Jan 7, 2010
Are Some Religions Better Than Others?
Yes, some religions are better than others, and some are worse. How can we tell the difference? Here’s a test: if I am not a member of your religion, or if I don’t believe in your God—indeed if I don’t belong to any religion or believe in any gods—will my liberties or my life be taken away from me? If your answer is “no,” then your religion is better than any religion who encourages or insists that it’s members deprive nonbelievers of life or liberty.
I agree with the thrust of this statement.
But I would say that this criterion indicates if some practitioners of some religions at a certain time in history are more evolved, more sophisticated, more enlightened, perhaps even more civilized than others, rather than that some religions are intrinsically better or worse.
V. V. Raman
January, 7, 2010
Religions splinter into denominations/sects. This question should be applied to the denomination/sect that a person belongs to. Generalizations about all Christians, or all Buddhists, etc., don’t work. Even if the person is liberal in their treatment of others and their religion is not, than the test can still be applied to the religion.
R. Best
I would even go further than Dr. Raman. Religion, creed, personal dogma, or whatever consists in believing that these world views are true for the believer. So asking which religion is better in the above way misses the point. The question should be which religion is more true, and the one that is makes it better than the others. liberty or violence is not a criteria of truth.
Meh..Arguing which religion is better, is like arguing which fruit tastes better(and/or worse).
In the end it is all subjective, most of us are trying to look at the treatment of those like us (non-believers, atheists, “heathens” and the likes)in comparison to those found within the religion. We are essentially asking ourselves “why should they be treated better than us or the excluded?” The same question can be applied to nationalism, politics and war. And at the same time, your criteria for “Better” is vague and rather biased. I assumed, before reading, that this statement would include an assortment of requirements, like community building, family life, standard of living, alcoholism and addiction rates, not just how the religion treats others.
Which religion is more true!?!? Huh? That doesn’t make any sense any more than what flavor ice cream is best or more true…