Abrahamic religions

This thread simply highlights the divisive nature of religions. Those quoting religious texts seem not to be aware that these are simply the product of people trying to make sense of the world in their own time and place.

Sadly these attempts have brought endless conflict to the world.

Tribes, territory, greed and religion lie behind the mess we are in.

TerriBull

That's interesting Witzend, I have read that Jesus Christ is revered as a prophet in Islam. Still no churches in many Muslim countries, or if there are in Pakistan for example, Christians are a persecuted minority.

The Sultan of Oman at the time, Qaboos, who died some years ago, actually donated land for churches. IIRC there was a Catholic one, an Anglican, and a Greek Orthodox.

He had attended Sandhurst as a young man, and at the very first military tattoo that was ever held in Oman, in maybe 1975, I was somewhat amazed to hear one of their military bands playing Abide With Me!

Presumably HM (or SuperQ as he was affectionately known among expats) had grown fond of it during his time at Sandhurst.

Some years later during one December, the Royal Oman Police provided the loan of one of their ceremonial camels, for Father Christmas to arrive on at the English Speaking School. He apparently told the children that he’d had to leave his reindeer at the airport (not far away) because they didn’t like the sand. 😂🎅🏻
(I was gutted that I arrived at school too late, and missed it.)

LuckyGirl wrote "This thread simply highlights the divisive nature of religions. Those quoting religious texts seem not to be aware that these are simply the product of people trying to make sense of the world in their own time and place.

Sadly these attempts have brought endless conflict to the world.

Tribes, territory, greed and religion lie behind the mess we are in."

This is the stance of my immediate relatives. I however enjoy the belief that what divides religionists is not the sect but whether or not the person's religion is liberal or authoritarian/political

There's plenty of blood spilled in the Old Testament and the various Abrahamic religions have been at each others' throats ever since, witness the many wars of religion conducted by the Catholics and Protestants especially and their attacks on other groups such as the Cathars and Anabaptists as well as the Crusades, the Islamic conquests of Spain, etc., not to mention the oppression of other minority groups by the Inquisitions, the Anglicans post-1660 especially in regards to the Quakers, the French suppression of the Huguenots and the armed struggles of the Jews and Palestinians.

God made man in his own image. Says a lot about God.

Grantanow, the blood spilled in the name of religions is because peoples used to believe that religion was the same as politics. OT stories show this was the case with old time Judaism, and Christians too conflated religion and politics.
Zionism is a conflation of religion and politics,

Each version of god ,of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, imitates the political and social needs of the tribe or people the god pertains to.

vampirequeen

God made man in his own image. Says a lot about God.

It’s only man who says that tho, not God.

Oreo

vampirequeen

God made man in his own image. Says a lot about God.

It’s only man who says that tho, not God.

Yes!!

It is not religions that are the problem, it's man's interpretation of them, their stubborn determination that they are right and others are wrong and it is the divisions caused by that and the fight for land which is often in the name of religion but has nothing whatsoever to do with God.

It is not religions that are the problem, it's man's interpretation of them

But religions do not exist per se - they are the work of humans.

Callistemon21

Oreo

vampirequeen

God made man in his own image. Says a lot about God.

It’s only man who says that tho, not God.

Yes!!

If, as you say, man only says that he's created in the image of God, then God, who is omnipotent, must have know he was creating a flawed creature. Why did God do this? If he is all loving etc. then surely he would have created a perfect creature that didn't destroy itself and everything it came into contact with.

vampirequeen

Callistemon21

Oreo

vampirequeen

God made man in his own image. Says a lot about God.

It’s only man who says that tho, not God.

Yes!!

If, as you say, man only says that he's created in the image of God, then God, who is omnipotent, must have know he was creating a flawed creature. Why did God do this? If he is all loving etc. then surely he would have created a perfect creature that didn't destroy itself and everything it came into contact with.

🤔

Why did God do this?

Did you not know that God gave man free will?

vampirequeen

God made man in his own image. Says a lot about God.

IIRC some ancient Greek writer (Herodotus?) said that everyone imagines their particular god to resemble them. So e.g. Nubians (dark skinned) would imagine a dark skinned god, Thracians would imagine a red-haired one* and horses would imagine a horse-god.

*I was fascinated on reading that, to realise that a lot of Thracians had evidently been red haired!

A lot of Italians have strawberry blond hair and blue eyes!!

Some people say God is a woman but I doubt that.
She would have more sense.

Callistemon21

vampirequeen

Callistemon21

Oreo

vampirequeen

God made man in his own image. Says a lot about God.

It’s only man who says that tho, not God.

Yes!!

If, as you say, man only says that he's created in the image of God, then God, who is omnipotent, must have know he was creating a flawed creature. Why did God do this? If he is all loving etc. then surely he would have created a perfect creature that didn't destroy itself and everything it came into contact with.

🤔

Why did God do this?

Did you not know that God gave man free will?

If, as you say, he gave man freewill then he set man up to fail by creating a flawed creature. He then sat back and watched man tear himself and the world apart. Strange behaviour for an all loving being.

Let’s accept that a god of any sort does not exist.

We can then look dispassionately at all the main deity religions, and begin to understand why they have certain qualities in common, overlaid with culture throughout the millennia.

Jews believe in part of the Bible.
Christians believe all of it. Including importantly, the Risen Jesus.

Is lam does think Abraham was a prophet. But not much more of the Bible than tha

The Bible and Islam are poles apart.

vampirequeen

Callistemon21

vampirequeen

Callistemon21

Oreo

vampirequeen

God made man in his own image. Says a lot about God.

It’s only man who says that tho, not God.

Yes!!

If, as you say, man only says that he's created in the image of God, then God, who is omnipotent, must have know he was creating a flawed creature. Why did God do this? If he is all loving etc. then surely he would have created a perfect creature that didn't destroy itself and everything it came into contact with.

🤔

Why did God do this?

Did you not know that God gave man free will?

If, as you say, he gave man freewill then he set man up to fail by creating a flawed creature. He then sat back and watched man tear himself and the world apart. Strange behaviour for an all loving being.

He did give freewill.

Some will go to Heaven.

Witzend

vampirequeen

God made man in his own image. Says a lot about God.

IIRC some ancient Greek writer (Herodotus?) said that everyone imagines their particular god to resemble them. So e.g. Nubians (dark skinned) would imagine a dark skinned god, Thracians would imagine a red-haired one* and horses would imagine a horse-god.

*I was fascinated on reading that, to realise that a lot of Thracians had evidently been red haired!

Apparently in a church in Israel, there are stained glass windows given by each nationality. And each nationality depicts baby Jesus as looking like their own nationality.

fancythat

Witzend

vampirequeen

God made man in his own image. Says a lot about God.

IIRC some ancient Greek writer (Herodotus?) said that everyone imagines their particular god to resemble them. So e.g. Nubians (dark skinned) would imagine a dark skinned god, Thracians would imagine a red-haired one* and horses would imagine a horse-god.

*I was fascinated on reading that, to realise that a lot of Thracians had evidently been red haired!

Apparently in a church in Israel, there are stained glass windows given by each nationality. And each nationality depicts baby Jesus as looking like their own nationality.

Although he was a Jew.

Luckygirl3

*It is not religions that are the problem, it's man's interpretation of them*

But religions do not exist per se - they are the work of humans.

Luckygirl 👍

Caleo

Grantanow, the blood spilled in the name of religions is because peoples used to believe that religion was the same as politics. OT stories show this was the case with old time Judaism, and Christians too conflated religion and politics.
Zionism is a conflation of religion and politics,

That's largely true. It has taken centuries for many nation states to separate religion from society/politics but the identity still remain remains in for example states such as Iran and in organisations such as Islamic Jihad, Hamas, etc., as well as in Israel whose citizenship is based on Judaism. And religious leaders still make claims that the UK is a Christian country.

Culturally Britain is a Christian country. The vast majority of people celebrate both Christmas and Easter. Our laws are based on Christian values and the Ten Commandments. Huge numbers of people get their children baptised, get married in church, and choose a Christian burial/cremation, whether or not they actually attend church. We have church schools and Christian representatives in the H of Ls. Our Head of State is a practicing Christian and is also Head of our national church. Anyone who says Britain is not a Christian country isn’t looking at our national life and institutions.

However, the argument that Islam and Christianity are similar doesn’t hold water. There are many similarities between Judaism and Christianity, but few to none between Islam and Christianity. Neither Jews nor Christians either want nor need to kill the infidels but this is the intention of Islam. Fortunately many Muslims don’t think they have any need of killing unbelievers, but unfortunately too many do. This is evidenced by the regular terror attacks seen in recent years.