What is the heart of the major religions?

The heart of christianity is love thy neighbor. What is the heart of the other major religions?

 

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What do you mean - the heart of?

 

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I think he means the most basic, major message.

I'd say he's right with Christianity, the underlying message is essentially love.

I have no idea what the others would be. I would assume most are along the lines of "being good".

 

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The central theme of Christianity is not "love". It's love thy neighbor - and love God. Just plain old "love" could mean anything from screw thy neighbor to love thy chocolate ice cream.

 

I think that fundamentally religions are less about the message, but more about the experience, i.e., not dogma, but the religious experience.
So, I'd say, that at the heart of every religion is the experience of the divine.

 

So what, we can't cherry-pick our loves? I think the Bibles DOES tell me to love thy peanut-butter cup chocolate and fudge ice cream.

Avatar, what do you mean exactly by 'fundamental religions'? If I take that by the way I understand I'd have to disagree. Fundamental Christianity is 100% about the message. It hangs on every literal word in the Bible.

 

No, I'm not talking about christianity or any one religion, but them all. And I didn't say fundamental, but fundamentally, what is beyond the dogma and is the power base of any religion.

All religions and cults are united by their members having and striving for religious experience, which in most cases is achieved through ritual, but there are other religious practices as well.

 

Ooh, I understand. I read that line too quickly!

In that case, I agree.

 

My question was ambigous. I wasn't asking about a unifying theme of all major religions. I was asking about each particular major religion, and what it's theme was.

 

Myunnitarianism:

"Greed is good. Or even god! Either way, we're jiggy with it."

~ Reverend Geoff Spanyar Athobetwithim, Myuunitarian Godhead

 

obey

 

then the heart of religion seems to be "god"

BG 18.65: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

BG 18.66: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.

 

Far out... I like it


I will agree that the vein of most major religions seems to be Love and devotion to God.

 

Humm, love... Can't really agree. The only religion which makes a big fuss out of love is Christianity.
About devotion, not in the elemental religions, i.e., where gods are more elemental than personal.

 

hm, interesting. I am not very familiar with many world religions, was just going on perception. To clarify, though, I was saying Love AND devotion to God (as in Love of God and devotion to God) -- not just Love in general (love thy neighbor, etc). Christianity obviously makes a "big fuss" about loving God, but do other world religions not? Curious, what do you define as the elemental religions?

 

Isn't this like saying, the heart of cooking seems to be food? Shouldn't there be a defining characteristic of people's relationship with God? Just as in cooking, the food has to be there, but it's how you use the food that defines the meal.

 

Not really.

Like I said, where gods are elemental, not personal. Like Hinduism, traditional Chinese religions, the many pagan/nature religions, ancient Egyptian mythology, etc.

 

No actually its like saying, the heart of cooking is hunger.

 

you mean "burn 'em on a stake when they don't agree with you"

or when they are gay.

 

what would a meal be without food?
what would religion be without god?