the essence of life.

Author: Tradesecret

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If you could articulate the essence of every religion and worldview including atheism in one short sentence, what would it be?

Start with the more well known religions: and add others as you desire.  Try and use a positive tone. 

Buddhism: a movement desiring inner peace with the world and oneself. 

Hindu: a movement hoping to reach enlightenment to be at one with the all in release.

Hebrew: A movement attempting to transform the world into a holy place 

Christianity: a movement trying to reconcile God with humanity through Jesus. 

Islam: a movement seeking a belief in and submission (worship) to Allah.

Atheism: a movement which seeks to understand the world through the eyes of humanity. 


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The only one you got properly correct in a one sentence summary was Islam.
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Scientology: A movement promising enlightenment and self-empowerment for twelve easy starter payments of $399.99.

Oh, all right, I'll be positive. ... At some point. In my life. I assume.
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Okay, let me take a stab at it.

Judaism: Sticking to one's own ethnicity and being loyal to it, ensuring the Jewish people excel.

Hinduism: This was a colonised amalgamation of Shaivism, Vaishnavism and pagan outliers, the underlying message is to celebrate the chaos and journey that we are on and do good if you can.

Daoism/Taoism: Aim for balance, be the one to flow as life naturally leads, leaving drops of good when expedient and not the one to constantly force too much benevolence or too much malice.

Christianity: Embrace all people and give, use guilt and the approval of others as the mechanics of the moral compass.

Islam: Discipline, fear and undying loyalty to Allah and fellow Muslims but unlike Judaism, aim to spread it far and wide to other ethnicities, do not stay insular.

Most Japanese-originating Religions, especially Shinto: Actions define us, not words or emotions.

Buddhism: Discipline and minimalism above all else, shut up and give to your community or end up reborn instead of in Nirvana.

Sikhism: Be natural and respectful of nature to the extreme, be hairy as you can get away with, ready to slay the beasts that may seek to impose against nature.

Wicca and most neopagan religions: Today the sun is out, let us dance, today the moon is out, that is okay we will sacrifice a goat and have an orgy, preferably a lesbian one.

Thanks for reading.
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Okay, let me take a stab at it.

Judaism: Sticking to one's own ethnicity and being loyal to it, ensuring the Jewish people excel.

Hinduism: This was a colonised amalgamation of Shaivism, Vaishnavism and pagan outliers, the underlying message is to celebrate the chaos and journey that we are on and do good if you can.

Daoism/Taoism: Aim for balance, be the one to flow as life naturally leads, leaving drops of good when expedient and not the one to constantly force too much benevolence or too much malice.

Christianity: Embrace all people and give, use guilt and the approval of others as the mechanics of the moral compass.

Islam: Discipline, fear and undying loyalty to Allah and fellow Muslims but unlike Judaism, aim to spread it far and wide to other ethnicities, do not stay insular.

Most Japanese-originating Religions, especially Shinto: Actions define us, not words or emotions.

Buddhism: Discipline and minimalism above all else, shut up and give to your community or end up reborn instead of in Nirvana.

Sikhism: Be natural and respectful of nature to the extreme, be hairy as you can get away with, ready to slay the beasts that may seek to impose against nature.

Wicca and most neopagan religions: Today the sun is out, let us dance, today the moon is out, that is okay we will sacrifice a goat and have an orgy, preferably a lesbian one.

Thanks for reading.
You forgot to mention Jainism.

Jainism is one of the world's oldest religions, originating in India at least 2,500 years ago. The spiritual goal of Jainism is to become liberated from the endless cycle of rebirth and to achieve an all-knowing state called moksha.

Four of the world religions in your list originated in India. 
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Interested in people's views of Mormonism on this site. I live in a high Mormon population area, so it's hard for me to gauge the opinions of people less familiar with them in real life.
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@Tradesecret
The essence of ideological theory perhaps.

Which never quite tallies with the realities of ideological practice.

For example, the ideological zealot will find enlightenment in cutting someone's head off.

Though I fail to see what any of this has to do with the "essence of life".
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@zedvictor4
Though I fail to see what any of this has to do with the "essence of life".


It has nothing at all to with it, Vic lad. The title here is "The essence of life."   But the only single question here is concerned with the essence of religion.  All that education eh. Tut, tut Pfft.
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@Shila
You forgot to mention Jainism.

+ Zoroastrianism. Iran

+ Mandaeans. Iraq. Who still revere John the Baptist and view Jesus as " a liar" and a "deceiver" and also "an evil sorcerer", and are said to have forgiven John the Baptist for baptising Jesus.



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@RationalMadman
The only one you got properly correct in a one sentence summary was Islam.
No right or wrong answers.  I have asked if people can articulate what they think is the essence of each religion and worldview.  I provided some which I thought might provide some answers. My answers were simply for the most part google answers.  


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@RationalMadman
Okay, let me take a stab at it.

Judaism: Sticking to one's own ethnicity and being loyal to it, ensuring the Jewish people excel.

Hinduism: This was a colonised amalgamation of Shaivism, Vaishnavism and pagan outliers, the underlying message is to celebrate the chaos and journey that we are on and do good if you can.

Daoism/Taoism: Aim for balance, be the one to flow as life naturally leads, leaving drops of good when expedient and not the one to constantly force too much benevolence or too much malice.

Christianity: Embrace all people and give, use guilt and the approval of others as the mechanics of the moral compass.

Islam: Discipline, fear and undying loyalty to Allah and fellow Muslims but unlike Judaism, aim to spread it far and wide to other ethnicities, do not stay insular.

Most Japanese-originating Religions, especially Shinto: Actions define us, not words or emotions.

Buddhism: Discipline and minimalism above all else, shut up and give to your community or end up reborn instead of in Nirvana.

Sikhism: Be natural and respectful of nature to the extreme, be hairy as you can get away with, ready to slay the beasts that may seek to impose against nature.

Wicca and most neopagan religions: Today the sun is out, let us dance, today the moon is out, that is okay we will sacrifice a goat and have an orgy, preferably a lesbian one.

Thanks for reading.

Fair enough stab.  I did suggest a bit of positivity in the summaries. Let's see if you can do it again - this time trying to summarise from their own point of view - not your view of what you think they are. 
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@K_Michael
Interested in people's views of Mormonism on this site. I live in a high Mormon population area, so it's hard for me to gauge the opinions of people less familiar with them in real life.
How would you describe the essence of Mormonism.  I would think from their position that they want to see people live in accordance with their teachings not for salvation but for something else. I say that because in their teaching - they believe everyone gets saved. 
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@zedvictor4
The essence of ideological theory perhaps.

Which never quite tallies with the realities of ideological practice.

For example, the ideological zealot will find enlightenment in cutting someone's head off.

Though I fail to see what any of this has to do with the "essence of life".
that's ok Zed, I used the term essence of life - because I wanted us to discuss all of the varieties of worldview which make up life.  Hence the essence of life. It is not the essence of religion - since I also included atheism which is not a religion unless of course you live in USA.  
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@Tradesecret
I would suggest that World View consists of intellectually evolved hominid understanding or misunderstanding of their universal predicament. Which I suppose in one way could be regarded as the essence of the species, but not really the essence of life.

I think that most people take the essence of life for granted. As opposed to the essence of a life.

So yes, the essence of a life might include adherence to a particular ritualised ideology.
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@K_Michael
I personally don't have much of a view of Mormons. I don't believe I've ever met any in real life. In terms of second-hand knowledge, they appear to be a bit more quiet than other sects of Christianity, but maybe that's more to do with them having fewer followers. Although I am not a Christian, I tend to have a profound respect for most organised religions, so i personally don't dislike them. 
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@Tradesecret
--> @RationalMadman
The only one you got properly correct in a one sentence summary was Islam.
No right or wrong answers.  I have asked if people can articulate what they think is the essence of each religion and worldview.  I provided some which I thought might provide some answers. My answers were simply for the most part google answers.  
It is not very reassuring to read you  as a Reverend rely on Google for the most part to provide answers.
Have you tried praying to God directly for answers, Reverend?

Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.


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@Tradesecret
 I would think from their position that they want to see people live in accordance with their teachings not for salvation but for something else. I say that because in their teaching - they believe everyone gets saved. 
Not exactly. Mormons believe in three degrees of glory; the Telestial, Terrestrial, and Celestial Kingdoms. Only those who "receive the ordinances of salvation, keep the commandments, and repent of [their] sins." can enter into the highest Kingdom with God (there are also 3 degrees of Glory within the Celestial Kingdom, but I'm not going into it). Those who live righteously but are not members of the church can enter as high as the Terrestrial Kingdom, which iirc is describing as being like the garden of Eden, but they cannot enter the presence of God. Those who live unrighteously go to the Telestial Kingdom.
There is also those who join Satan in the Outer Darkness. These "sons of perdition" are those who reject Christ and His Atonement.

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@Tradesecret

--> @Tradesecret
 I would think from their position that they want to see people live in accordance with their teachings not for salvation but for something else. I say that because in their teaching - they believe everyone gets saved. 
K_Michael: Not exactly. Mormons believe in three degrees of glory; the Telestial, Terrestrial, and Celestial Kingdoms. Only those who "receive the ordinances of salvation, keep the commandments, and repent of [their] sins." can enter into the highest Kingdom with God (there are also 3 degrees of Glory within the Celestial Kingdom, but I'm not going into it). Those who live righteously but are not members of the church can enter as high as the Terrestrial Kingdom, which iirc is describing as being like the garden of Eden, but they cannot enter the presence of God. Those who live unrighteously go to the Telestial Kingdom.
There is also those who join Satan in the Outer Darkness. These "sons of perdition" are those who reject Christ and His Atonement.

Way to go!!!  The  Reverend gets a lesson on Mormonism.

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Jainism is a branch of Hinduism that insists it is its own religion but the very same core ethics so I could agree and not care too much.

I suspect you are Indian since you know of Jainism.
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@Tradesecret
I actually did that just with some bluntness.

First make the others try.
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--> @Shila
Jainism is a branch of Hinduism that insists it is its own religion but the very same core ethics so I could agree and not care too much.

I suspect you are Indian since you know of Jainism.
Just google Indian religions.

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Indian_religions
Indian religions · Hinduism (16%) · Buddhism (7.1%) · Sikhism (0.35%) · Jainism (0.06%) · Other (76.49%) ...