I've actually been to Quaker services. I learned a lot from them even though ultimately it wasn't the right kind of church for me. The lessons I've learned from them though served me well in trying to get closer to God though.

>>74381289
What kinds of lessons? What was your overall impression? Why wasn't it a good fit?

>>74381497
The main lesson would probably be trying to listen to God in the silence. Considering they do silent worship it was a very strange experience for me when I first went but I got used to it as I kept going. The actual people were nice though and gave me a lot of information on Quaker beliefs and worship. It wasn't a good fit for me simply because while there were great lessons to learn there I did feel limited so I continued on to trying many other churches. What's your interest in those specific groups anyway?

wait what this isn't /soc/
saged

>>74381071

What the fuck is this your comparative religion paper? Better pick another grouping, because you have esoteric subsects mixed in with the mainstream.

>>74382209
I'm sure /pol/ would be a great reference on a paper.

>>74381071
Taoism future religion of Africa when the Chinese will take over

>>74382383
Taoism isn't even the dominant religion of China though.

>>74381937
Quakers appeal to me because I like the idea of listening to God's direction, finding the correct path, and so on. Getting a deep understanding of the world and your path in it through reflection. The interconnectedness message also appeals to me.

Zen Buddhism appeals to me for similar reasons - I like the emphasis on clarity of the world around you, and understanding the correct path through that clarity.

I know less about Taoism, but similarly, I like the idea of following the direction the world points out to you to maximize your gains.

Judaism appeals to me less, but Jewish humanists, particularly in the Spinoza tradition, view god as simply the unification of everything in the world, whether in a divine or naturalistic sense. Another appealing thing about Jewish philosophy is the emphasis on language - the idea that the way you choose language affects your reality, and therefor the world.

Similar to the above, Sufism, particularly sects like Bektashi, emphasize that god is within everything. This is significant because again, it promotes interconnectedness, but also because it promotes direct experience with the world around you, since experiencing the world is experiencing god.

I shoulda included Sikhism, too.

The problem is I can't stand the emphasis on afterlife. I like the philosophies presented by these for understanding the world, your place in it, and where to go, but I can't by into the promises of what will happen after death.

Idk why I wrote "/soc/", I haven't posted there in a year probably. I will admit, though, my main board is /mu/, though I'm on /trv/ a fair amount lately

>>74382383
Fat chance, West Africans tend to hate the Chinese more than anybody at least around here, because working conditions in Chinese companies in Africa are the notoriously horrible.

>>74383172
I was born and raised in a Quaker household. Their spirituality is very simple and earnest in the protestant style, it emphasizes a community of free individuals and there's very little "tradition" besides basic Christian teachings.

Quaker pacifism and social theory should always be taken as a guide to behaving IN SOCIETY, as their ideals of consensus and peaceful mediation can only be lived by people of a certain class, for whom those personal choices are meaningful and possible.

>>74383172
Do you think having the "perfect-fitting" idea of god will change the way you see yourself?