What religious catagory do you fall into

[tom502]

I'll have to see it when I get home, my work comp won't show it. But my issue with atheism is it's just reactionary to Christianity, like the Church of Satan. To me, just throw all that out, and approach spirituality from a philosophical view, like Shankara's Advaita Vedanta. It just makes sense then, and doesn't have this baggage of blind belief and eternal hell.

[tom502]

Another interesting person that makes sense is Alan Watts.

[sgreger1]

Re: What religious catagory do you fall into

Also, scientology is a cult, not a religion.

Where does religion end and cult begin?

It's a very thin, translucent, semi-invisible line that seperates them.

Honestly they are kind of the same thing, which is why I don't believe in organized religion. Too much dogmatic rituals that even if they had a real meaning, it has been lost to the ages and people are just going through the motions nowadays.

[tom502]

I think I could see a "cult" being a sect based on dependency of the sect, and a supremecist isolationism in regards to other paths. Which mean, if so and so religions says you must be in our religion, as we are the only way, the supreme way, and others are all wrong and damned, then to me, that would be a "cult" in the popular negative usage of the word. And in that definition, Scientology, Baptist, and Islam, Catholocism, would be "cults". Dependeny on sect affiliation in order to be spiritually "saved", or something. This is why I like Vedanta and Buddhism, it's more about the inner path of self realization, and recognizes the various paths that appeal to other people.

[sgreger1]

My wife is Catholic.


It is a cult.

[RRK]

cult |kəlt|
noun
a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object : the cult of St. Olaf.
• a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister : a network of Satan-worshiping cults.

[chadizzy1]

My wife is Catholic.


It is a cult.

I went to a Catholic church as a child a few times with my grandparents. It is very....interesting. They had a church bulletin with footnotes for "sit", "stand", and "kneel" in the church program.

[justintempler]

By definition every religion is a cult.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cult

cult  /kʌlt/ [kuhlt]
–noun
1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.

[RRK]

I went to a Catholic church as a child a few times with my grandparents. It is very....interesting. They had a church bulletin with footnotes for "sit", "stand", and "kneel" in the church program.

Ritualistic but not cult like.

I don't enjoy organized religion either but degrading them is pointless.

It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

[Roo]

if so and so religions says you must be in our religion, as we are the only way, the supreme way, and others are all wrong and damned, then to me, that would be a "cult" in the popular negative usage of the word. And in that definition, Scientology, Baptist, and Islam, Catholocism, would be "cults". Dependeny on sect affiliation in order to be spiritually "saved", or something. This is why I like Vedanta and Buddhism, it's more about the inner path of self realization, and recognizes the various paths that appeal to other people.

I think just about all religions are guilty of this. I'm not as familiar with the Vedic scriptures as I am with buddhism, but check out the Lotus Sutra if you haven't. It's a classic case of authors of religious text assuming the voice of their spiritual leader in order to convince readers that their way (Mahayana in this case) is the way "god" intended it, and other sects are just plain wrong. It's a pretty interesting read, and sheds a lot of light on how religious text in general is actually produced and for exactly what purpose (to convert new believers and validate the faith of those who already believe).

[tom502]

I have read the Lotus Sutra, and used to practice Nichiren Buddhism with the Soka Gakkai. I left it because I found it very cult-like, as with them, it's all about their organization, built around their leader, Ikeda.

Most agree the Lotus Sutra was not penned, or expounded by the historical Buddha, but I do find Buddhism's good point, is it is an ever evolving path, and not limited to one text, or even one "Buddha". The expressed supremecy of the Lotus Sutra is said because it has some points that other sutras don't(or so I read). I do agree, and I guess it's just human nature, to want to practice, and believe one is, following the highest teaching. The Lotus Sutra is said to encompass all the other Sutras within it, thus being the culmination of Buddhism. The way it's determined and presented as such, is well thought out, it may be even. But it's also said the Buddha taught 23,000 paths(I think that's the number), because everyone is on their own level of spiritual development, and will naturally be more inclined to one appraoch over another. I think this is why we have so many religions, and sects. As the famous verse of Vedanta states "Truth is One, though the paths are numerous", or said in varying ways.

[BabaBooey]

Religion

Although their wasn't an option for me to vote with. I am a proud Roman Catholic. I know some people think this falls under the "christian" vote. But according to the catholic church. We don't.

[RRK]

Re: Religion

Although their wasn't an option for me to vote with. I am a proud Roman Catholic. I know some people think this falls under the "christian" vote. But according to the catholic church. We don't.

What is the distinction?

[justintempler]

Re: Religion

Although their wasn't an option for me to vote with. I am a proud Roman Catholic. I know some people think this falls under the "christian" vote. But according to the catholic church. We don't.

Huh? :roll:

Right out of the Catholic Encylopedia, under the definition Catholic.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03449a.htm

...Further, as this general diffusion is a property to which no other Christian association can justly lay claim, we are entitled to say that Catholicity is a distinctive mark of the true Church of Christ. ...

Not only does the Catholic Church say they are Christian but they claim they are the only RealChristians ™

Back to catechism class for you, Sister Mary Catherine and her ruler are expecting you.

[RRK]

My guess is that he is confused because they call it the apostolic church. But this is not a distinction from being christian but is referring to the pope as a successor to St. Peter the apostle. I am a lapsed Catholic myself but I still remember most of that stuff.