Truly 'good' religions

[Cenotaph]

Buddhism.

However, "good" is extremely subjective. I'm sure many people would consider some aspects of a certain religion to be "good" whereas others would consider those very aspects to be "bad." In my eyes, any sort of belief system which requires the level of faith that religions like Islam, Hinduism, or Christianity has is bad.

 

[September]

Was looking at the Jedi homepage earlier wondering about something. Wondered exactly what the 'selling point' was for a religion which in the movies requires complete celibacy. Site says they can marry so it's not exactly faithful to the mythology.

Lightsabers don't exist either... whereas in the Star Wars universe, the creation of one's Lightsaber is a necessary ritual for every Jedi, and they are supposed to hold their Lightsaber sacred to them and keep it for their entire life.

The most important of Jedi decisions were also decided in a group setting or council... or by a Jedi that was appointed to be their personal teacher/guide/instructor aka their "Master". That doesn't seem to be the case with modern Jedi.

Modern Jedi also don't know enough about war, combat, and battle tactics to claim they accurately portray the epic Jedi of fiction.

The "religion" was developed from a fictional source (but inspired by Buddhism and other religions/ mythologies), so of course some adjustments are going to be made to make it suitable for application in the real world. Without the Force, Lightsabers, Sith, etc... modern Jedi culture cannot match fictional Jedi culture. And thus the modern adherents to that religion have evolved it in their own ways to suit their lifestyle and the culture around them.

Regarding the concept of "love", Jedi were encouraged to be, in some ways... sociopathic lol. "There is no emotion, there is peace". But they were not true sociopaths. They just encouraged mastery and control over one's emotions- so much that through sheer force of will, they did not allow themselves to dwell in anger, or fear, or other feelings that could strongly influence their thoughts and choices. But compassion and kindness to others was encouraged. Humility was respected. Attachment was discouraged. Passion was dangerous. And love... love may be the most dangerous of all emotions. Which is why they avoided it at all costs.... because love can bring a pain that quickly escalates into anger, hate, and the suffering of others. A Jedi who was in pain and went out of control had a myriad of Force powers that could become out of control as well- endangering everyone around them. Love often clouds one's judgment. And because the Jedi lived a dangerous lifestyle, their enemies could seek out their loved ones- if they had any. The Jedi didn't have a family... just the Order. Jedi were taken from a young age and communication with their blood relatives was forbidden... for many of the above reasons.

But without Force powers, Lightsabers, and enemies like the Sith... it's not as dangerous for today's "Jedi" to love. However, if they truly wish to master their emotions... they won't allow themselves to love.

I'm not sure how I feel about the modern "Jedi Religion". Not gonna lie... I got some Jedi in me But I have limited knowlege about how its modern adherants practice their "Jedi" religion. I just tend to study every religion I can, absorbing its strengths and discarding its weaknesses. I know enough about the Star Wars universe that I was able to extract what "Jedi wisdom" I felt could be useful and invaluable for my own path in life... while adhering to nothing but my own True Will.

 

[Tresha91203]

If humans are involved at all, the religion cannot be and remain purely good. Even Buddhists have resorted to violence. I find the teaching that "life is suffering" to be harmful, personally. We humans are prone to anger, violence and the want of control. If we are involved, we influence the direction it goes. The longer we are involved, the more off-track we go, be it government or religion or whatever other institution.

The thing is, religion and government are for us. There is none without us. There will be no perfection in either. You can say that all religion is bunk because none are perfect, and that is fine for you. A lot of good has been done in the name of and through religion, just as a lot of harm has been done. Many people take the good and ignore what they disagree with, and many people take the fire-n-brimstone and ignore the love and forgiveness. It is human nature, not the religion, IMO.

 

[indiajo]

It has ended the search for truth for billions of people in history.

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That's the purpose of religion. To sedate the brain.

 

[Pogo]

It has ended the search for truth for billions of people in history.

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That's the purpose of religion. To sedate the brain.

Religion -- from Latin religare, "to bind tightly".

 

[Avatar4321]

It has ended the search for truth for billions of people in history.

.

That's the purpose of religion. To sedate the brain.

If you believe that, you don't understand it.

 

[Skull Pilot]

How can any religion be truly good unless there is a connection with God. And without God there is no good or evil. They are just constructs of the mind used to control people.

There was good and evil before people recognized any gods and there will be good and evil when people finally give up their belief in the myth of god

 

[Pogo]

How can any religion be truly good unless there is a connection with God. And without God there is no good or evil. They are just constructs of the mind used to control people.

There was good and evil before people recognized any gods and there will be good and evil when people finally give up their belief in the myth of god

Half-agree ... only half because it assumes that such forces ("good" and "evil") actually exist as such...

Arguably that dichotomy is the foundation for the tactic of demonization, which in turn leads to all the aforementioned holy wars, genocides, etc. Just sayin'.

 

[ninja007]

Jesus didn't like religion to much (Pharisees).