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| Myths You Probably Believe About Religions |
Religion. It comes in many, many different forms and just as many different names and rules. But the vast number of religions and sheer number of faithful that are out there have led to some very wrong assumptions.
This article today is going to be exploring some of the most common assumptions and beliefs that you've heard of oh so many times that just aren't true.
So get ready, because this is 7 Myths You Still Believe About Religion.
The Amish don't use technology
There are many movies and TV shows that show off the Amish faith as a group of truly old-fashioned settlers with long neck beards who have completely turned their back on modern technology.
You know, those old-fashioned people that build huge barns with only a hammer, blood, sweat, and tears and some nails? Well, the truth is, the Amish have nothing against electricity or modern communication.
They simply strive to promote modesty, necessity, productivity, and above all, community.
As a matter of fact, they're pretty cool with most modern gadgetry and will even use it as long as it doesn't have a negative impact on their community. Believe it or not, it's not rare to find Amish villages
with generators, solar power, or even battery-powered electricity.
Religious freedom increases atheism
The United States Constitution protects freedom of religion, which has led to many claiming that that right has caused more citizens to turn away from organized religion. The notion has become that, when people are free to choose, they will turn to atheism most of the time. However, according to a poll conducted by ABC, only 13% of the U.S. population identified themselves as having no religion or as atheist, while 15% of the entire population of the world identified as the same.
This comparison puts to bed the idea that religious tolerance alone affects the number of atheists in the world. Honestly, at the end of the day, believe whatever you want to believe, as long as it doesn't affect other people, and live and let live.
There's no Heaven or Hell in Buddhism
Non-Buddhists have usually only read a brief summary of what the faith actually represents and requires. Many believe that since there's a cycle of rebirth in Buddhism, there exists no Heaven or Hell within that belief system.
Well, as it turns out, there are actually multiple Hells. When it comes to the end of your life, Buddhists believe that you're awarded a Karmic rank which determines which of the six realms of existence
you will be sent to.
You can come back as a human on this plane, or go to the heavenly realm of Deva, which represents 30,000 years of pleasure. Or, of course, you could also be banished to Naraka, which is the hell realms, which you'll receive a horrendous amount of punishment over and over again for eternity.
So, yes, reincarnation occurs, but if you come back as a man who continuously burns to death over and over for eternity, that's on you.
Being agnostic is the same as being atheist
This myth can be traced back to multiple religions grouping all "nonbelievers" into a single group named atheists. The problem with that, though, is that there most definitely is a difference between being agnostic and being atheist.
While both do question the existence of a higher power, the difference is is that atheists completely reject the idea.
Agnostics, however, are simply unsure of what to believe, and do not take a stance on whether a higher power exists or not.
Jehovah's Witnesses deny any medical treatment
Just like every other faith, being a Jehovah's Witness comes with a list of things that are allowed, and things that, of course, are not. There is a myth that says that one of their rules is that they cannot seek medical treatment when needed. The truth is, Jehovah's Witnesses obviously don't want to die, and are, in fact, permitted by their faith to seek medical treatment when needed.
There is a restriction, however, which is that blood transfusions are disallowed. In fact, quite a few Jehovah's Witnesses have died refusing to allow another person's blood to be put into their body.
How this one restriction became misconstrued as a denial of all medical treatment is anyone's guess.
Satanists worship evil
While many Christians will claim that Satan worshippers are embracing evil, Satanists, however, will challenge that myth and bust it fairly quickly. Things that Christians consider evil may not be considered evil by non-Christians.
Take Lucifer himself, for example. While he's seen as the embodiment of evil in many faiths, to Satanists he's seen as someone who simply encourages individuality, free thinking, and standing up to what you believe in. In fact, they claim that his main goal is simply to lead people away from the "lies" of Christianity.
Believe it or not, Satanism promotes turning bad things into good things, rather than eliminating bad things altogether. And many of its followers claim that the idea of an all good God versus an all evil Devil is simply propaganda.
The Catholic Church actively opposes science
With debates involving Creationists and TV show scientists being broadcast for ratings and many religious factions denying scientific discoveries, it's pretty easy to see how this myth was formed.
However, the truth is, many amazing scientific breakthroughs have occurred due to Catholic scholarship and education. In fact, it was a Belgian priest named "Monseigneur George Lemaître" who proposed the Big Bang theory, an idea that theoretical physicist Albert Einstein actually rejected. Soon after, Einstein received a letter from the Catholic father, which said "Your math is correct, "but your physics are abominable."
At the end of the day, my friends, try to keep an open mind, be accepting of others' points of view,
and just spread the love.
Thanks again for following our article of Myths You Still Believe. Be sure to leave a comment below letting us know what the next article should be.
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