Please post the pitfalls of religion in this thread.

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InterfaithForums.com-Where your ideas and beliefs count.

One of the biggest, smugness... that sense of undeserved and unjustified self-congratulation. It's worse in some religions and sects than others; in my experience it is worst amongst pentacostal Christains, but that is only an opinion.

Another big one is the tendancy to rush to judgment...which often reveals an awful lot of bad judgment, if you ask me.

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Grassaf, Eolas

imo: being closed-minded to others beliefs because they differ from one's own. this can lead to prejudice and aarogance. this also encompasses people of the same religion who are closed-minded towards other's religious/scriptural interpretation.

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[belief is NOT the same as TRUTH]

Possibly a tendency to stop questioning once a dogmatic truth is declared.

Determining whether a revelation is actually from God, or is the construct of a well-meaning or malevolent human must be impossible.

When confronted with multiple, seemingly contradictory revelations of truth, making them agree takes endless work of the apologists, and even then doesn't usually suffice, which results in schism (the breaking apart of a religious community).

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evangelicalhumanist: Greek "eu"=good and "angelos"=messenger. Spreading the good news of Humanism.

I've mentioned this in other posts, but it fits well here:

Seven Signs of Spiritual Slavery

1. You must believe that the source of the teachings is not a mere human being. Therefore you will believe that your thoughts, and those of other humans, are inferior and ultimately illusory.

2. You are given the threat of spiritual or physical punishment should you cease to follow the teachings. Therefore you will fear to look in places that may reveal other truths.

3. You are led to believe that human suffering is necessary for the eventual betterment of mankind. Therefore you can never dedicate the wholeness of your being to squelching human turmoil.

4. You are taught that your very nature is a transgression against "right". Therefore you will resist that which would bring you joy by authority of your nature.

5. You are led to believe that your salvation extends solely from the will of a particular supernatural force or entity. Therefore you will fear to resist its will and place yourself in subservience to it.

6. You are given the promise of immortality. Therefore in dreading death you will fear to question the teachings.

7. You must have unquestioning faith in the teachings. Therefore you will never know the truth of any other.

The assumption that one religion possesses the only truth can (and has, and still does) lead to efforts to strip away the religious beliefs of others in order to convert them.

Consider all missionary movements of the past.

Consider especially the Lausanne Movement, started by Billy Graham, and already planning it's next congress for 2010 International Congress on World Evangelization in Capetown, South Africa.

To evangelize the world is another way of saying to eradicate the existing religious beliefs of those evangelized, to be replaced with the evangelizer's own religious beliefs.

Not that we should assume this will lead to any conflict or hardship. When has it ever, after all?

But here's a thought -- if a Christian missionary converts a Muslim in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or any of a host of other countries, the convert is automatically eligible for the sentence of death for apostasy.

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evangelicalhumanist: Greek "eu"=good and "angelos"=messenger. Spreading the good news of Humanism.

I think the pitfalls of any path is the fault of the individual and not the religion. It is each persons responsibility to think for themselves and take responsibility for his/her life.

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InterfaithForums.com-Where your ideas and beliefs count.

Now, now! Remember, this is not the time for criticism or problem-solving. We're just listing at this point.

The Essential Rules of Brainstorming.

1. Collect as many ideas as possible from all participants with no criticisms or judgments made while ideas are being generated.
2. All ideas are welcome no matter how silly or far out they seem. Be creative. The more ideas the better because at this point you don't know what might work.
3. Absolutely no discussion takes place during the brainstorming activity. Talking about the ideas will take place after brainstorming is complete.
4. Do not criticize or judge. Don't even groan, frown, or laugh. All ideas are equally valid at this point.
5. Do build on others' ideas.
6. Do write all ideas on a flipchart or board so the whole group can easily see them.

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evangelicalhumanist: Greek "eu"=good and "angelos"=messenger. Spreading the good news of Humanism.

Then don't criticize. I believe a pitfall of any path is an individual not taking responsibility for themselves.

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InterfaithForums.com-Where your ideas and beliefs count.

I agree everyone needs to take responsibility for their own life /actions but people do like to blame other people for their prolbems too it just isn't right. alot of people do that to me without realizing they are doing that to you.

Take me for instance i am just now open to religion i always believed but i never really investagated it till now i was uncertain god was what i needed because i had a hard time to believe in something i can't see but then i learn he is inside us now i am understanding all of it i just need to learn to keep an open mind on everything in life not be so set in my ways.