Random Religious/non-religious stats

[2-0-Sixx]

In America:

76.5% - Christianity (-5% since 1947)

Non-religious/Secular/Atheist/Agnostic - 13.2/% (+110% since 1990)

Judaism - 1.3% (-10%)

Islam - .5% (+110%)

Buddhism - .5% (+170%)

Hinduism - .4% (+237%)

New Age - .1% (+240%)

Christianity is on the decrease, everything else is increasing besides Judaism.

http://www.pbs.org/now/society/religionstats.html

The World:

Basic information on various religions:

Religion Date Founded Sacred Texts Membership % of World

Christianity 30 CE The Bible 2,015 million 33% (dropping) 5

Islam 622 CE Qur'an & Hadith 1,215 million 20% (growing) 5

No religion * No date None 925 million 15% (dropping) 5

Hinduism 1,500 BCE The Veda 786 million 13% (stable) 5

Buddhism 523 BCE The Tripitaka 362 million 6% (stable) 5

Atheists No date None 211 million 4%

Chinese folk rel. 270 BCE None 188 million 4%

New Asian rel. Various Various 106 million 2%

Tribal Religions, Animism Prehistory Oral tradition 91 million 2%

Other Various Various 19 million <1%

Judaism No consensus Torah, Talmud 18 million <1%

Sikhism 1500 CE Guru Granth Sahib 16 million <1%

Shamanists Prehistory Oral Tradition 12 million <1%

Spiritism 7 million <1%

Confucianism 520 BCE Lun Yu 5 million <1%

Baha'i Faith 1863 CE Most Holy Book 4 million <1%

Jainism 570 BCE Siddhanta, Pakrit 3 million <1%

Shinto 500 CE Kojiki, Nohon Shoki 3 million <1%

Wicca 800 BCE, 1940 CE None 500,000? <1%

Zoroastrianism No consensus Avesta 0.2 million <1%

NOTE:
This site describes No Religion as * Persons with no religion, agnostics, freethinkers, humanists, secularists, etc. Atheists are excluded

http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm

 

[I AM]

Christianity is a disease. There are some good points in the religion, but to me it's almost all a bunch of bullshit. Any religion that says they are better than others or their God is Superior is actin like some fucking NAZIS!

 

[miggidy]

Christianity is a disease. There are some good points in the religion, but to me it's almost all a bunch of bullshit. Any religion that says they are better than others or their God is Superior is actin like some fucking NAZIS!

Tell me what religion doesn't boast the that claim????
And as far as I know, no where in the Torah and the gospel's does it say "it's" religion is better than others.
God in the Torah does say that he is the one and only God.

But how is that different than any other religion?

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Well it does state that non-believers will burn in hell though, right? To me that's saying "THIS IS THE ONLY RELIGION" which is the same as saying we are better than you

 

[miggidy]

But there was no other religion at the time, other than Hinduism which isn't even mentioned in the scriptures.

And again, how is "you're going to hell if you don't bow down to me" differ from any other religion?

 

[2-0-Sixx]

But there was no other religion at the time, other than Hinduism which isn't even mentioned in the scriptures.

What are you talking about there were no other religions???? There have been thousands of religions, many before christianity and you know this. Perhpas I misunderstood what you said.

And again, how is "you're going to hell if you don't bow down to me" differ from any other religion?

There are religions that do not have a "hell." There are religions that teach to respect other religions and that they aren't necessarilly wrong.

 

[FunK-3-FivE]

Tell me what religion doesn't boast the that claim????

Buddhism

 

[miggidy]

What are you talking about there were no other religions???? There have been thousands of religions, many before christianity and you know this. Perhpas I misunderstood what you said.



There are religions that do not have a "hell." There are religions that teach to respect other religions and that they aren't necessarilly wrong.

Yea I meant religion for the people Moses was speaking to.
You had the pagans and their idols, that's why God told them the he was the one and only God.

Hell is only found in the Torah and later in the gospels and then the Qur'an.
But hell is just the biblical version of punishment.
Every "religion" has it's disciplinary acts.

I don't recall Jesus telling his followers to disrespect non-believers either.
I do however recall Him instructing to pray for those who persecute those who believe in Him.

 

[miggidy]

Buddhism

I thought Buddhism is one of the many Eastern philosophies?

Wasn't it the people who turned his ideals into a religion????

 

[FunK-3-FivE]

I thought Buddhism is one of the many Eastern philosophies?

Wasn't it the people who turned his ideals into a religion????

Are you talking about Siddartha? Even as a religion it does not boast to be god's word and the only path. Infact you can be aethiest and still be a buddhist.

 

[miggidy]

Again, isn't Buddhism just one man's admitted philosophy of the world?

Of course it's gonna take a bold man to make such a bold "God's word" claim.
Whether he's lying or he's crazed.
The bible never said that it's pages were God's word, PEOPLE DID!

However in some of the pages of the unified literature that is the bible, you will find characters claiming to be speakin the Word of God.
Moses and Jesus for example....

 

[FunK-3-FivE]

Again, isn't Buddhism just one man's admitted philosophy of the world?

Yes, or one man's discovery of a way to fulfillment and enlightenment in life.

I think you're trying too hard to compare it to western forms of religion. Buddhism is about learning and finding truth, fulfillment and enlightenment on your own. Buddhist monks aren't exactly thought to have some divine influence, rather they are thought to be very in touch with things and have much knowledge about life, they devote thier lives to teaching and learning knowledge and lessons of life.

 

[miggidy]

I'm not comparing it to "other" forms of religion at all.
Buddha based his philosophy out of a religion (Hinduism).

Now people have turned around and created an idol out of Buddha.
Something he clearly wasn't tryin to accomplish as he himself said he wasn't able to find the ultimate reality.

 

[I AM]

But there was no other religion at the time, other than Hinduism which isn't even mentioned in the scriptures.

And again, how is "you're going to hell if you don't bow down to me" differ from any other religion?

If you think Christianity and Hinduism were the only religions around back then you've been smokin some shit, I bet Moses talked to a lot of people....I think organized self promoting religion is crap....and that's what most are.

 

[miggidy]

lol Christianity came after Christ, not before.
And apart from Hinduism, what did you have?
Trivial religions? How are those in significance to the people around Moses when they never even heard of them?

And yes Moses went around spreading the Word of God becuase he believed in it.
He was convinced that he had a personal relationship with God, while other "philosophers" only offered their "opinion".

 

[FunK-3-FivE]

I'm not comparing it to "other" forms of religion at all.
Buddha based his philosophy out of a religion (Hinduism).

Now people have turned around and created an idol out of Buddha.
Something he clearly wasn't tryin to accomplish as he himself said he wasn't able to find the ultimate reality.

Siddhartha himself did not preach Hinduism, in fact he abandoned it. But it could be said he was influenced by it.

Siddhartha Guatama who was part of a Hindu tribe in Nepal started the philosophy known as the "middle way" after abandoning his former way of life to try devote his life to find a way to end human suffering. He spent most his time meditating and fasting. He was said to have meditated for a several days straight at times. He concluded that all human life is suffering, and to overcome this suffering was to concentrate (mind over matter kind of stuff) and to abandon all desire for impermanent pleasures to be permanent and to not overindulge ones self. He also concluded that everything in the universe is linked together .

He devoted his life to solving the problem of human suffering(life, scince life is suffering) and teaching others his findings. The name Buddha means "the enlightened or the awakened one".

Buddhism is more of an ongoing religion, with the objective of solving the problem of life and the basis of Siddhartha's teachings. There are many different sects in Buddhism that interpret Siddhartha's teachings differently.

 

[miggidy]

That is what I was getting at,
he was influenced by Hinduism to an extent because he spun off it.

But you would agree that his teachings were not a religion right?
It only became a religion over time right?

 

[FunK-3-FivE]

That is what I was getting at,
he was influenced by Hinduism to an extent because he spun off it.

But you would agree that his teachings were not a religion right?
It only became a religion over time right?

Yes, more so it was meant to be a way of life, not a way of worship and ritual.
Siddhartha didn't mean for his teachings to become a practiced religion.

 

[JoMoDo]

Where in the Torah does it mention hell? It mentions 'Sheol' but no hell, that's a concept from the new testament...

 

[miggidy]

lol of course it's not going to read "hell".
Geesuz....

But that ain't even an argument on my part.
My argument is with the assumption that only Christianity says that they are the only real religion.