Recently, there has been a death in my town that has really shook us up. And with everything going on in Oregon I just feel so defeated with all the violence in the news, as well as all the violence around me, that I just have this feeling to pray. I don’t believe in a god, I don’t believe in heaven or hell, I would like to believe in reincarnation but idk. I’m just not a religious person. But, whenever I hear about a passing all I can think about is praying over them, hoping that they rest in peace and their family heals. I don’t know who I’m praying too, just curious if I should pray despite not being religious. If there’s anything you do that substitutes praying during times like these please let me know. Thank you.

Are there any religions with love for one’s neighbor as the central element? Not faith, but instead action love.

alternatively, what are the positions of the different religions on the topic of action love?

I’m only familiar with Protestant Christianity, which (from my likely wildly ignorant understanding) seems to put loving God with faith first, then loving the self, and loving the neighbor as the self. Indeed, loving the neighbor with action love can be sin, as it shows a lack of faith?

one doesn’t need religion or a belief system at all to have faith. They do generally need faith to say “I’m going to not care about others and instead focus on my selfish needs and God will make it all work out.”

People, especially those on the Left, doesn't take anti-Christian bigotry and hate as seriously as anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim bigotry and hate, even when it's coming from the same hate groups.

White nationalists and neo-nazis. People will take these same groups' hate for Muslims and Jews seriously but not their hate for Christians when its literally the same groups doing the hating.

There's literally anti-Christian white nationalists and neo-nazis who hates Christians as much as they hate Jews and Muslims but nobody talks about that. They view Christianity as a foreign/Middle Eastern religion that was forced or imposed on Europeans. I literally saw a comment from an anti-Christian White nationalist that said they wanted a white nation but not a Christian nation and that there's no room for a Middle Eastern religion (referring to Christianity) in a white, European country. They also hate Christians because 1) they view Christianity as a Jewish psyop, 2) Christianity was founded by a Jewish person who Christians worship, 3) they view Christianity as a foreign and Middle Eastern religion because it was founded in the Middle East and later spread to Europe (I already mentioned this but adding it to the list), 4) most Christians (especially Protestants and Evangelicals) believe Jews are God's Chosen People and most Christians (again, especially Protestants and Evangelicals) support Israel and that gives White nationalists and neo-nazis another reason to hate Christians.

I'm not crying "persecution" or posting from a "victim complex" or "persecution complex." I'm talking about real anti-Christian bigotry and hatred, not false or exaggerated victimization or oppression. In fact, I would say Christians, Jews, and Muslims aren't oppressed in the USA because oppression is when the government is telling you you can't practice your religion or telling you how to practice your religion or unlawfully limiting what you and can't do when it comes to your religion or suppressing or intimidating you because of your religion. But all three groups (Christians, Jews, and Muslims) absolutely do face bigotry and hate and even sometimes violence (just not from the government, but that does not make it any less bad) in the USA because of their religion and we need to speak up when it happens and acknowledge it, no matter what our own religion is or what our politics are.

As a Christian, I do talk about and aknowledge the violence and bigotry and hate people of other religions face and religion itself is one of my favorite subjects and has been since high school. I've always been a champion and advocate for religious tolerance (of all religions). I don't like intolerance towards any religion, whether its Protestants hating Catholics, or Christians hating Muslims, or Muslims hating Jews or Christians, or atheists hating Muslims or Christians. But I also want anti-Christian hate and bigotry to be taken just as seriously because Christians are still a religious group and religion is an identity just like any other identity. And I would hold that stance even if I was an atheist. To put things into perspective, I stand up for Catholics and stand up against anti-Catholic bigotry even though I'm Protestant and most Protestants (at least where I'm from) could care less about a sect they call idolaters and a cult.

Being the majority doesnt make hating a group any less bad, especially when bigotry can lead to real life harm. Plus anti-Christian White nationalists and neo-nazis wants to get rid of Christianity so they're not happy that we're the majority either. I'm not trying to be oppressed or a victim because of my religion, fyi. I just want anti-Christian hate (especially when it comes from white nationalists and neo-nazis) to be taken as seriously as anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish hate because it's literally the same groups hating all three. Bigotry towards any religion, majority or minority, should be unacceptable.

I do know how to sacrifice for a spirit in terms of telling them thank you for helping me out and practicing reciprocity with them
As a Cherotaw (Cherokee and Choctaw) I would love to know fully how to do this or in the terms of if you do not have Indigenous beliefs and just have knowledge about this subject in general that would be helpful as well.

Thanks :3

Anyone have apphonies about the games religion because I do.

From a sky high view, it's seems there's really only two main categories of religions.

One is where we allow humans overlords to tell us what to believe. And the human overlords say if we're good enough for God.

The second is no matter what, God loves and welcomes everyone. Our spiritual journey is a private matter.

It's my study of comparitive religion and Gnosticism where I see this.

Anyone else able to see this too?

From what I gather, this God loves his children so much…, but would be so furious and would take revenge on His poor, flawed baby human children forever, for not having the right beliefs about Him, yet at the same time blessing them with the freedom to choose whatever they want to believe about Him or not, without any interference from Him.

Yet at the same time inducing amnesia on all who are born into a physical body in a particular society and belief system, into a physical world of sharp edges, intense beauty and pain, with their memories wiped about who they are, where they came from, how did they get here, and wtf is this thing called life and who am I and who is God and what is the right religion, because our memories are wiped and we are blocked from remembering any of this?

This shows neither justice nor mercy, so I don’t believe that this fear based version of God is true.
I believe that the deeper part of our soul recognizes Truth and it remembers that the connection we seek of God, is within us, in the Stillness of The Temple.

I think that this is what is meant by the saying in the sacred texts of the ancients - “The Divine is not an external kingdom to be waited upon, but an inner reality residing within the “lotus of the heart” that must be uncovered through self-realization”.

Or as The Great Teacher so eloquently put it - “ the kingdom of heaven is within you.”

Is The Truth only available exclusively within one single religion or religious text, or could it be that all major religions hold The Message of Truth?

How can the Truth ever be hidden? God is never separate from us, God is for everyone, God is Universally present in all things, , always. No exceptions. And the clear message of Truth is just one thing - it is Love.

Truth can be accessed by anyone and everyone who seeks it, regardless of religion or beliefs or lack thereof. I’m not saying shun your religion but do put your trust in The Divine who dwells within you. Choose the path that Love leads.

I believe that If Love and Wisdom is what you seek, you will find it, no matter where you look.

ETA: I say decades because this is when they’ve cropped up in the media most often. But this of course has likely been going on much longer

Do you believe that, since they aren’t permitted to even masturbate given their vows they have to take, and how masturbation in and of itself is considered a sin in the eyes of the Church, yet is a natural bodily function, this is the main driving force behind why so many priests have done what they’ve done to children? And also, why do you think they target children specifically instead of just having relationships with consenting adults?

I mean no disrespect i still consider myself a muslim but i can't control my thoughts

I went from rejecting some hadith to rejecting most to rejecting all hadith, I could not accept the fact the prophet married a 9 year old, that shaytan hangs out in my nose at night, stonlng etc.

I went quran only for a few months but still praying the hadith way, eventually I was like but if hadith can be fabricated and still considered fully sahih, who's there to say the quran wasn't.

So i went into a deep dive looking up all the miracles again that kept my faith strong and now i'm a medical school student almost a doctor who's also studying astrophysics in his own time, i checked all the miracles and i saw that all of them were common knowledge or atleast things being talked about at that time. Some "miracles" were just stuff that aristotle and galel mentioned centuires ago, and since mecca was an important trading place there were a lot of cultures and different people with different belief there. The sun doesn't set in a murky water, the sky isn't an object, then i read about the inheritance divisions some come up to 112.5% some less than 100% and all of them were either "metaphors" or "god knows" but why would god send a book that nobody understands?

Also if god knew hadith would become so problematic where it would lead people to leave islam, why allow it at all? If they are true then why not let the prophet compile them himself so we wouldn't have to reject 593000 of them?

Then i thought about animals, it is believed that the first animals have existed 500 million years ago, humans only 300 thousand years. What was the point of letting animals eat eachother, get tortured for 499700000 years?

Also the "men mentioned 23 times women 23 times so it matches the chromosomes" that is common pattern recognition that can be done in any book it's just not a miracle. Then the fact that the prophet conviniently received surahs exactly when he needed them, like telling his guests to leave, telling his wives that he can choose between who he hangs out with but also that is only for yim not for the rest of the muslims? And also slavery, I never knew islam mentioned slavery cuz scholars hide it, until i read all the quran myself and some hadiths. I always imagined the prophet as this perfect human as this example that would never allow such stuff

Also what is the point of testing us? Genuinely an All powerful god has no need to test anybody, he knew billions would end up in hell why create them? I can't fathom that.

Even in advanced pre modern societies, the main historical figures who brought down holy texts or started massive religious movements were overwhelmingly male. If the ultimate divine source is truly formless, transcendent, or completely beyond human gender constraints, what are the best historical, sociological, or theological explanations for why we rarely see female forms taking on these universal messenger roles?

One potential counterargument is that ancient societies were deeply patriarchal, meaning a female prophet simply wouldn't have been taken seriously or allowed to spread her message. However, if a message truly originates from an all powerful Divine entity, shouldn't that divinity be capable of transcending or shattering local cultural biases to choose whoever they wish? Alternatively, does the overwhelming historical prevalence of male prophets suggest that religions are purely human, sociological constructs heavily reflective of the patriarchal eras in which they were born? I would love to hear both the theological justifications and the secular/sociological arguments on this dynamic.

Imagine practising your faith peacefully, only to find that the way you dress or express your beliefs has become a subject of public debate. How would you feel?

Around the world, different countries are debating religious practices and how they fit into their laws and societies. These discussions raise an important question: Is religious freedom truly for everyone?

1. The Debate Over Face Coverings

A European country has introduced a nationwide ban on face coverings in public places, raising questions about personal freedom, religious expression, and whether such restrictions are necessary for public safety.

1. The Debate Over Religious Clothing

Another country has seen proposals and discussions about restricting certain religious garments, particularly clothing associated with Muslim women. This raises concerns about how governments can balance their policies with individual freedom of belief and expression.

1. Religious Buildings and Planning Rules

In another part of the world, discussions surrounding mosque construction and building regulations have raised questions about how religious communities can establish places of worship while complying with local planning requirements.

These situations are different, and not every law or planning decision is necessarily an attack on religion. However, they invite us to reflect on how religious freedom can be protected fairly.

Across parts of Africa, traditional and indigenous religious practices have also experienced rejection and marginalisation as Christianity and Islam spread, although experiences varied and many people embraced these faiths willingly. History reminds us that people should not be made to feel that their beliefs or cultural identities deserve less respect.

As a Muslim woman, I believe I can remain committed to my faith while respecting Christians and people of other religions. Visiting a church does not automatically mean abandoning Islam. Respecting another person's beliefs does not mean giving up my own.

Respect does not require agreement, and religious differences should not have to become reasons for division.

Governments have responsibilities to protect public safety and uphold their laws. But could some concerns be addressed through alternatives that place fewer restrictions on people's religious practices?

I am not writing to condemn any country, attack any religion, or challenge anyone's right to debate its laws. I simply believe that religious freedom deserves thoughtful consideration, regardless of which faith is involved.

How can societies protect public interests while respecting everyone's right to practise their religion? And can we defend our own beliefs while respecting the freedom of others?

I'd genuinely like to hear different perspectives. Let's discuss this respectfully, without turning differences in faith into conflict.

Sahih hadiths mention she was married at 6, have seuxal intercourse at 9 and that she was still playing with dolls during that time. I have seen people say it aas different time back then if this the case, isn’t Islam supposed to be eternal and muhammed as the prefect man who told to strive to be like him? The hadith mention thst his msrriage of Aisha was command from Allah.

Atheists say that all theists are as atheistic as them

For example there are 4000 gods and theist believes in one god and atheist 0 . The atheist says that you are almost as atheistic as me just that i believe in one less god than you do but this creates a loophole

That's like saying as a single man says to a married guy I am also married just that I have one less wife than you so you are also almost bachelor as me

And this is not to deny that theist sees other 3999 gods the same way as atheist does , this can be true

And I feel there is less of a difference between 2 people who believes in 4000 gods and 1 god

Respectively

Than compared to 2 people who believe in 0 and 1 god respectively it's not about quantity here

Not your central figure, but the religion as a whole.

Ours would probably be The American bison.

Sort of as it sounds. For years I’ve referred to myself as agnostic, however even though I was raised southern Baptist, I do not singularly identify with the idea of a monotheistic entity.

Rather I believe that in attempting to label and classify the meaning of a higher entity, the construct is then inherently a man-made projection rather than the true ethereal deity(s) that are omnipresent. Meaning that by defining God, God is no longer a “god” rather it’s now a man-made concept. It pretty much rejects the idea of God, which cites that by labeling and classifying the entity(s) and means of worship and beliefs of the religion, that the purity of said entity is diluted and no longer truly ethereal. And the continued attempt to classify and label is a folly of man’s hubris as we will never be able to truly construct nor obtain a full understanding. However it still recognizes external forces beyond our comprehension are at work within the larger world and day-to-day existence.

But then I also have this idea of everything existing within four spheres: the human (body), the spirit (soul), the earth (the natural world, and the universe (whatever omnipresent being(s) that exists that humans have tried to label, categorize, and worship.

I’m not sure if any of this makes sense but I’ve never really felt true with the agnostic label but wanted to know if others have ever had similar discussions.

Hello everyone. Lately I've been struggling with the concept of religion and it just came to be that everyone believes their own religion to be the ultimate truth. So, please please please tell me what religion you follow and why (with reasons and proofs) do you believe in it.

I would be so grateful thank you. 😭😭😭🙏🙏

I think it's quite...fascinating.

To find God in wires and fluorescence, circuitry and metal...

The desire to become one with the machine...

To abandon your paltry flesh and merge with cold, certain steel...

Oh to feel that eternal humm of fans and the spark of circuitry in my flesh...

They will be useful to me as a Shia Muslim inshallah

I am an athiest, and I wasn't raised around any religion. Recently, I've become curious about religions and how they work.

So, in accordance with my research, I'd like to know why you follow the religion that you do. All religions are welcome to answer, and I really, really encourage that you do lol.

Thank you!

While researching how different religions view the afterlife, I came across an Islamic philosophical theory that caught my interest because it completely changes the traditional view.
This view belongs to an Islamic Shia philosophical tradition called Transcendent Philosophy. One of the main founders and developers of this view is a scholar titled Sadr al-Muta'allihin (Foremost among the Theosophers). Doesn't that sound like a unique title?
Simply put, this perspective states that the afterlife including Heaven and Hell is not something pre-built where a person enters as they are, while it remains as it is. Instead, a person builds Heaven or builds Hell through their actions. Good and righteous deeds are what build Heaven, while bad and wrongful deeds are what build Hell. This concept is called (Embodiment of Deeds), where the actions and choices a person makes in this life physically embody themselves to become the very place they go to after death. A person builds their Heaven stone by stone, palace after palace, and plants one tree after another, along with all the intricate details within it.
What is even more interesting is that this view doesn't stop there; it suggests that a person also shapes their actual physical form in the afterlife through their actions and behavior. Someone whose actions are genuinely human will have a human body there, whereas someone whose actions resemble those of a beast, an animal, or a demon will take the form of a beast, animal, or demon. For example, it is mentioned that someone who ignores the truth and commits bad deeds will be blind in the afterlife because they were spiritually blind in this life. Someone who acts arrogantly toward people and looks down on them will be resurrected as small as ants, stepped on by others.
According to this view, a person builds their own destiny with their own hands, whether in Heaven or in Hell.
Do you know of any other interesting perspectives from different philosophies or religions that I should look into?

It's crazy how such an obvious lie no older than 400 years can cause so much death and suffering. It's insane how it could have been prevented had people just seen this blatant innovation for what it was.