gabriel_zachary

How many Gods are there according to your beliefs?

What about the God(s) of another religion?

Are they just facets of the same God(s) or are they all individually different God(s)?

If there is only one God, how do you explain the Gods in other religions?

If there are multiple Gods, are they (as the ancient Greeks thought) actually just reflections of the same Gods you believe or are they also different Gods?

Do different names for God(s) constitute a different God(s), or just different names/titles/labels?

Are there lesser and greater God(s)? How is that determined?

Are there God(s) that serve other God(s)?

What do you conceive God(s) to be? (beings, consciousness, truth, life, bliss, etc) (i.e. What is God(s)'s nature?)

If your belief system does not include a concrete belief in God(s), does it define a concept of God(s) in it?

If your belief system does not include a belief in God(s), what is the source, the ultimate reality, the ground of being, etc in your belief system?

Same-sex marriage opponents always argue from their religious perspective and claim that if same-sex couples are allowed to legally marry (given a civil marriage certificate), that their churches would be forced to perform those marriages. Yet I do not know any gay/lesbian couples that seek to be married in churches that bar them, nor do I know any that attend churches that exclude them. Instead I know plenty that are members of churches that welcome them, are open and affirming, and who would gladly perform the marriage ceremony for them...and indeed already do (though the ceremony is performed, the government still does not legally recognize the union).

So why is it okay to pass amendments to State's constitutions enshrining your religious beliefs about the issue and deny the freedom of religion of my church and other churches like my church that are welcoming of gays and lesbians and perform the spiritual marriage ceremony for them? Why does your church's beliefs get to become law while denying my church's freedom of religion as guaranteed in the First Amendment of the US Constitution?

What is the difference in philosophy, theology, and beliefs amongst the many different paths? How do they differ other than in the deities' names and cultural aspects? For example: what is the difference between Hellenicism and Kemeticism with regards to their philosophy, theology, beliefs, and practices? And how do paths within them differ... examples what is the difference between Orthodox Kemeticism and other forms of Kemeticism? What is the difference between the different forms of Wicca? Etc.

What is the difference between a hospital that has a religious type name and one that does not? Like for example: Baptist Medical Center or Presbyterian Hospital versus City Hospital or County Medical Center? Is there a difference in the source of funding? Is there a difference in how the facility is managed, maintained, and operated? Is there a difference in how it is treated and deals and regulated by the government? And are all religiously named hospitals nonprofit? Do some of these religiously named hospitals ever also a part of a medical university?

Are there government agencies they must go through to register, get loans or grants for getting started? Does it register the same way a corporation does or does it register the same as a cooperative (if they are different in the State)?

What are some sources of funding for a housing cooperative? I was told that there might be federal grants available to help in starting a housing cooperative....what are these grants? where does one apply for these grants? what information is needed for these grants? how often are they approved?

Since I live a long way from India and the cost to have items shipped here can be costly a friend (who is from India) suggested that I should just make my own clothes here since we have the fabrics and since I can sew. Only problem is I do not know where to get the sewing patterns for male kurtas, jodhpuris, sherwanis, and churidar or pyjama pants. So websites, stores, etc that I could purchase the patterns from would be greatly helpful!

Such as do you only fast from certain foods, only take water, or have a complete fast (no food or water)? Why do you fast?

prayers, kirtans, bhajans, sthutis, slokas, strotras, and other things on Sri Ganesh for Ganesh Chaturthi?

Many hospitals in the United States have religious names (not all of them). In the past I have been told that these hospitals were operated and maintained and managed by religious groups (thus the reason for the name) and that other hospitals were usually maintained by the community and some were private. Today it seems that all the hospitals are run by corporations (both of the one's in my birthtown are). With many of the Catholic hospitals the nuns or whoever are still very much a part of the hospitals (St. Mary's here still has the sisters of St. Mary and at Mercy in Oklahoma City the Sisters of Mercy are still there, but do not maintain, operate, or manage the hospital it's done by a corporation). So what about the other hospitals with names like Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, etc, etc, etc. Do the religions still have some part in those hospitals? What part/role do they have? Today, is there a difference between the 'religious' named and nonreligious named hospitals?

do you think that the law should provide legal means to help gay and lesbians protect and care for each other in their partnerships?

the legal right to fire (end employment) of a person solely on the basis that they are a gay or lesbian person?

gay and lesbian people should be granted legal hospital visitation rights when their partner is hospitalized?

Why do the organizers of the American National Day of Prayer claim that is interfaith, yet only develop events and programs for Christians? It is an official national holiday that was made law by an act of Congress. How is it lawful that the "committee" (it's in their name) only works with Christian groups, and why is the official National prayer a "Christian" prayer. What about Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Jews, Muslims, Pagans, Shintos, Taoists, Zoroastrians, et cetera? The only disclaimer on the site is that "all are welcome to participate" and then even outright blatantly states that they are working for Judeo-Christian religions only. How is this "interfaith"? How would a nonChristian even feel comfortable at any of these events that are only for Christians? How would Christians feel if this was being done as an official national holiday to them by some other religion? "Do unto others you would have them do to you". So are Christians saying they want to be excluded?

I have seen on the internet the Gay Homeland Foundation where they are working to try and create an actual nation for Gay and Lesbians (not sure about Bisexuals, Transgendered people and of course it would include the heterosexual children of same-sex families I'd imagine, too). I found the Unified Gay Tribe, The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom also on the internet. In fact the GLKCSI was mentioned on the news site 365gay.com, yet the others are either break away groups from it or they are unique like the Gay Homeland Foundation. I was wondering:

Is anyone here helping with the formation of a gay homeland?

If a gay homeland was formed would you move there? And just out of curiousity, where do you think is the most likely place on Earth geographically that the gay homeland would be placed? What do you think it should be called?

Just to say: yes I'd move there if it occurs in my lifetime, just hope its a democracy.

According to a quote 'A nation is best judged by how the majority treats the minority'. By this...on a scale of 1-5, how would you rank your nation and why?

1-very poorly 2-somewhat poorly 3-there is a minority? 4-somewhat good 5-very good

treat people who adhere to different religious, philosophical, spiritual, and theological beliefs than yours in your daily life? Examples: How do you treat them at work or school? How do you treat them at public social events? Et cetera.