Fifty Questions That Christians Can't Answer

[Alex]

I'll elaborate and clear up any misconceptions.

Taoism - Has huge influence in the eastern world, and was promoted by the Song emperors, then dismissed. It is, however, one of five religions recognized and funded by the state government of the People's Republic of China.

Which proves it seeks a theocracy how?

Fundamentalism - stems from a religious following. Fanaticism of any form can be detrimental to a healthy society, but moderate religion opens the door for fundamentalism, as there is no set standard and no fine line to cross. You either encourage everyone to practice what they want, or you don't. Notice I said encourage and not allow. I'm not advocating getting rid of the freedom of/from religion.

See, this is the thing though - fundamentalism and fanaticism can stem from many sources, religious, political or otherwise. It's the fanaticism that's the problem, not religion itself.

Buddhism - the 4th largest religion in the world with 1/3-1/2 of a billion people. It has massive influence in Asia and in many cases, is state sponsored.

It having a large number of followers is hardly evidence of some power-grabbing conspiracy.

Sikhism - had a formidable military and political organization during medieval India. They have a massive following in India as well. Though they make it a point not to proselytize, it is apparent that their previous Empire and political motivations (leading to a state-sponsored assasination) portray them as more than just people with a set of common beliefs. Many people have died and continue to perish because of this religion and others. If that's not control, I don't know what is.

Like Zoroastrianism, this is a religion that was once powerful but isn't anymore.

Jainism - Branched from the same Shramana tradition from which Buddhism came. It was the predominant religion in India in the 9th century, and continues spreading today, even to the western world. 10-12 million people make it the smallest of all major religions, they pretty much shaped Indian culture to what it is now. It has gone through many legal proceedings to be recognized by the Indian government as a minority religion, in order to gain influence in various regions.

Again, you seem to be confusing "influential" with "they're out for power!!!"

Shintoism - the religion of Japan. It has drawn massive influence by way of Japanese pop culture and anime/manga. Although Shintoism and Buddhism are not the same thing, people practice them both, as a mix called syncretism. Throughout Japan's history, Shintoism has been used for political control of regimes, and at one time required all Japanese families to register and practice the religion. Late 19th century gave rise to State Shinto, in which the process of mass indoctrination could occur with state support.

Hm, never knew that.

Tenrikyo - has had troubling times in Japan, but continues to grow, as it has 2 million followers worldwide and over 16,000 churches in Japan alone. They have church services (not necessary), doctrine, a belief system that in many aspects mirrors Christianity, and they seek political acknowledgement. It's classified as a new religious movement, and they promote proselytism via social work.

I guess this one is too new (religion-wise) to judge yet. I dunno though, I fucking hate proselytism.

Unitarianism - founded on Christian doctrine, but promotes itself as non-denominational.

Unitarian universalism, it's different from regular unitarianism (a type of Christianity which rejects the trinity).

They still employ a church hierarchy, which then enforces specific doctrine regarding spiritual growth and social control. They make it a point to proselytize with "elevator speeches". They are HEAVILY involved in civil rights matters, and hold conventions at their churches for the same reasons.

Indeed, but I'm still not sure what this is evidence of. A number of Gay rights groups are "heavily involved in civil rights matters", does this prove the homosexual community is out to rule the world?