend or Pastor.

There is Sunday School (CCD-I dont know what it stands for) on Sunday mornings (or actually any day/night of the week) for children grades 1-12, although myself and many other kids I know stopped going after we were confirmed (in 6th grade). You receive first holy communion in 2nd grade, the sacrament of penance in 3rd grade, and then the final sacrament (before marriage) in 6th, which is confirmation. There are a number of sacraments (I can’t remember exactly, the number 9 is sticking out in my head) including baptism, communion, penance (going to confession), confirmation, marriage, anointing of the sick…and I know Im missing some. Maybe someone else will know them and post them.

I’ve taken several religion courses in college, one was learning about Mary, and the nun who taught it said that Catholics do not take the scripture as literally as some other Christian groups, which I believe can be true.

Catholics believe that abortion is always wrong, homosexuals cannot receive communion, therefore cannot be full members of the church, abolish the death penalty, and contraception is always wrong. Premarital and extramarital sex is also wrong. I learned all about these in a class I had senior year called Contemporary Medical Ethics, taught by a catholic priest.

Because of these last few beliefs that Catholics hold, I don’t think I can fully belong to this faith. Thats just my opinion. Any more questions I’ll be glad to (try to) answer.

The one you missed is Holy Orders, when a man is made a priest.

I had my 12 years of Catholic school, even tho I forgot to mention that in my OP. I was baptized and confirmed and all that, but decided as you did that it wasn’t for me.

Great start though, this is exactly the kind of thing I had in mind!

-S

Thanks shadenwawa…for making me rack my brain of all the catholic stuff i could think off. And making you read something you already knew… :stuck_out_tongue:

Well I’m helping you as the “former Catholic” rep. :slight_smile:

I do have a question for you tho, MissMonica7, and that’s on the transsubstantiation stuff in communion. Were you taught that it was actually the body and blood of Christ (I mean the real deal) or just a symbol of the body and blood? I was always taught the former but I’ve heard other Catholics say differently.

-S

As another ex-Catholic…transubstantiation is the belief that the bread and wine ACTUALLY change into the body and blood of Christ. MAJOR point of faith here. If you don’t believe in this…well, I didn’t, and had people tell me to my face I should be excommunicated.

The other belief is consubstantiation, that it is only a symbol of the blood and body passed with the bread and wine. This is one of the big disagreements between Catholic and protestants(or at least Lutheranism) so I can see why some people take it seriously.

A few nits to pick:

Self-identified homosexuals can be members of the Catholic church as long as they are celibate. (However, divorced people cannot, unless they were not the initiator of the divorce and do not remarry.)

The church also currently sanctions something called natural family planning as contraception. You don’t do anything to interfere with fertility, you just abstain from sex on days when the woman is likely to be fertile. (So it’s okay because it really doesn’t work all that well. Just kidding.)

Not a Catholic but married to one.

I’m a former Presbyterian, but it’s not interesting enough to talk about.

Yes it is! To me anyways. In what ways does it differ?

-S

I think this is fairly interesting, and while I have never been taught anything about religion officially, I have had many discussions with friends, many who’s fathers are preachers, or are very devout in their religious followings. My beliefs are based soley on what I’ve experienced along with the stories/wisdom (whichever you prefer) of many different religions.

Beliefs:
There is a god. Maybe it’s the God from Catholasism, or maybe it’s Allah, or maybe it’s Budah. Basically, a supreme being that controls everything.

Holy days are more of an institutionalized creation, as opposed to an individualistic idea in religion, in my opinion. I will take time when I feel it’s needed to relax and reflect with my god, but it’s not a set time. Think of it as a husband that brings flowers home when he wants to as opposed to waiting till Valintines day, or even worse, being reminded to bring home flowers on that day.

There is no need for someone to speak to god for you. No one is needed to say ‘This is what he wants you to do, this is what he doesn’t want you to do’.

This, of course, leads to a dilemma of what’s right and wrong. It’s a personal thing, which would make this religion a hard thing to commercialize. The main thing is the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If you wouldn’t want someone to key your car because you had an off day and parked horribly, then don’t do it to someone else. If you would like someone to hold a door for you if they go out first, hold the door for the person behind you.

Most importantly, however, is tolerence. This does not mean inviting people who are abusive to you into your home for dinner. This is tolerating others views, and if you disagree, letting it known in a non-abusive manner.

The only expectation from people who do not believe what I do that I have is that they are tolerent back. If I say “I believe in god” it’s fine to argue, but don’t expect me to change my belief. I will argue back, however, using whatever methods you like (scientific, religious, arm wrestling).

Because I don’t think about my religion in this manner too often, I can’t describe it as well as possible, though I’m willing to try to explain any points if anyone asks.

In closing, the main thing in the religion is to love everyone, with god being the first that you love. This is love in the “I’d die to let you live” kind of way, not the “I wanna see you wearing nothing but leather” kind of way. Dieties tend to look bad in cow hide for some reason. Go figure.

As a quick aside, the STMB will not let my signature work. Quite dissapointing.

I am having a hell of a time finding a virgin to sacrifice.

Well, okay. Let’s see.

Probably the major difference is church government. The structure of the Presbyterian church is essentially a democracy, with members electing local and national representatives and voting on important issues of church doctrine. (E.g., whether homosexuals can serve as ministers(yes)and whether they can be married in a church ceremony (no–but it was close))

Some differences from the Catholic church:
–Ministers can marry and have families. They can also be women.
–Beyond the Apostles, there are really no saints. Mary and Joseph and a few others (e.g., Mary Magdalene) are held to be very important people, but not divine in any sense. By that I mean that no prayers are ever offered to anyone but the Trinity. (Yes, I know that Catholics pray for intercession by saints–not TO them, but you see what I mean)
–The church has no official standing on divorce, abortion, extra-marital sex, contraception or homosexuality. (I.e., you can still be a member in good standing if you do these things.)
–People are baptised (usually as infants), and become members at(IIRC)around 12 (when they also take their first Communion). Most Presbyterian churches only take Communion once a month, rather than at every service.
–There is no confession or last rites.

That’s all I can think of at the moment. Historically, Presbyterianism came from Scotland–they found the Church of England (which is related to the American Episcopal Church) to be too “Catholic”–which basically amounted to too much intercession between the people and God.

Let me start by saying that Wiccans are a very diverse bunch–only the most fundamental things about my particular faith can be assumed to apply broadly to most Wiccans. With that disclaimer, here’s the viewpoint of a solitary, eclectic Wiccan:

Deities: I believe in dual deities–a nameless God and Goddess who represent generative and nurturing forces respectively. I sometimes refer to them by descriptions related to whatever I’m currently thinking or talking about (the Mother or the Hunter, for example). Like many Wiccans, I regard the God and Goddess as representing a greater force that is beyond our ability to contemplate except in the most general terms–you might think of it as the totality of everything that exists.

Basic Tenets: These are pretty simple to state, but interpretation varies widely. We have one fundamental rule (the Wiccan Rede), and one common admonishment about consequences (the Law of Threefold Return). The Rede says,“An ye harm none, do what thou wilt”. Ditching the cute archaisms, it means “Do as you will, as long as you don’t hurt anyone”. Wiccans do not willingly, knowingly hurt or manipulate people–physically or emotionally. Some refuse to fight even in self-defense; others (including me) feel that by forcing us to defend ourselves, an aggressor has curtailed our exercise of our free will, making it permissible to hurt him as much as necessary (we don’t “will” it, we just have to do it). This is reinforced by the Law of Threefold Return, which says, “Any change you make in someone’s life, for good or ill, will return upon you threefold”. Instant (or at least quick) karma; this is really social common sense. Generally, if you’re a nice person people will like you and treat you well; if you hurt people, they’ll hurt you back. Great insight, huh? :smiley: In addition to the formalized rules, we share an abiding love and respect for nature and firm support for equal rights for all people (and some of us define “people” very loosely).

Dogma: Wiccans aren’t into dogma; it’s a freestyle faith. Our personal rules are pretty much just interpretations of the tenets above; everyone comes to their own conclusions.

Observances: Wiccans celebrate 8 Sabbats during the year-- 4 minor Sabbats at the equinoxes and solstices and 4 major ones in between. Different solitaries and covens engage in varying levels of ritual for these occasions; I just find a place outside conducive to meditation, cast a circle (creating sacred space), and contemplate the aspects of my life that are particularly relevant to the character of the Sabbat. Some others (particularly groups) set up full altars, build bonfires, and engage in elaborate ritual and song. They like their way, I like mine; no one complains either way. Many of us also observe the new and full moons in smaller ways. We also have our own rituals for initiation into the Craft, weddings (handfasting), welcoming newborns into Wicca (with no obligation to stay Wiccan), and funerals. These are often written or modified to suit the individuals involved, particularly initiations and weddings. Many of us are self-initiated, for that matter.

Hierarchy: Huh? But…but…we’re all equal! Seriously, there’s no Wiccan hierarchy beyond the coven level. Some covens select a High Priestess or Priest to lead them in ritual; others take it in turn, or defer to whoever seems to need support at the time. Solitaries practice completely alone most of the time (duh). Every Wiccan is a priestess or priest; it’s part of the responsibility we take upon ourselves. There are no higher prelates, no bishops, no Pope–just people, doing the best they can for themselves and each other. There are individuals who are held in high esteem for their wisdom and experience, and their advice is often sought by others in the Wiccan community, but they don’t dictate the faith to anyone.

Afterlife: There’s no consensus here. Many Wiccans believe in reincarnation; others believe in an afterlife in a beautiful world resembling a perfect version of our own. Still others believe in a combination (a period of rest or an entire life in another world, followed by reincarnation into this one). There are other beliefs as well–too many to describe them all fairly. I like the rest and reincarnation theory, but I don’t believe firmly in it. In due time, I’ll find out–so why stress about it now?

Other things? Well some preemptive answers here for some common questions:
We don’t proselytize. We don’t seek converts or seduce people into our religion. If you’re interested, we’ll tell you about it, but we won’t push it on you. If you’re happy with what you’ve got, then we’re happy for you–please extend us the same courtesy.
Not only do we not recruit kids, we generally don’t teach anyone under the age of consent or let them come to rituals; there are exceptions in the cases of children born to Wiccan parents and especially mature young adults. Choosing a religion is an important decision; fairness demands that we try to make sure someone is mature enough to make it before she does so.
We’re not Satanists, and we’re not what you generally see on TV. We do work magick (I know, the extra -k looks pretentious, but it does distinguish it from stage magic), but if you look at it objectively, you’ll see that our spells are essentially prayers. We just put a lot of effort into them. Like prayers, there’s only some anecdotal evidence that magick affects the material world. It does have the benefits of calming you down and leading you to focus positively on a problem, though.

Oof, what a long post! Anything else you want to know, just ask.

Blessed Be

Basically, we believe in the Trinity, all-powerful, etc. . .
We hold church every Sunday, Sunday school, Gospel hour (Sunday nights), bigger churches do stuff on Saturdays and Wednesdays as well. The afterlife is either Heaven (eternal life with God) or Hell (eternally separated from Him). We don’t condone abortion, homosexuality, or extra-marital sex, but you (as far as I know) can’t be kicked out of the church for any of the above. Ummmmmm. . . . . . any questions???

(By the way, I’m not a minister or anything, and I definitely do NOT know all the answers. These are all my own opinion, and as far as I know, the opinion of the church. I do form my own opinions, though. I don’t like the death penalty at all. I don’t think my church minds much)

Wow-o.

I’ll just take one at a time here:

HideoHo, welcome to the SDMB… When you say you were never taught any type of religion officially, do I take that to mean your parents weren’t very religious? Did they have a religion and didn’t practice or did it just never really come up?

Balance, great post! I was wondering if you could go into the magick a bit more… is it done in a prayer-type mode or is it a hand-waving kind of spell casting sort of thing (I really have no clue on this)? How does one “work magick”?

Also, I’d like a little more on the “and some of us define ‘people’ very loosely” statement (just curious who doesn’t fall under that category).

cher3, how does communion work? Does your religion believe in transubstantiation or just the symbolic nature of the bread and wine?

So, any Muslims, Quakers, Mormons, Lutherans, Satanists, Buddhists, Hindi, Amish, Jews, etc. care to step up to the mic?

-S

Oh, I guess a hard-core Amish wouldn’t exactly be using this board, would s/he… :smiley:

second Wiccan steps up

Balance - well done. I’d only add that for deities, some Wiccans (like myself) also have a personal God or Goddess that they rely on or identify with.

Hi! I’m a “Reformative” Jew. (It’s a joke, I technically affiliate with the Reform movement, but actually prefer the Conservative, and will eventually convert, hopefully soon.) Please note that most of the other practicing Jews on the SDMB are Orthodox and have some different beliefs.

Reform Judaism holds that the Bible was divinely inspired, but isn’t necessarily the exact word of Hashem, and needs to be interpreted according to the time, so that Jews can fulfill spritual needs that change with the times. This is why some Reformim don’t keep kosher or Shabbat. Most American Jews affiliate with the Reform Movement, which is egalitarian (plenty of female rabbis), and recently became the largest religious group in the US to allow gay marriage. Services are generally performed in the lingua franca, generally English, since most Reformim are Americans.

Conservative Judaism is slightly more, um, Conservative than Reform. It also supports gender equity, on the grounds that women can take the mitzvot, or commandments, upon them. (There are a number of mitzvot that women are exempt from, but we can take them upon ourselves and therefore be equal in services). Conservative Judaism supports keeping kosher and Shabbat. Services are generally performed in Hebrew.

Shabbat is sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. It is the holy day, a little bit of heaven on earth. To keep Shabbat means to abstain from doing all forms of work. It is a special day, in which one talks with family, reads books, goes to shul, and relaxes from the stresses of the week. Keeping Shabbat can be hard sometimes, but it is worth it. Shabbat services are held on Friday nights, and then again on Saturday mornings. As I mentioned previously, Reformim may not keep the Shabbat, and while they might go to shul and have a Shabbat dinner, they would not abstain from using electricity, driving, etc. Very religious people go to shul three times a day, every day. Children go to Hebrew school (where much more is learned than Hebrew!) on Sundays and another evening during the week from a young age (about six years old) until their bar/bat mitvah. (Bar mitzvah is for a boy, at age 13, bat mitzvah is for a girl, at age 12.) At this age a child is expected to perform the religious rites and take the mitzvot seriously.

There are many holidays throughout the year. The year begins with the high holidays: Rosh Hashanah, the new year, Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, a day of fasting, and Succot, a fun holiday in which people live in the little booths (succot) they build in their yards. Then in the winter, there is Chanukkah, a minor holiday that lasts eight days and celebrates the miracle of the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, then Purim, a minor holiday in the late winter, which celebrates the saving of the Jews in ancient Persia, Pesach, another eight-day holiday that commemorates the escape from Egypt and slavery, during which we cannot eat leavened bread products, then Shavuot, a spring holiday marking the giving of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) to the Jews. There are also a ton of minor holidays, like Tisha b’Av, a fast day mourning the descruction of the Temples, Tu b’Shvat, the New Year for the Trees, and Lag b’Omer, a holiday with, um, lots of bonfires. Some Jews also celebrate newer secular holidays like Yom HaAtzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day, and Yom HaShoa, Holocaust Memorial Day, all of which fall in the spring.

Clarifying a bit what MissMonica said…

I’m a former catholic, though I havent “left” it because i dislike it, only because my religious views dont really fit with Catholic Dogma, and also I dont believe in a lot of what the church teaches.

Anyway, Confirmation, and First Communion depend on the dioscese and or parish. In my parish, we had First Communion in the first grade, CCD 'til 11th grade where we would take comfirmation classes (yes, they actually taught us some about our religion), where you would learn about the church, even birth control, sex, etc. (my mom teaches it), and also the confirmation rites. Part of confirmation was a meeting with our parish priest where he would talk to us. Confirmation is of course optional.

As to my own religious beliefs…

Since i dont consider myself Catholic anymore (I still go, but usually with family on the big holidays) but have developed my own beliefs, i’ll try to amalgamate them here.
Most of what I believe is stuff I think is common sense, such as treating others like you would have them treat you. I guess I do believe in Karma, since i’ve seen people who were mean get smacked up side their heads for being mean people.

anyway…

  • I believe in a god. However, I do not believe that it’s male or female, or that there are different gods for different things. I would say i believe that it is everywhere and in all things, but, unlike an animo-deist, i dont believe things have separate souls (like rocks, trees, etc). I do however think that people and animals have souls.

  • I think that all religions are just one path to god. In other words, i dont think one religion is better than another, but they all have something that is important, or worthwhile in their teachings (a muslim friend of mine believes the same way).

  • I believe that I should be tolerant of other religious views even if I dont believe in them, because my views could be called into question just as much as other people’s can.

  • I dont believe in proselytizing my beliefs. These are my own, and i dont believe that I should go spouting off about them to win “converts”. If someone asks what I believe in i will tell.

  • I often find beliefs in other religions which appeal to me. Most of my fascination is in Buddhism (not really Tibetan, there are other forms you know ;)), as well as other eastern religions (taoism is neat, so is Shinto, as well as Hinduism). As I said in an email list i’m on, i see myself as in a boat traveling the religious waters looking for appealing ports of call.

  • My view of the afterlife is basically joining god as one. I’m not sure if that entails being a separate soul with billions in one god or not, but i’ll find out when I die :).

  • If I had to pick some deity from a religion that appeals a great deal to me, and would have as a representation of my personal god, it would be Acala Vidyaraja (Fudo-Myoo). The reason is, he is represented with a sword in his right hand, which cuts through deluded and ignorant minds, and with the rope in the left, he binds those ruled by violent emotions and passions and leads them back to the path of self control. The flames surrounding him consume the evil and defilements of this world, and the rock he sits on represents unshakeable peace and bliss he bestows on his followers. Anyway, you can read more on him at: http://www.shingon.org/deities/jusanbutsu/fudo.html

That’s basically all I can think of about my personal religion. I dont follow other religions, mostly cause I dont like to be boxed into one or another. I like to sample a lot i guess ;).

My parents tried to raise me as a Mormon, but I grew very tired of it very quickly. I didn’t agree with many of the church doctrines. I don’t believe in it, nor do I believe in any other religions.

I’m inactive LDS, but I think I’ve got a grasp on the basics of the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Anyone seeing any errors, please feel free to point them out and correct them.
What is/are your deity or deities like?
The Godhead consists of three separate, distinct personages who are one in purpose and mind. God the Father presides over the other two members of the Godhead, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit, and delegates His power to them to perform specific functions. Jesus is the Savior of all mankind, the literal Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh, and His substitutionary sacrifice for all the sins of all mankind makes salvation in the kingdom of heaven possible.
What are some basic tenets of your faith?
See Articles of Faith
What is some of the dogma you follow? (e.g. no meat on fridays, church every sunday, etc.)
Well, I wouldn’t call it dogma, as it is a requirement for active members, but coffee and tea, tobacco, alcohol and harmful substances are forbidden. Church is every Sunday and I believe worthy members are required to attend. Tithing (10% of all earnings) is required also, as is living a chaste life (no sexual relations outside of marriage) and obeying the ten commandments. Honesty in dealings with your fellow man also is required.
Is there a heirarchy in your religion?
Yes, there is the Prophet/President of the Church, his two counselors, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Presiding Bishopric, the Quorum of the Seventy and the Second Quorum of the Seventy, the Regional Representatives, the Stake Presidency, the Bishopric, and the Ward (lay congregation) officers such as the Elder’s Quorum President, etc. If I got any of this wrong, please feel free to correct me.
Afterlife? What’s it like?
After death there is a partial judgment wherein one is either sent to Paradise or to Spirit Prison, depending on works done while in the flesh, whether they were good or evil. The righteous rest from their labors and perform missionary work and other services for God, while the wicked suffer for their sins for 1,000 years. The wicked who repent and who have not committed the unpardonable sin are, if eligible, forgiven of their sins and allowed to enter one of the lesser kingdoms of glory (Celestial Kingdom is the highest, wherein a man and his wife can share in all that God has, as well as have eternal increase (spirit children); then there’s the Terrestrial and Telestial Kingdoms, which have lesser opportunites for eternal growth and joy). Final judgment relegates a person to one of the three kingdoms of God or to Outer Darkness (if that person committed the unpardonable sin and turned against a perfect light to serve the devil with his eyes open to the truth). All mankind, regardless of their works, good or evil, will be bodily resurrected. Only the devil and evil spirits who serve him are denied bodies.

**Any other details… **
Visitors are welcome in the LDS church’s services. Stop on by when you get the chance. It’s a great experience.