Major & Minor World Religions: Correcting Some Common Misconceptions

I assume that anyone who knows me much at all (or who has read the bumper stickers on my car) already knows that I long ago walked away from the Christian faith I was raised with, and have since "tried on" a variety of other religious belief-sets.  During my travels through the world of religions, I encountered any number of misconceptions people have about "other" relgions, and many of them are things I continue to hear on at least a semi-regular basis.  I'm sure that the majority of people do not openly disparage other faiths intending to be mean, but rather because they have been so routinely misinformed.  So, hoping to correct some fallacies, I've listed here a collection of the mistaken beliefs I've heard most frequently.

► Members of alternative religious groups haven't studied the Bible or heard about Jesus.

The implication of this myth is that if these people really knew about Christianity, they would become Christians. It is the fundamental basis for most of the missionary work - and crusades - in Christian history. It is not, however, the case for the vast majority of those worshiping in smaller religions today. Practically all of these members have a background in Christianity and chose to leave it for their current path. They are as well-versed in the Christian faith as most Christians.

► Those smaller groups aren't 'real' religions.

The American Heritage dictionary defines a religion as "A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader". This definition does not specifically mention which leader - or which teachings - these beliefs must be based upon. Therefore, any group, no matter how small their numbers or how unusual their beliefs, which bases their practices in spirituality is a religion.

► Each religion is a different path to God.

 Not all religions believe in a god.

 The fourth biggest religion, Buddhism, is non-theistic and teaches that desires cause suffering and that through meditation, good behaviour and wisdom we can overcome desire and suffering and attain enlightenment. Failure results in constant reincarnation in our path toward enlightenment.

 Some religions worship more than one god. Hinduism, New Zealand's second biggest religion, believes in God as the underlying principle and organiser of the universe, personified in many gods such as Krishna, Rama and Shiva.

 The three monotheistic religions, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, have a common origin in Abraham and a belief in the divine revelations described in the Old Testament. But Christians maintain God made himself known to us in Jesus of Nazareth and Muslims believe in God's more recent revelations to the prophet Mohammad. While there are similarities, there are also major differences in their views about God and the path followers should take.

► Religion brainwashes.

Religious teaching is like any other form of teaching. We were also brainwashed into reading and writing and had our times tables rammed down our throats, which most of us think was good for us.

► Paganism is a religion. --OR-- All pagans are Wiccan.

Paganism is an umbrella term like Christianity - Lutherans, Catholics, and Protestants are all Christians just like Wiccans, Druids, and Shamans are all Pagans.

► Pagans worship Satan.

People who refer to themselves as witches or Wiccans do not worship Satan. The devil is a Christian concept that does not exist in paganism, just Christianity. Not all pagans are polytheists, some are monotheists as well as pantheists.

Some Christian denominations believe that all religions other than their own are influenced by Satan, or secretly worship Satan. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Satanists, for the most part, do not worship the Christian entity of Satan but the ideals that he represents. Other faiths, such as Wicca, do not even believe a being such as Satan exists. Wiccans worship a male and female deity. They have connections to Celtic and other Indo-European deities, but no connection whatsoever to the Christian ideology.

► Witches all have bubbling cauldrons and practice magick.

All witches do not necessarily practice magick (spelled with a 'k' to distinguish it from stage magic). There are forms of witchcraft that are completely philosophical or religious that exclude any magickal practices.

► Pagans drink blood and sacrifice live animals (or babies).

Satanism and Paganism (especially Wicca) often bear the brunt of these allegations. The accusers are usually Christian fundamentalists looking for a reason why these religions are 'evil'. In reality, pagans and Wiccans abhor violence in any form. Reports connecting them to violent acts fall under the headings of urban legend and propaganda. Although a few people professing allegiance to Satan have committed violent or bizarre acts, the organized Satanic groups, such as the Church of Satan, have never been connected to any murders or assaults.

► Halloween is the Devil's birthday.

While those who practice devil worship may not be offended by Halloween, it can't exactly be referred to as “The Devil's Birthday” since devils were not born of this earth, and there was no 365 day calendar to mark the occasion if they were born before the universe. According to the History Channel, Halloween is actually a combination of Celtic practices and even Catholic and Roman traditions which evolved into a holiday targeted towards kids.

► Agnostic is the same as atheism.

Although they may hold similar beliefs, they are not the same. In an answer from Austin Cline, expert guide for About.com, he responds that many agnostics reject the label of atheism. While agnostics doubt the existence of a god, atheists feel for certain that there is no such thing as a god, making the two different.

► Religion causes conflict and wars.

Irreligion (non-religion) is more deadly than religion. Last century was the bloodiest in history, its passing littered with the casualties of secular ideologies - fascism, communism, capitalism - and tyrannical leaders such as Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot.

Although there have been holy wars and many violent religious fanatics, the major religions discourage war and advocate peace. Their devout have worked hard and made sacrifices to promote justice and peace. But religious practices can conflict with secular standards or other religious values. The Hindu caste system is at odds with liberal secular attitudes and Christian beliefs, as is strict Islamic law of Sharia. This has caused some recent violence in parts of India and Africa.

► Islam is the fastest growing religion.

Worldwide, in absolute numbers Christianity is the fastest growing religion at about one new Christian a second - faster than the world's birthrate - according to the US Centre for World Mission. Growth is mainly in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, South America and Russia. Nevertheless, Christianity is losing ground in the West, mainly among the young.

Through immigration, high birthrates and intermarriage, Islam is the fastest growing religion in Europe. Buddhism is the fastest growing in Australia.

► Islam doesn't allow other religions.

Among other religions, Christians are often referred to positively in the Islamic holy book, the Qur'an. According to Huda, the About.com Islam guide, Christians are “people who have received and believed in previous revelation from God's prophets.”

► All Middle Eastern countries are Muslim.

With the exception of Israel, of course. While some countries in the Middle East are devotedly Muslim, such as Afghanistan with 99.7 percent of the population being Muslim, others are not. Lebanon is 59.3 percent Muslim and Kazakhstan is only 56.4 percent Muslim.

► "Islam" means "peace."

Those who claim that the word “Islam” means “peace” are not exactly correct. According to Islamicity, the word more correctly means “submission” in Arabic. With specificity to submission to God, the lack of struggle against Allah may suggest peace but is not accurately represented in the word “Islam.”

► Muslim women are required to wear face scarves.

Although there are Muslim led nations where a woman cannot go out into public without a face and/or body scarf, there are many where women are free to wear what they like. In a column for Islam for Today, a young student explains the purpose of the hijab. It is used as a tool for women to be judged solely for their character, not appearance. Others see it as a way to keep men from thinking impure thoughts.

► Hinduism is one religion.

While all religions have sects, branches, and even sects within sects, Hinduism is not the same. Hinduism does not have any one founder, and it does not have a Bible or a Qur'an to which controversies can be referred for resolution. Consequently, it does not require its adherents to accept any one idea.

► Buddhists believe in God.

The short answer to this according to Ven. S. Dhammika is “no.” Because religious ideas and especially god have an origin in fear, this is one of the main reasons Buddhists do not believe in god. 

► All Buddhists are vegetarians.

Although many Buddhists are vegetarians and vegans, beliefs on this practice vary from sect to sect and even individual to individual. According to Barbara O'Brien, Buddhists were required to eat anything put in their bowls, including meat, and to gratefully receive it. Although one of the first precepts of Buddhism is to not kill, there are certain exceptions when it comes to meat.

► Jesus taught a new system of goodness and morality.

Actually Jesus taught absolutely nothing new. Christianity's uniqueness comes from the innovative claim of his followers that Jesus was the son of God in human form – with an actual body – and like him their physical bodies would be raised. (Although even this physical body part was already present in lower Egyptian cults that emphasized a physical resurrection – hence the mummies.) The truth is there is nothing in the Bible that is new, and if Jesus was a real person, he borrowed extensively on the Stoics and Jewish-pagan cults like the Essenes.

► All Mormons practice polygamy.

With a look at “Big Love,” it is easy to see why this myth is still around.  Polygamy was practiced in the church for about 50 years in the 1800s as ordered by God. This practice was ceased in 1890, and is now only practiced by those on the outskirts of Mormonism. Any members that were found to practice polygamy after 1890 were ex-communicated from the church.

► Mormons are racists.

Blacks were not allowed to hold the priesthood in the LDS church until 1978. All races now have equal rights in all parts of the church. This includes the acceptance of interracial marriages.

► Tattoos disallow a Jewish burial.

A person with a tattoo is not generally forbidden from being buried in a Jewish cemetery. This common misconception was depicted in the television shows Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Nanny. While private cemeteries have the right to forbid burial on any grounds, there is no Jewish law to bar tattooed applicants, and it is uncommon to do so.

► Some Jews must make love through a sheet.

Orthodox Jews do not have sex through a hole in a sheet, as portrayed in various films and tv programs such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and A Price Above Rubies. In fact, according to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, "Jewish law does not allow any articles of clothing to be worn during lovemaking," and using a sheet in this way could be considered a violation of that law."

► Mary the Prostitute

Nowhere in the Bible is Mary Magdalene ever referred to as a prostitute. Before her seeing the risen Jesus, the only other mention besides the listing of her name is the mentioning in Luke 8:2 that she had been possessed by seven demons. In fact there are several sinful women mentioned in the gospels, one of whom is "caught in adultery." Pope Gregory conflated this woman with Mary Magdalene in one of his sermons and thus propagated this mistaken idea. This misconception may be caused by the fact that Magdala, where Mary Magdalene hailed from, was infamous for prostitution.

► Priests can't marry.

There are many sects within the Christian faith that do allow their men and even women of the cloth to marry. On the other hand, have you ever heard a Catholic priest say “my son did the craziest thing the other day?” But there is an exception to this rule as well. According to Father William P. Saunders, there are certain times when a priest can marry. The short answer is he has to be married first and a in a different church before becoming a Catholic priest and receiving an exemption from the celibacy requirement.

► While Separation of Church & State is a smart practice, it is not a Constitutional requirement.

The phrase "separation of church and state" does not occur in the U.S. Constitution. It was first used in a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut, reassuring them that religious minorities (such as Baptists) would be protected under the Bill of Rights. His expression "wall of separation between church and state" was a description of the intended effect of the First Amendment's Establishment and Free Exercise provisions, not a quotation therefrom.  Luckily, the First Amendment provides equal protection to everyone of any religion, not just one particular religion.

► All atheists, pagans, and other non-Christians are amoral.

Christian fundamentalist groups continually warn of the immoral attitudes among many of the non-Christian religions in the United States. In truth, practically all religions offer their believer some type of moral guidelines. These guides are, in most cases, in tune with some Christian laws and all civic laws in the United States. They teach accountability, honor, reverence for life and charity. But to say that all non-Christians are amoral would also be to say that morality did not exist before Christianity.

► Non-Christians are incapable of "real" love.

Similarly to the "amorality" misconception above, this falsehood would imply that love did not exist before Christianity.

► Only Christians go to Heaven.

While everyone may believe that his or her religion is right, do they believe only “their kind” will be allowed into heaven if they are Christians? The little discussed matter is actually debunked on Beliefnet. Using a quote from the Pope, they report that “those who live in accordance with the Beatitudes–the poor in spirit, the pure of heart, those who bear lovingly the sufferings of life–will enter God's kingdom.” Other Christians are reported as giving similar answers.

Do I think it’s true that only Christians go to heaven – or that anybody goes to heaven? No. One of the main reasons I left Christianity was because of its unfair exclusion of peoples based on purely geographical or cultural incidents of birth. However, despite Beliefnet's article or even the Pope, it is a fact that many Christians believe everyone else will go to Hell. It is ridiculous for Catholics to say “See – we don't believe this, so what are you fighting against? Oh – those fundamentalists? But they're wrong… so just ignore them.” Rather, I ignore Catholics because they are often smarter, more open-minded and don't cause trouble. The problem – even if in the minority – are the very real hundreds of thousands of Christians who believe I and everyone else not Christian will not be saved, and that God chose them to save us.

What are some common religious misconceptions you have heard or encountered?  Feel free to share in the comments section below!

Religious postings have the potential to stir up some intense feelings in people who are strongly devoted to their beliefs, so please keep any comments kind and avoid name calling or personal attacks against me or any other people leaving comments.  Inappropriate comments will be deleted, no questions asked.

Information in this post was found in the Bible, http://www.mastersindivinity.org, http://www.holyblasphemy.net, http://freethoughtpedia.com, http://www.sanfords.net, and of course my own personal knowledge and opinions.