UPDATED
I had a thought. Since all, well most religions teach of this evil creature known as Satan, Lucifer, and other evil people, who is so sly he can make people think what they're doing is right and what God would want. Sounds like God and Satan could be the same person with two different personalities.
And the whole thing with Hell. Only a few religions actually teach of this place where we nonchristians and others, will burn for eternity. Now that's a long time, and even some of you don't believe that. Even Christian contradict their own beliefs and the Bible. Interpretting the meaning of things in different ways, kinda like the guy who practice extreme Islam. Oh wait, that's what we have Reverend Phelps for.
See what I mean? There is an evil side to even supposed "good" religions. That's why I choose to be more inclined to deism or pagan religions. I mean, pagan beliefs came before Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism. So who is to say that maybe those pagan religions are the right ones?
And have you noticed that Christians have incorporated European pagan holidays into their own? Did they embrace the pagan traditions and change the name to hide the fact that European paganism interested them? Or did Christians just nearly wipe out a religious group and steal their holidays because they were to stupid to think up their own? Eh, I think that they all come from the same basic religious idea. Hence, every religion is connected to each other in some way.
One more thing I have a problem with. If the Jewish people are migrants from asia, couldn't Judaism been picked up a little from Hinduism? Oh yeah, and the way the Bible reads, you'd think that Adam and Eve were Jewish. I think they were actually Godish, or mice.
Anywho, paganism is older than any religions out there or the religion of Ancient Sumer is probably the oldest now. Well actually animism is because it is the foundation for all religions that believe in a soul. And then you have naturalistic religions and philosophies like paganism, deism and free-thinking.
Josh
Free Varg Vikernes!
Well, I was relieved to go to this page and see that finding factual evidence of Christ had not renewed your faith...that would be just sad. Religion is, in many ways, kind of an opposite of proven science and fact.
Beyond that....of course religions are interconnected. They have evolved so muchg over the centuries that they borrowed ideas from each other. Paganism might not be the OLDEST religion (who really knows what the oldest religion is anyway?) but yes, it had an influence on the people who took in other religions. Pagan and Christian themes are interwoven in Anglo-Saxon literature, and thus in the Anglo Saxons who spread across Europe.
Yes, paganism influenced some relgions in some way, or at least the people of them, but so did so many other things. Mostly, it affected interpretation. And interpretation is bound to be different among people. The Bible isn't always completely straightforward.
As for Satan, he was once an angel himself, but fell out with God by wanting to have his own followers. It is that greed and selfishness that often define evil, and most importantly, temptation. Good and evil are close, but if one must be tricked or tempted, the act is probably evil itself.
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The fool thinks himself to be wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. -William Shakespeare.
I am a fool, but I will profess my beliefs to the world in spite of it.
Faith is used for those to hang onto a Hope, that is the purpose of any Faith if it doesn't than it utterly fails.... Believing in Jesus Christ has proven to my very soul that there is indeed a Great everlasting Hope in it..... I'm a person who has questioned suicide for myself on so many different accounts and my Faith in what you call just a religion is the very reason for my breath and my life...... Scientific analysts and disregard for a Faith as well one's own rejection of anything of that sort is disregarding the people's lives that they very truly need FAITH..... think about the impact of Faith, not just the timetable measures......there's no way to judge....sigh... just don't die
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An Angel says hello as I say Good bye, hoping nothing may be sighed.
I laugh at this sort of argument, because it's exactly the sort of thing that people of faith can always fall back on... Faith isn't about reasoning, otherwise it wouldn't be faith! It doesn't just give you the excuse to avoid using rational thinking, but it's also the biggest way that those on the top rung of the religious heirarchy control people.
What I personally find interesting is how there's a place in hell for infidels (especially those of another religion) but nowadays, parents tell kids that "As long as you have a religion and stick to it, you'll get into heaven." Like God and Allah are really the same Being, there are just different ways of worshiping It. Huh?
So your telling me that I am disregarding my life by not believing in YOUR God? Btw I never said I didn't believe in God. For the most part, I have no idea what your trying to say in your comment.
I mean, pagan beliefs came before Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism. So who is to say that maybe those pagan religions are the right ones?
What pagan beliefs came before? I'm just curious to find where you get the proof to support these statements.
~Be the Change You Seek In the World
Weeeelll, if you believe in the Bible, you know that Abraham left a tribe that worshiped another god/goddess. There's also PLENTY of references to 'strange' habits outside of the Israelites all over the OT.
But if you don't want to follow the Bible, there's plenty of books out there on the religious beliefs of the ancient Mesopotamians, including those of Ur, where Abraham was from. Or just look up Enuma Elish, Utnapishtim, or Gilgamesh... that'll give you some idea of pagan beliefs of the time.
~C
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Mvenues(spelling) has some early religions that predate christianity, judaism, hindusim and islam. Worship of the Norse Gods, the druids and other pagan religions come before the above mentioned. No one knows what the "true" right religion is. That's why I have a deistic view mixed with a little pagan and others.
what do celtics and druids classify under, I think they are part of Irish heritage, would you know?
Did they practice religions of the book because I have this vague idea that they were pagan or practiced religions very different and distinct and came up with stuff that led to Halloween or something?
ah, i need to go search but I am a lazy after a day of fasting
PS as you can tell I want to learn more about pagan/wiccan or other religions that aren't by a book or something
"Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right."
http://www.progressiveu.org/231615-this-is-a-muslim-girls-plight
Celtics and Druids are classified under the pagan beliefs. Do not say pagan and wiccan are the same thing. Wiccan is a pagan religion. Pagan beliefs are passed down from generation to generation by cave drawings and stories. They weren't written down before the 11th century AD or something like that. They might have had a book, but no writtings have ever been found.
Wikipedia has a lot of stuff on paganism. I love learning about paganism especially Asturu.
i did write that I don't know much about this subject so I was trying to learn therefore thanks for clarifying, much appreciated
and I wonder if you have come across Zoroastrianism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism,
is that similar to what you are talking about when you refer to pagan beliefs and religion or am i way of course?
"Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right."
http://www.progressiveu.org/231615-this-is-a-muslim-girls-plight
Sorry, that part about calling pagan and wiccan the same thing was meant to be rude. Zoroastrianism is not a pagan religion, if I remember correctly it is the main religion of Persia.
but i don't know exactly how it should be classified,,,hmm, i'll ask my current history professor and find out or if i'm not too lazy, i'll search it.
and on being rude-personal freedom/choice of yours so be my guest but i prefer it if you would save it for those that are a bit more closed-minded than me (and thanks for the apology)
"Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right."
http://www.progressiveu.org/231615-this-is-a-muslim-girls-plight
Right, but I wouldn't call it pagan. It's really still its own religion.
I didn't mean to be rude. :)
Holy snap, son_of_disaster, you definitely opened a can of worms with this thing! I'm a hardcore Christian, but I'm not gonna shove my beliefs down your throat; that'll just push you away. If you ever have questions about Christians though, you can definitely ask me, and I'll do my best to explain stuff to you. In the meantime, I think you're gutsy for putting your opinion out there like that. I have a lot of respect for people who don't give a rip about who they end up offending. Nevertheless, I'll be praying for you. Just out of curiosity, what turned you off of Christianity?
~WriterNut~
Ok so the reason you added me is because you think I might have to ask you about Christianity? Is it really that hard for people to not understand that I know a lot about Christianity and Christians. Just because I question it doesn't mean I don't understand it. You really need to look at all my blogs on religion to see that I understand a lot about religions and am constantly learning and coming up with theories.