[dean-dzai]

Originally Posted by babu

There is no such thing as Hindu religion.
The world religion denotes an organized social group believing in a particular God and following his/her commands.
The word Hinduism is a creation of the white man.
The people of India follow what is known as Sanathan Dharam ( Eternal way). There is no fixed dogma.You are free to believe whatever you want.
There are no restrictions.You can pray to any one you like.
That is why you see many Indian homes, have pictures, statues of Jesus/Mary, Buddha, Ganesh Shiva etc.

This is from another forum, but it filled in my ignorance.

[PDLM]

If you'd like it filled a little more then the wiki entry on Hinduism is helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism

[redwriter]

I am a Christian, and I believe there is a single God. But I am also tolerant of all religious belief, even if I don't agree with most of them.

I take the Bible as true and the inspired Word of God.

I AM THE LORD THY GOD, THOU SHALT NOT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.
There is only one true God, the creator of the Universe, and all living things. No other Gods means, idolizing material images to the point they are held in superstition, and as men would suspect, suppose, determine 'The Creator of All Things' would be like; such as idols of human form or animal likeness also. It means eliminating the Mystery of a Divine Being that no man can touch, see or feel. Replacing this Mystery with physical means and emphasis put on knowledge and man's own senses. Interpreting God to fit a manner, mood and way, making Him humanly understandable rather than Divine.

As Christmas approaches, celebrate it in your own way, and that means, your own way.

[dean-dzai]

Originally Posted by PDLM

If you'd like it filled a little more then the wiki entry on Hinduism is helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism

PDLM, I almost feel that if this wikipedia document is true then what the other person wrote and I copied here before reflects very much a mere minority. Would they be outcast from the majority of Hinduism??

Redwriter, as a Christian I agree and I know we will receive flack. Any Christian who is a Christian will be called narrow minded and if the cultural air we see reflected by society and comments in this forum continues we will see more and more of a tolerance for anything but Christianity to the end that Christians will be dealt with in unappealing ways. For all the Atheists and Agnostics reading, I guess you would call it 'locking up the religious wacko's'.



Back to the word which receives so much negative media, "fundamentalist". See a dictionary definition below.

Pertaining to the foundation or basis; serving for the foundation. Hence: Essential, as an element, principle, or law; important; original; elementary; as, a fundamental truth; a fundamental axiom.

A fundamentalist is someone who holds to the basic truths of any particular teaching. This is hard to understand if you don't hold to any fundamental truth. A pilot holds to his fundamental teachings he received in flying a plane (which you are all very happy about when traveling to and from Hong Kong). You don't want to call your pilot narrow-minded, you just want him to do what he needs to do. A Christian believes in the fundamental teachings of The Bible, a Muslim in the fundamental teachings of the Qur'an, a Microsoft qualified technician in the basic teachings in the Microsoft series of books which I hear are reminiscent in volume to the old Britannica Encyclopedia set. It does not accord with wisdom to label 'fundamentalists' without looking at the fundamental teachings of a particular group separately, otherwise you don't distinguish any difference nor know what you are talking about.

[Skyhook]

Originally Posted by dean-dzai;189123

[B

Redwriter[/b], as a Christian I agree and I know we will receive flack. Any Christian who is a Christian will be called narrow minded and if the cultural air we see reflected by society and comments in this forum continues we will see more and more of a tolerance for anything but Christianity to the end that Christians will be dealt with in unappealing ways. For all the Atheists and Agnostics reading, I guess you would call it 'locking up the religious wacko's'..

It's becoming pretty clear, that it's you, who now wants to twist whats been written by other Athiests/Agnostics, paint us, as if we inflict anything but, a live and let live basic approach to life.
.

Unfortunate that you need a faith to influence your daily modus operandi, when for any clean living athiest out there, common sense is all thats required...

Nobody brandished you as wacko's, I even stated myself, that I respect ones choice to practice whatever religion they want, but choose not to myself.. It seems we can live among you, but you cannot with non believers, because you feel insecure about what we "might" think or "might" do...

Typical, isnt it.... Sad that while i believe I can see the world in colour, you can only see it in black and white....

[dean-dzai]

Originally Posted by Skyhook

It's becoming pretty clear, that it's you, who now wants to twist whats been written by other Athiests/Agnostics, paint us, as if we inflict anything but, a live and let live basic approach to life.

I did not quote any atheists / agnostics in this forum, merely a quote I would be familiar with hearing. I withdraw the remarks because I have no intention of creating negative feelings between Atheists and Christians. There will be 'a friendly fire' on a thread like this, and I think this is healthy for discussion. I have received some negative private comments to the effect of my previous post - it was not my intention to label this upon all athiests and agnostics although I see how it could be taken in this direction - I offer my apologies. This kind of talk from me is not relevant to either this thread not the teachings I hold fundamentally. Also I apologize if it sounded like I am saying that all atheists and agnostics hold to no fundamental teaching, I am sure many of you are well trained in some teaching, be it in your work place or other institute.

The Jedi census phenomenon as reported on Wikipedia is very interesting. I will quote a portion of it. Also, if you search the words 'jedi' and 'religion' you will find a few Jedi Church websites, interesting. Are there any who attend such Church or know more on particular teachings of Jedi in addition to what we would see in StarWars?

The Jedi census phenomenon was a grassroots movement in 2001 for citizens in a few English-speaking countries to record their religion as "Jedi" or "Jedi Knight" (after the fictitious quasi-religious order of Force-attuned knights in the Star Wars films) on the national census. Australian Star Wars Appreciation Society president Chris Brennan reported to The New Zealand Herald that while a minority were "true hard-core people that would believe the Jedi religion carte blanche", the majority of self-reported Jedi claimed the religion for their own amusement, or to poke fun at the government. Other news reports also interpreted the exercise as a massive practical joke.

[PDLM]

Originally Posted by dean-dzai

There will be 'a friendly fire' on a thread like this, and I think this is healthy for discussion.

I'm not sure you meant that - an example of "friendly fire" would be Christians attacking other Christians by accident.

[megatronic]

[quote] Redwriter, as a Christian I agree and I know we will receive flack. Any Christian who is a Christian will be called narrow minded and if the cultural air we see reflected by society and comments in this forum continues we will see more and more of a tolerance for anything but Christianity to the end that Christians will be dealt with in unappealing ways. For all the Atheists and Agnostics reading, I guess you would call it 'locking up the religious wacko's'. [END QUOTE]

As one of the Atheists/Agnostics, I don't have a problem with Christianity or any other religion. Most religions at their core are about the same things: live kindly, treat others well, and you will be rewarded. I have Christian (Catholic and otherwise) friends who are very religious. Their belief makes them better and stronger people. They try to lead good lives, and they see belief and prayer as a way to do that. I love them for who they are and they love me for the heathen that I am. There's never any question of them trying to convince me that their way is the best way or only way to do things. I agree with Skyhook, I think the proseletyzing aspect of Christianity is the one that causes the most trouble and misunderstanding. No one likes to be told that they're doing things the wrong way, and that if they would just stop being so blind, they would see THE WAY AND THE LIGHT, etc., etc. (Or the noodley appendage--that works too. ) This aspect of Christianity, the literally holier-than-thou attitude, can be really off-putting, especially in a world where there are so many different religions. And also where there is so much hypocrisy among church leaders, especially in the Catholic church.


[quote] Back to the word which receives so much negative media, "fundamentalist". See a dictionary definition below.

Pertaining to the foundation or basis; serving for the foundation. Hence: Essential, as an element, principle, or law; important; original; elementary; as, a fundamental truth; a fundamental axiom. [END QUOTE]

I think the definition here is for "fundamental" rather than "fundamentalist". Here's a definition for the latter:

"strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles: the fundamentalism of the extreme conservatives"

I think the important words here are "strict" and "ideas/principles". In your example, an airline pilot or Microsoft tech aren't fundamentalists, because their training deals with facts and skills, not principles. I don't think you'd want your airline pilot to be a fundamentalist, since he or she would probably lack the mental flexibility to deal with a crisis. "Fundamentalist" refers to those who have an unswerving and absolute belief in a set of ideals. One example of the worst of this is Fred Phelps and his brainwashed family in the US, who stage protests at soldier's funerals saying they deserved to die because the US is a homosexual country. I think any reasonable person would say this is repulsive and disgusting behavior, but Phelps says he's following the teachings of the Bible and he has God on his side. Likewise, even though the Koran says that killing innocents is wrong, some fundamentalist Muslims think Allah has called them to blow themselves up in crowded areas. I would argue that people with this type of belief have missed the major point and purpose of their respective religions.

A question for the Christians: How do you reconcile the various contradictions in the Bible? What counts as "fundamental" and what doesn't?

[dean-dzai]

Originally Posted by PDLM

I'm not sure you meant that - an example of "friendly fire" would be Christians attacking other Christians by accident.

Yes I did mean 'friendly fire', my intention was to talk about all of us here at geoexpat as Hong Kongers alike while not drawing distinctions by religion or lack of.

Originally Posted by megatronic

As one of the Atheists/Agnostics, I don't have a problem with Christianity or any other religion. Most religions at their core are about the same things: live kindly, treat others well, and you will be rewarded. I have Christian (Catholic and otherwise) friends who are very religious. Their belief makes them better and stronger people. They try to lead good lives, and they see belief and prayer as a way to do that. I love them for who they are and they love me for the heathen that I am. There's never any question of them trying to convince me that their way is the best way or only way to do things. I agree with Skyhook, I think the proseletyzing aspect of Christianity is the one that causes the most trouble and misunderstanding.

I have many non-Christian friends whom I love and hold dear. There are certain texts which a fundamental Christian cannot ignore in the Bible however, such as:

"And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)

If you don't want to be a disciple of Jesus I do respect you and so will your Christian friends. A Christian will want to give a testimony or report that what they have heard is not mythology but actual factual history, which according to many of our presuppositions is not agreeable. In this thread however I would very much like to hear those of other religious background share and am disappointed that they don't, maybe they don't feel comfortable which I also understand.

Originally Posted by megatronic

"Fundamentalist" refers to those who have an unswerving and absolute belief in a set of ideals. One example of the worst of this is Fred Phelps and his brainwashed family in the US, who stage protests at soldier's funerals saying they deserved to die because the US is a homosexual country. I think any reasonable person would say this is repulsive and disgusting behavior, but Phelps says he's following the teachings of the Bible and he has God on his side. Likewise, even though the Koran says that killing innocents is wrong, some fundamentalist Muslims think Allah has called them to blow themselves up in crowded areas. I would argue that people with this type of belief have missed the major point and purpose of their respective religions.

Fred Phelps is mostly wrong. I say mostly because the Bible does call homosexuality a sin. Sin does deserve death, yet he fails to notice that the Bible calls many things sin, many things which we are born with, for example, we are born lairs, with tendencies towards theft and adultery. You have probably heard that "The Gospel" could be translated as "good news" which is that God calls an amnesty to those who will be righteous through faith, and by this faith he works in us by his Spirit to change us so we are not only legally righteous but our actions follow (no change of actions might be evidence of no change of spirit which would be a question someone would raise). He is trying to be fundamental, yet wrong teaching produces wrong zeal. We have one Muslim who has voted, I would like to let him speak first about what you said about Islamic terrorists.

Originally Posted by megatronic

A question for the Christians: How do you reconcile the various contradictions in the Bible? What counts as "fundamental" and what doesn't?

I will let this YouTube video give some examples.

Is the Bible Full of Contradictions?

What counts as fundamental and what doesn't? In the Christian Church the fundamental truths central to the Church would be those things pertaining to what brings a person in a right legal standing with God.

[wtbhotia]

I'm Buddhist, believe in Dalia Lama etc, Taught to accept all religions by parents and Lama's, studied in a school where every Friday a catholic priest would come and talk n finish off with prayer.

I have no problems with any religions but don't try to convert me to yours even after I told you what religion I am. That really pisses me off. a few years back when i was living in To Kwa Wan, some Christians got into my building and went knocking on every door and wanted to talk about the bible and etc. even after I told them I am Buddhist and was not interested they kept on wanting to talk about their religion, i had no choice but to close my door which was very rude but I had no choice.

Some local Jehovah's Witness came by my village yesterday, that was way funny, i hear they are quite extreme and have twisted the words from the bible to make it something different. I read a new's story on the internet a few weeks back that a women after giving birth who was a Jehovah's witness suddenly started to lose a lot of blood, they are not allowed to accept blood transfusions so the women died. Even the husband didn't do anything as this is what they believed in, after the wife died the husband sued the hospital. WTF, all she needed was a simple blood transfusion and she could have been saved.