Seeking "Niceness"

[Ray-Ray]

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 don’t always adhere to the principles they are supposed to follow, but Im interested in the general philosophies contained therein.



So in short, what’s the nicest thing about your religion?



PS. It would be great if this thread could be kept nice*









* the meaning of the word nice for the purposes of this discussion: not putting down other religions, arguing with one another, or being generally mean to one another.

 

[vedickings]

Hinduism, we are to love all beings even the so called devil, cause all souls will see the light sooner or leater

 

[psychedelicist]

In any religion you will find people who have hate. Most religions, however, teach "niceness", because most all of them have some form of the golden rule. But being taoist I would of course have to recomend taoism, or another eastern religion like buddhism or hinduism. Or if you're the type of person who sees life as simply a game to be enjoyed, discordianism might tickle your fancy. Where most religions preach peace and order, it teached chaos. While it doesn't sound like a peaceful or nice religion, discordianism also teaches that life should never be taken seriously and should be viewed like a game. You won't find many discordians robbing or murdering or that kind of thing, they just like general mischief and mayhem, of the nonviolent and nonhatred type.

 

[Rescued One]

[Bible]Ephesians 4:32[/Bible]

 

[kit]

I could say niceness is part of why I am Buddhist.

I would also say that is why I have an abiding friendship with the Community of Christ church.

 

[Montalban]

Im looking for a religion/denomination that contains all round “niceness”

Jainism!

 

[seebs]

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 don’t always adhere to the principles they are supposed to follow, but Im interested in the general philosophies contained therein.

Sounds to me like your options are Tibetan Buddhism, Unitarian Universalists, and Quakers.

 

[kit]

UM,,,,, Tibetan Buddhism has it's issues. It has not always been what it could/should be in regards to the Bon Faith or even schools within Vajrayana.

 

[Cassiopeia]

Ephesians 4:32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

oh yeah...good one GWIT

 

[kit]

In reality no religion really lives up to it's ideals. I suppose they wouldn't be ideals then.

 

[seebs]

Yeah. I picked the ones of which I've heard of the fewest problems, and which actually promote the ideals described as their nominal ideals. There may be others.

I know that the UUs and Quakers are both a little unusual in their degree of acceptance of competing beliefs. (Although, as a practicing Quaker, I get to tease my UU friends by calling them dogmatists. They have a lot more dogma than we do!)

 

[kit]

That is both funny and true.

 

[Montalban]

oh yeah...good one GWIT

I don't think Christianity is about being 'nice'. Hence I didn't pick it as an example for this post.

 

[*Starlight*]

I will say Christianity... It's one of the most diverse religions and some forms of it can be very nice.

 

[Abiel]

See, the problem isn't the religion, it's the people, and it always will be the people. We can pick and mix to our hearts content, and yet wherever we put ourselves, we will find people, and boy, do people stuff up. There will always be some person out there to spoil your perfect experience of faith.

So, what if we were to start in some other place. What if we were to look for a religion which recognises people for who and what they are, creatures who mess up, and yet also recognises that people are the highest and most beloved of God's created creatures, inherantly noble, yet fatally flawed.

And what if the God of that faith had reached out to His creation, not in a theoretical way, but in a concrete way- by coming and living as one of them. What an insight such a God would have into the strain of being human. And what if He, in coming to earth and dying had in some mysterious way, made it possible for people to become step by step, nice? To grow more and more like him in thought and word and deed.

You see, in the end it is not about which faith is nice. It might just be about which one is true.

 

[Kris_J]

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 don’t always adhere to the principles they are supposed to follow, but Im interested in the general philosophies contained therein.

So in short, what’s the nicest thing about your religion?



PS. It would be great if this thread could be kept nice*

* the meaning of the word nice for the purposes of this discussion: not putting down other religions, arguing with one another, or being generally mean to one another.

Someone once said its better to be nice than to be right in a debate. I'd have to say that a person is being nice if they are being intellectually honest - & that means being intellectually right (in their mind).

Disclaimer: does not include answers to questions like "does my bum look big in this?"

 

[coyoteBR]

Ray-Ray, like you see, most religions have those qualities you look for.
I guess it shows what iis really important. Is not "what the religion is the nicest", but "how can I work to make my philosophy/religion/Path to God the nicest?"

It is a greater challenge, but it's worth it.

To show, with your examples, how your brothers and sisters of faith can imporve their behaviour. If everyone does that, we would have no longer half-dozen fanatics in every denomination who gave everybody else a bad reputation.

Consult your mind and your heart, Ray-ray, study, inform yourself, and make the religion you pick the nicest.

 

[Ray-Ray]

Thank you everyone for your contributions. There are some really nice examples here and insightful comments. I am just reading them again and may ask more in-depth questions about your suggestions later if that’s ok.

Montalban thank you for your contribution of Jainism but I wanted clarification about this comment which stuck out for me:

I don't think Christianity is about being 'nice'. Hence I didn't pick it as an example for this post.

I notice that you are Christian, so I wont go on about you saying something “un-nice” about Christianity, but as you bring it up, could you clarify what is “not nice” about your religion? It seems to contradict what some other Christians have said in this thread.

Do any other Christians agree that Christianity is not about being nice too?

Thanks all.

 

[*Starlight*]

Thank you everyone for your contributions. There are some really nice examples here and insightful comments. I am just reading them again and may ask more in-depth questions about your suggestions later if that’s ok.

Montalban thank you for your contribution of Jainism but I wanted clarification about this comment which stuck out for me:


I notice that you are Christian, so I wont go on about you saying something “un-nice” about Christianity, but as you bring it up, could you clarify what is “not nice” about your religion? It seems to contradict what some other Christians have said in this thread.

Do any other Christians agree that Christianity is not about being nice too?

Thanks all.

I don't think I agree, but it depends on the definition of nice... Look here:

Matthew 22:34-40 (New International Version)
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Sounds like a nice religion to me...

 

[urnotme]

oh yeah...good one GWIT

That's what the book says.