As a Christian, I really appreciate this question. It makes a lot of sense to me that you need fact to back up your beliefs...I feel the same way. I am not a scholar on the subject, but I have researched and there is a TON of evidence for the life and death of Jesus. He was, in fact, a historical figure (Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel is by a former atheist who tried to prove Jesus didn't exist. It's written like a novel and is super interesting even if you don't agree with him). I think it was C.S. Lewis that said if Jesus was a historical figure, and if you look at what he said, there are only three options...Jesus was either a total liar, a total lunatic, or he really is God. There is no room, between historical evidence and who Jesus himself claimed to be, for the Western notion that he was a "good teacher" or "just one of many" or some "happy little Jewish prophet man." He was either bonkers or Christ.

Oh wow, I love both these questions. I don't think I've heard anyone ask them before. I'm a born-again Christian. I say "born again" because when people think of Christians they often envision the Catholic church...which I would never want to be associated with, haha. My Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus, and I try to the best of my ability to follow only that and not any tradition or denomination or preacher. Question 1: Hell does not pose a threat at all for me. Because I believe that Jesus paid the price for my sins, I never have to worry about hell...ever. I'm not going there. If you are wondering why I would still live a good life even if I don't have punishment looming over my head...it's because that's the right thing to do and the example Jesus set. Love one another as I have loved you, sort of thing. I'll answer 2 in the next comment.

It's human nature to want to be right. Being "right" makes you superior to those that are "wrong". It's also human nature to keep believing they are "right" and to only acknowledge the evidence that supports that belief. I always thought that Heaven sounded a lot like a gated community that wanted to keep out the riff raff and was very exclusive. I respect those that have TRUE belief and live by those beliefs but find that most people tend to be hypocrites.

especially the stupid clickbait ones that are obviously fake and just fishing for likes/affirmation like "mY mIL kiCkEd a hOmELeSs pErsOn aNd sToLE hIs dOG bUt i sTOppEd hEr nOw i fEEl bAd AITA??"

in my church we believe that he was God is the form of a man.

I think that is kind of strange because in the us constitution it states that people have the freedom of religion yet it says in god we trust on the US currency so it seems to me that the government just tolerates other religions. However to answer your question I just stand up to avoid arguments but I won't state the pledge

Well I can’t speak about Hinduism, but I can tell you that Muslim and Islam are the same. Followers of Islam are Muslims. Fasting is considered an act of worship in Islam, an exercise in patience and gratitude. It is only mandatory for one month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan, and only for those who are able. Generally speaking, people with medical conditions, children, pregnant, or menstruating don’t have to fast. If you intend to fast, you cannot eat or drink from sunrise to sunset, and should abstain from swearing and engaging in behaviors harmful to oneself or others. One should abstain from those in general, but the punishment is more severe for doing it in that state.

IMHO? Without religion, people still are greedy, violent, etc.

This is a religious issue rather than a medical one. Both the Old and New Testaments clearly command us to abstain from blood. (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10; Deuteronomy 12:23; Acts 15:28, 29) Also, God views blood as representing life. (Leviticus 17:14) So we avoid taking blood not only in obedience to God but also out of respect for him as the Giver of life.

A newborn baby is not inherently sinful. Several Christian denominations don't baptize babies. These denominations wait until a person is old enough to decide for themselves whether or not to be baptized. If a baby dies before being baptized, he/she will still get into heaven.

Leave the church. I did it forty years ago almost, over the misogyny in Catholicism. Quit the team. My conscience (ironically, nice strict Catholic conscience!) forbid me to continue in an organization that ran counter to the preaching of Jesus (love, acceptance, healing)

Haven't heard the line-the-inside-of-the-hijab one before, but that's an interesting take. Honestly the hijab keeps us warmer than people without a hijab. We could just wear a hood on top of it as well. Yes, there are waterproof hijabs as well. And it doesn't matter what we cover our hair and neck with, as long as they're covered (ft. the infamous 'blanket hijab' one wore during lockdown when picking up the fiftieth Amazon package)

Because we are losing a dear friend. Of course we're happy that our friend is going to heaven, but it hurts to lose a good friend, spouse, relative, etc. It's sad when a young person or child is killed or died of illness.

I may be wrong but as a Christian, I think we have to follow the laws in the New Testament, not the Old Testament. However, humans are flawed, and will still sin, which is why we ask for forgiveness. However, we have to take the necessary steps to not sin again.

In Christianity you don't need to do anything except believe in Jesus and ask for forgiveness and God will forgive you. Jesus came to die for your sin and take the punishment for it so you wouldn't have to go to hell. He didn't pick and choose which sins to forgive he loves you so much he'll just forgive them all.

Okay but I love this so much!🤣 As a Christian it always bothered me so much that we portray God as being this big serious old man in the sky. I mean, He's the guy who designed the platypus and llamas and pigs...how could He not have the most hilarious sense of humor?!! Have you ever seen a baby parrot? And God was like, "Yup, I love it."😂 I personally find that joyful people have great senses of humor and if God wants us to be joyful, why would He be so serious Himself?

Not a Sikh but Google tells me that the way of tying them.is just stylish. However the colours mean different things

For me personally: If I am wrong and there is a God would they be more insulted that I hedged my bets by praying to them insincerely just to avoid Hell or that I chose to not believe in them at all and didn't fake it.

Jesus treated men and women as equals. His disciples consisted of both men and women (note I said disciples, not apostles, and there is a difference between them)

I’d still be as friendly as I currently am to them, but won’t pursue any further relationship. I’m going through that right now - homophobic guy in my friend group. I’m nice to him, I talk to him, but I wouldn’t ask him to hang out with me (that being said, i wouldnt directly exclude him as he is always nice to me).

Hopefully, I'd feel a terrible void within. Probably, I wouldn't know.

this is kinda mean but they're just plain dumb.

I'm always willing to listen but honestly, my religion just makes sense lol - that’s why I chose it. But it's not a "my religion vs your religion", just mutual respect

For me, it's like having an invisible father and an invisible brother, who give me unconditional love, remind me that all humans are my brothers and sisters, and (for the brother) set an example for me to follow. I find some Christians exhausting, but I try to not judge them, considering that God alone knows the depths of their souls. The Holy Spirit may very well be active there, even if I don't see its effects.

If I am correct (and if I'm not, PLEASE correct me), Buddhism is more of a way of living than an actual religion, in that they don't have a diety, they follow. The Buddha was a man who achieved enlightenment, not a god.

I have been blessed in my life to know many truly wonderful Christians. Loving, kind, caring people, who would rather die than judge. I tell myself that those people are Christians. The others are better referred to as blasphemers

Tiring... i really want to sleep :]

There's more to it than the divorce. The Papacy was not just a religious position at that time, but also a political position. So you can read more about the Papal States and the authority of the Pope. There was also this event of 'The Reformation'. At the time the Pope and Catholic Church would see 'Indulgences', basically a way for the church to get money, and to allow people to buy a ticket to heaven.' It was awful. The Reformers said, we shouldn't listen to the Pope as providing the words of God, we should just read the Bible. So the Reformers started translating the bible into English and German. This was against the rules at the time.

It would probably be like forcing religion onto people, which would go against the 1st Amendment, so in short, I don't think it'd be a good idea

As a Catholic, I believe (I cannot speak for every Catholic, everyone is different) that God has always *been*. Time isn't really a concept to Him

We believe in Isa but as a messenger of God rather than God Himself - we don't believe Isa was divine, just a man preaching the message. He has a very high status amongst the messengers.

Drink water ;) On a more serious note, we just wear thin and light clothing/hijabs, it’s not really a problem tbh and it can be quite easily dealt with!

Full disclosure: I am an atheist. I do believe that Jesus was a real person, I DO NOT believe he was divine. Prophet not Messiah -It seems to me as if Christians (not ALL Christians, but you know who) have an inferiority complex when it comes to Judaism. They know their religion wouldn't exist without yours, but hate acknowledging it. -Christians seem to forget that Jesus never intended to create a spin-off called Christianity. He was basically like Moses. Believers had moved too far away from the teachings of the Torah and he just wanted to get things back on track. -I also think that the animosity for Jews has a lot to do with the fact that Judaism is not just a religion but also genetic. Jew by faith and by birth, which makes you a double threat to those that hate and/or those that need to feel superior. Basically, it boils down to ignorance and envy.

Woah literally everyone got downvoted by answering the question based on their beliefs?!

Free will

In a simple sense, there is no living without suffering. We have to suffer to grow and change, even if I hate in and dislike God for making these things happen sometimes

It’s a result of original sin, taking and eating forbidden fruit. Jesus effectively put the fruit back for “us” but it only counts if you study him and accept God into your heart. Those with faith loathe bad things happening but in some ways it’s a test of faith which is also why they happen and will continue to happen until the day of judgement

Because an infinitely powerful being blames his finite creation for the flaws in his design, apparently.

No water for Muslims

Please correct me if I'm wrong. A god is any direct descendant from the first god. A demigod is part god and part human. A diety is any being that resides in heaven or hell, including angels, demons, and dead people's souls.

Our God is the Creator of the Universe worshiped in many forms from the beginning. Like Paul points out to the Greeks even they had an "unknown God" - Acts 17:22-23 Just because we worship Him He wasn't exclusively ours and nobody else's. Adam, Cain, Abel, Noah all predates any Pharaoh. And the Bible makes it clear He is the same God they worshiped. He was also Abraham's, Isaac's, Moses', Jesus' and eventually Mohamed's God. What historical point? The Ten Commandments starts with: "You shall have no other gods before me." As for people born earlier "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love" - Eph 1:3-4 Well, I don't understand why me, but God always liked to choose imperfect people. The Bible is chuck full of them as His heroes: coward, brutes, angry, unfaithful, etc.

Whatever your religion I will never hate you because you practise that religion. Only reason for me to hate you is if you are a giant douchebag.

With all due respect without any malice or sarcasm: if you believe Jesus was "only" a prophet and not the Son of the Creator how are you a Christian? I don't want to hurt you, I just want to hear your reasoning.

Each one has attributes. My ex was a yogi who liked Ganesh, the elephant god, who removes obstacles.

its gross and the old testament doesn't even have Christ so not really Christians. so they are basically just using religion to be awful people. it makes me sad.

"Love your neighbor as you love yourself"

my mom

I've always wondered this. in Islam the only reason we refer to God as a He is because of the Arabic linguistics. The noun 'Allah' is masculine so all the verbs are conjugated in referenec to that. When speaking in English it's more for ease of reference. But God created gender so God's beyond gender

I know this question might seem facetious, but I generally wonder why a god would not give any further instruction. Or perhaps He did and no-one wrote it down. How would one even apply to write the next book of the Bible?

Jesus spoke of 2 groups of his followers, the little flock Luke 12:32: "Have no fear, little flock, for your Father has approved of giving you the Kingdom." Revelation 5: 9, 10 talks about Jesus buying people for God with his blood - vs 9:"and you made tham to be a kingdom and priests to our God and they are to rule as kings over the earth." Revelation 14: 1 gives us the number 144,000. This group or little flock are raised to heaven to rule over the earth when Jesus receives the Kingdom. The rest of mankind has a chance to be in the group mentioned in John 10: 16:" & I have other sheep which are not of this fold; those too I. must bring in and they will listen to my voice and they will become one flock, one shepherd". This unnumbered group is pictured in Revelation 7: 9, 10 as "a great crowd which no man was able to number" standing before the throne and the Lamb. Most of Jehovah's Witnesses have the hope of being part of this great crowd, living as humans on a paradise earth

1 Timothy 2:5-6 says “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, a man, Jesus Christ, who gave himself, a corresponding ransom for all…”. So for the trinity claim that all three are equal to be true, there would have to be three mediators, but only Jesus became a human and died for us, so that throws out the equality theory. Jesus also stated in Mark 10:18 “Why do you call me good? Nobody is good, except one; God.” John 8:17-18 Jesus says “The witness of two men is true. I am the one that bears witness about myself and the father who sent me bears witness about me”. Therefore, they have to be two separate entities, how else could they qualify as two separate witnesses? Also….if all three have the same power, why does Luke 5:17 say Jesus’s father was the one who provided power so Jesus could perform miraculous healings? The Father obviously has more power, so they can’t be equal. John 14:28…The father is greater than I am 1Corinthians 11:3. The head of Christ is God

I'm a Muslim and we don't eat pork (or drink alcohol). Short answer to the why? Because God said so 🤷

I'm just satisfied with the answer, "I don't know, but maybe one day humans will gain an understanding of this". I don't believe in the supernatural so a supernatural explanation wouldn't track for me.

I find the irony of Scientology being invented by a Science Fiction author, quite hilarious.

I’m an atheist and of course know that the Earth is round and not the center of the universe. I also know that the great majority of religious people believe the same thing. But for some people who take the Bible and the Quran literally, they do honestly believe in a flat Earth, with Heaven literally physically above them. And they believe that governments and scientists are either fooled by or are in league with Satan to hide the “truth.” But true believer Flat Earthers are pretty rare.

Depends on the religion, I think. In Islam, all you need to do is believe that there is only one God and that Muhammad is His final messenger, and you're set. Some people like to say the shahadah (the statement I just said above) in front of witnesses like a sheikh but that's not necessary to become a Muslim.

So it's called the niqab and it's optional. Majority of Muslim women just wear the hijab, which covers the hair and neck but leaves the face uncovered. And wearing a niqab has much better breathability than a COVID mask.

It signifies that a Jew has been placed under the covenant between Abraham and G-d. Also to quote my teacher who sadly died last year: "Babies don't have the same feeling of pain as we do. To them it would be like: Huh, I got hurt but I don't know where"

In Islam we definitely don't agree with LGBTQ+. We 100% accept that all these issues and feelings are real and valid - and in and of themselves, having the feeling is not a sin - but acting on it is. Honestly it's helped me realise that disagreement is not disrespect. I'll refer to you by your preferred pronouns and won't push my views on you at all, but that's what I believe. :)

Even Christianity has a pantheon, seraphim, cherabim, thrones, powers, angels, arch angels, apostles and saints

waiting for someone to answer this as an atheist lesbian

I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school but as I aged and learned to think critically I just came to realize that I couldn't believe anymore. If anything, being an atheist has made me more appreciative of the world and the people in it than I was when I thought there was some sort of being controlling everything.