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Learning about new religions!


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It's important that while we have a base in our own religion (or lack thereof, whichever) it's good to be curious about the religions and belief systems of others. It brings us out of our shell and opens our eyes to the diversity of the world. So, I'd like y'all to post one or more things that you know about your own religon, and then post something you either know or would like to know about another's religion. If possible try to keep it more about things you don't know because the whole point is that it's a learning experience and it's good to step outside a comfort zone and think about other points of view.

 

I'll start :)

 

So I'm Karen! I'm a Catholic and although my religious education was severely lacking - I went for oh...11 years and didn't really learn ANYTHING - one of the core principals of Catholicism is of the holy trinity - Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit are all the same entity, if you will. I actually received the Doctrine of the Catholic Church for one of my Christmas presents a couple years ago (*unenthusiastic yay*) and it's about 1000 pages long and really, REALLY boring. But if any of you have a question I can pull it out and look it up lol.

 

Ummm okay. What would I like to know about another religion? Hmm. I would like to know more about the Prophet Mohammed and get a review of the fundamentals of Islam (the five pillars, I think?)

 

I can't wait to see all of your responses :D

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Dont know about the Mohammed thing but...!

 

Im a Christian and I am very big on prayer and faith. I believe that God gives everyone a gift that He wants them to discover and work on and build up, I believe that He has given me a gift of discerning of spirits. I have a greater awareness to the spiritual world and can often feel when something is wrong, like people who may have demons, or areas where witchcraft is present. Ive worked on it over the years but really only recently noticed how important it is! I deeply believe in the spiritual world where some Christians ignore.

 

Question to Karen, Why do Catholics look to Mary so much?

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Dont know about the Mohammed thing but...!

 

Im a Christian and I am very big on prayer and faith. I believe that God gives everyone a gift that He wants them to discover and work on and build up, I believe that He has given me a gift of discerning of spirits. I have a greater awareness to the spiritual world and can often feel when something is wrong, like people who may have demons, or areas where witchcraft is present. Ive worked on it over the years but really only recently noticed how important it is! I deeply believe in the spiritual world where some Christians ignore.

 

Question to Karen, Why do Catholics look to Mary so much?

 

That is such a great question! It's one that I don't know the answer to off the top of my head so I shall direct you here: http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/mary.htm

 

From what I got out of it, even though Catholics aren't supposed to pray to idols, Mary isn't seen as an idol because she's the mother of God and God chose her to be his mother. She is also the mother of all men and is supposed to watch over them. That was the best I could get out of it and I'm sure there are better sources out there. But the gist of it is, I think, that because Mary is the mother of God she is mother to eeeeeverbody and so we are able to look up to her and pray to her like a mother. Also, she's seen as another route to God because God can get kinda busy with all of his stuff and issues so she's kinda like a messenger, except more important than an angel because she's his mother.

 

I loved your comment that you're more intuned with people and the spiritual world, you should make a topic about the "other side" maybe? I'm sure everyone would love to hear more about your perspectives with that.

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I am Christin AS in Pentecostal we belive in the Holy Ghost we Also belive in Spirtiual things..

I believe as a Christin.. Your Perfectly Imperfect you still make mistakes no matter what.. and you learn form them and that everyone has gifts and everyone is made for a special reason.. I also Belive that He died for My Sins.. an d I live for him and I Walk the ways he wants me to walk. I am a strong believer in faith

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I am Christin AS in Pentecostal we belive in the Holy Ghost we Also belive in Spirtiual things..

I believe as a Christin.. Your Perfectly Imperfect you still make mistakes no matter what.. and you learn form them and that everyone has gifts and everyone is made for a special reason.. I also Belive that He died for My Sins.. an d I live for him and I Walk the ways he wants me to walk. I am a strong believer in faith

 

What's something you want to learn about another religion, Sarah? :)

 

**Just to clarify for everyone, it doesn't have to be directed to me or a specific person. It can be if you want, but I'm hoping that by asking these questions over time people will get answers from others. But yeah, it can be just general questions or directed to a specific person - I just wanted to clear that up.

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what i would like to know is, how exactly are prayers seen as messages/requests to God, it just confuses me?

Of course it confuses you, you don't believe do you? And you know better than i do that no explanation will ever be satisfying or logical so why do you even ask?

To put it on simple words it's called faith. It's the special bond we share with out God, who is the epitome of love and forgiveness. We believe in His help and we need it and so we request it. And it instantly makes us feel grateful and helped. Prayers are that special communication that you have to feel and then understand.

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Of course it confuses you, you don't believe do you? And you know better than i do that no explanation will ever be satisfying or logical so why do you even ask?

To put it on simple words it's called faith. It's the special bond we share with out God, who is the epitome of love and forgiveness. We believe in His help and we need it and so we request it. And it instantly makes us feel grateful and helped. Prayers are that special communication that you have to feel and then understand.

 

 

wow. that actually helped me understand!

 

 

thanks dina

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i am an agnostic, i dont know whether there is a God or not...

 

what i would like to know is, how exactly are prayers seen as messages/requests to God, it just confuses me?

 

 

If you Belive in God Then By Faith You Will Know he Answered your prayers..

But you don't believe so..!! Well you don't know what you believe and A lot of people ask this question all the time

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i am an agnostic, i dont know whether there is a God or not...

 

what i would like to know is, how exactly are prayers seen as messages/requests to God, it just confuses me?

Hey bro,

Its quite a weird one, but we believe that God hears and sees everything that has happened, is happening and will happen.

Hard enough to grasp to start with haha, but because (too us) God created us and everything, He is the highest power that there is, no one is greater than God.

 

About praying, All beliefs are different, but I can tell you from a Christian point of view. Because God is our Lord, we pray to him for forgiveness, healing, support, wisdom etc. Prayer is our way to talk to God because we cant physically see him to talk to him, but prayer is our way of getting though to him, prayer is not always requests to God, mostly it is thanks and adoration of what He does for us. But we do also pray for healing or wisdom and what not.

 

Its a weird thing that happens in prayer, its not the sort of thing that you just do when ever for what ever, like "God can I please have some money" kind of thing. We pray from the heart and with emotion, And God speaks back to us, some people hear Him saying words to them, some people get His words as thoughts, I personally see pictures that are to do with that prayer or I get thoughts.

 

Over all, prayer is not an easy thing to explain, its weird to try and explain, its something that cant be defined in scientific terms. If you REALLY want to know, you could try it yourself, pray and ask God what He is all about, if you really want to know He WILL answer you.

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I know Karen your Catholic

 

 

what do you worship i heard you worship angels? or you Worship Mary and What are your beliefs???

 

No, we don't worship angels. We see them as God's messengers, which is what they are, but there's usually no direct praying to an angel going on there. Some people believe in guardian angels, which is something a little different.

 

Of course it confuses you, you don't believe do you? And you know better than i do that no explanation will ever be satisfying or logical so why do you even ask?

To put it on simple words it's called faith. It's the special bond we share with out God, who is the epitome of love and forgiveness. We believe in His help and we need it and so we request it. And it instantly makes us feel grateful and helped. Prayers are that special communication that you have to feel and then understand.

 

I think that just because someone doesn't believe, it doesn't mean it gets any less confusing to those who do. I mean, I'm fairly religious and I still find the praying thing to be a little but complicated. Your explanation is right, it's a very special bond. I like to think of it like a relationship - we need to work at it as much as God does. As with any relationship, it needs nurturing and hard work.

 

Hey bro,

Its quite a weird one, but we believe that God hears and sees everything that has happened, is happening and will happen.

Hard enough to grasp to start with haha, but because (too us) God created us and everything, He is the highest power that there is, no one is greater than God.

 

About praying, All beliefs are different, but I can tell you from a Christian point of view. Because God is our Lord, we pray to him for forgiveness, healing, support, wisdom etc. Prayer is our way to talk to God because we cant physically see him to talk to him, but prayer is our way of getting though to him, prayer is not always requests to God, mostly it is thanks and adoration of what He does for us. But we do also pray for healing or wisdom and what not.

 

Its a weird thing that happens in prayer, its not the sort of thing that you just do when ever for what ever, like "God can I please have some money" kind of thing. We pray from the heart and with emotion, And God speaks back to us, some people hear Him saying words to them, some people get His words as thoughts, I personally see pictures that are to do with that prayer or I get thoughts.

 

Over all, prayer is not an easy thing to explain, its weird to try and explain, its something that cant be defined in scientific terms. If you REALLY want to know, you could try it yourself, pray and ask God what He is all about, if you really want to know He WILL answer you.

 

I would agree that prayer is very difficult to explain! I know that I have trouble listening to that voice of God sometimes, but when it comes it's definitely an "ah-ha!" moment. I always wondered if I was praying in the wrong way or something, but now I just talk to God like He's my buddy or something. It's important to keep praying when life is tough as well as when it's going swimmingly, because that's how a relationship works - both sides need to work, and we know that God is already working on his end. So it's up to us to get the ball rolling so to speak.

 

Has anyone ever had one of those ah-ha moments? People I've talked to say God's voice is just a little voice inside the head, but I've never experienced that. I don't have many ah-ha moments now either, but when things were really tough for me and my family and I would be having a bad night, I would usually get clarity out of my sadness or fear, or whatever.

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I would agree that prayer is very difficult to explain! I know that I have trouble listening to that voice of God sometimes, but when it comes it's definitely an "ah-ha!" moment. I always wondered if I was praying in the wrong way or something, but now I just talk to God like He's my buddy or something. It's important to keep praying when life is tough as well as when it's going swimmingly, because that's how a relationship works - both sides need to work, and we know that God is already working on his end. So it's up to us to get the ball rolling so to speak.

 

Has anyone ever had one of those ah-ha moments? People I've talked to say God's voice is just a little voice inside the head, but I've never experienced that. I don't have many ah-ha moments now either, but when things were really tough for me and my family and I would be having a bad night, I would usually get clarity out of my sadness or fear, or whatever.

Its like I said before, God does it in so many different ways, Ive had images a few times, just asking for peace and His presence, Ive had just images of peaceful things like waterfalls and silent fields of long grass etc.

 

I need to work on learning to hear His words more, I often get thoughts about something during worship and then after words it comes to me that it as actually God speaking to me. Its crazy. Seems like He does it in ways just to keep us on our toes haha.

 

In fact, here comes a bit of a story.

I was baptized on the 29th of November 2009, but almost a year previous to that we were discussing baptism and when ever I heard the word it felt like someone was physically poking me in the chest, basically it was God saying "Hey, listen up".

Anyway, at our church everyone gathers around the pool and says words to the victim person being baptized. On the night of my baptism no one said much to me but I shrugged it off because I was the first of the 5 youth getting baptized that night. Not much happened after they dunked me, it was just over and done with. My dad was in the pool with me and asked how I felt and I said "I dunno...". I was upset for a while after because my best mate who got baptized after me was really in the presence of the Holy Spirit, but then it hit me about half a year after that God didnt need to make it special because I already new the significance of what baptism was and He didnt need to clear that up for me. And then about a month and a half ago, while talking to my dad one night, I realized that back when we were discussing baptism, God wasnt saying "Hey listen to what they are saying" it was more like "OI! HURRY UP! IM GETTING IMPATIENT! DONT MAKE ME COME DOWN THERE AND THROW YOU IN THE POOL!!", I had been thinking about baptism about half a year previous to our discussion.

 

God is a crazy man, that works in strange yet wonderful ways haha.

Makes me wonder how many things hes told me that Ive passed off as my own thoughts

Edited by Joe O'Connor
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Question to Karen, Why do Catholics look to Mary so much?

 

There's actually been a bitter debate between Catholics and Protestants about the significance of the Virgin Mary. Us Catholics believe that she is one of the most central parts of our faith. She is the Mother of Jesus Christ and thus the Mother of God. She was conceived by the Holy Spirit and bore a child completely innocent of Man's touch, the immaculate conception. "...blessed are you amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb..." In a way she is as holy as God Himself. We as Catholics look up to her as our spiritual Mother, the one who cares undoubtedly for Her children. "...Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death...". If you noticed in my post we even have a prayer dedicated to her and is just as important as the Lord's Prayer. We have what's called a Rosary prayer which is dedicated to her that involves reciting the Hail Mary prayer many times. ... On a side note my family sometimes sets aside a day to pray 2000 Hail Marys when we are in need for divine help, like a deathly friend or family member.

 

---

Anyone here a practicing Muslim? I wanted to ask about the beginnings of the religion itself. I've read up on it but haven't quite understood much. I know that Mohamed was called to be a prophet by Allah (God) and spread the new order to the masses. From there I draw a blank and Mohamed is received into Heaven from what is now the Dome of the Rock.

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All that info, it answered my question nicely.

 

Oh cool. It's just while I was typing that, there was maybe like 7 more posts and I didn't bother to read up so I didn't know if your question was already answered. Umm, just use what I typed to supplement what Karen answered I guess.

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well..Im Ahlam,im muslim that's mean i believe in God and i do pray everyday 5times in a day

and umm idk really what i have to say but for the people who ask about The Prophet Muhammed

i guess here u'll find everything u want to know Prophet Muhammed!

 

Do you cover your hair? What are your thoughts around covering ones hair? I know there has been a ton of discussion about it.

Edited by Arie
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Do you cover your hair? What are your thoughts around covering ones hair? I know there has been a ton of discussion about it.

 

I think I can try to answer this one, I have a lot of muslim friends. In the muslim religion, hair is seen as something sexual, or something that provokes desire and so women wear it covered up for the sake of modesty. This is also why a lot of muslim women cover their legs and arms, too.

 

According to my muslim friends, a women does not *have* to cover their hair; it is kind of like taking a bigger step towards God/Allah and some women aren't ready for that. So that is what I know! But don't take it from me haha. I'd love to hear more clarification on this, and I think wearing a hijab is sooo fascinating. In fact, I wouldn't mind wearing one either - but to me, hair isn't something that needs to be covered up so there would be no point for me. :P

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Do you cover your hair? What are your thoughts around covering ones hair? I know there has been a ton of discussion about it.

 

Yup i do cover ma hair for me its not a big problem it's a religious thing plus i live in a community where all the women do cover their hair, some people think the women who cover their hair thy live in unopen minded families but that's untrue and really covering ur hair is not a big problem at all!

 

wish i did explain well =)

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@Karen, yeah I know the basics as well too. I was just wondering specifically if Dreamzy did. It's similar to why Jewish women cover their hair after marriage as well. We are also big on the modesty things.

 

@dreamy. Awesome! I was just wondering because I know their are women who feel bothered by it. But I think it's great that you are able to do it with ease. I am so happy to know that their are women who feel like it is no big deal. I feel like western culture has made it into this whole big women's issue. It's shouldn't be.

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