Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Beliefs

What makes an Episcopalian?

Picklegnome — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:08:02 -0800

EpiscopalFilter: What must one believe to be an Episcopalian? What do a significant majority of Episcopalians agree on? What (non-political) issues are members fairly evenly split on? What beliefs are left up to individual members? I'm mostly interested in the theology, metaphysics, morality, etc., rather than the specific moral prescriptions or topics of political debate. Where do various issues of doctrine fall on the "Personally Interpreted / Essential or Prescribed" scale?

Buddhists and the difficulty of choosing your life

ttyn — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:25:06 -0800

Buddhism question about what happens before we are born and the lives we choose for ourselves. I read about a week ago, in an article online, that Buddhists believe we get to see our lives before we are born and we get to say "yes" or "no" as to whether we would like to choose that life. If we say "no" we get to see a different one. And so on. Until we finally pick one, say "yes", and then we are born.

I think I read it on a blog by a guy who was writing about jobs and failure and how even though he experienced failure it was the life he had chosen for himself for a reason.

Can anyone point me in the direction of that article? I thought I bookmarked it but I guess I haven't.

Can anyone point me to any other source that discusses this specific Buddhist belief? Google has failed me since I don't know what the specific term for it would be.

Thanks!

Coping With Belief Change

trinity8-director — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:56:52 -0800

Have you experienced sudden, traumatic changes to a deeply-held belief? How did you deal with it? We typically adjust our belief systems as we grow older. That's a given for most people. But what about those times when a belief is completely exploded?

I'm working on a story in which several people hold a strong belief in common about a subject only to discover that they are completely wrong. As a story device this is not new ground, I admit, but I think the effects of the destruction of a deeply held belief are too often minimized or turned to melodrama.

I'd like to hear first or second-hand experiences in this regard, and especially how the trauma was handled.

Not so much interested in who broke the news to you about Santa Claus. This is about serious, deep beliefs.

As I understand it some people refuse to cope and turn to suicide but most do not, although the extent of that could be a cultural thing.

Health Beliefs of Different Countries

PoopyDoop — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:11:13 -0800

The Russians have a saying that goes "the onion treats seven ailments", meaning, if person eats an onion every day,he will remain healthy and not need a doctor. What other health-related beliefs, that are indigenous and unique to a particular country, can metafites think of?

Please help me not become my parents

khaibit — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 10:16:51 -0800

How can I keep from calcifying my beliefs and becoming like most of the actual adults that I know? As I approach the ancient age of 30 I am beginning to notice that my beliefs and opinions are becoming more and more set in stone. I do a fair bit of reading and metafilter is good for new sources of information, but it doesn't seem enough. I don't want to end up longing for NBC's Thursday night line up.

Now we know better...

FlamingBore — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 09:15:22 -0800

The world isn't flat and pluto isn't a planet. What are some other things that the majority of the population were taught, believed, or were led to believe that we have since found out otherwise? In another venue there is a great debate raging about opinion and belief. There is a very closed minded individual stating her belief/opinion and that nothing anyone says or does will change her mind.

She went on to say that "you'd be surprised how many people think the way I do." Well, I wouldn't be surprised, actually. My response included the two examples above as well as a WMD and Salem Witch Trial reference. But that got me to thinking about all of the other things in this vein. What are they?

Christian Logic Question

TheFeatheredMullet — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 10:29:48 -0800

Christian beliefs logical question..... I do not want to start a flamewar, and I am not trying to be snide or point out a religious fallacy of any type. I am genuinely curious, as I have never understood the logic of sending Jesus to earth to atone for the sins of man.
Specifically, it is said that 'God so loved us, that he gave his only begotten son, to take away the sins of the world' I do not follow the logic. Why did he have to sacrifice his son? It seems like we are saying that God made people, and they were imperfect and started sinning all over the place, so he sent Jesus to earth to suffer in order to compensate for this?
Am I totally off base? If this is so, why send Jesus to be crucified: guilt at having made us imperfect? Why would God have to punish his son to bring balance for the things that humans have done to each other?