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Misunderstood

I've recently had a conversation with a friend about how "weird" she thought Hinduism is. Several aspects of the religion is confusing to those who dont know anything about it. I assume this is the case with many religions, as they are all subject to different levels of interpretation.

In your religion, or any religion you are relatively versed in, what are the major misconceptions people have...that is...what do you find yourself often having to explain about the religion which tends to be misunderstood?

Misunderstood

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are commonly called Mormons because of our belief that the Book of Mormon is also scripture. A common misconception is that we are not Christian. In fact, we are. The name of our church should make that obvious.

Another common misconception is that we think we can earn our salvation. We cannot, but that doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility to live the gospel and follow the commandments as best we can. Because we focus a lot on trying to live righteously, many people think that means we believe we will be saved by our good works. Not true.

Misunderstood Beliefs Religious General

Good thread... I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Some people know us as 'Mormons' because we use a Book of Scripture called, 'The Book of Mormon'. This really is share ignorance since if someone uses the Book of Luke in the Bible do we call them 'Lukeans'? Anyway, through one way or the other we have come to adapt the 'Mormon' name to identify us, but because of this many think we are not Christians and that we worship Mormon or Joseph Smith, a prophet - both of which are not true. Of course we are Christians and we worship only Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ.

Update: Sorry Tenaheff, did not realize you were posting the same time as me...

Misunderstood

thats quite interesting.

to answer my own question...which i should have before...there are several misconceptions people have about Hinduism (my family is hindu, so i have some, though limited, knowledge of the religion)

1. The belief that hindus worship cows. This is not true. They use words such as "homage" to portray gratitude towards the role a cow plays in our life. The cow is said to bear similar qualities to that of a mother. Their birth process is 9months, just as a human mother..and their milk is the closest thing to a mothers milk. In this way, the cow is seen to symbolise a woman...moreso..a mother. If a mother dies while giving birth, or falls ill and cannot provide milk, the cows milk takes the role, and thus allows a baby to survive without its mothers milk. So to slaughter a cow, will be like slaughtering your own mother...this explanation may still not be acceptable to some, but it is borne out of culture and tradition.

2. The belief that hindus worship animals and that they worship several gods, as portrayed by the paintings of Hindu Gods. This, of course, is also not true. EVERYTHING about Hinduism deals with symbolism. There is one God, with different purposes. Mother Lakshmi is portrayed with 4 pairs of arms. This symbolises the roles women play in our lives..caretaker, mother, peacekeeper..and the list goes on. There seems to be different Gods because in the Hindu religion, it is believed that God takes different forms depending on what strength is needed.

Having many names for something is not necessarily a sign of ignorance of its real nature. On the contrary, it may indicate an intimate knowledge of it. For example, Eskimos have forty-eight different names for snow in their language because they know snow intimately in its different variations, not because they are ignorant of the fact that all snow is only one. The many different deities of Hinduism reflect such an intimate realization of the Divine on various levels.

Offtopic but, wow i typed that explanation and its confusing even to me;)

Misunderstood

Cookie, I appreciated your explanation of some of the misunderstandings of Hinduism. I found it very helpful and not at all confusing. The explanation about the cow was very insightful. You are right, I think, that most non-hindus have no idea about the reasons for this.

Another misconception regarding my faith is that we go to our Temples for Sunday worship. Because Jew's sometimes refer to their synagogs as temples, others here the word temple used by LDS members and think we mean Church. In fact, our Temples are closed on Sundays. We use them for special ordinances and to learn certain "higher" gospel principles or laws, but not for Sunday services.

Misunderstood

so this means that you attend temples rather than the Church?..i had no idea. What is the reason for this? (i know nothing about the LDS religion...so bear with me)

Misunderstood

No. That is exactly what is misunderstood. We attend both. Our regular Sunday worship, which is open to anyone who wants to attend is held in a regular church building. Temples are used for special ordinances or "services." Only members in good standing with the Church can attend them and they are not even open on Sunday.

Misunderstood General Religious Beliefs

oh i understand now...thanks for the clarification. Do these temples look different from Churches in any major way?...Im asking because i dont believe ive ever seen a temple of LDS in Trinidad. Maybe i have and i just didnt realise it.