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07-09-2001, 05:19 PM | #1 |
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What do you mean, "Alternative Religion"?
This question struck me after I saw lpetrich's thread. First, let it be known: this is not an ad-hominem against anyone, least of all lpetrich (after all, I sometimes lapse into using that term myself), but a reflection on a disturbing custom.
Why are the non-Abrahamic religions so often referred to as "alternative religions"? The connotation of "alternative" is that of "fringe", "away from mainstream". It would seem as if even the despisers of the Big Abrahamic Three have fallen for that psychological trap of regarding the Big Three as "mainstream", and all others (Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and other religions of the Far East, as well as more local beliefs like Wicca and Norse paganism) as "fringe", "alternative". Don't you realize it's quite self-defeating? By what criterion have you decided that Judaism, f'rinstance, is mainstream whereas Hinduism is "alternative"? Obviously not numerical, for there are many more Hindus than Jews. Just because you've been brought up on the Abrahamic tradition, and because the literature and media are saturated with Abrahamic references? Is Buddhism "alternative" because you don't know much about it? So Islam must be "alternative" too, because not many in the West have read the Qur'an. Then what makes a religion mainstream or "alternative"? All right, you'll say I was using an improper reference, you'll say the religions at cesnur.org are really tiny, cultish, individual sprouts, but I'm referring to the custom, not just to a website: I hear so many time such things as "yeah, his son is now into Buddhism and other alternative religions". Buddhism?! I come to the conclusion that "alternative" as regards religion is synonymous with "exotic". Like "exotic herbs" = "alternative medicine". So perhaps I ought to take a holidy in Tahiti or some other "alternative country". Forgive me, I had to vent. I've seen this far too often. For some reason (ingrained reciting of the doctrine, no doubt), people tend to think of the Big Abrahamic Three as dangerous, lunatic but nevertheless SERIOUS religions, whereas the others are thought of as harmless but funny, comical faith systems. I've only recently shed such qualitative distinctions myself. I used to think monotheism is qualitatively different than polytheism, but now I think the difference is just quantitative - one idol in the former, many idols in the latter. I don't see why monotheism should be considered more serious or progressive than polytheism. In fact there are many surprises: Hindu philosophy is much more elaborate and introspective than the puerile "do what God says" systems of monotheism. Maybe the Abrahamic religions should be regarded as "alternative"... I should like to see that day... |
07-09-2001, 05:30 PM | #2 |
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I think the term 'alternative' is used in this forum at least as an option to the Big three.
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07-09-2001, 06:02 PM | #3 | |
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Again, I have no offence against anyone using the term "alternative religions". This post is meant as a, shall we say, wake-up call to think about the implications of using this term. |
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07-09-2001, 06:08 PM | #4 |
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Alternative has generally positive connotations. Sort of like "anti-establishment". There's alternative rock, alternative medicine (if you don't like it, you call it "quackery"). If you don't like alternative religions, you call them cults or heresy.
In that sense, if you are in the US or western Europe, all religions except Christianity, maybe Judaism, are alternative. The CESNUR site that lpetrich referred to calls itself the center for the study of 'NEW' religions, aka cults, or religions that have been founded recently. |
07-10-2001, 08:55 AM | #5 | |||
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(Whoa, it will take a while to get used to this new look... I'm dizzy)
I can understand your point, devnet. I can also see how many people use it in a deragatory fashion. I also know that alternative is meant as just that--- an alternative. Not as a fringe, but as a different choice than what others are making. Christianity is the mainstream in the USA, with 85% of the country saying they are on censuses. A better term is welcomed. The big two seem to be dangerous by their actions and prevalence. (I don't think that Judaism falls into the same 'lunatic' quality as the other two, personally.) It is unfortunate (pretty much) that 'alternative' religions are thought of as harmless jokes--- many of them have their own problems and some would not be tolerant or nice or people you want around your kids. That illusion will leave in time. Quote:
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I will just wait for the Christian church to come up with the campain--- Quote:
jess |
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