What do (all) religions have in common?
- Thread starter Jazzy
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I guess hope in something for after death?
Fritz Kobus
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I don't know that all religions do have anything in common other than that their adherents are all human beings.
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A lot would depend on how you define a religion.
In general I'd say they share a common belief in some kind of deity or deities, although if atheism is defined as a religion that breaks.
If we exclude atheism then generally religions look to make their adherents better in some way, whether that is becoming more like Christ, doing more good works in the hope of earning a place in paradise, seeking nirvana, or whatever else. But then some sects of more hedonistic satanism come along and focus on little more than "do what you will for your own pleasure" and it's hard to see how that fits (these branches of satanism don't accept the concept of "satan" as being anything like the Christian definition, more a concept of what "satan" stands for)
On that basis I'm not sure there is a common theme that underpins all religions.
In general I'd say they share a common belief in some kind of deity or deities, although if atheism is defined as a religion that breaks.
If we exclude atheism then generally religions look to make their adherents better in some way, whether that is becoming more like Christ, doing more good works in the hope of earning a place in paradise, seeking nirvana, or whatever else. But then some sects of more hedonistic satanism come along and focus on little more than "do what you will for your own pleasure" and it's hard to see how that fits (these branches of satanism don't accept the concept of "satan" as being anything like the Christian definition, more a concept of what "satan" stands for)
On that basis I'm not sure there is a common theme that underpins all religions.
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Without thinking about the question for a long time, I suspect that you're right about this. We can fairly easily identify certain beliefs or practices that MOST religions have in common... but there do seem to be a few exceptions no matter what the belief or practice is.
It could be interesting to see what posters come up with as the thread develops.
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At a glance, that seems like a good observation, but I wonder...
It may be possible to identify some characteristic that is so common that it isn't about religion in particular.
Whatever it is would then be just something that is typical or normal with humans.