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This post seems ready to ridicule and disaparage, and again call someone "not in their right mind" for having a different approach to life.
I have looked into what the Shakers believed and why. That wasn't my question.
If you actually comprehend what I posted, I said "Who in their right mind would think that a religion that prohibits sex even in marriage is going to go anywhere?"
Religions tend to supply a large percentage of their own numbers by breeding them. Then the balance of the growth or sustainability of their numbers is conversions. With the Shakers beliefs, they removed a huge amount of potential growth by removing the influx of born members. That left only converts -- and they had to be convinced to join a religion that prohibited all sex. That's a hard sell, and for them to genuinely believe that it would actually be successful -- very unrealistic and just a little "out there".
Sure, there are religions that prohibit sex among their clergy -- but none would ever succeed prohibiting it among the laypeople as well. And the ones that do prohibit it among the clergy have the laypeople to boost the rolls.
Which brings me back to my question...who would start a religion prohibiting all sex, and expect the religion to succeed, much less thrive and grow?
Hmm...I could buy the founder being a junkie if he'd advocated a LOT of sex...but not no sex.
I don't think there is a direct link between sex and any recreational drug. Well, except ecstasy. I can't imagine an X user being celibate. It goes against the effects of the drug, lol.
By the way, how do you get to type phrases under your name? Like under yours it says, "Atheism is not a religion."
Sure, there are religions that prohibit sex among their clergy -- but none would ever succeed prohibiting it among the laypeople as well. And the ones that do prohibit it among the clergy have the laypeople to boost the rolls.
Which brings me back to my question...who would start a religion prohibiting all sex, and expect the religion to succeed, much less thrive and grow?
There is an art to widening one's vision, or opening one's mind, to include more and beyond what is just immediately apparent or visible on the surface. It sounds like you consider it incredulous that anyone would choose celibacy. Many people do and they do so for spiritual reasons. No religion is "demanding" it or "forcing" them to do it with weird and crazy doctrines.
so you are thinking in terms only of "building the membership numbers" when there are a whole lot of other more pertinent issues going on when someone chooses celibacy within their spiritual practice.
That is the pitfall in judging another's lifestyle on your own beilefs and rationale and filters. Until you hear from the person themself why they do something there is no understanding, and ignorance prevails.
The strangest religious practice I've ever seen is when you see this large groups of muslim men who march down the street and flog themselves until there's blood dripping from the wounds. I've seen this in a number of news reports and the people seem to get into a frenzy of activity. This is truly beyond my comprehension.
Also, I was in Mexico City a year or so ago and visited one of the major Catholic churches that's got a long history and is popular with the faithful and tourists alike. I noticed a number of people who were moving across this huge courtyard on their knees on the hard concrete as they made their way to the entrance to the church. I've seen this in a few places in Europe and in other Latin American countries. I guess it's a way of humbling yourself or expressing your unworthiness, I'm not sure. It does seem very strange though and I've never seen it practiced in the US.
I remember hearing about a certain sect of Hinduism (I think) in which the worshippers believe rats are the highest form of creation or something to that effect. They have this huge rat temple in India and they put milk in saucers. The rats go into the saucers and the followers drink the milk in some sort of ritual. I don't know much about it as I saw just a brief glimpse of it on the History channel but it was pretty disgusting from what I saw...
Let me see if I can't pull something up on it...
Here's a delightful video! Make sure you watch it while you eat!
Easter is very near, so you can also expect to see men actually being hung from crosses..I am very religious tolerant, but eating and sleeping with rats, whipping my self bloody or allowing someone to hang me on a cross? No thanks
I am very religious tolerant, but eating and sleeping with rats, whipping my self bloody or allowing someone to hang me on a cross? No thanks
I'll 2nd that.
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