WildHoneyAlways said:
What about non-christian faiths? How do they compare when it comes to group worship?
In Hinduism and, especially, Buddhism, group worship is of relatively little importance. Hindus do worship as a group during festivals, and some Hindu temples offer regularly scheduled worship services that are specifically meant for group worship. And of course many Hindu and Buddhist practitioners do voluntarily form or join scripture study groups, yoga or meditation classes, and religiously motivated charity associations. But overall, neither religion places much emphasis on the idea of learning from other (lay) members of the faith, nor on group worship as a good in its own right.
This is just my personal view, but I am inclined to see this difference as related to broader differences between Hinduism, Buddhism and the Abrahamic religions when it comes to the relationship between faith and the individual's role in society. A characteristic feature of the Abrahamic religions is a strong emphasis on social justice, civic responsibility, and the obligation of every believer to apply their faith in a very concrete, clearly-spelled-out way to their dealings with other human beings. Certainly this quality has varied through time, place and sect--Dark Ages Christianity was quite limited on the social responsibility front, for example--and of course, it goes without saying that clashing views of what the "just society" looks like have often created as many problems as they've solved. And true, in contemporary Buddhism there are some very influential voices promoting a "socially engaged" vision of Buddhist practice (Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi etc.). Still, from a comparative standpoint it is noteworthy how the Abrahamic faiths put social obligations front and center, while Hinduism and Buddhism have traditionally focused more strongly on individual liberation.
Originally posted by Angela Harlem
I've never understood, though, why simply saying 'I reckon there's a god/spirit/creator identity/deity. Beyond that I am not sure, but I reckon god[/insert other here] is there. He created us, all of this, for whatever purpose. I'm here to just do my best. Maybe I'll find out the truth, maybe I wont.' can't wash? It's belief, isn't it? Isn't simple belief enough?
In many sects of Christianity, at least, this view would be unacceptable because of the doctrine of original sin and its implications for the need of personal faith in Christ to achieve salvation. The Koran states that followers of other faiths will be judged "according to their own book" (though there is much debate about which "books" are included in that decree, with some sects maintaining that monotheism at least is necessary, and that furthermore Muslims who convert will go to hell, etc.). Judaism has never maintained that one must be Jewish in order to be "saved," on the other hand, Jewish notions of the afterlife are sketchy at best, and personal liberation/salvation has never been a predominant concern.
Originally posted by LivLuvAndBootlegMusic
People need other people and are better off with other people.
This would more or less be the reason why I personally find religious community indispensible. The idea of faith as a hermetically sealed, purely personal relationship between God and the individual leaves me cold, frankly, and all of my most powerful religious experiences have come about through finding God in others, so to speak. Not that those experiences have all happened in a synagogue or with other Jews; they haven't. But the sharing of a legacy, and a common language for describing religious experience, is a very powerful thing, and an invaluable aid to staying spiritually alert and aware, IMO.
I do also believe, very strongly, that there is a time and place for solitude, and for learning from other religions' perspectives and practices (it was at an ashram where I truly learned to meditate, a gift for which I'll be forever grateful). But I think that too often, people fall into these modes of practice not because "it's just the right time for it" or because it satisfies them profoundly and completely, but rather because for various reasons they feel alienated from, and unwelcome in, the kinds of religious communities they've known in the past. As AliEnvy said in the "heaven is hell" thread,
I think you draw the line between acceptance and submission at the point where you feel no nagging doubt (as in complete peace with the decision of acceptance). That way it's not defeat. If you submit to something larger than yourself and feel defeated, keep fighting.
I think this applies nicely both to deciding whether you're getting what you need from your religious community, and to deciding whether you're getting what you need from belonging to no community at all.