A new kind of Religious thread.

[TechMage]

[RICoder]

[sponge]

[sandmann]

From what little I know about Taoism (pronounced 'Daoism'), or from what little I remember of The Tao of Poo, this is what I have to offer:

Taoism is a very peaceful philosophy whose primary focus is balance with nature. The ying-yang originated from this concept (two balanced halves, each with a part of the other half contained in itself). I agreed with pretty much everything I read in the book, and I'd like to read it again. It was a good, easy-to-understand introduction to the philosophy; I would recommend it. Also see The Te of Piglet.

[Warren]

[RICoder]

Yes, The Tao of Pooh is very good. At some point you should try to get through the Tao Te Ching, which is more thorough.

There is a lot to be taken from the idea of a life based on an appreciation of 'the way'.

Yin/Yang, Budhism, Tao and Zen all originate in the Zen Master's philisophical teachings.

*gets up*
*walks across room*
*extracts Tao Te Ching from bookshelf*

[James S]

I don't know much about Taoism, but it seems pretty truthful to me. I particular like the yin-yang and think about it constantly. That concept is also in Christianity, but perhaps not described so simply.

PS. Ya Warren, Christianity is the largest religion in the world. I forget the statistic but I think it's around 38% of the world population, with Judaism coming in at around 31%, Islamic next in the mid twenties. But don't quote me on those numbers.

I will resign myself from this thread unless I have specific information about a religion being discussed.

[Warren]

Yeah, sure Moose, Judaism is 31%...no!!! We're 0.3% in the US! Hold on, I'll find the exact numbers.

[edit] Ok, I got it:

Christianity: 33%
Islam: 22%
Hinduism: 15%
Nonreligious: 14%
Buddhism: 6%
All the misc Chinese religions: 4%
African religions: 3%
Judaism: 0.2%
Other: 3%

There are 2 billion Christians, 1.3 billion Muslims, 900 million Hindus, 850 million nonreligious, 360 million Buddhists, then a bunch of others, and finally 14 million Jews. The smallest I could find is Zoroastrianism at 150,000.

[sandmann]

I don't see what is so funny Warren. However juvenile you think they are, they are actually pretty serious books, intended to provide a more everyday, understandable front for learning about a complex ideology.

There are 8 shakers. Yes, 8. Actually I think the number has gone down since I saw that statistic, they were all old. Why so few? Shakers are not allowed to reproduce. Ever.

[RICoder]

...and then there are those yahoos that believe Jedi is real...

[Warren]

I was only stating that "Tao of Pooh" sounds funny, because of poo...you know, the stuff you crap. It just sounds funny ok! And Te of Piglet, I just pictured Piglet from Winni the POOH being squeezed and made into tea, or "te".

Shaker? What's that?

[TechMage]

What about the neopagans and wicans? There has got to be several million of them. Ever since the 60s, alot of people have joined religions that could be called "neopaganism." Wicca was formed by a guy named Gardner (I think that's his name) in like the 20s or 30s. But Wiccans see their ancestry way back in Neolithic times with the Goddess religions. And the neopagans are a huge eclectic group. Everything from ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Celtic and Norse religions to tribal religions of Africa and the Americas and the new Femenism groups that are reviving the female aspects of religions. Oh, there are also the New Age religions. These consist of every thing from Scientology to Pyrimid Power and various other cults like the UFO cults and the modern cults by those Eastern gurus.

I'm not sure about the other groups, but Wicca is a offically recognized as a religion in the U.S.

[Keira]

The heavens gate website is really interesting.
Ya'll should check it out

[TechMage]

Oh and Warren, about Judaism. Are there any unforgivable sins? Do you have to repent for your sins, or are they automatically forgiven, as long as s their not major? Is God seen as male? Or is God seen as neither male or female? What about Angels? What do Jews believe about them? What about Heaven? Does the Jewish literature describe it? And the same with Hell. I noticed that Jews have alot of sacred holidays, that are taken very seriously. What are the Holidays about? Also, is it true that Jews don't eat pork? And why? Also, do you have to be Jewish by race to believe in Judaism and go to the temples to worship?


About the Tao of Poo. I have seen both that book and the Piglet one. They sound cool. I though that because of the childrens characters, that they were for kids, though. But I guess not.

Keep the religious stuff flowing, I'm going to go watch Enterprise. Damn it already been on for 20 minutes! Got to go.

[TechMage]