Fiach

From what I read, the fastest growing religions in the world are Islam and Christian Fundamentalism. I wonder why this happens. Islam and Christian Fundamentalism are the most intolerant, hateful religions in the world. Roman Catholicism has fallen to third place, and Judaism has slid down to fourth.

Baha'i is kind, compassionate, and inclusive. Buddhism, a relatively gentle religion is not growing very much. Hinduism is growing only at the expected existing population of India grows. Wicca is a very kind and positive nature religion and seems to be restricted to a rather static minority.

Christian Fundamentalism teaches a world view of hate, bigotry, insane stories of bloody end-time wars, thinking of which TV evangelists smile broadly with glassy eyes. They grin happily over unbelievers burning for eternity in Hell. They believe in a horrid God who murdered (in their view) millions of babies and children in Noah's Flood, who sent plagues to Egypt and murdered first born children.

Islam has terrible surahs that sanction search and destroy missions against the Infidels, wherever they may hide. Islam treates women as subhumans, beating and abusing them legally. Men can legally kill their own daughters and wives for various offences.

Why is it that the two most evil religions in history, the most hate filled, most violent, and irrational be gaining adherents over religions based on love, kindness, and compassion. Do people instinctively chose the most insane myths, the most terrifying God and believe in that one out of abject fear? Pascal's Wager variant.

I would appreciate comments about the following questions. Why do the worst religions seem to be the fastest growing? What is so attractive about all of that negativity, hate, violence, and cruelty of Islamo-Christianity that make it more successful than gentle, love based positive faiths?

Fiach

Seraphim

Why is it that the two most evil religions in history, the most hate filled, most violent, and irrational be gaining adherents over religions based on love, kindness, and compassion. Do people instinctively chose the most insane myths, the most terrifying God and believe in that one out of abject fear?

My reply : You had answered your own question ... "people instinctively chose ..."

Buddhism is more toward thinking for oneself to find one's answers ... not exactly most famous tasks among humans.

Hindusm is more toward Indian regions and it is not so porpular outside India among non-Indian people.

Wiccan is more toward Nature and despite have similarities with Toaism (minus the spiritual branch), it is not a very porpular belief. Maybe because humans lost touch with nature altogether.

Cannot say much about Bahai ... sounds too much like Baaka which I like to use so much around here :P

So bottomline is, people will choose the easiest religion for them, even so it may not make much sense because they are too lazy to think for themselves.

christ-on-a-stick

Hmmmm... use of fear tactics (i.e. hell) to exert control?

I've also often thought that it may be a matter of appeal to our "baser" human instincts to take an "us vs. them" view.

Saved/Damned
True Believers/Infidels

People like to feel superior. Xianity among the others certainly provides that.

2tadpoles

To be honest, I don't know much about Islam.

I think Christianity appeals to so many people because it largely removes personal responsibility. No matter how much of a loser you are or how bad you screw up, Jesus already took the rap for you. And he loves you anyway.

Fiach

Your three posts were informative and explanatory from different angles of view. I agree with what you said, and admit I hadn't thought about some of these factors.

Thanks,

Fiach

lpetrich

Or it's natural selection of the most belligerent and cultish.

Imagine some warniks confronting some peaceniks. The warniks are more belligerent and more capable of fighting wars than the peaceniks, and the warniks win.

This may explain why humanity's recorded history is absolutely full of wars.

And also the rise of aggressive, exclusivist religions.

Yellum Notnef

This makes a lot of sense.

passion9

Most Christians hate that just as much as you do. That's just like judging a group or country based on the radical groups that spawn from it. If you want to judge Christianity by one person, read the Gospel... his name is Jesus Christ.

But that's where the responsiblity comes in, it's just like if you killed someone and got sentenced to the electric chair and they walk you down there and suddenly some random guy sits in the chair and gets fried. And being a "loser" or "screwing up" is a weird way to put it... all have sinned and fall short of the glory, not just "losers".

Then how does that explain the rise of Christianity, the first church was a very peaceful movement (the book of Acts). That's what's so different about Christianity from the Old Testament, it's a whole new covenant... so basing an argument against Christianity based on OT passages would be better directed towards the Jewish faith, non Messianic of course.


Grace and Peace

oriecat

Oh God, another one... :banghead:


I thought the Mormon church was one of the fastest growing? Or is that only in the States and not the world? Or am I just remembering something wrong?

Yellum Notnef

So all Gods horrors in the OT are no longer part of Gods history with mankind simply because God told you to just forget about all that bad stuff?

Isn`t the New Covenant just like when a husband tells his wife he`s not gonna beat her anymore and things will be better from now on?