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Seeking "Niceness"
- Thread starter Ray-Ray
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Gardenia
Of the Hearth and Hedge
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Ray-Ray said:
Well, I find these things in my own religion, and several other pagan traditions that I have been in.. However, I also think most religions try to teach something of this sort.
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9Harmony
Senior Member
Ray-Ray said:Im looking for a religion/denomination that contains all round niceness
What I mean by niceness is: non-hatred, promotion of world peace, respect of others beliefs, non-judgementalism, equality of the sexes, non-bigotry and a policy of helping others in need, amongst other niceties. I realise that people following various religions dont always adhere to the principles they are supposed to follow, but Im interested in the general philosophies contained therein.
So in short, whats the nicest thing about your religion?
PS. It would be great if this thread could be kept nice*
Hi Ray Ray,
I can't pick just one thing.
Some principles of the Bahá'í Faith
Oneness of humanity
Oneness of religion
Religion must be the cause of unity
Religion must be harmonious with science and reason
Independent investigation of truth
Equality between men and women
The abolition of all forms of prejudice
Universal peace
Universal education
A universal auxiliary language
Spiritual solutions for economic problems
Have a great day!
-Amy
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*Starlight*
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Hi, Amy!9Harmony said:Hi Ray Ray,
I can't pick just one thing.
Some principles of the Bahá'í Faith
Oneness of humanity
Oneness of religion
Religion must be the cause of unity
Religion must be harmonious with science and reason
Independent investigation of truth
Equality between men and women
The abolition of all forms of prejudice
Universal peace
Universal education
A universal auxiliary language
Spiritual solutions for economic problems
Have a great day!
-Amy
That's nice! I think I agree with all of it... 
Well, almost. I have no idea what "spiritual solutions for economic problems" means.
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The "nicest" religion in the world is probably Jainism, a Dharmic religion that originated from Hinduism.
It's followers hold ahimsa, nonviolence, as the highest of virtues, they will not even harm plants.
It's followers hold ahimsa, nonviolence, as the highest of virtues, they will not even harm plants.
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vajradhara
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Namaste Ray-Ray,
thank you for the post.
i suspect you will get a variety of interesting answers to this thread
i suppose that is as good a reason as any to pick a religious path, at this point. of course, i don't really know what point you are at in your searching.. if you are just starting, that seems like a pretty decent place to start from.
Buddha Dharma or Buddhism has a concept called Ahisma which means "non-violence". actually this teaching is part of all the Dharma traditions, which are variously known as Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism.
this is, i think, a feature of most established religous paths. some of them, clearly (think $cientology) aren't concerned about this, but most of them are. as such, i think that this could be included in pretty much any of the major world religions to some lesser or greater degrees.
Buddhism teaches that there are 84,000 Dharma Doors or Entries to Truth. Buddhism does not insist that it is the only valid Spiritual Refuge, which is a technical term to denote a religious praxis which is capable of transforming a being in a positive manner.
this is a bit tricky. pretty much all religious paths will have some aspects of behavior which are not permitted. in Buddhism, this comes in two forms... the Vinya or Rules for the Monastics and the Precepts, the rules for the laiety. there are only 5 Precepts for the laiety, though there are many more for the monastics as one may expect.
the cultural millieu in which Buddhism arose had a fair amount of gender specific views regarding roles of women and men in society. at the first formation of the Sangha, the community of monks, there were no females present. of course, this is due to the society, in general at this time. in due course, the Buddha Shakyamuni permitted women to join the Sangha, however, this was not until his mother and his wife were Awakened by his teaching.
one of the issues in this particular case is the seperation between the monks and nuns wherein there were no female teachers to teach the nuns. so it was a matter of time until there were some who could teach the nuns. the teachings, which are called the Sutrayana (as a whole) contain many Suttas and Sutras from female nuns and laywomen whom have Awakened. this is especially so in the Mahayana Vehicle of Buddhism.
bigotry is rare to find as a specific teaching of a religious path. of course, that doesn't stop beings from being bigoted. Buddhism rasion d'etre, so to speak, is other beings. specifically, a compassionate mind, heart and body, dedicated to the benefit of other beings. in our tradition this is a particular thing which is called Bodhichitta and is an aspect of our practice which, for me, allows me to engage in another beings suffering without being overwhelmed on an emotional level. it is, in its barest, simply a being which is focused on the needs of others. through fulfiling the needs of others, ones own needs are met.
this is true and it is to your credit that you are aware of this already. you will find that there are many beings on this site which lack this particular insight.
well... this is going to be pretty subjective, isn't it?
what i like best about my particular religious path is the absolute sense of hope and freedom that Dharma practice inculcates in a beings mindstream.
but that's just me
metta,
~v
thank you for the post.
i suspect you will get a variety of interesting answers to this thread
Ray-Ray said:
i suppose that is as good a reason as any to pick a religious path, at this point. of course, i don't really know what point you are at in your searching.. if you are just starting, that seems like a pretty decent place to start from.
Buddha Dharma or Buddhism has a concept called Ahisma which means "non-violence". actually this teaching is part of all the Dharma traditions, which are variously known as Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism.
this is, i think, a feature of most established religous paths. some of them, clearly (think $cientology) aren't concerned about this, but most of them are. as such, i think that this could be included in pretty much any of the major world religions to some lesser or greater degrees.
Buddhism teaches that there are 84,000 Dharma Doors or Entries to Truth. Buddhism does not insist that it is the only valid Spiritual Refuge, which is a technical term to denote a religious praxis which is capable of transforming a being in a positive manner.
this is a bit tricky. pretty much all religious paths will have some aspects of behavior which are not permitted. in Buddhism, this comes in two forms... the Vinya or Rules for the Monastics and the Precepts, the rules for the laiety. there are only 5 Precepts for the laiety, though there are many more for the monastics as one may expect.
the cultural millieu in which Buddhism arose had a fair amount of gender specific views regarding roles of women and men in society. at the first formation of the Sangha, the community of monks, there were no females present. of course, this is due to the society, in general at this time. in due course, the Buddha Shakyamuni permitted women to join the Sangha, however, this was not until his mother and his wife were Awakened by his teaching.
one of the issues in this particular case is the seperation between the monks and nuns wherein there were no female teachers to teach the nuns. so it was a matter of time until there were some who could teach the nuns. the teachings, which are called the Sutrayana (as a whole) contain many Suttas and Sutras from female nuns and laywomen whom have Awakened. this is especially so in the Mahayana Vehicle of Buddhism.
bigotry is rare to find as a specific teaching of a religious path. of course, that doesn't stop beings from being bigoted. Buddhism rasion d'etre, so to speak, is other beings. specifically, a compassionate mind, heart and body, dedicated to the benefit of other beings. in our tradition this is a particular thing which is called Bodhichitta and is an aspect of our practice which, for me, allows me to engage in another beings suffering without being overwhelmed on an emotional level. it is, in its barest, simply a being which is focused on the needs of others. through fulfiling the needs of others, ones own needs are met.
this is true and it is to your credit that you are aware of this already. you will find that there are many beings on this site which lack this particular insight.
well... this is going to be pretty subjective, isn't it?
what i like best about my particular religious path is the absolute sense of hope and freedom that Dharma practice inculcates in a beings mindstream.
but that's just me
metta,
~v
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9Harmony
Senior Member
:: Starlight :: said:Hi, Amy!
Hi Starlight!
Hey, i notice we have matching signatures.
as for spiritual solutions to economic problems, i would say that most economic problems are based on spiritual issues, but they are clouded in bureaucracy. Prejudice for example, is based on a perception that some people are better than others, and by applying the spiritual principle that there is only one race, the human race; once that is universally accepted, all forms of prejudice would melt away.
just one example, there are many others.
Have a great day!
-Amy
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Rescued One
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I don't know what Montalban meant about not being nice. But if you aren't nice, how can you claim to be a Christian?
Matthew 5
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
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First & foremost I believe Christianity is about giving the right/best message. Being "nice" is one political package the "right" is wrapped up in. Being nice & being at "the best" are not necessarily one & the same in an unperfect world.Ray-Ray said:
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Montalban
Well-Known Member
Origins of the word niceGodsWordisTrue said:
Middle English, foolish, from Old French, from Latin nescius, ignorant, from nescre, to be ignorant. See nescience.]
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=nice
It then came to mean 'compliant'.
In the hierarchy of meaning this site gives the first meaning as
Pleasing and agreeable in nature
Jesus spoke the truth. The Pharisees didn't think "Oh, this chappy is a really nice fellow"
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Montalban
Well-Known Member
I agree with this. We can present Christianity in a 'nice' way, but at the end of the day, the truth of Christianity can't be sugar-coated if it clashes with other claims to truth.Kris_J said:
Christ is truth. I am not going to misrepresent His message if it upsets other people.
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The thing is that do you give a signed guarantee that "Montalban's delivery of the truth of Christianity is perfectly delivered as God's truth or may God send him straight to hell."?Montalban said:
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AmericanGirl
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"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. "
John 15:20-24
Doesn't sound to me like we're going to be universally loved. Christianity isn't all about love, in fact, Jesus said;
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. "
Matthew 10:34
Unless you're willing to realize the fact that you're a sinner, that you're going to hell unless you accept Jesus, that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He is the ONLY way to heaven then Christianity is not for you. Since you have the sole criteria of a religion that promotes 'niceness' rather than one which makes people admit that they're sinners and on the road to hell (everlasting torment) without Jesus you might as well strike Christianity off your list of 'potential' religions right now. Christianity never has, and never will be something that you can sit down and pick off of a list. It doesn't work that way.
But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. "
John 15:20-24
Doesn't sound to me like we're going to be universally loved. Christianity isn't all about love, in fact, Jesus said;
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. "
Matthew 10:34
Unless you're willing to realize the fact that you're a sinner, that you're going to hell unless you accept Jesus, that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He is the ONLY way to heaven then Christianity is not for you. Since you have the sole criteria of a religion that promotes 'niceness' rather than one which makes people admit that they're sinners and on the road to hell (everlasting torment) without Jesus you might as well strike Christianity off your list of 'potential' religions right now. Christianity never has, and never will be something that you can sit down and pick off of a list. It doesn't work that way.
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*Starlight*
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Hi!9Harmony said:Hi Starlight!
Hey, i notice we have matching signatures.
as for spiritual solutions to economic problems, i would say that most economic problems are based on spiritual issues, but they are clouded in bureaucracy. Prejudice for example, is based on a perception that some people are better than others, and by applying the spiritual principle that there is only one race, the human race; once that is universally accepted, all forms of prejudice would melt away.
just one example, there are many others.
Have a great day!
-Amy
Thanks for explaining... and yes, I agree with that too!
I actually always liked that quote, so I've put it in my sig, even though I'm not a Baha'i. But that's ok, I had a verse from the Rig Veda in my sig before.
Have a great day too!
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Do you have a "Montalban's guarantee of perfect delivery of the Orthodox message or may Montalban be condemned to Hell"?Montalban said:
Is there a stamp on the Orthodox doctrine that they guarantee to be perfectly correct in delivering God's message or may God condemn them to hell?
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