Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Ask your selves, are you a pluralist?

How does a pluralist view things? If you have specific questions, please send to info@foundationforpluralism.com

Questions to ask oneself

What do you believe about the origins of the earth and man?

God did it, in seven days

Yeah, but "seven days" is a metaphor

Angels helped God make man from different colors of earth

A powerful God, Brahma, created it from a lotus flower

What is important is my role on earth, not its creation

The Big Bang

Not sure

Someone smacks you in the face. What is your response?

Turn the other cheek

An eye for an eye, you hit him back to defend yourself

Seriously, his parents didn't raise him right

Bad karma will get him back

Non violence is the best path, even if I get beat up

I don't see what this has to do with religion

There's a spider in your shower, what do you do?

Kill it, it's just a spider

Just shower, it's only a spider

Let it get washed down the drain, then feel bad

Move it out of the shower

Pick it up in a tissue and gently take it outside

Spiders eat mosquitoes, leave it

How would you prefer to pray?

Kneeling before bed

Saying grace before meals

Once in the morning and once at night

Kneeling and standing, throughout the day

Incense and an offering of food

Repeat a mantra and use prayer beads

As Prescribed by my Religion

At a Starbucks

What day do you consider most sacred?

Saturday

Sunday

Every day

None of the days

Why do you pray?

I don't see a reason to pray

Forgiveness

Betterment

To praise and serve God

To recognize the power of the creator

I meditate to clear my mind and seek inner-peace

What do you not eat?

Pork

Cheeseburgers

Meat on Friday

Meat at all

Beef

Day old Sushi

What do you think about Charity?

I give to foundations

I give a little bit every week during services

I give a percentage of my income to the institution

I give to individuals on the street

It is one of the pillars of a good life

Which of these activities gives you inner peace?

Repenting and seeking forgiveness

Seeking and finding the deep inner truths in religious texts

Praying directly to God

Yoga

Meditating

A long nature hike

How do you identify with religious holidays?

A formal family dinner with services

A big meal with lots of food and lots of people

Fasting

Thanksgiving is my holiday of choice

Offerings to my God

What do you think happens when you die?

You will be reborn depending on how you lived your last life

You will be reborn and suffer again

You will go to heaven or hell

You hope to ascend to paradise

You turn into plant food

How would you like your body to be treated when you die?

Cremation is a must for me

Burial

Lay me to rest in a peaceful place

It doesn't matter at all

What do you think of divorce?

Divorce is not possible

Only if absolutely necessary

If it was not meant to be then it is okay

Who is the greatest spiritual leader on the planet today?

Dali Lama

The Pope

Billy Graham

Imam W. Deen Mohammed

There are several great Yogis

There are several great rabbis

How do you hope your good deeds on earth will be repaid in the afterlife?


You're reunited with your family and friends

You live for eternity in Heaven

You're showered with riches in Heaven

You're reincarnated to a better life

There is no afterlife

How do you expect your bad deeds on earth to be punished in the afterlife?

You go to Hell

You do your time in Purgatory

Nothing, if you confess your sins

You're reincarnated to a worse life

Doesn't matter, there is no afterlife

YOUR COMMENTS ON PLURALISM

Our Mission is to encourage individuals to develop an open mind and an open heart toward their follow beings. If we can learn to accept and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of the 7 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. We believe that knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of a different point of view.

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Foundation for Pluralism, Studies in Religious Pluralism & Pluralistic Societies
2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206, Dallas, TX 75234 (214) 325-1916

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