Happier Abroad Forum Community

Recently I was reading about Julian the Apostate and his efforts to restore Greco-Roman paganism in the eastern Roman Empire. These failed, not so much because of resistance but because of indifference. People simply didn't take the old religion seriously any more. They might have claimed to believe in it but were not going to actually do anything or base their lives around it. The only really devout people were adherents of Asiatic mystery cults such as Christianity.

Perhaps religions run a certain course after which no-one takes them seriously. In the novel The Name of the Rose, a socialist rebellion (presumably based on the Anabaptist rebellion) is occasioned by people preaching that Jesus was poor. This seemingly minor doctrinal point could cause such chaos in the middle ages because people based their lives around the Christian religion. But which so-called Christians would care about stuff like that now? Who would make major changes in their lives based on religious doctrine?

It does seem that of the major religions, Islam is the only one that people still follow and has been able to take a stand against the evil death cult of feminist secular humanism. Moreover, it does seem to make more sense than the other Abrahamic religions, the nonsense about people getting good water and comfy chairs in paradise notwithstanding. If white Westerners converted en masse to Islam then likely we would be the dominant intellectual force in the Islamic world within a few years, much like the Ottoman Turks did before us. Instead the West seems intent on importing low quality Islamic people, rather than actually becoming Islamic.

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Yes,Islam is the only hope left to defeat Feminism and curtail female whoredom.

Surrendering to feminism is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Converting to islam is like cutting off your penis to spite the woman.

Ghost wrote:For a long time I have liked the idea of splitting off and forming a sub-culture with a pure, unadulterated religion that preaches morality. (I also think the 'cosmological' elements are important. People don't respond well to morality alone. I think it is important that that they see it as part of the divine plan for humanity.) Really, though, this "new" religion would likely just be Christianity or otherwise based on the Jewish Bible and New Testament.

All it would require is a small group (even just 5, say) and a commitment to living together to form a community apart from the world. And then finding pure wives and having families. And then a new, moral subculture begins and can thrive.

I don't think that in America there is any hope of religion saving anyone. Churchianity is just Christianity pasted onto consumerism and the cult of happy thoughts. That is the real religion, and I suppose I can't argue with it in some ways. After all, that may be the most powerful religion in the world.

What's wrong with Judaism? those people are of god and they have great morals and their religious teachings and culture are as pure as snow.

Islam is our only hope for any peace in the future. That is why the satanists attack those countries associated with it.

Where I am now there are more Muslims than you can shake a stick at. I have noticed an interesting phenomenon with the young females. Many will wear traditional headscarfs and cover their flesh, but otherwise wear revealing, tight fitting clothes and sexy shoes. I suppose this is the thin edge of the wedge whereby they will all become worthless sluts like other Western females and the Muslim culture in the West will be destroyed, so perhaps evil is actually stronger than relative good in this case. On the other hand, it might present an opportunity to create a form of Islam in the West specifically designed to resist this form of evil.

I was seriously considering Islam, but after I got into it realized that if you convert Muslims expect you to wear a beard because Mohammad wore a beard. That is a deal breaker for me. I don’t want to go through life with an itchy beard. Of course, maybe it’s not required in liberal Islam, but then I have no interest in becoming a liberal Muslim.

what is so great about Islam? , an honest money system goes a along way.

If I had not encountered Buddhism, I would probably seriously consider Islam.

However, even then, after having lived in Saudi Arabia and watched the way Islam affected ( and did not affect) people's lives, I became even more convinced that it did not fit me.
It has many good points but

1) I saw many people pray and-- no effect in their daily lives! Still getting fired from jobs, dying from all kinds of diseases/accidents and staying poor in spite of so many supplications to God.

On our base, all our Saudi students prayed and went to the mosque but then a helicopter went down and 7 people died. I don't like to think of it as the will of Allah.

God did not save Iraqis from bombings by America. As in Christianity and Judaism, prayers have very limited effect. Sometimes they work; most of the time they don't.

2) A lot of hatred for Jews and Israel and intolerance for anything not Muslim. Many violent passages in the Koran. Either way you twist it, there's talk of war, killing, etc. Why?

3) Emphasis on "another life" -- the real one which is to come after this one-- the one we are living is not real.

Islam is good if you are a very rich person and you are living in a totally peaceful Muslim country as a citizen-- the UAE for example. Not so good for poor people.

Nevertheless, if there were only two alternatives- the Western secularism and Islam, I might choose Sufi Islam-- a mild version. Buddhism is a better alternative for me.

But the Islamic culture, family structure and social structure seemed quite pleasant-- overall, I enjoyed it. But then, I had a good salary and was not a poor Bangladeshi laborer there.

ladislav wrote:If I had not encountered Buddhism, I would probably seriously consider Islam.

However, even then, after having lived in Saudi Arabia and watched the way Islam affected ( and did not affect) people's lives, I became even more convinced that it did not fit me.
It has many good points but

1) I saw many people pray and-- no effect in their daily lives! Still getting fired from jobs, dying from all kinds of diseases/accidents and staying poor in spite of so many supplications to God.

On our base, all our Saudi students prayed and went to the mosque but then a helicopter went down and 7 people died. I don't like to think of it as the will of Allah.

God did not save Iraqis from bombings by America. As in Christianity and Judaism, prayers have very limited effect. Sometimes they work; most of the time they don't.

2) A lot of hatred for Jews and Israel and intolerance for anything not Muslim. Many violent passages in the Koran. Either way you twist it, there's talk of war, killing, etc. Why?

3) Emphasis on "another life" -- the real one which is to come after this one-- the one we are living is not real.

Islam is good if you are a very rich person and you are living in a totally peaceful Muslim country as a citizen-- the UAE for example. Not so good for poor people.

Nevertheless, if there were only two alternatives- the Western secularism and Islam, I might choose Sufi Islam-- a mild version. Buddhism is a better alternative for me.

But the Islamic culture, family structure and social structure seemed quite pleasant-- overall, I enjoyed it. But then, I had a good salary and was not a poor Bangladeshi laborer there.

Buddhism isn't that great for poor Thais either. What's the difference between hoping for a better life in heaven or hoping for a better rebirth?

There are different sects of Buddhism-- it is much more varied than Islam. Terawada as in Thailand is very passive and changes karma slowly-- Mahayana is active and changes it faster. Also, in Terawada, you're arguably not supposed to pray for things; you suppress your desires. That's an old way of doing things. In the Greater Vehicle types of Buddhism, you effectuate a quicker and more active change.
It's like comparing Ethiopian Orthodoxy with strict and results-oriented Protestant Christianity.

Buddhists also have some rather reprehensible beliefs and buy into the "just world" fallacy that everyone deserves their station in life based on some previous action. This means a cripple deserved their fate because they obviously did something to deserve it. Even though they will drop coins in their cup and shake their head at that person's plight they will do little to really help that person out of their misery.

I think all religion sucks to be honest.

I meditate by myself and don't follow any religion.

I found several problems with Buddhism. First, the Buddhism in the West isn't really Buddhism but a counter culture movement. You find yourself surrounded by liberals and leftists and led by aging Hippies who are actually teaching their fantasy version of Buddhism. Also, there is little community as it tends to attract loners who want to be left alone.

In the East, Buddhism is really directed at monasticism with little role for lay people. Thus, for example, in Thai Buddhism, lay people make merit by donating to the monks in hopes of a better life. There is also a lot of superstition, like buying lucky objects from monks. The monks are pretty well taken care of, some driving expensive cars, etc. It's a good religion if you are a monk.

The advantage of Islam, is that it is a much more social religion. I have seen Youtube videos of people who convert and they are surrounded by friends who are happy they converted. Nobody would give a f**k if you convert to Buddhism. But if you are a loner, you will be left alone.