Which Religion Will Rule Next? (Page 2)

Zanjan: Laura, the Wireclub profile field doesn't offer the name of my religion as a choice in its menu - it's terribly prejudiced. I'm a Baha'i.

I quote from the Bible frequently because everybody else does - that seems to be the only scripture they're familiar with. I think they're left over from an era of threat that God would strike them down dead if they read a scripture from another religion.

What would be more convenient for me is quoting from my own scriptures but posters would think I was trying to proselytize and that the language is too lofty for them.

Zanjan: Yes, Communism freed the people from religion; consequently, their people tied themselves to bottles of vodka and became alcoholics. Materialism rose off the charts; along with it, depression. If Communism in China or Cuba was working so well and citizens were happy, there wouldn't be any boat people trying to escape.

I'm kinda thinking its the media that rules the world these days.

Laura _: Baha'i huh...Thank you for sharing, not to familiar with it. That explains your comments in The Sabbath forum....You don't follow Yahweh God or any of His Ways....Lost like the rest.

Zanjan: Au contrare, Laura - by your own admission, you don't know the Baha'i Faith so you can't pretend to know what I know.

What I know for certain is the old, established religions have lost their influence on society and irreligion prevails. This is a fact no one can miss. None of them have the power to create a new society or civilization, which is sore needed these days.

I don't look to any organization that has lost steam to propel mankind forward - I look to God and am drawn by His power. HE is the ruler - I go where He goes and, His Hand is not held back by your sabbath.

Laura _: It is His Sabbath, His Holy Day,His seventh day set apart...A sign between Him and His Children!

Jesus Christ is Lord of the Sabbath!!

Zanjan: Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against it and neither should anyone else. That Jews, Christians and Muslims each have their Sabbath on a different day of the week makes no difference to me because I live in a multicultural society. As long as one's government and employer recognizes they need that day off from work to attend, all is good.

In N. America, our governments have legislated ONE day off from work each week. It wasn't always that way - there was a time the people had no protection so employers would expect work 7 days a week, 16 hours a day. That changed, the government said they must have one day off but it had to be Sunday. Finally, God bestowed the light of reason on all.

.Now people can choose - one will have to choose which day that will be, according to their religious observation. If they don't have the freedom to pick which day, they'll have to change their occupation or the their workplace.


Unfortunately, there's too many Holy Days in a multicultural society for the government to honour all of them. We each have to work out those days off with our own employer.

My husband used to work at a packing plant that brought in a lot of foreign workers - more than half of them were Muslim so the company gave the workers time off during their shifts to go say prayers - they pray 5 times a day.

However, many of them abused the privilege and took a very long time to come back to the floor. Consequently, the employer told them they get only 2 coffee breaks, like everyone else - they could use theirs for prayer time instead of coffee. I think that was fair, considering the employer provided an on site prayer room.

That's what I'd do if I had my own company. I think we should respect that God has asked His servants to obey the law of their religion and not put stumbling blocks in their way.

Laura _: God expects us to obey His Laws....Most ignore them...The world will experience the Tribulation because of this. After Christ returns and sets up His kingdom, all Nations will have to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles or have no rain. Zechariah 14:16

deuce916: Zanjan, I can't believe no-one works on a Sunday where you live. Surely hospitals & petrol stations are open.

Zanjan: God doesn't expect humans to do anything - that way, He's never disappointed. Instead, He hears our prayers; because He loves us, He gives instructions on how to get them answered.

Zanjan: Deuce, you're right - those are open for business on Sundays, also the video store and all of the liquor stores. Nothing else is.

I live in the Bible Belt but it beats me where everyone is on Sundays - lucky if you see 5 cars parked at any of the churches. The slowest church is about 85 years old and has only 15 members, one member is under the age of 60......not a single child. About 7 people show up regularly. The busiest is the Baptist, where I take my client - about 50 people when the sanctuary is full, it does have some children.

The pastor told us of his vacation, visiting churches in the USA, of how Ministers there are proud of their gigantic congregations - they vie to get a spot in giant cathedral-like buildings with stage shows and panning spot lights, bands..maybe a thousand people attending.

To them, it's a mark of success; so, the Minister of that church doesn't appear to be looking forward to anything - he's got what he wanted. Consequently, many ministers are jealous of each other and quite competative - it's terrible, the pastor says.

Unlike the Americans, he's so glad he has his little homey church to guide and encourage; he doesn't believe size reflects the quality and expertise of the minister either, though admits he's not in the top five.. He is where he wants to be, where he knows each person well and everyone is like family to him.

I totally understand - that's how it was for Christianity, in the beginning.

Laura _: God doesn't expect humans to do anything Zanjan? Maybe your god, but The God of the Bible Yahweh God wants us to learn His ways...Living His way is the way to true peace and happiness.

ghostgeek: Let us hope that all religions wither and die. God or no God, religion has been an unmitigated disaster for the human race. No loving deity would ever impose such strictures upon its creation.

Laura _: Yes man's religions have failed and that goes for the Paganized Christianity.

Zanjan: Ghost, no need to hope - all religions WILL wither and die. It's out of your hands, man.

As God rules the seasons, so He ruled that every religion follows suit. As each one expires, it's replaced by another; thus God promises the sun will always rise and the spiritual springtime will always return. So it has been since the beginning.

Those who are dead are oblivious. However, the sleeping still respond to the temperature changes, especially extremes of cold and heat. Since we're not that smart, no one will spot it in advance - the occurrence of springtime is how we learn that God has passed by.

Zanjan: What God wants and what He expects are not the same thing.

God created you; therefore, He naturally expects you to exist.......and voila, there you are! He wants your happiness but that attainment entirely depends on your own desire for it.

Consequently, we each go to where we think our happiness is, to the place we call 'home'......then we'll see how long it will sustain us. This doesn't have to be a crap shoot; God has always said the same thing -> if only we obeyed Him, we'd see what He has promised us. In this, I agree with you Laura.

Nevertheless, we all know stories of wild men that God has tamed. They were lean and mean - to some, it's a mystery why God chose them but there's no arguing the results.

shadowline: I suppose the question refers to the Western world, from some parts of which Christianity has receded so much that its time seems to be over. But the Western world is not monolithic. The next "ruling" religion (which I take to mean simply the one that most people adhere to) in Europe will obviously be Islam. Nothing can stop that now, no matter how regretful Europeans become that they allowed for it. Whether the same thing is in store for the United States is questionable. Christianity is still strong in some sectors of that society, and Muslim immigration hasn't run wild, yet.

It's interesting to speculate on whether there could be such a thing as a new religion that would be credible in the developed world. I would guess not, but, I'm no prophet. In the developed world today, the only real religion, apart from rising Islam, is what might be called "naturism" - an attitude which naturally follows on evolutionary science. If humanity understands itself as originating with a God, then that origin needs to be attended to. If humanity understands itself as originating with nature, then THAT origin needs to be attended to. That's why sex is taken as a virtual sacrament in popular culture in the West. It puts you in touch with your origin - nature.

Zanjan: I think you're talking about "humanism", which has been rampant in this materialistic society for a very long time.

"Next" implies that which has had no place before - that which has been waiting its turn.

Seems to me, the topic title is referring to something new, which includes a trend that boldly and rebelliously contrasts against the old/previous. I'd say saintliness would be a new trend - saints would gravitate to the same core belief, as if in the crest of a wave. You could ID that.

deuce916: Computer religion is ruling next. Faster than the mussies.

deuce916: Wikipedia is the new bible.

deuce916: Computerism.

NiteMarcher: Probably a "one world religion" should a "one world order" come about. I just haven't figured out yet whose the lucky one to head it all.

Zanjan: A one-world order could never be established without the consent and support of all the countries and nations of the earth. We're getting there but it's far beyond our lifetimes to permeate every nook and cranny of the globe. Even then, it would continue to evolve.

Likewise, a one-world religion could never have one person at the helm - that's far too much responsibility and an impossible workload for a single human. Besides, God promised He will always ensure there will be a few keepers of the flame amongst His old religions to protect them as a world heritage.

However, a universal faith amongst men is inevitable - that is, a broadcast belief in One God with peaceful acceptance of all His Messengers and religions. They will all realize that the Revelations of God are progressive; as such, more people will trust God than they do now. Soon, the masses will see and embrace the reality of this.

shadowline: I must confess I don't see any sign of that happening, Zanjan. The world's religions have very little in common beyond the fact that they are all religions. That adherents to one will ever see anything Divine about the teachings or founders of another seems highly unlikely to me, judging from what they have all been like as long as they have existed.

SuNrIsE 94: Islam ofc : p wait and see

ghostgeek: Islam had its day a thousand years ago. Now it's tearing itself apart.