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Do you have an interest in comparative religion?

Is there value in investigating other belief systems?

atheist 8 May 16
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18 comments

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0

Only in so far as how it impacts sociologically and anthropologically on the human race.

1

Absolutely! It's turned into one of my great interests in life. To the extent that it's almost a hobby now. It's kind of like the whole point of religion in reverse — the more you delve, the more you realise how everything is just a cover version of earlier polytheisms.

0

Just because I don't believe in a God does not mean that I don't find the stories interesting. While in college, I took every religion and mythology course I could find. I also think a person should be well versed in any subject in which they have formed a solid opinion.

0

I did once but now I'm no longer interested in any kind of religious studies at all. I like to study things that have documented evidence. Life is too short to get hung up in a merry go round.

1

Yes. I took World Religions at University about 6 years ago. Took anthropology too. I find it interesting to see how the rest of the world worships or follows a moral code of behaviour like Buddhism. I found the Jain religion particularly interesting. They embrace no-harm to all creatures even wearing masks which trap insects which the shake off gently. They do not believe in God.
I find the most belligerent religions are the monotheistic ones. Cheers!

I very much admire the Jain in the way they value all life down to the wee buggies. 🙂

@atheist Extract from one of my poems:-
But the wrathful God of Abraham
Has caused more hate than any can.

@atheist I've just posted the full poem under Religion and Spirituality.

2

Yes and yes.

Lucky a double positive does not invert itself, as does a double negative! 🙂

5

Not only do I have an "interest" in it...I also have a B.A. in Comparative Religion 🙂 I specialized in Earth Based Traditions/Aboriginal Religions. Cosmology is fascinating....

I minored in Anthropology and Latin for this particular degree.

@atheist Only if you are interested in the pre-history "religions" of Africa, Australia, South America...and the Picts of Scotland 🙂

2

When you compare religions you can see which parts of them are biology based and which parts have been added by local culture.

skado Level 9 May 16, 2018
3

Very much. It helps me to understand conflicts, and also the history of man all around the world. Have you ever studied the African religions and folk lore, such as the great god, Mungu, who lives in Baobab trees?
When christian missionaries arrived, they usurped the word "mungu" to mean their "God"

1

Reading about very early religions and their myths (Joseph Campbell's works...wonderful!) helped me see how ''authors'' of the bible stole/modified stories to make their "Jehovah" look good. That's all the good I can see in comparing religions. They're all designed to comfort the believers.

@atheist It also gives one interesting facts to use when debating a theist. As in "Know how many 'virgin births' have been recorded?

@LucyLoohoo, campbell didn't portray these things as being 'stolen'. He showed that there was a continuum islam from christianity from judaism from religions that came before and that this concept can be applied to other religions or spiritualism too. Joseph campbell wasn't jaded on religion. He learned from it and about it. He was fascinated by it.

@crazycurlz OK...you're right. HE never used the word ''stolen,'' I DID! The commonality of myth depends on people picking and choosing those they liked from those they didn't. Virgin births, floods, raising the dead, heroic quests and sacrifices... blah, blah....all were dramatic and got the attention of potential converts.

3

I used to, but I find it hard to read about religion now.

3

Not anymore, one line of bullshit is the same as another inthat they all claim to know things they can't know.

4

Yes, I think it is fascinating what people believe and why.

Intersubjective belief systems, all of them, but then so is all of culture.

3

Yes...very and I am fascinated by why we invented it

Join the queue ! ! !

2

Yes I’m interested (surprise!) 🙂
There is value in it for me because I want to know what can be known. And there are still areas that science is either not interested in or unable to find funding to study.

skado Level 9 May 16, 2018

@atheist
Wut? What closet?

4

Iv e no interest in investigating any religion beyond what I have already.

2

Yes, one of the best ways to understand your own religion, if you have one, is to understand other religions. It can be quite liberating.

Hence if a school has "religious studies" on the curiculum it should be monitored to ensure it studies ALL belief systems, including those that question belief.

4

I did a lot of that when I was younger.
It helped solidify my atheism even more than it had been before.
Reading the bible was also quite helpful.
I hold the firm belief that ALL religion is a scam, and all gods are nothing more
than man-made boogeymen. All meant to keep people in line and manipulated
to serve those in power.

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