NonChristian Thought

[Proinsias]

Is any of it of interest to you?
I realise there is a kinship with Judasim but outwith this is there anything you like about other religions? Perhaps parts of scripture or theological writing.
What do you think of the Buddha? Are the four noble truths or the eightfold path of any value?
Are the diverse beliefs within Hinduism worth exploring?
Could people with great religious insight have expressed their thoughts in a non-Christian manner?
Is there anything of value in the Koran?
Has thousands of years of indigenous folk religion provided anything beyond compost for Christianity?

[MarcusOfLycia]

Is any of it of interest to you?
I realise there is a kinship with Judasim but outwith this is there anything you like about other religions? Perhaps parts of scripture or theological writing.
What do you think of the Buddha? Are the four noble truths or the eightfold path of any value?
Are the diverse beliefs within Hinduism worth exploring?
Could people with great religious insight have expressed their thoughts in a non-Christian manner?
Is there anything of value in the Koran?
Has thousands of years of indigenous folk religion provided anything beyond compost for Christianity?

Based on my Christian worldview, I truly believe that all people are created in God's image and have longings for Him that nothing else can fill. When people try other methods and cast shadows of who He really is, to me it just confirms this universal longing.

I've explored other belief systems - especially other denominations within Christianity (some of which I really don't consider to be Christian at all but people throw them in anyway most of the time). Did I find 'value' in doing so? Yeah... but mainly because it helped me see the difference between what I believe and what others believe. Jesus is the final word... and I don't need the words of other people to help me understand who God because of Him.

A common thing for people to do today (and... well... its been common for thousands of years) is to pick the things they like best about different religions and create their own buffet of parts of religions and throw away the stuff they don't like. I never understood the popularity, because only one religion can be fully correct (there are wayyyy too many contradictions between them all).

[B. W.]

Is any of it of interest to you?
What do you think of the Buddha? Are the four noble truths or the eightfold path of any value?

Are the diverse beliefs within Hinduism worth exploring?

Could people with great religious insight have expressed their thoughts in a non-Christian manner?
Is there anything of value in the Koran?

Has thousands of years of indigenous folk religion provided anything beyond compost for Christianity?

All you mentioned above are based on human self works to achieve nobility or earn/trade favor with god or gods or achieve nihilism’s hum of Platonic thought of oneness with force/god/etc.

Basically declare in diverse ways, knowingly or unknowingly to the participants, that their deeds/dealing making, earning divine favor are better than what God can do. In essences, bottom line of such reasoning is to cause god/gods/universal nebulas force to bow and serve them who practice such things.

Biblical Christianity is different – unique in that you must rely on God’s grace alone for His salvific work alone to save and transform you. You can’t earn favor with God or manipulate his actions through efforts. So you have one way that is far different than all other ways, like a one way traffic sign pointing a truth out to anyone who wants to hear and see, back to God alone.

Judaism is close for Christianity came out of this system but Judaism is still a works based religion in many diverse ways to earn God’s favor. They are still God’s covenant people who God alone deals with due to his promises and word spoken long ago. Ancient Babylonian, Hittite, Assyrian, religions have ceased, yet the Jewish people defy history and still are a people along that one way roadway that points toward God, still needing to rely on the Lord to save.

A New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31c) was made in which non-Jews can enter the promises made by God, because the Old Covenant was for identifying what sin is, consequences of sin, and its purpose was to point out that only God can save (Isaiah 45:21, 22c) from indwelling sins that seek to tempt and test God. Judaism still relies on self works to earn favor with God is diverse ways, yet, the quote from Isaiah says what and points to whom to depend on – self or God alone?

The other systems you point too, all fall short. This does not mean that there is some good in them, but the goodness they produce cannot save nor earn ones way back to the divine, it instead seek to make the divine subservient to human dictations. That declare human ways are better than God's way.

Isaiah 45:20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25c is in profound disagreement with all human efforts . Again another One Way Road marker pointing out truth that is far different from all others. That decision to travel that road, is your own, choose wisely.
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[kevdog19]

Every belief system has it's uses. To many people are out there trying to peg down the system they believe is true which is lame because once you decide you've found the truth you stop asking quistions and stop growing spirtually. Try to see if you can believe a certain belief system to be true and then the next day believe another one is true and then the next day that there both equally true, then abandon them both and start again. You will find your will and mind will expand.