Many live under a set of rules, idealogies, belief systems, and agreements to raise their families or even live it themselves as a single dweller. Therefore, many live in certain demographical areas in the world that fits their religion or spiritualism at best.

Some of course are just raised on a certain belief system since childhood and have no other choice until they can discover through studying, experiencing, or living other idealogies later on as a young adult that there are other ways of believing in the supernatural, faith, or lifestyle.

For example the United States is primarily Mediterrenean belief system orientated with many different changes of rules in addition to it, but having the same basic core belief intact along with it. I am not saying that this country doesn't have other religions or belief systems, but the majority believe in a hell or heaven and what the bible, koran, or torah entails as a whole with conflicted disagreements to go with it.

Now if you go to India the majority are Hindu's. And if you go to other parts of the worlds you will have different religion idealogies intergrated into their society that determines certain degrees of how they believe life should be lived.


So to make it short let me ask three questions and you can answer them in your own words what you belief to be true.

Do you believe that a religion or spiritualism defines a person?

Do you also believe that it is a reason why there are so many conflicts in the world today because of religion idealogies that are integrated into a way of life?

Do you believe that if even one dominate religion or spiritual belief system was practiced with every citizen of the world it would stop conflicts as a whole, or do you think that mankind the Homo Sapien as we are called will always have such desire to find war or disagreements regardless of a spiritual or religion preference that leads to a certain lifestyle as a whole.


Thank you for giving your honest opinion and I am looking forward to your wisdom and knowledge on the matter.

May you live in peace whatever idealogy or belief system you deem to be true.

yes

for instance if you go fishing with a Mormon you have to take two of em. Otherwise he'll drink all your beer

I do believe religion and spiritualism can define a person.. My spirituality defines me as it is a life style choice that includes daily habits. It determines what I do each day, choices I make and who and what I expend my time and energy on.
The reason so much conflict erupts over religion and spiritualism is that it is filled with with so much passion. The belief system one adopts for themselves is in some cases the most important thing in their life. Also there may be an internal need to express and share that belief system with those who have absolutely no interest in what is important to you. A innate teaching.. "I must save this person". When it is a personal issue and our salvation is our own responsibility.
Unfortunately there will always be conflict over such issues. Who would choose the universal way of life, which would be adopted..then we would be forcing each other to believe in a system that doesn't work for us personally... so it goes on and on for thousands of years.
We all need to work on allowing, myself included. It is one thing to learn to be tolerant. That is merely putting up with others, something I have had to learn to do in my own community because of a dominant religion. There are very few who embrace and allow me, there are some who tolerate me and there are some who look the other way because they are frightened.
I'm afraid we will always be drawn into conflict.. there will always be the pull to power, the need to dominate, and prove..I am right, you are wrong.

The answer to the first question is maybe, maybe not. Some people intergrate religion into their life and some don't. Many claim to "believe" in one thing or another, but don't give the belief system much thought with it comes time to making decisions. I was taught to "do the right thing". I try to do that as a matter of being a responsible adult.

I think many around the world are taught to hate others from birth. This has been a particular problem in the middle east, but the problem exists everywhere to some degree. If someone is taught in this manner, it doesn't matter what the religion says or does not say, the problems will continue unabated.

The only religion that should taught worldwide is the religion of tolerance. Beyond that, people should practice anything or nothing as they see fit.

Religion defines the person however most people are religious in names only and do NOT practice their real religions .
History shows us that religions caused lots of hatred and deaths .
Even if there is only one religion people keep on killing one another for different reasons such as greed, selfishness, power....etc .
Nowadays many nations have civil wars although they have one religion only .

Double post .

My spirituality doesn't define me, I define it for my own purpose.

That means, It's my own, nobody can possibly believe exactly the same things as I do.

If everyone would mind his/her own business in this respect as I do, there surely wouldn't be any religious wars.

unfortunatly, some religions demand the attempted conversion of the non believers...

And hopefully, most people can define themselves in more ways than just one.

That's why I don't follow any religion whatsoever.

I've met many people who had clearly been defined by their religious and/or spiritual beliefs.

That has been both good and bad, depending on which beliefs they've held.

And sometimes it's not even directly related to what the religion is normally believed to hold.

For example, I've met Christians who were clearly defined by their religious beliefs and they were very nasty and judgmental people, IMHO.

On other other hand I've met Christians who were also clearly defined by their believes, but they held views that were so opposite to the previous Chrisitan I mentioned that you'd think they worshiped a totally different religion.

I've also met people who were atheist, and experienced similar results. Some atheists seem to actually view atheism as a reason to strive for extremely high moral values, whilst other's seem to view it as an excuse to not give a damn about anything.

Atheism appears to me to be a 'belief' system of sorts in itself and it can indeed have strong affects on people.

The most jolly people I've ever met almost always seem to be indifferent about religious beliefs (agnostic).

Of course, lets face it, strong 'atheistic' views are indeed nothing more than very strong anti-religious views.

So in a sense, atheism is truly nothing more than rebellion against theism.

It's the "Anti-religion", IMHO.



Absolutely, religious beliefs, and anti-religious opposition, as well as religion-versus-religion banging of heads, is clearly the source of most the world's political problems, IMHO.

Particularly in the Middle East which obvious, but also within various other societies too on a smaller social scale.



I think that all depends on which religion it was.

Clearly the mediterranean religions are constantly turning on themselves. So as they get large, they tend to always fragment and become sects and denominations that then turn against each other.

I think that will always happen with any religion that is based on a docrtine that is supposed to be the "word of God". Because there are always going to be disagreements concerning what the 'Will' of God even means.

So I can't see any religion that believes to have a doctrine that is supposed to be the 'word of God' ever becoming a world religion. It's always going to fall apart and turn back against itself before it ever gets that big.

Right now the Mediterranean religions consist of Judaism, Islam, Catholocism, and Protestanism, and there are many arguing sects of Christian Protesantism as well as many arguing Sects in Islam. I imagine that all Jews aren't in perfect agreement with each other as well.

On the other hand, spiritualities that are based on the idea that all is one are more abstract and they don't claim to contain any 'word of God', at least most of them don't.

It's more of a philosophy than a religion actually. I truly believe that these types of pantheistic philosophies hold the most promise for peace and true brotherly love.



I think that is our heritage. It's in our genes and we are fundamentally geared that way.

However, having said that, it's also clear that the more conscious we become the more we are able to override our instincts. So I think it is possible that we can overcome our fundamental nature. We basically do it all the time right now as individual. We suppress our natural instinct to sexually ravage every woman we see in favor of restraining ourselves to socially acceptable behavior.

So clearly we can indeed override our instincts.

At least some of the time.

works for me