(no subject)

[sophiaserpentia]

Crossposting to challenging_god.

Is it fair to judge a religion on the basis of actions done by its followers? By this I mean of course weighing the good deeds as well as the bad ones. Or should this judgment be made simply on the basis of the teachings themselves?

Underlying this question is another one: to what extent is a religion defined by the people that make it up?

Comments

[azaz-al.livejournal.com]

Yes.

Why?

Because the followers ARE the religion. The religion may start off with a small group of people who wish to share the love and joy brought to them by a particular revelation or event, as in Christianity. But a religion can be hijacked by people who change it to something entirely different over time.

If the vast majority of popele who claim Christianity display a characteristic which they believe and preach as central to their faith, even though they have scant Biblical justification, is that not a Christian concept?

Is a religion more than its teachings, or is it also the culture that springs up to surround its teachings?

To be more specific, is Christinaity the Bible, or is it the people who claim the Bible as their holy manuscript?

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

Your questions cut right to the heart of the matter.

[azaz-al.livejournal.com]

See my recent post for the thoughts and questions you provoked... :)