Is there really much religious choice?

submitted by Cornfed from self.nonmorons

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[–]fschmidt 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (8 children)

Islam today is much like medieval Catholicism which must have appeared to be a hopeless mess at the time. An Islamic reformation is entirely possible, and this would include re-evaluating Hadiths based on common sense. But this is only a choice for a committed Muslim to try. For the rest of us, Islam is useless.

Christianity has more potential since the lessons of the Reformation can be re-applied. To me the obvious choice would be a new form of Anabaptism that rejects non-violence. The Anabaptists are already way ahead of other religions, and a new improved denomination of Anabaptism would have great potential.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

A lot of Christianity had a long history of taking non-violence literally, to the point where the historically Christian Western countries are struggling to protect and defend themselves against invasion of other cultures and un-Western ideas, and most "religious" groups today have been co-opted to resemble more of the one dominant global religion just dressed in religious language. For the enemies to be able to successfully subvert even the religion itself does say a lot for me sometimes. I don't know about you.

[–]Cornfed[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Do the Anabaptists have any intellectual foundation other than the New Testament? If they reject all of the post-Biblical scholarship as paganism and don't have anything to replace it, then this isn't much to go on.

[–]Node 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

post-Biblical scholarship

What is this? What do you mean?

[–]Cornfed[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

The writings of the early Church fathers and scholastic philosophers, for example.

[–]LarrySwinger2 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Isn't "extra-Biblical" a better term, then? Since a lot of it has its origin in ancient Greek philosophy.

[–]fschmidt 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Sorry, I don't know. I would be interested in the answer if you find it.

[–]Cornfed[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

From what I read online, Anabaptists believe the Bible alone is authoritative as interpreted by a given congregation, which is no good IMO.

[–]Node 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

as interpreted by a given congregation

It's good if their assessment is accurate. That particular phrase leaves a lot of room for variations that can't be valid.