I've had some lengthy discussions with a Protestant and an Orthodox Christian in another discord

Which is where I pulled the Heathen Catholics thing from. You wanna hear some fucking trash being talked, ask a devout Orthodox Christian about the Pope and Saints

Literally if religious people follow the tenets of their own religions and stop being assholes to other people, they're cool with me. It's just people ignore scripture. Like, Islamic terrorists ignore that Muhammad literally forbade attacking Christians

Muhammad's Promise to the Monks of St. Catherine's Monastery Until the End of Days :



"This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.



Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.



No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.



Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.



No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.



No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)."

When you can focus on the ideas, and ignore the people, you can have productive discussions

That depends severely on the fundamental tenets

Religious reform happens for a reason, divine word or no

Yes, but generally most religions fundamentally base themselves in order, justice and benevolence for your fellow man

Most major ones at least

Eh, I don't know about that either. It's situational

You look at the text and shit's fucked

At one or more points

Oh definitely a lot of laws are archaic but it's more about how those laws are written

Part of the aim of theological philosophy is to understand why the laws are what they are, and therefore to interpret the will of God and act accordingly

Would've been nice of God to actually tell us what he meant. Or to give us an updated version for the 21st century with a guide explaining it all objectively.

if you don't take the texts as literal, then you can use historical context to try and figure out the goal of what was written

You say most religions.

Can you name any that aren't rooted from Judaism?

@Vigil

Yes

Buddhism and Hinduism mainly

Zoroastronism

Gnosticism

Paganism

Buddhism is less a religion and more a philosophy

and besides, isn't about betterment of society - more about self-satisfaction

Hinduism is more about accepting your lot in life, no matter how untouchable you are.

Paganism is about the most self-servicing - and ill-defined - religion I can think of.

Part of the problem is that people who are Christian, for instance, view something like Buddhism through a Christian lens. I've seen Christians freak out about buddha statues like they were idol-worship.

Not at all what's going on there.

Make Iran Zoroastrian Again

I'll be honest, I don't know shit from zoroastronism.

Zoroastrianism is the Ultima Underworld of religions. You don't know it, but your [Modern Western Religion] had a big Zarathustra shaped hardon

Is basically my understanding of it

Anyway, the key component linking any of these things, and only *remotely* making Buddhism a religion, is the supernatural element - Usually an afterlife.

Buddhism is absolutely a religion. It has gods and afterlives.

Buddhism is a philosophy most traditionally layered atop Hinduism.

Buddhist pillars don't require the supernatural, though.

well... Aside from Nirvana and reincarnation...

@Vigil "People of faith are generally good. I oppose demagogues who bastardise the holy books to fulfil their own bigotry" -- except that's exactly what you did, hateful bigot, when you so dishonestly mangled and misinterpreted a Bible passage, then doubled down and lied some more about it. The truth of the matter is, you've been little but a passive aggressive bigot and bully.

It's like... kinda... almost sorta... but not quite...?