Which Of These Would You Choose In A Hypothetical Situation? (Poll)

OK, now this is a purely hypothetical situation.

If you 'had' to choose one of the options above, what would it be? 

Please Vote. :D 

Good question.

Christianity -- it is the least absurd option there, and just as so happens that atheism is less absurn than that.

Hinduism seems pretty cool from what little I've read about it. I'll go with that.Genetic_Code

[QUOTE="Genetic_Code"]Hinduism seems pretty cool from what little I've read about it. I'll go with that.Funky_Llama

I'm still reading up on it, but apparently you can be an atheist and Hindu at the same time. 

[QUOTE="Funky_Llama"][QUOTE="Genetic_Code"]Hinduism seems pretty cool from what little I've read about it. I'll go with that.Genetic_Code

I'm still reading up on it, but apparently you can be an atheist and Hindu at the same time. 

Or, like Ghandi, you could be a Hindu, a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist and a Jew. 

Or, like Ghandi, you could be a Hindu, a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist and a Jew. 

Lansdowne5

But you'd have to reinterpet passages that promote exclusiveness, which technically would be self-defeating. 

[QUOTE="Lansdowne5"]

Or, like Ghandi, you could be a Hindu, a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist and a Jew. 

Genetic_Code

But you'd have to reinterpet passages that promote inclusiveness, which technically would be self-defeating. 

Exactly. It would be pointless. :) 

Sikhism, just to be different. You know, since I'm in a hypothetical situation where I'm required to choose a religion for some reason.gbpman630

Could I inquire as to why you would prefer to follow Sikhism than any of the other options?

Of those I'd pick Hinduism since it seems to most interesting and has reincarnation instead of an afterlife. Unless I'm mistaken, it also stresses belief in the gods much less than other religions.

However, out of any religion I'd pick Buddhism since it's more philosophy than religion. It also has reincarnation and (again, correct me if I'm wrong) the gods only exist for the creation story and belief in then isn't necessary for a good next life. As someone above said (Genetic_Code I believe, I didn't go straight to replying from looking at the thread), it's possible to be a Hindu/Buddhist and an atheist at the same time. Just seems the most compatible with by beliefs.

Of those I'd pick Hinduism since it seems to most interesting and has reincarnation instead of an afterlife. Unless I'm mistaken, it also stresses belief in the gods much less than other religions.

However, out of any religion I'd pick Buddhism since it's more philosophy than religion. It also has reincarnation and (again, correct me if I'm wrong) the gods only exist for the creation story and belief in then isn't necessary for a good next life. As someone above said (Genetic_Code I believe, I didn't go straight to replying from looking at the thread), it's possible to be a Hindu/Buddhist and an atheist at the same time. Just seems the most compatible with by beliefs.

AlternatingCaps

The reason I chose not to include Buddhism in the options was for the very reason you stated - it's more philosophy than religion. :) 

Probably Christian since that's how I was raised. And also because I don't want to give up Pork/Booze/Beef which Judaism/Islam/Hinduism would force me to give up.

And I don't know enough about Sikhism to have a real opinion on it.

What?! No love for Buddhism, Lans?!

:P Haha, I saw your explanation, so no need to reply to that.

In any case, interesting thread! I'd say that I'd probably go with Buddhism, but since that's not an option, I guess Hinduism since it seems fairly interesting from the small bit of knowledge that I have of it.

And I don't know enough about Sikhism to have a real opinion on it.

TenP

Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God. A key distinctive feature of Sikhism is a non-anthropomorphic concept of God, to the extent that one can interpret God as the Universe itself. The followers of Sikhism are ordained to follow the teachings of the ten Sikh gurus, or enlightened leaders, as well as the holy scripture entitled the Gurū Granth Sāhib, which, along with the writings of six of the ten Sikh Gurus, includes selected works of many devotees from diverse socio-economic and religious backgrounds.

Wikipedia

Plus the symbol is a sword, which is often represented by a necklace, so you'd get to walk around with a sword. Canada had an issue a while back with people doing so, but they couldn't infringe on their freedom of religion, so the law is that it has to be welded inside a sheath (I believe that's what it's called, the thing that the sword goes in).

I personally think a philosophy that has a belief in reincarnation should be considered a religion. Sikhism seems cool too. Of the Western religions, I prefer either Judaism or Christianity. I'll probably go with Christianity, because I like some of the New Testament teachings. Islam doesn't seem preferable, but it could be the perversion of Islam that exists in the Middle East of which I seem confused with.Genetic_Code

I agree that 'technically' Budhism should be considered a religion. But I considered it less religious than any of the other five so I didn't include it. 

Well, Buddhism does contain aspects of the supernatural, so technically it is a religion.

Howver, I wouldn't personally refer to something like, say Confucianism as a religion.

I would choose Tolkienism. :P (In the poll though I chose Christianity out of habit)

Honestly "Tolkienism" (if that's a word :P I'm referring to his cosmology and world genesis in the Silmarillion) is very interesting and can teach many things through its allegory.

No Buddhism. :(

Out of those probably Islam because I've already tried being a Christian and the Qur'an seems like a pretty nice book. I would be a liberal muslim though of course.

It's odd that many of you atheists, whose belief is built on logic, reason and the observation/study of reality in the natural world, would choose Eastern religions. 

Below are six points you may not know about what the majority of Eastern religions (Hinduism, Budhism, etc), being pantheistic, entail:

1. Intellectual knowledge or logic has no actual place or reality.

2. Elemental matter has virtually no reality or being.

3. Annihilation must be done of all thought, logic, knowledge and self-awareness. Furthermore, a person's theology or conceptual beliefs are of no importance.

4. Annihilation of all self-existence, thinking and desires must be done before one can truly be set free of the cycle of suffering. 

5. Ethics do not exist, and there is no absolute or unchanging basis for what is really right or wrong. 

6. History is meaningless, because all distinct "things," - events and time, are just an illusion.

That certainly isn't Buddhism. Buddhism follows almost none of those tenets. Also, just because it follows those tenets doesn't mean a religion is pantheistic.

Buddhism is more an atheistic philosophy, really. Unless we're talking about Japanese Buddhism, in which it's more polytheistic.

That certainly isn't Buddhism. Buddhism follows almost none of those tenets. Also, just because it follows those tenets doesn't mean a religion is pantheistic.

Buddhism is more an atheistic philosophy, really. Unless we're talking about Japanese Buddhism, in which it's more polytheistic.

Strategist1117

Yes it is, and if Buddhism doesn't entail those beliefs, then it isn't buddhism - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism ;)

[QUOTE="Strategist1117"]

That certainly isn't Buddhism. Buddhism follows almost none of those tenets. Also, just because it follows those tenets doesn't mean a religion is pantheistic.

Buddhism is more an atheistic philosophy, really. Unless we're talking about Japanese Buddhism, in which it's more polytheistic.

Lansdowne5

Yes it is, and if Buddhism doesn't entail those beliefs, then it isn't buddhism - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism ;)

[QUOTE="Lansdowne5"][QUOTE="Strategist1117"]

That certainly isn't Buddhism. Buddhism follows almost none of those tenets. Also, just because it follows those tenets doesn't mean a religion is pantheistic.

Buddhism is more an atheistic philosophy, really. Unless we're talking about Japanese Buddhism, in which it's more polytheistic.

Funky_Llama

Yes it is, and if Buddhism doesn't entail those beliefs, then it isn't buddhism - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism ;)

OK. Buddhism doesn't explicitly entail nihilism. 

However, the similarities between the teachings of Buddhism, and nihilism are extremely close. :)