Forced Faith

It has been said that the world is descending into Godlessness. I disagree with that statement heartily. How can that be true when every day in the news, there is at least one story about some kind of religious fanaticism being carried out? There are those who are fighting wars in the name of their religion, those who promote their religious views through terrorist attacks, still others who decide that their religious views encourage heartless chanting and picketing innocent people who have been hurt, and still others who use their religious views for political gain. None of these are acceptable actions. In learning about the various religions, they almost all have the same basic principles. The number one view they all promote is loving others. If this is the case, then why are so many people dying in the name of religion?

Obviously, there are too many religions throughout the world to list here, but the more well known religions are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Jewish, Buddhism, Agnostic/Atheist and Pagan. I am not here to promote or vilify any of these belief systems. I am of the firm belief that where a person places their faith is entirely up to them. Personally, I have learned at least some basics about each of these, as well as a few other,

http://sacred-texts.com/

religions.  Without learning about the religions, I really don't think that a person can make a truly informed decision about other religions, they cannot make a truly informed decision about which path is the right one for them. Again, that is MY personal decision, how you have come to your particular decision is your business. I am not against a good debate pitting one system over another. Through discussion and debate an amazing amount of information about each of the points of view can be shared. It is interesting way to learn about the differing views of each of the religions on particular subjects. Debate and discussion must be respectfully done or it descends into threats, bullying, insults, and violence. This does not promote a healthy sharing of information. When the discussion descends to this place, there is no listening or understanding on either side. 

I thought it would be an interesting idea to further investigate some of the more followed religions and share that information. In order to keep the post to a readable length, I figured I would highlight a religion per post, probably on a weekly basis. (if there is a

religion that you would like to see more information about, feel free to include it in the comments and I will do my research to find out what I can) None of the information contained within further posts on this subject is intended for any other purpose than education. I am by no means an expert on any of the religions. All of the information included is only from my personal research and interpretation of the materials I read or conversations I have. I may also include information on zealots within each of these systems, this does not mean that everyone under that faith system is of the same ilk. There are always going to be people that take things too far - generally they are the exception to the rule. Most people of most faiths are not as extreme as some examples. My intention is to educate and, hopefully, foster more understanding. We must all remember that the extremists are rare and the vast majority of people within that religion do not agree with the measures that are undertaken by those small numbers of individuals.