Religion general

@Zincy
 
People only like Buddhism when they think it’s about relaxing or being like a pothead. When they find out how austere it actually is and the implications of it’s philosophy (You know, that life isn’t great and in fact desire is an impediment to freedom) they generally recoil in horror.

@Background Pony
 
The same can be said about other religions. But, as with those, most will only scratch down as far as they want to, and stick right there.

@Zincy  
I semi-disagree, semi-agree on this; the reason being is that fundamentalist denominations and sects are the ones experiencing the hardest times. In fifty years time “spiritual but not religious” denominations and sects are going to be the only ones left and the ones that aren’t will either be extinct or almost extinct.
 
It won’t be enough to “save religion”, just enough to keep the religion’s numbers from dropping to the point it’s starting to die.
 
My guess is christianity and islam will decline to about a billion each and stay around that mark, not enough to kill either of them, but definitely enough to where they both miss the good old days of being top dog.

@Zincy
 
I agree but it’s particularly difficult with a tradition as culturally removed from Western thought as Buddhism. Buddhism is ultimately about leaving the “wheel of suffering” that is samsara and, ostensibly, ceasing to be. Well, neither being nor non-being. Nirvana. Cessation.
 
Nirvana literally means blowing out a candle flame. It is cessation. The fuel that burns to create your current and future lives is expended and you are now freed from the cycle of suffering.
 
Most think of it like heaven or as an awesome 90s rock band.

@uc9
 
The large size makes it sort of like a tire fire, it’ll burn for a good bit before going out.

@Background Pony
 
The Western idea of a paradise afterlife is a persuasive one.
 
Maybe we’ll see the rise of a western style religion with Buddhist tendencies. With the sharp spike in New Age style religions, it’s not impossible.

@Background Pony  
Okay I was interested in buddhism, but that I’m not interested in.
 
I’m one of those rare people that doesn’t mind life’s suffering and if I fell on a metal pipe and it went straight through my lung my reaction would be:  

@Zincy  
Buddhism is nah.
 
Some evolutionary psychologists find the Western way of thinking to be better. Dealing with things externally rather than meditating.  
yes I know that is a gross reduction but you get the point.

@Whatevs
 
If it’s the better way of doing things, than you know that most people will do the opposite.

@uc9
 
The buddhist word for suffering is Dukkha and refers to a specific type of perpetual dissatisfaction. It stems from the idea that no matter how much you have or what you do you are still trapped in a sort of Pavlovian cycle of stimulus/response that never ends. Couple this with the metaphysical component that believes you are infinitely reborn over and over again endlessly and the idea is that you are driven by your karma (or yearnings) that can never be satisfied.
 
The Buddhist path is a negative one in the sense that it’s about what isn’t there rather than what is. Or, that is to say, it is about understanding how certain things arise, what creates and sustains them, and how to break free from them.
 

@Background Pony
 
I prefer the Pagan/Heathen way to solve problems.
 
Problem-  
Solution [x] Hit with ax until it’s no longer a problem.

@Zincy  
 
(obvious sarcasm)

@uc9
 
I have the poster of that.
 
But seriously, my ax comment may be a joke, but it represents one of the Pagan ways of dealing with things.
 
We don’t sit in quite contemplation, nor do we wait for the gods to sort things out. Our locus of control is internal, we solve our shit by overcoming it, or out maneuvering it. There’s a quote I like “We don’t pray for the gods to fix our problems, we honor them with our actions”. If shit happens in our life, we find a way out of it.
 
Again, I can’t speak for all Pagan’s. But a pretty big factor in most Pagan sects is self-determination.

@uc9  
You forgot Shinto and Confucianism.

Getting a little bit into christianity here for a second; apparently jesus may have had a wife.
 
 
Apparently the ancient bible papyrus paper that’s been causing a stir religiously lately is not a fake whatsoever. For christians on here what do you think of this, cause if it’s not a fake then what do you think of it? Hypothetically let’s say he did in fact have a wife then what would you think of it and so forth?

@uc9  
All I can say is that I have some skepticism. Partly because I wonder if it is real. Granted it isn’t a fake (according to what you say) but I do wonder if it’s a forged document that was made in the same era. Even then, I heard from a communication class I take that there were some documents not included in the Bible that mentions Jesus being a vegan/vegetarian. Regardless, I don’t think too much on it. I do believe the Bible is true (though that is only because I follow Christianity) but I do believe that the followers corrupt it(some interpret it for their own agenda, also language is a factor. I’m sure the languages of today can get a good amount of typos when translating Ancient Hebrew and Ancient Greek). I can also admit that I could be wrong (nothing wrong with that, right?).

@TommyWiseau  
No offense to christians, but considering how much some of the denominations vilify any act of sex and especially considering how much the middle ages hated any act of sex I would not be surprised in the least IF jesus did have a wife for them to at some point during the middle ages a generation rubbed it out of history.
 
The ancient text in this case dates back to around 600 AD (around which time the bible was being officially being put together instead of a collection of documents; it’s called the codex sinaiticus).
 
Given that back then each and every copy of the bible had to be hand written it would not surprise me if there was a metaphorical crusade to remove any biblical references to her. The question is when. Considering that the paper dates back to 600 - 800 AD and that the gutenburg bible was made in 1450 that gives a timeline of about 600 years.
 
The oldest bible known about is 1600 years old, well technically it’s a collection of papyrus papers and it’s only partially translated and partially intact. If they find that the papyrus about jesus wife does in fact fit in with that bible then it’s a definitive yes it’s true.
 
The thing about the codex sinaiticus is that there are definitive parts where later bible versions have been altered.  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Sinaiticus
 
The question is though how much of the bible has been intentionally altered and when did it get intentionally altered?

@uc9  
Compared to what other religions. I know pagans actually thought Christianity was too liberal when it came to women.

@Zincy  
That is the western strategy being discussed, sort of. It’s not unique to western civ.  
But in regards to Eastern Philosophy I have been mislabeling it. It is more the ideal of detachment from your concerns and emotions that I am referring to.  
Buddhist monks can pull it off but as a friend of mine astutely pointed out: after living a life of seclusion.

@uc9  
In regards to intentionally altered and when, that could of been at any time back then. One reason for intentional alterations would be wanting to have power over those who believe. Another reason could be that some people wouldn’t agree with what is in the documents and decide to alter it or even omit it. As for vilifying sex, is wrong that I could find it ironic since (from what I hear and read) that the Bible does mention sex?

@TommyWiseau
 
Dunno about the New Testament, but IIRC, the Old Testament’s bluntly-expressed prescription for patching up relations after cheating on your wife is to bang your wife and get her pregnant. “… And he came unto her and made her with child” or somesuch, depending on translation version.

@Kazapsky  
I will admit, the Old Testament is basically what some would bluntly say. Even then, it does make me wonder if it is correctly translated. Even then I do wonder if it is suppose to apply to being a Christian though I’m sure that isn’t the focus when people debate about it.

So is putting holy water in a cake blasphemous if you wanna sanctify it?

@Background Pony  
Isn’t Holy Water basically just salted water?

@SeraphimDawn
 
Salt is a common purifier and cleanser in many faiths, I wouldn’t be surprised if Christianity incorporates it.