Well, I'll add my 2 cents on the title of this thread "Future of Religion"

I believe that we are currently at a crossroad, not just for the "modern" religions, but for religion as a whole. Unfortunately, I don't feel we are close enough to the end of this crossroad that we will be able to do more than just imagine a world with no religion. I do think eventually there will be no religion, because, since its invention, it's grasp as gotten smaller and smaller, eventually, Science will fill up that whole completely.

It seems you have bone to pick with non-traditional christian sects, that may explain your errors.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus was Jehovah's first creation, that Jehovah then created everything else by means of him, and that the initial unassisted act of creation uniquely identifies Jesus as God's 'only-begotten Son'. While on Earth as a human, Jesus performed miracles, but he does not perform them now. Jesus served as a ransom sacrifice to pay for the sins of humanity. They believe that Jesus died on a single upright torture stake rather than the traditional cross. They believe that references in the Bible to the Archangel Michael, Apollyon and Abaddon, and the Word all refer to Jesus. --Wikipedia

Mormons celebrate the Christian holidays (Christmas and Easter) and testify of Jesus Christ as the Savior and head of their faith, with prophets, apostles, "seventies", and other leaders acting as his servants. --Wikipedia

Unitarianism seems to be more about the disbelief of the idea of the trinity.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a Christian as "one who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus; one who lives according to the teachings of Jesus."

Here’s a real challenge for all of you.

Come up with a religion that has NOT EVOLVED from one of the following.

The Paleolithic panthisims

The gods and goddesses of Greek and Roman descent (all of whom have dubious similarities)

The monotheism of the Pharaoh god-kings of Egypt

The Chinese Confucianism

Judaism and its dubious counterpart Zoroastrainism (Christianity is a descendant, therefore not an original category)

Brahmanism – (Hinduism its direct descendant is also not a category on its own)

Buddhism - can be argued to be its own category, only because it is thought some of its development occurred as original philosophy and was not borrowed. (But please argue against this if you wish)

So – have there been any NEW religions that have not been spawned from the original categories above?

Can you argue that any of the above should not be considered ‘original’ religions? Have they begged, borrowed and stolen and revised beliefs from other catagories?

Now this is more interesting – don’t you think?

Kinda like a game show "Name a new and original religion that has arisin in the last 5,000 years that HAS NOT used other pre-existing religious concepts.

Hi Everyone - just a late night haunting.

You may be right about this. I believe whatever it takes to have peace is essential to the survival of human race. What more can we ask for then to experience peace and eradicate wars. Although it seems inevitable that wars will always exist, I believe we can reduce them if we as a people had a better understanding of other cultures, belief systems, and lifestyles. This is why I introduce the basics of each religion, as I think many don't know how they originated. There are some very wise and intelligent Minglers who do know alot about theology or particlur religions and I hope for their participation in helping or even correcting me when I introduce a religion.

I also enjoy Atheist and Agnostic participations as they give valuable information that can add to the knowledge we share together in this thread. Thank you my friend and I hope you can help aid me further for great discussions and debates that everyone can agree or even disagree on.

Hi Red,

I hope you are doing great my friend. I will actually do those religions (at least introduce them) after I have went through the christian denominations, which seem to be so many!

In the end the goal is to educate not only myself but perhaps others on why or how each religion started in the first place. There seems to be a great many confusions when one mentions their religion. Instead of researching and seeing what it stands for one usually gives a false statement or a opinion unworthy of respect to the one who follows it. I find that sad as in the end we are all people that only desire to live in peace amongst each other. At least I would like to see it that way.

So don't mind me going each day introducing each religion or its denominations until I have completed the list. Nevertheless, your challenge is very compelling and I hope many will join in to discuss it to see where they can go with it.

Oh, by the way - as for the future of religion,

unless someone comes up with something totally original, all current and future religions are doomed to continue to 'evolve' based on old worn out ideas.

Perhaps they'll evolve out of existence!

Maybe then, people will realize we are responsible to every other being and thing we share this existence with. For no other reason but that we are all here. If we begin to accept and live up to our responsiblities, we may yet save this race of beings called humans and the balance of nature might be restored, with us still in it.

Otherwise, our own demise might prove to be the counter balance that is required for this planet, and possibly the universe, to return to a natural state.

We are here now, to assume we are meant to be somewhere else is to shirk the responsibility of the here and now. Religions have a way of creating an ideal 'other' place while leading its followers to believe that this place is not worth the effort.

But Smiless you do religions a huge injustice by beginnning with Christianity. Christianity is not even an origianl religion, it is a sprout from various other beliefs.

You begin the history in the middle and omit how it all started.

Of all the world's current and past GREAT religions, Christianity is the greatest bloodsucker of all. Even how it spread from its origins demonstrates that its greatness was not achieved through belief, but through mandatory compliance and WITH the assimulation of other religious practices.

You really should reconsider or at the very least begin from it's beginnings - the Hebrews and Judaism.

I'm doing well, thank-you. I've been by now and then to visit, and was very please to see you are still posting.

Yes I could even start with the Sumerians or Ancient Egyptians. I started with Christianity first because of the interest of all the denominations. I always wanted to know why there are so many denominations. I knew why Protestants and Catholics don't get along or don't agree on things, but the other 20 or more I never understood it. So here I am going through them all. Introducing them.

After the denominations are done I will start with the other religions that started even way before Christianity. They should be interesting and maybe even educational to others who knew little about them.

The goal is to get a better understanding of each religion.

It is envitable that there will be always people who will disagree with a certain religion. Some more then others and that cannot be avoided. In the end my goal is to introduce them all.

Just think the list I present is only 1% of all the known religions that exist on the planet. Can you imagine there are over 4000 religions in the world!

Concerning the earlier religions that are now called mythologies, I tried a year ago. Perhaps you remembered. I started with Greek Mythology, then later Ancient Egyptian, Norse Mythology, and even went to African Mythology presenting stories. The problem is no one replied to them. I pretty much was the owner of a thread without having anyone reply to them. Eventually I abandoned that thread and just wrote on my words document studying the various mythologies on my own.

In the end every main religion will be introduced, even the ones that you don't want to know about, yet for others it maybe very interesting to learn.

I have thus far the introduction of Christianity, Catholicism, Amish, and Anglicans. I will continue with Baptism next. Let us find out why they are different. What confrontations did they have to create their own religion or denomination of.

Do not worry Judiasm is on the list and will be introduced. Hopefully our Jewish friends will be able to add to the stuff I write.

thanks for understanding

I am waiting to hear about Jeedism. I have never heard of it and a google search came up empty as well as wikipedia.

That was my mistake and I couldn't correct it anymore

Actually it is called Jediism. I hope I spelled it right this time.

Good Force and Bad Force. I have heard they are now known to be a religion or the state knows it to be one.

May the force be with you chosen one

How about scientology to begin with.

I wondered if it was maybe a typo. Would Jediists consider the original trilogy to be OT and the prequels to be NT?

I totally understand your interest but by jumping around you stand to gain very little understanding.

If you insist on beginning with Christianity, then at least follow it's historical roots. Where did it begin, how did it get passed to other cultures, how did it change and grow? What happened to the great schism - the great divide of Christianity?

If you ignore it's beginnings you will spin your wheels and gain little understanding.

All the Christian sects of today vary, only, in topical ways. One group believes this passage in the Bible means one thing, another thinks it means something else. In the end all you realize is that you are comparing the same religion using the same book, but with thousands of individual interpretations.

The truth is, not even 99 percent of all Christians today could tell you what separates every sect. Most (active) Christians are discerning enough to CHOOSE their sect with prejudice, but their reasons would probably not include an accurate accounting for their prejudice.

Anyway, if you really want to study the development of Christianity you must do so in the context of the historical time periods in which it developed.

Just a suggestion. Carry on. I'll be checking in from time to time.

Scientology incorporates many aspects of karmic law. It does so in unusual ways, but it's still there.

Scientoloty is really no more than a spin off religion, borrowing from others.

It is 12 oclock at night and I can sleep! Is this the beginning of insomnia Nevertheless, my curious mind wanted to know what Baptisism is all about and here I will introduce it in what I know of it thus far. If you know more about it then don't hesitate to share it with us.

BAPTIST

The first Baptist church in the United States was established by Roger Williams in the 1600s. Williams, a minister of the Church of England, fled to America in search of religious freedom.

Arriving in Salem, Massachusetts, he preached there, but soon upsetted the civil authorities, who banished him.

Williams went out and bought land from the Narragansett Indians and settles in Rhode Island. Other colonists joined him, and together they set up one of the first settlements in the country established on the principle of complete religious freedom.

Eventually, through extensive missionary work, the Baptist church spread throughout the world.

Baptists are well known as Evangelists. The Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) was founded in August 1927 in the home of Marguerite Doane in Rhode Island. In keeping with the Baptist's philosophy of independence, the ABWE states that it is an independent Baptist mission agency with a missionary presence in over forty five countries.

Baptist churches operate, as they say, democratically because they believe every other form of church government infringes on their beliefs.

Individual members have an equal right to voice their convictions and to vote according to their consciences when the congregations makes decisions.

more to come....

If you do read on the first page you will see that I did start with how Christianity primarily started without having to write a huge essay that will add up to be a book. My goal is to write brief introductions on each religion. Judiasm will be covered as a introductory when I get around to it, I assure you with this. In the end I am sure it will be entertaining and educational for everyone who comes to read this thread.

Of course for some this is information that they already knew and I already know that they just skim through this and say, yea I know this already, yet trust me there are a great many who didn't know and are interested in each denomination.


thank you for checking in and giving your opinions on the subject

So if I understand correctly Roger Williams a minister of the Church of England, which is Anglican fled to the United States for religious freedom.

There he was yet again banned by the authorities (I guess Anglicans again?) and bought land to create his own religion called Baptism.

So this means that Anglican belief system and Baptist belief systems have some disagreements on how their faiths are practiced.

Is this correct?

Interesting Note:

Baptists were instrumental in the fight for religious freedom in England and the United States. Their convictions about the liberty of the individual played an important role in securing the adoption of the "no religious test" clause in the U.S. Constitution and the guarantees embodied in the First Amendment.

Baptists see the Old and New Testaments as their final authority; the Bible is, they say, to be interpreted responsibly. Of the edicts they embrace, pluralism of race, ethnicity, and gender, and the acknowledgment that there are individual differences of conviction and theology are featured strongly. However, most of the larger Baptist denominations are opposed to homosexuality and are firmly anti-abortion.

So the Baptists are also split up with each other as I understand this.

Baptists have six convictions:

1. Teh supreme authority is the Bible. They are non creedal people who look to the scriptures rather thant ot any confession of faith.

2. Baptists hold very strongly to what is called Believer's Baptism as the badge of a Christian. Only in those whose faith ahs been awakened can baptism be rightly administered.

3. Membership in a Baptist church is restried to believers only. Members must exhibit clear evidence of their Christain faith and experience.

4. Each church member has equal rights and privileges in determining the affairs of the church. Pastors have special responsiblities by consent of the church, which only they can discharge, but they have no unique priestly status.

5. The supreme authority of the church is Christ. While individual church independence is stressed, indivicual churchs affirm their unity in Christ by forming associations and conventions.

6. Baptists insist that a church be free to be Christ's church, determining its own life and charting its own course in obedience ot Christ without outside interference - a separation of church and state that leaves Christian religion free to every man's conscience.

This concludes the introduction to Baptists. If you have more to share then please don't hesitate to do so.

The next runner up is Christian Science.

I base my beliefs about where religion will end up based on 2 things, what I will refer to as "the Evolution of Religion" and the role that Science plays in it.

You look back at the origins of religion, and you have Sun gods, Moon gods, Ocean/Water gods, etc. But, as people learned more about their surrounding, the gods slowly disappeared, to what we have now, Monotheistic religions. I feel that Science has already done an excellent job at placing doubt as to whether there is a deity or not.
In all honesty, I do look forward to the day where religion is a thing of the past, but, as i said in my first post in this thread, I don't believe I will actually be lucky enough to actually see that day.