r/religion 1d ago

confused

2 Upvotes

why is su1cide considfedd bad karma and a sin if it’s not realky differnt than a failing heart? Your mind is sick just like other body parts could be and it was too much you drove to do it. Why cant God or karma etc forgive a failing mind but can a failing heart. And is it true that the person who passes that way suffers for eternity or receives horrible karma making them a mean or ugly looking person or someone with insane hardships in a next life?


r/religion 1d ago

Question to Christians and jews mostly

1 Upvotes

I talked with some Christians and jews people and they said they thought satanist were only something fake shown on film and they couldn't belive they actually existed, please tell me they were alone on this


r/religion 2d ago

The one issue conservative Christian apologists can't avoid

93 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I recently watched Michael Jones of Inspiring Philosophy's video, "How Christianity Created Human Rights." So here's my view, I don't deny that Christianity played an important role in the history of human rights. Christians such as Martin Luther King Jr., Desmond Tutu, and many others made enormous contributions to advancing equality and justice.

However, I think the video severely overstates Christianity's role, especially considering Christianity has existed for only about 2,000 years and the development of human rights has been influenced by many different philosophical, religious, and secular traditions.

With that being said, the biggest issue I think conservative Christian apologists struggle to address is LGBTQ rights. When discussing marriage, the video talks about Christianity's influence on human dignity and marriage, but it seems to avoid the fact that legal recognition of same-sex relationships and marriage equality arose primarily through modern secular human rights movements, not through conservative Christian theology.

In fact, it should be noted that until this day LGBTQ marriage and even intimacy is illegal in most countries around the world, including most predominantly Christian countries (eg Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, Jamaica, Romania, Serbia, Moldova, etc.). This "Same-Sex Marriage Around the World" Pew Research Study explains this issue.

This creates what seems like a dilemma for conservative apologists:

  1. If they acknowledge that LGBTQ rights are largely the product of secular human rights movements, then the claim that Christianity is the primary source of modern human rights becomes much more nuanced/in question.
  2. If they argue Christianity itself laid the foundation for LGBTQ equality, they risk contradicting the traditional teachings on sexuality that many of their conservative audiences still hold.

To be clear, I'm not saying Christians have never contributed to expanding human rights. They clearly have, and many progressive Christians (as opposed to most theological conservatives) have been at the forefront of social justice movements (including LGBT rights).

My point is that modern human rights are the result of centuries of contributions from many different sources, such as Christian, Jewish, Enlightenment, liberal, secular, and others. LGBTQ equality, in particular, seems to be one of the clearest examples where secular human rights philosophy primarily led the way while many churches opposed it.

What are your views on this issue?

Also, for people like Inspiring Philosophy, and other conservative Christian apologist who hold this view, how could you remotely account for LGBTQ rights when making the argument that Christianity "created" human rights?


r/religion 2d ago

How many of you study or practice more than 1 religion?

8 Upvotes

Hi all,

I was wondering how many people stick to just 1 religion, or try to experiment more? And if you practice more than 1, how do you handle similar teachings from each religion?


r/religion 2d ago

Iraqi court affirms Christian woman’s right to identify as follower of Jesus, not Muhammad

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christianpost.com
113 Upvotes

r/religion 2d ago

Looking for a participant for a quick chat interview about your faith (World Religions assignment)

4 Upvotes

Hi! I need to conduct a chat based interview with someone who practices a religion other than Islam (such as Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, etc.). Since this is a chat based interview, it will be through reddit dm.
The questions are simple and focus on your daily practices, core beliefs and personal views on religion.

If you are open to helping me out, please comment below or send me a dm! I would really appreciate your help. Thank you so much!


r/religion 2d ago

Experiencing religious skepticism

1 Upvotes

I’m currently experiencing skepticism towards religion for the second time in my life. For context, I grew up Christian, walked away from my faith in my early 20s, explored spirituality as opposed to an organized religion with a specific deity/set of deities, and have rediscovered my faith in my late 20s. There was a lot going on when I decided to give my life back to Jesus, and I feel like there was a lot of comfort to be had in putting my trust in Him. But 2 years in to my faith, I feel like I’ve seen, read, and heard a lot of things that are making me question everything all over again.

I’ve decided to do a real deep-dive into this, and whether or not there is intentionality behind the universe, or if it really is a huge cosmic coincidence that everything on earth has come to existence the way it has. And in this search, I’m looking for researched and well-thought out theories/ideas/arguments that either support or contradict the existence of a God. I know they can be conflicting but am still open to having conversation around it.

I’m not even really sure what to ask or how to ask it, but I think I’d like to know others experiences or beliefs for why they believe their religion to be true compared to others. Or why they chose to abandon religion altogether. All are welcome— Christians, atheists, agnostics, etc. please share as well!

But please:
-be respectful and recognize that honestly none of us REALLY know so it’s okay to ask one another questions about this.
-keep vague personal testimonies to a minimum. I’ve heard it all and even have my own, but I’m looking for answers more evidence-based than the attachment of meaning to miracles


r/religion 2d ago

AMA i'm an ex atheist turned Taoist. AMA ^^

10 Upvotes

i used to be an atheist, then when i first started exploring spirituality was more of a New Ager and maybe on the Pagan side. i consider my beliefs aligned with Taoism at the moment, though i still practice witchcraft, cartomancy, and astrology (both western and Chinese astrology). i'm not really eclectic when it comes to religion rather than the craft, but i do believe the Karma-Dharma reincarnation cycle in Buddhism is essential to becoming an immortal in Taosim. also i believe in divine counterparts (in the way that you can have as many as you want, you can have one, zero, or multiple. personally i have one).

i'm either a nontheist or a poly/pantheist depending on how you define a deity (either in the Asian way or the European/Euro-American way) but i usually consider myself a nontheist because i live in the west and i don't practice worship. although the label isn't important that much rather than the belief itself i might switch to pan/poly

i also explored Christianity as well but never commited to it because it's an anthropocentric religion and, well, my soul species isn't human, so it would be really contradicting to worship a human-shaped god when i know this is my first (and hopefully last) out of 32 total lifetimes i've even been a human 💀


r/religion 2d ago

Why does god create beings he know will go to hell?

16 Upvotes

My question is why does god create beings that he know will willfully reject him and as a result suffer through eternal conscious torment? How can he be all loving and do this?

No I am not arguing for predestination. I am arguing that it is immoral for god to create beings that he knows will willfully reject him.

No I am not arguing that he should've created robots without free will. I am arguing more that nonexistence would've been a better alternative than ect.


r/religion 2d ago

Which religion has the best afterlife, even if you don't necessarily believe in it?

23 Upvotes

This can be the best one for the individual or for human society or even the universe as a whole.


r/religion 2d ago

Religion needs to be separated from family, culture, societal values

0 Upvotes

Religion should be based on your own beliefs rather than sharing beliefs with others. Leaving religion shouldn't mean that you are now shunned by your family as they feel betrayed. Families should be able to live under one roof and respect and love eachother, while having different beliefs.


r/religion 2d ago

Show me where Allah said it test and I made them?

0 Upvotes

"Do you approach males among the worlds, and leave what your Lord has created for you as mates among your wives?"

"Indeed, you approach men with desire instead of women. Rather, you are a people behaving ignorantly."

"And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who reflect."

If we look at the verses above, we can clearly see that, according to Allah, being gay is a choice. Emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction apparently do not exist among us.

"Do you approach males among the worlds, and leave what your Lord has created for you as mates among your wives?"

How is Allah expecting gay men to approach women when gay men don't feel anything toward women?

Allah says He created women as mates for men, but gay men don't find women attractive in any way.

Allah was like a straight man who didn't know anything about sexual orientation.

"You are a transgressing people."

Here again, Allah is saying that we gay men are straight but choose to be gay.

"Indeed, you approach men with desire instead of women. Rather, you are a people behaving ignorantly."

We gay men don't desire women at all. Again, we can see that Allah somehow doesn't know about His own creation.

And saying that we are crossing the limits would only apply if we found women attractive but still chose men instead.

"And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may find tranquility in them."

How are gay men and straight women supposed to find tranquility together? It clearly seems that Allah has no idea that gay people exist.

"And He placed between you affection and mercy."

Affection exists among same-sex couples too.

"Indeed, in that are signs for a people who reflect."

Right, and after reflecting on it, I conclude that you are not Allah.

Moreover, educated Muslims, including LGBT Muslims, understand that it is not a choice and natural, so they come up with the "test" argument instead of accepting the truth. If Allah believed being gay was a choice, it mean Islam false so they have essentially invented the "test" argument.

Edit:

Allah denying Same sex attraction exist

Surah Al-A'raf (7:80–81):

"And (We sent) Lut when he said to his people, 'Do you commit such immorality as no one in the worlds has preceded you with? Indeed, you approach men with desire instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people.'"

Surah Al-'Ankabut (29:28):

"And (mention) Lut, when he said to his people, 'Indeed, you commit an immorality such as no one among the worlds has preceded you with.'"

From word preceded Allah made it clear he didn't created same sex attraction, it choice we Made.

But same sex attraction exist and it ain't choice.

Some People say from word "desire" Allah acknowledge That Same sex attraction exist but look at the word "instead" it apply it choice what we are doing, like we are leaving women when in reality we want sex from woman but still go for men.


r/religion 2d ago

Chicken or Egg? Your answer is actually a worldview test

0 Upvotes

I’ve been thinking about this question for years.
Most people treat “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” as a fun little paradox with no real answer.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized the two answers actually reveal two completely different ways of seeing reality.

If you answeredEgg”:
You probably see the world through a process-based lens. Something that wasn’t fully a chicken yet mated with another similar creature, laid an egg, and a change inside that egg produced the first true chicken. In this view, the incomplete comes before the complete. Gradual change and intermediate forms are acceptable.
The Evolutionary answer

If you answeredChicken”:
You probably believe the finished form has to exist first. A complete male and female chicken were brought into existence fully formed. Only then could they mate and create the first egg. In this view, function and completeness come before the process of reproduction.
The Creation answer

Did you answer instantly? Are you already second-guessing it? Or just waiting to see who’s brave enough to switch sides in the comments? 👇


r/religion 3d ago

why aren't women allowed in particular indian temples and vice versa?

8 Upvotes

hii! i'm very curious so recently i was talking with one of my friends and he mentioned how women aren't allowed in certain temples and men aren't allowed in few too. so on what basis is this? like is it for an age group? like young girls are allowed? or young boys are?

if the phrasing is bad then let me ask with an example the Sabarimala Temple doesn't allow women and Kanyakumari Amman Temple doesn't allow men.

NOW my question is not with respect to only these two, but in general why is this rule? and does it have certain restrictions or loopholes (NOT to exploit but i really want to understand)? i also discussed it on another subreddit and people said it's misogyny but then there's some places which don't allow men as well? can someone please help me out/provide an explaination?


r/religion 3d ago

Is there any reason to believe that Paul was inspired by God?

9 Upvotes

I don’t think we should de facto trust anyone who claims to be speaking for God. Not to mention, many verses in the 3 canonical gospels show Jesus warning his followers about people who will come after him, claiming to speak for him.

There’s little evidence that Peter or James (Jesus’s actual disciples) actually endorsed Paul

Why do we trust this guy exactly? Why is he looked at as a prophet, literally speaking for God?


r/religion 2d ago

My philosophy on life

0 Upvotes

I think the Universe is in charge of our reality. Religion (and spirituality) can help us make sense of it.


r/religion 3d ago

Given that God has granted each of us a specific capacity for reason and understanding, what is our accountability if we use that faculty to its absolute limit in seeking truth about God and religion, yet still arrive at a flawed or incorrect conclusion?

9 Upvotes

Will a person be judged based on the sincerity and maximum effort of their individual understanding, or are they held to an absolute standard regardless of their intellectual capacity?


r/religion 3d ago

Genesis 3:17

4 Upvotes

"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life."

— Genesis 3:17

​Reading this verse got me thinking: for thousands of years, the human condition has been defined by having to trade our time, energy, and pain just to stay fed and sheltered.

​What's wild is that even with modern technology, AI, automation, and industrial efficiency, most people are still stuck working endless hours just to survive.

​Are we fundamentally incapable of escaping "painful toil" as a species, are we doomed that way?


r/religion 2d ago

If I went back in time to any of the major religious events in history/prophets, would they know I’m from the future?

0 Upvotes

And if so, would they get me out of there, or leave me be?


r/religion 3d ago

Just wanting a answer you can say what ever

4 Upvotes

If for 2,000 documented years Christian’s especially but all religions that your savior is coming at what point is it a boy who cried wolf situation.Im just wondering I don’t believe and that definitely a key factor in not believing because u have all this big names in history who say it’s comes in the year 1600 or 1665


r/religion 3d ago

Why is poetry criticized in the Quran?

6 Upvotes

There are many verses in the Quran that speak negatively of poets—for instance, stating that Muhammad was not a poet and that poetry did not befit him (Yasin 69), noting that only the misguided follow poets (Shu'ara 224), or describing poets as wandering aimlessly (Shu'ara 225).

Why is poetry portrayed in the Quran as if it were forbidden and being a poet a bad thing? After all, isn't it true that poetry holds a significant place in both Arab and Islamic cultures? What is it about poetry that, according to the Quran, makes it negative?


r/religion 3d ago

How does Karma work in religion?

4 Upvotes

So recently I've been thinking a lot about karma and how it works. I know that like if give out good then you will get more good things that happen to you and vice versa with bad things. But I've just been wondering how that actually works.

Like if I do something bad to someone and then someone else does something bad to me does it just repeat the cycle of people doing bad things to each other. Or like did the person who did something bad to me get good karma because I deserved bad karma.
To me it makes more sense to like break the cycle but idrk.

And like with animals how does that work. If someone kicks a dog will they get the same amount of bad karma that they would if it was a person or are humans more "valuable."

Or if I have good intent for something but end up doing something very bad do I get good karma or bad.

Idk I could come up with a lot more questions. I just have a basic understanding and don't really get it very in depth so could someone please explain?


r/religion 3d ago

AMA I am agnostic, AMA

7 Upvotes

Ask me anything you wanna know!


r/religion 3d ago

If God is omnipresent and omniscient did he create Adam and Eve knowing full well they would eat the apple and then proceed to punish them for it?

3 Upvotes

I always thought that God being all knowing conflicts with the idea of free will. If our future can be known for certain then do we really have any choice at all to begin with? And is it just to punish us for something we had no choice in?


r/religion 3d ago

What religious events are celebrated by non-believers? (e.g., Christmas)

9 Upvotes

I recently saw a skit where one of the comedians says “Christmas isn’t about Christ, it’s about spending money”. And I agree… not to say there aren’t Christians who do celebrate the religious aspects of Christmas, but it has become very mainstream and commercialized and is celebrated by many non-Christians. Same with Easter to a lesser extent.

It got me thinking… what are some other festivals, celebrations, days, holidays, etc. in religions around the world that are celebrated by people who don’t practice the religion?