Mariner
Active Member
Why should a religion necessarily have fixed concepts?
To me, this is a characteristic of the big 3 Mideast religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).
Buddhism and Hinduism provide plenty of flexibility and a wide choice of directions and paths to various spiritual experiences. Yoga, for example, simply means "joining," and refers to any of many paths (including the physical yoga practices called "yoga" in the West) to enlightenment, to joining the individual's soul with the universal soul (or God, if you want to call it that). Many Hindus have a guru, a personal adviser who helps them find a good path. Zen Buddhism provides an extreme example of a faith practically without doctrine.
Fixed beliefs and ritualized practices are no doubt very comforting to their believers, but they do raise problems.
Besides, the Catholic church has changed its beliefs many times. Celibacy, for example, was invented around 1200 if I remember right, in order to discourage priests' heirs from inheriting church property. It's not found in the Bible (to my knowledge--I'm no expert--someone correct me if wrong) or in early church writing.
Mariner.
PS I certainly hope they don't do away with Limbo since, as a Hindu, I was counting on it in case Catholicism turned out to be the one true religion after all. I promise, in return, that Hindus won't bar Catholics from the opportunity to escape the wheel of birth and death.
To me, this is a characteristic of the big 3 Mideast religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).
Buddhism and Hinduism provide plenty of flexibility and a wide choice of directions and paths to various spiritual experiences. Yoga, for example, simply means "joining," and refers to any of many paths (including the physical yoga practices called "yoga" in the West) to enlightenment, to joining the individual's soul with the universal soul (or God, if you want to call it that). Many Hindus have a guru, a personal adviser who helps them find a good path. Zen Buddhism provides an extreme example of a faith practically without doctrine.
Fixed beliefs and ritualized practices are no doubt very comforting to their believers, but they do raise problems.
Besides, the Catholic church has changed its beliefs many times. Celibacy, for example, was invented around 1200 if I remember right, in order to discourage priests' heirs from inheriting church property. It's not found in the Bible (to my knowledge--I'm no expert--someone correct me if wrong) or in early church writing.
Mariner.
PS I certainly hope they don't do away with Limbo since, as a Hindu, I was counting on it in case Catholicism turned out to be the one true religion after all. I promise, in return, that Hindus won't bar Catholics from the opportunity to escape the wheel of birth and death.
