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

[Gxg (G²)]

Trying an experiment to have more community here in this forum, I was curious if everyone here would be able to list something about every religion they encounter - be it here on the board or elsewhere - and note what it is that they appreciate about it. We're all part of a global neighborhood as MLK says...

Martin Luther King said it best when noting that all life is interrelated. THere's an excellent article on the issue entitled All Life is Interrelated.

As Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in his sermon “Where Do We Go From Here”:

“All men are interdependent. Every nation is an heir of a vast treasury of ideas and labor to which both the living and the dead of all nations have contributed. …We are everlasting debtors to known and unknown men and women. When we arise in the morning, we go into the bathroom where we reach for a sponge which is provided for us by a Pacific islander. We reach for a soap that is created by a European. Then at the table we drink coffee which is provided for us by a South American, or tea by a Chinese or cocoa by a west African. Before we leave for our jobs we are already beholden to more than half the world….We are inevitably our brother’s keeper, because we are our brother’s brother. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”
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And seeing how interdependent we are, I was wanting to see if others in this forum could recognize how much we're all interconnected ...and discuss how that plays out practically when seeing all of the ways things have been difficult in the world.

Specifically, rather than note what it is that you do not appreciate about another religion - including those we may be at odds with - I wanted to see how much there can be growth in being neighbors who understand how to still find valuable things in other people we may find ourselves at odds with.

We can change a lot when we actually have conversation, even when we strongly disagree. So if you can name 2 to 3 things about each religion you've encountered/debated with, cool. Again, it often seems we are so quick to discuss what we do not like that we end up not even knowing how to see the things that are special about all of us - and before any religious stance, we're human beings first and foremost. And truly diverse. One can see that in the sheer amount of variations in those who are Black alone

And for some examples just to inspire,

Faces of East & Southern Africa



Faces of Cambodia



Faces of Myanmar



And to be clear, some of what follows has been shared before regarding my own appreciation for differing religions and what they contribute, as seen here:
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For anyone interested,

Came across this excellent presentation that really stood out to me called The Christ Connection: How the World Religions Prepared the Way for the Phenomenon of Jesus

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For another excellent chart which helps to break things down...

Amazing presentation on what Christ has to offer to the rest of the world...

Came across this excellent map on the issue of world religions. It is in the form of a tree that shows the intersections of nearly every major religion in the world/their respective off-shoots. With the tree, the roots of the tree are automatically going to far back into time - the farthest we can go being based on how much we're aware of - many speculating that world religions really started to begin in the era of Noah after the Flood and the Tower of Babel (from which Nimrod arose to change the shape of the world after establishing Babylon alongside the worship of Ishtar and others - with his system of worship impacting the worship given before the Lord even into the time of Abraham).

Of course, we'll only be able to see once we're in heaven the full scope of history. Till then, we can know for certain that religions have always intersected - and for myself, being a believer in God/Christ, my view is that those following the Lord are impacted at every turn when it comes to the history of God's people....

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In addition to that, for anyone from a theistic perspective wanting to have a basis for knowing how and where things may have merged, it's interesting examining the Abrahamic faith (beginning in Genesis 12 and Genesis 11 - continued from Genesis 4 from the era where men around the world simply called on the name of the Lord universally - global consciousness of Theism and belief in One God as the way) t....that is the root of many of the world religions and what sprung from them in their own spheres.

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What's interesting about the maps, considering that they do a good job showing everything interconnected, is that much of this goes alongside the view of how God truly does work in the complexities of other religions.

As another noted best (for a brief excerpt) in Can God improvise outside the boundaries of Christian orthodoxy? - Patheos:

Some Christians would say that in order for Christianity to be uniquely right, we have to believe that Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Ba’hai, and everything else besides Judaism and Christianity are the entirely false products of demons who have deliberately misled billions of people in order to consign them to an eternity in hell. On the opposite end of the spectrum would be those who say that God has reached out to each culture using a different story and Christianity is just one way of framing the mystery of God among many other equally valid possibilities. ...I think Christianity is the most beautiful story about God, but I don’t think other stories about the mystery of existence, theistic or otherwise, lack important wisdom and truth that I can learn from.....One of my most fundamental presumptions about God is that God is a pragmatist who meets people where they are. That’s what God did with the Israelites for thousands of years. In the age of tribal deities, God allowed Israel to treat him like a tribal deity. God accommodated their needs as a people every step of the way, even acquiescing to give them a king when the plan had originally been for God to be their only king (1 Samuel 8). Just about every king that Israel had was corrupt in some way or another, but God went along with it and used his prophets to put a check on the kings’ power. God revealed himself more fully to Israel over time, ultimately showing them through the prophets that he didn’t just exist for the sake of Israel but that he cares about all the people int he world. Certainly there were a lot of wicked things that Israel did that God didn’t go along with, but he was infinitely patient with them and willing to communicate with them in a way that was coherent to their cultural context. If God was such a pragmatist with Israel, it doesn’t make any sense to me that he would be entirely aloof to the ancient people of India or Malaysia or anywhere else. The apostle Paul makes the claim in Romans 1:19 that all humanity has always had knowledge of God. This doesn’t mean that every culture has grasped God equally. But the Hindu Upanishads and the Koran are not entirely without truth. In fact, they do teach many of the same basic virtues that are found in Christianity, though their theological systems are completely different. So the fact that there are many truths to be found in other religions says to me that they must have received some kind of revelation from the mysterious entity we call God.

I think that God is a pragmatist with individuals just like he is with cultures. I don’t think God folds his arms and shuts off people who have unorthodox beliefs, but he tries to put the people and circumstances in their lives that will help them overcome the stumbling blocks in the unique spiritual journey that they’re on. The problem with heresy is not that God punishes or rewards people in a mechanistic fashion for their incorrect beliefs. Heresy is bad because it creates obstacles to the fullness of our encounter with God; our diminished image of God is the “punishment” for our incorrect belief.........If I’ve got an inadequate understanding of Jesus’ cross or the nature of scripture or the moral frailty of humanity, it keeps me from going as deep as I could with God. .....at the same time, I don’t think God is passively waiting for us to believe the right things about him in order to grow close to him. I believe that God is constantly improvising and revealing insights that help us get closer to him from where we are, even if we’ve hit our theological golf ball way off the fairway into a sand-trap somewhere. And I’ve also seen people with unorthodox beliefs being used powerfully by God. One of the most spiritually attuned people I’ve ever known could not believe in the physical resurrection of Christ and didn’t go into ordained ministry as a result, but that did not keep this person from experiencing amazing intimacy with God and mentoring dozens of others.
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I thought it was very relevant what he noted - as it concerns the Global Work of the Holy Spirit in all religions. Some of this goes back to what was noted elsewhere before on the work of the Holy Spirit, as seen here for reference:

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[Chesterton]

Subscribing.

I can appreciate something about every religion I'm familiar with, but instead of going to the trouble of a long list tonight, I may chime in on whatever others bring up. Nice thread idea.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Subscribing.

I can appreciate something about every religion I'm familiar with, but instead of going to the trouble of a long list tonight, I may chime in on whatever others bring up. Nice thread idea.

Thanks for the encouragement and I do pray for a fruitful discussion

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Subscribing.

I can appreciate something about every religion I'm familiar with, but instead of going to the trouble of a long list tonight, I may chime in on whatever others bring up. Nice thread idea.

You can always share, if interested, on perhaps 2-3 religions you've encountered as a beginning gig since one doesn't has to describe things all at once

 

[Job8]

I can appreciate something about every religion I'm familiar with, but instead of going to the trouble of a long list tonight, I may chime in on whatever others bring up. Nice thread idea.

You can always chime in with the fact that every religion says DO RIGHT. That's because every human being has a conscience which says DO RIGHT.

 

[Chesterton]

You can always chime in with the fact that every religion says DO RIGHT. That's because every human being has a conscience which says DO RIGHT.

I very much agree God has bequeathed every human with conscience that says "do right" (some of "His light in every man").

Islam - the religion I probably hate the most , not really a separate religion, but a widespread Judeo-Christian heresy. But I appreciate and admire the devotion to the faith which Islam has - the rigor of the 5 daily prayers, for example, focuses the human life on what is really important, to the exclusion of what's not really important.

I also appreciate some of the moral views which do not fluctuate with the passing of time. I remember a few days after 9/11 a news show interviewed some random guy in the Middle East, asking why they were handing out candy and celebrating the carnage, why they hate America so much. The guy said "You give us the Britney Spears! We no want the Britney Spears!". He didn't want the infestation of corrupt morals in his country. I agreed with the guy, I no want the Britney Spears either. But, I absolutely want the freedom which allows for the Britney Spears.

 

[Jane_Doe]

A great thread!

Bahai: my experience with these followers has been they are overwelhming kind, respectful, and peaceful, even when people are not so to them.

Catholicism (I break Christianity into different groups): a great respect for tradition, history, and ritual.

Pagan: a diverse group of people whom embrace diversity like it's the best type of chocolate in the world! Always welcoming and respectful.

Methodist: service oriented, devoted to making the world a better place for everyone.

Baptist: dedicated to preserving their faith and not a afraid to proclaim it from the rooftops.

Islam: I haven't had too much interaction, but I remember the one time I visited a mosque how the women there were very beautiful, kind, and authentically happy to have me there.

Amish: devoted to family, simplicity, and God.

 

[Zoness]

I'm probably going to do this in chunks since my mind is mush today.

Catholicism: I appreciate their organization and hierarchy. I like that it has more or less worked since their inception.

Protestantism: I appreciate their dedication to their beliefs and the traditional "Protestant" work ethic as well as how community-based they tend to be.

Orthodoxy: I admire their icons and their history; I feel they are closest to ancient Christianity.

Mormonism: Definitely among the friendliest people I have never met and the Mormons that I know seem very dedicated to personal service of others.

 

[Chesterton]

Amish: devoted to family, simplicity, and God.

I like the Amish. No matter what horrible things I say about them on an internet forum, no Amish has ever reported me to the mods.

 

[Arthra]

Gee... Let me see..

Zoroastrians I like for their ancient traditions and continuing to observe Naw-Ruz and their love for the early heros of Persia;

Hindus for reciting so many names of God the Sahasra nama ..chanting ancient Sanskrit... studies of the Vedas.. Upanishads... Puranas...

Jews for their continuing their practices and Hebrew language... love for the sanctified Names of God;

Christians for their love of Jesus and expectation of His return;

Muslims for their dedication to the Messengers of God and Oneness of Allah as well as respect paid the family and descendants of Prophet Muhammad;

Sikhs for love of the Adi Granth and the succession of Gurus;

Baha'is for their dedication to the principles of the Oneness of God and the unity of humanity...

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

Judaism: A culture that appreciates intellectualism and sympathy for the underdog (instead of the "hero" worship - i.e. venerating the most ruthless and powerful - so common in other religions of antiquity).

Christianity: the same as above, with the added bonus of a morality that disposed of (most) random rules and the authoritarian mindset associated with the same. Sacral music. Great architecture (at least in the past; megachurches are genuine horrors).

Islam: nice Sufi poetry. Also, calligraphic art.

Hinduism: a culture of abundance that used to be far less repressed than its contemporary incarnation.

Shinto: an appreciation for the connection between the land and the people, fostering a less ego-centric world view.

Philosophical Daoism: a non-dualist system that totally chimes with me.

Buddhism: anticipating the findings of modern-day psychology and the neurosciences, more than two thousand years before Freud was born. Also, very advanced meditation techniques.

Native religions: shamanic trance techniques, ecological wholeness, see Shinto

Sikh: I know virtually nothing about them, sorry. Interesting turbans?

Wicca: Introducing feminism to the area of religion and its male-dominated heritage

Thelema: a surprisingly profound distillation of the Western Esoteric Tradition, once you get past the most obnoxious "Crowleyisms".

Baha'i: Fostering an inclusivist world view that does not demonize (most) diverging world views as "other"; being fairly egalitarian for a 19th century ideology (even though it looks slightly reactionary today with its stance on marriage, homosexuality and some other topics).

Unitarian Universalists: If they were present in my city, I'd probably join them: they're like the Baha'i, but without the baggage.

 

[awitch]

I appreciate the art inspired by so many different religions as well as the entertaining stories they tell.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Forgot to mention that one can also speak of the Ethnic groups present in religions as well and the things valuable in them too Loving seeing the responses and yes, I will share at some point

 

[Gxg (G²)]

I appreciate the art inspired by so many different religions as well as the entertaining stories they tell.

Do you have any pictures you feel are worth sharing?

 

[awitch]

Do you have any pictures you feel are worth sharing?

Judaism:

Hindu:

Shinto:

Native American:

So many more

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

Do you have any pictures you feel are worth sharing?

Well, since European culture was dominated by Christianity until the advent of the 20th century, pretty much every piece of art, music, architecture, and literature produced between ca. 1000 and 1800 was at the very least influenced by this religion, if not downright religious to begin with.

Case in point: William Shakespeare may not have aimed to produce sacral art, but his plays are rendered decidedly less accessible if you do not understand the biblical allusions and references contained therein. Mozart wasn't much of a believer, yet he *did* write sacral music explicitly intended for churches and their services. The Renaissance painters produced almost nothing but representations of Biblical scenes, the Dutch masters painted at least some scenes that alluded to things like the Last Judgment, and so forth.

I love Bernini's "The Ecstasy of St. Teresa", by the way.

 

[juvenissun]

Trying an experiment to have more community here in this forum, I was curious if everyone here would be able to list something about every religion they encounter - be it here on the board or elsewhere - and note what it is that they appreciate about it. We're all part of a global neighborhood as MLK says...

Very difficult thing to do. I like peaceful people in other religions. But I can not say anything good about other religions. All I can see are mistakes of those religions.

 

[juvenissun]

You can always chime in with the fact that every religion says DO RIGHT. That's because every human being has a conscience which says DO RIGHT.

Why would human have such a nature?

 

[Jane_Doe]

Very difficult thing to do. I like peaceful people in other religions. But I can not say anything good about other religions. All I can see are mistakes of those religions.

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?

 

[Job8]

Why would human have such a nature?

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