We all have a faith, be it Christianity, Hinduism, Confucianism or even Atheism. However, most of us only believe in certain concepts of these faiths. For example, Dan Brown, a Christian who regularly attends Church every Sunday doesn't believe in God.
So, what I wanted was every member of this thread to describe their own personal faiths. You can elaborate as much as you want, but you must provide at least the following details:
1. Do you believe in the existence God?
2. Do you believe in the existence of the Soul?
3. Do you believe in a System of Judgment (like the Karmic Theory or the Concept of Heaven and Hell)?
4. Do you believe in the Occult, Supernatural occurances or Extra-Sensory Perception?
For myself, I don't believe in God, but I do believe in the Soul, the Karmic Theory and ESP!
People keep arguing which faith is the right faith - we are the people! On this thread we'll not argue which faith is right, nor will we discuss why the faith is right, we'll just know each faith and learn to tolerate all faiths - and by faith I don't just mean religious faith, but also the atheist faith. We'll hold on to our own faiths, but we'll respect every other faith!
Here's a list of most of the major world faiths (in alphabetical order) and the objective of every member of this thread is to learn to tolerate at least all of theses faiths:
Every member must declare all the faiths that they have learnt to tolerate (including all the philosophies they hold faith in), and how they acquired tolerance towards that particular faith.
These are the faiths that I have learnt to tolerate:
1. Jainism (hold faith) - Both my parents are Jains and I was raised as a Jain; in particluar I like the Jain doctrine of non-creationism and Jain morality.
2. Christianity (hold faith) - My father, though being a Jain, tolerates and holds faith in Christianity as well; at the age of 4, my parents baptized me and sent me to a Christian School (Cathedral School, Mumbai), where I studied for 11 years. That's why I hold faith in many Christian beliefs; though I'm more inclined towards Jainism.
3. Hinduism - India is a country of religious and cultural diversity, and my mother always tells me to learn to tolerate all religions. She is a very pious lady and always visits local temples whenever we are on vacation within India. So though I don't hold faith in Hinduism, I have learnt to tolerate it.
4. Zoroastrianism - When I was in the fifth grade I had a crush on a Parsi girl in my class. I wanted to know more about her, and so I learnt about Zoroastrianism from Wikipedia. I learnt that Parsi's weren't allowed to marry people outside their own community, and though I thought it weird, I respected their beliefs (probably because of my crush on her).
5. Judaism - I have always loved reading the Bible (it's like a fantasy book - like the Silmarillion). Christianity and Judaism are very similar, and I have always felt comfortable with Jewish beliefs and ideologies. Jesus Christ was himself a jew; and I though I have met only 1 jew, I got to know quite a bit about Jewish lifestyle from her.
6. Buddhism - Jainism and Buddhism are very similar: they both originated in India at approximately the same time, they both follow the Karmic System, and they both require you to achieve Moksha (salvation). There are very few Buddhists in India as most of them left India as missionaries. In school, I had to give a presentation on Buddhism because there were no Buddhists in my school, and Buddhism is very similar to Jainism.
7. Sikhism - My best friend in school is a Sikh from Sindh. Although we are very good friends, we do argue quite a lot - especially about food. I'm a Jain, he's a Sikh. Not only don't I eat non-vegetarian food, but on certain days I only eat pulses; he on the other hand does eat non-veg. However, we both respect each other's belief and take care not to criticize each other's faith.
8. Islam - My best friend in college is a Muslim from Saudi Arabia. We both are like brothers: we both are short and slim, we both aspire to become game programmers, and we both get the same grades. Before I met him, I had a stereotypical view about Muslims (deluded unmerciful jihadis), but after meeting him my views changed forever. I realized that Muslims were a peaceful folk; it's only when you agitate them do they draw the sword. I once cracked a joke about his family name, and I still remember his reaction. He said to me in a serious tone, "Once you say something about my family or my religion, I'll ignore it; second time I'll warn you; third time, you are dead!"
9. Atheism - Jains and Buddhists don't believe in God, and yet Jainism and Buddhism are theist philosophies. However, we do believe in the Soul and a System of Judgement (like the Karmic Theory, and the concept of Heaven and Hell). Therefore Atheists are those who neither believe in God, nor the Soul, nor a System of Judgement. I'm not an Atheist; however, one of my good friends is, and I respect his beliefs because he believes only in what he perceives, and holding faith in a philosophy is only a matter of believing. Atheism is radical, but for myself my own philosophy is more wholesome!
At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down. Finally, the guys' side of the story.
(I must admit, it's pretty good.)
We always hear "the rules"
from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side. These are our rules!
Please note... these are all numbered "1"
ON PURPOSE!
1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.
1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.
1. Crying is blackmail.
1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.
1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't expect us to act like soap opera guys.
1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.
Don't ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...Really.
1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.
1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.
Pass this to as many men as you can - to give them a laugh.
Pass this to as many women as you can - to give them a bigger laugh!!
