Suppose you had to choose a religion?

quote:

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Originally posted by Kolyahu:
B"H

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If I had to choose a religion? It would be "none of the above". Why, do I say this? All religions are missing something. I am an
Anti-institutionalist/Activist. I've tried all kinds of religion and not one seemed to fit all of what I was searching for. They all have many things in common, but they remain exclusive social clubs for people to feel good about doing wrong. Now we all do things wrong, but should I want to feel good about it? What about making amends? Amends to: the Creative forces that work together as one, in one accord, 'Elohim' (Hebrew.); vis-a-vis 'God' (in English); To my fellow human being; and to myself.
I don't want a religion as we consider religion today. They are divisive, and fraught with many outdated traditions that have proven false, yet they are clung to with an iron grip. I do agree that many traditions are warranted however, in certain things.
When it comes to the foundations of the major three religions, Those are the traditions that should bind them, into one religion, yet the powerful, and the greedy (For money & fame, power, and control)rely on their separate identifiers (exclusive traditions), even if these things completely contradict their own scriptural cannon. Now how can that be maintained? To hold to a cannonized script and claim to represent it; yet teach, preach, and practice the opposite? This is called ,by Webster's Dictionary: "Hypocracy". So which religion would I pick, the only obvious answer to that is, actually a thought:
"If there were many trees in the forest and the one that gave life to all the animals and all the birds, and all the fish, and all the people, was twisted; and its branches were swaying in the breeze, banging each other til the leaves and fruit fell to the ground and began to rot, which part of the tree would you hold onto to remain steady, and be able to continue giving life to those branches?" For you christians I suggest reading Romans 11, and Revelation 7. To Islam, I suggest nothing (you wouldn't listen anyway, the wind is blowing too much for that to occur, I suppose)I choose Judaism, because it is closest to the root of all three religions. It also has a spiritual side that is a constant and ever-increasingly closeness with 'The ALL'. Called the art of 'kabbalah', it is at the root of mysticism. It accepts truth from no matter what source, and adds it to that which is already known.
You ask if I accept Jesus as my personal Lord and savior, I ask you, Why should I agree to that, if Jesus was not his name? Why should I agree to any religion that erases the Sacred Name of the God of Israel from all of its texts, and substitutes it with mere convections & titles such as; 'Lord', or 'God'? You don't even realize that the word for 'Lord' is also the name of a pagan deity called "Baal", and the word 'God' comes from a pagan deity also such as; Gut, Got, and El of the pagan Canaanite pantheon. The word 'Adonis' crept in to Judaism, around 180bce, and it became a law not to speak the name of the Mighty one of Israel aloud. The law of non-invocation of the sacred name YHVH, which was instituted to protect Judaism from their enemies, who were trying to destroy them and their religion. (Perhaps it is why they still refuse to speak the name openly, because of their enemies.)
Back to the question. If I HAD to choose, it would be 'Judaism', the branch called 'Chassidism'.(Which is something you must be born into (that I know of), and because I wasn't: I choose-'None of the above').
Shalom Alechem (Peacefulness be upon all of you)...B'Shem Ani Hagodal
(In the name of the Greater 'I AM')

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Wow, I appreciated the somewhat misty, hypothetical nature of this thread up until that last one, the big "What If" which invites us to stop for a moment and consider possibilities...But, man oh man, that last one! On Sports Talk radio they would call that a "Homer," you know: the Home Team all the way!For a moment I thought I was being pitched a 12 Step program, but then came that root thing. Anyway, I'm up very late working, so perhaps I'm a little goofy right now.-Shiloh