by Vincent Coletti

Created on: February 28, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

I think to advocate the most peaceful religions one must actually state what makes a religion peaceful. Most religions have some sort of peaceful teaching but the writings are distorted by the followers. Jesus promoted peace but Christians didn't. Mohammad promoted peace but Muslims wouldn't. We can look at the history of just about every religion and basically say yeah they taught peace but practiced little or none. The Christians were persecuted so in return they persecuted back, we can go on and on. I think the main thing we all have to look at is what makes a religion a religion. Is it a book a past or a teaching? I find in my studies that most of the religions already stated, Buddhist, Wiccan, Druid, all seem to have a very peaceful outlook. They aren't about enlightening through teaching or God, they are about self discovery through nature. They don't seek out followers but people seek them out. Therefor they do not impose their will nor do they detract from the importance of other religions out there. No one is going to die in eternal damnation to them, at least not for believing in something other than their religion. I think that is the most important factor in looking at peaceful religions. Like it or not most if not all organized religions seek to impose their own code of ethics upon the world believing they're way is the only way and all other religions are tolerated but not accepted. In almost every single religion there are people who need redemption through God in fear of damnation. Since I am Wiccan I can tell that not being the case with Wicca. The path is that of an individuals, there will be failings as well as turns, there will be glory as well as pain, but that path is the individuals fate, their destiny. Wicca teaches following the laws of nature, that we are all both gentle and harrowing as nature is, that we have the ability to become more than we are we just need to let go of the en casings. Morality in Wicca is not defined as this or that yet it is set in stone as doing nothing that would harm someone. I grew up in an organized religion and while I always got the message I was meant to, I got it from understanding the world and the lives around me, not from the religion itself. We all need to get to that understanding, both witch and Christian, in order for a religion to be peaceful perhaps we need to look outside the books and into ourselves.

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