| > I'm inclined to think Christianity on paper is "the best" of the Abrahamic religions Abrahamic? Maybe. I have studied comparative religion somewhat -- more than the vast majority of religious people -- and the least unpleasant "religion" by far is old-school Buddhism. The original has been widely corrupted and turned into a forest of competing rival faiths, most of which have become religions, but the original seems to me to have been designed by someone very smart, who studied, subjected themselves to various allegedly spiritually-improving practices... and then wrote down a sort of vaccination to inculcate into people carefully designed to protect them from religion. Religions are contagious memetic infections. Virtually nobody that calls themselves Christian actually follows what little is known of the teachings of Yeshweh. In practice, "being Christian" is not so much a recommendation as a warning. In my 58 years, I have so far met one (1) person who was a true Yeshweh follower. Original Buddhism was an inoculation to protect lesser minds from memetic infection. But it itself has been corrupted by viral influences, to paraphrase Neal Stephenson, and turned into what it sought to protect people from. Any sect of Christianity that has a name should be avoided. Ditto Islam, Judaism, all the big ones. For a good overview of world religions, I recommend this excellent book: https://thebookshop.ie/moncrieff-sean-god-a-users-guide-larg... Very accessible, funny, and gives you a great "big picture" view. |