Questions tagged [comparative-religion]
Systematic comparison of doctrines and practices of world religions
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What's the difference between apostasy and heresy?
Apostasy
Apostasy (/əˈpɒstəsi/; Greek: ἀποστασία apostasía, 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be ...
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Why is Judaism's ten commandments different from Catholicism's? [duplicate]
I was reading a Tampa Bay Times article published on 5 March 2005, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant commandments differ, which prompted my question: Why is Judaism's ten commandments different from ...
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What is the difference, if any, between "unclean spirits" (Mark 5:2) and "demons" (Matthew 8:16)?
I realized today that when I used the word "demons" I was thinking of evil spirits of all varieties, including human beings that work evil from the spirit world. But others believe the word &...
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Does God ever answer prayers from non-believers?
Does God ever answer prayers from people that aren’t Christian or even from other religions? From what I see, it looks as if Scripture tends to say no. For example:
We know that God does not listen ...
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What are Christian explanations for the similarities between ecstatic spiritual experiences of Christians and those of other religions?
My question is motivated a recent realization of a concrete example.
In Tibetan Buddhism there is a spiritual practice known as Tummo. According to Wikipedia:
Tummo is also a tantric practice for ...
user50422
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What is the minimum necessary description of God?
I'm interested in a hypothetical scenario where two people, one Protestant, the other of non-specified faith, are discussing their concept of God. What would be a reasonable minimum set of ...
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Can or do Catholic religious education curricula teach children about other religions?
Catholics are not excluded from studying other religions. In fact several Catholic scholars have become experts on Buddhism and Islam.
But should a child study other religions? Is there any advice ...
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What is the Mormon explanation for the origins of Islam?
I think a basic description for origins of both these religions would be "Charismatic prophet claims that pre-existing Abrahamic scripture is corrupt, but an angel has given him revelation that ...
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What are the main differences between the God of the Bible and God of Quran? [closed]
The Bible reveals the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob progressively from the first book Genesis to the last book Revelations. The teachings of the Prophets and the Apostles not only concur with each ...
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Why don’t Christians accept Muhammad as the true prophet?
Jews had prophets and received Scriptures from those prophets. Later, came Christians who had apostles and through them received Scriptures. Still later, Muslims come along and they have one prophet ...
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Does the divine council in Psalm 82 correspond to different religions that we see in the world today? [closed]
I read the book Unseen Realm by Michael Heiser a few years ago. In that book, Dr. Heiser begins the book by talking about how Psalm 82 opened his eyes to the council of multiple gods in the divine ...
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According to Christianity, to what extent can non-Christians develop and manifest the fruit of the Spirit?
Galatians 5:22-24 (ESV):
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those ...
user50422
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What is the the difference between the monotheism of Trinitarian Christianity and Judaism?
If both Judaism and Trinitariansm are monotheistic, Jesus being a jew, do both faiths have the same God?
If the word mono means one, single how can it be explained logically that 3 is 1 and 1 is 3?
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How do Christians who emphasize the "religion vs. relationship" dichotomy respond to claims of "relationship with God" in other religions?
Many Christians emphasize the importance of having an actual relationship with God/Jesus as opposed to merely being religious. The previously asked question What is the origin of the "religion vs....
user50422
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What do Jews and Christians agree with in the Bible?
What is the bible such that contains the intersection, of agreement in the word, between Jews and Christians? It seems that it's the
Torah, is this correct? Are there more books?
I said intersection ...
user52179
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What problem does Christianity solve for us?
What is it that only Christianity does for us that we can't do for ourselves, and that no other religion solves? All religions with a God (or gods) claim that their God is real (or their gods are real)...
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The Christian Duck Test? [closed]
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
There is arguably little difference between the lifestyle of the Stoic and the lifestyle of the ...
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Comparative religion textbooks from a Catholic viewpoint
Most Catholic text books about religion are about Catholicism, I asked my high-school aged daughter what she wants to study next year for religion class and she said she's like to know about other ...
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How do Christians make sense of exorcisms in other religions?
Jesus in Matthew 12 appears to give a compelling argument against the possibility of demons casting out other demons:
22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus ...
user50422
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Are there Christian equivalents for the four sublime attitudes or brahmaviharas of Buddhism (metta, karuna, mudita, upekkha)?
The brahmaviharas are four sublime mental states recognized by Buddhism and for which there exist different meditative practices designed to cultivate them. Concretely, the brahmaviharas are:
Metta (...
user50422
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Did Christianity originate from Zoroastrianism and Judaism [closed]
I was researching the history of Satan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan) and came across the following explanation about Zoroastrianism' influence on Christianity,
Is this a debated theory? Is ...
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On what basis do Evangelical apologists argue that Muhammad committed sin?
Muhammad claimed to be a Prophet of God, even God's last Prophet. As such his life should have been godly.
There is not much of his life revealed in the Quran. What is spoken of sometimes needs one ...
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Evangelical Christians claim Jerusalem was destroyed in either 587 or 586 BCE. What is the evidence?
Whereas Jehovah's Witnesses believe Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 BC, many evangelical Christians who write on such things believe it was destroyed in either 587 or 586 BCE.
Is there any Biblical ...
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Why do today's Christians never express any kind of criticism against other religions? [closed]
I've been listening to local and far-away Christian radio stations for a long time.
What strikes me is that, not even once, have I heard them (any of them) say a single word that could in any way be ...
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What Christianity offers which other religions cannot? [closed]
Every religion has its own uniqueness. However, most of the religions have some common grounds to relate to other religions.
Many Christians believe that the Christian faith is not only unique as a ...
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Is thinking of God as a Loving Father specific to Christianity?
I was looking to respond to someone who sent me a Christopher Hitchens video saying that nothing would be different if Jesus never existed and I was thinking of all the ways this is dead wrong. One ...
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Do any priests or any Jews disagree with the two below statements? [closed]
Allah Said in the Holy Quran:
You will surely find the most intense of the people in animosity toward the believers [to be] the Jews and those who associate others with Allah; and you will find the ...
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Which biblical verses indicate that Jesus was a messenger? [closed]
Is Malachi 3 evidence that Jesus is a messenger?
“1 I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then
suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the
messenger ...
user45796
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Do any Christians sects have a Standing/Prostration Prayer like the Jewish 'Amidah' and Muslim 'Salat'?
I was wondering if any Christians have a prayer that includes movement like bowing towards a certain place and praying like what Muslims and Jews do.
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How does the life of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, compare to the standards of the Bible? [closed]
Muhammad claimed to be God's Prophet, even God's Last Prophet. As such his life should measure up as a godly life. Using only the most approved Muslim sources, the Qur'an, and the most highly ...
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Are the notions of good and evil different in Christianity and Islam? [closed]
In Christianity I would assume that certain things that would be considered "evil" are not considered evil in Islam.
Christianity, goes by the "do unto others" philosophy e.g. “All things whatsoever ...
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How were Jewish sacrifice different?
When reading the Old Testament there are many references to sacrifice being required as atonement for sin. I find that today, we commonly nod along to all the detailed instructions and remind ...
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Miracles of the Bible versus the Qur'an
A skeptic said it is intellectually dishonest for me to believe in miracles in the Bible but not in the Qur'an. Is it?
What are some Biblical basis for not believing in every miracle, or that every ...
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In a Venn diagram of the scriptures of Islam, Catholicism, and Judaism, what would be, roughly, the percentages of each portion? [closed]
In a Venn diagram of the scriptures of Islam, Catholicism, and Judaism, what would be, roughly, the percentages of each portion? I am wondering how much they overlap.
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Does Christianity have any connections to the Hinduism?
Islam and Christianity has same roots and also some names in Bible can also be heard in Quran.
What about Christianity connection with Hinduism?
Because so many pastors claiming that connection ...
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Does Christianity believe in reincarnation? [closed]
Most religions of the East believe in the transmigration of the soul from a dead body to a newborn body.
For example let us say a person called Dheeraj dies, then if immediately he is born into ...
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What influence did Greco-Roman philosophy have on the doctrine of "creatio ex nihilo"?
Background
Frequently, Creationists and Theistic Evolutionists will appeal to and debate/discuss the idea of "Creatio Ex Nihilo" (Latin for "creation from nothing") with some critiquing the concept ...
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Is Satan's name Lucifer, Satanail, or Samuel? [closed]
In a few different English versions of the Bible, Isaiah 14:12 begins with something like:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! (KJV)
I thought, however, that Jesus was ...
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What is the Etymology of the Name of Jesus? [duplicate]
What is the origin of Jesus' Name? Is it derived from the Greek god, "Zeus"?
Here's some context for my question. At my church this Sunday a woman told me that the name "Jesus " was derived from the ...
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What do Christianity and Judaism have in common? [closed]
Most Christians relate to Judaism more than to Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism, or any other religion. So, my question is, what do Christianity and Judaism have in common so as to make them so related to ...
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What's the difference between Actual Grace and Karma?
I was thinking about donating to the Best Podcast in the Universe but they always give out "Karma" for donors, and being a Catholic, I don't believe in Karma, but I do believe in Actual Grace and I do ...
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What is the basis for the belief that Christianity and Islam worship different gods?
Another question entitled "Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?" requested the basis for the belief that Christians and Muslims do worship the same god.
In this question, I am requesting ...
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Why do Christians in India eat meat in church? [closed]
Why do Christians in India eat non-vegetarian/meat in church, while Hindus don't eat non-vegetarian in temples?
I love Christians because they won't commit violence and they don't kill people to ...
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Are there any Christian denominations that incorporate Odinism?
Are there any Christian denominations or specific churches that incorporate Odinism or Odinistic cultural traditions?
Perhaps, as a way to show that the original religion of northern Europe was not ...
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Is there any equivalent of the Shivoham experience in Christianity?
A seeker's question to followers of Christianity:
In all the religions that originated from India, there is a concept of oneness with God.
My question is: What is the equivalent of this in other ...
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What is the single best reason - specific to Christianity - that the Christian God is the real God? [closed]
Looking at history it seems clear that we are a God inventing species and obviously 99.99% of these Gods cannot be real. But let us suppose that there is indeed a Higher Being.
What is the best ...
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A Christian view of Mohammad [closed]
I would like to present a summary of the Muslim point of view about Christ and in return I ask for the same: Who was Muhammad according to Christians? It's not about who is right or wrong. I just want ...
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Is Mormonism a Mystery Religion?
Given some of the comments in this question, I feel compelled to ask: "Does Mormonism constitute a present-day example of a mystery religion?" I'm interested in both insider and outsider perspectives.
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Is the al-Hallaj of the Yazidi religion Jesus?
I am a follower of Christ and am going to be a missionary. I am studying the culture and religion of the Yazidi (also spelled Yezidi) and I don't understand al-Hallaj. According to the Yazidi, is al-...
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What is the Christian view on Breatharianism? [closed]
What is the Christian view on Breatharianism? I see a from of denying the flesh, and a couple verses popped in my head while learning about this.
Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, ...
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