I have been reading THe Idiot's Guide to World Religions,…

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Posted by: crunchy Original: 9/26/2003 10:19 PM Views: 1 Comments: 3 eProps: 4 Read Comments Post a Comment Back to Your Xanga Site

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Friday, September 26, 2003

I have been reading THe Idiot's Guide to World Religions, by Brandon Toropov and Fr. Luke Buckles. It seems very complete, and I am learning a lot. I highly recommend it to anyone who would like a good overview of the multitude of faiths we are blessed with on this planet. It has a bibliography page of the actual scriptures of the "major" faiths, as well as reading recommendations for most, so there are many tangents to follow up on, if one wishes.

Anyway, there is a quote at the end of the book by Gandhi that I just love:
I consider myself a Hindu, Christian, Moslem, Jew, Buddhist, and Confucian.
-Mahatma Gandhi

Yeah!!! I like the thought that one can embrace the many religious traditions as "Truth"...accept the "many faces of God" (Goddess/Divine) and benefit fromt the wisdom all have to offer. I wonder if we would have a more peaceful world if there was a greater tendancy for people to think of the Divine as being expressed through all the ways that are sacred to humans...all over the globe.

Posted 9/26/2003 10:19 PM - 1 view - 3 comments

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3 Comments

I agree, I liked that book too, theres something about those idiot books!

Posted 9/27/2003 6:24 AM by grovergirl - reply

What religious tradition was Gandhi raised in?

Posted 9/29/2003 12:52 PM by leafylady - reply

SInce he was raised in India, I am assuming he was raised in the Hindu tradition.

I just went back to a website I had been reading about Gandhi Leafy, to see if it mentions his native tradition. I found this passage on his beliefs of religion:

THOUGH THE MEANING of religion in the Hindu concept of Dharma is not without complexities, Gandhi tried to make it broad enough to lend it a universal character. His idea of religion was not totally esoteric. He knew that every religion was connected with some belief system supported by rituals. He tried to get rid of the rituals as far as possible. To Gandhi religion was a human institution made by human ingenuity to solve practical affairs as well as spiritual matters.

His oft-quoted passages can be cited. He said "By religion, I do not mean formal religion, or customary religion, but that religion which underlies all religions, which brings us face to face with our Maker. It is the permanent element in human nature which counts no cost too great in order to find full expression and which leaves the soul utterly restless until it has found itself. Again, he observed : "Religion which takes no account of practical affairs and does not help to solve them, is no religion. He did not define religion in exact and definitive language. One of his attempts was to bring religion closer to common man. In that regard his was functional. But most of the times Gandhi felt that religion could not be understood without knowing its relation with God.- taken from mk gandhi website

Posted 9/29/2003 3:53 PM by crunchy