So, I've been thinking a lot about religion since seeing the later replies of yours. What I realized was: - I know that much about religion personally; - I'm not ready to present quality points against religion without knowing it well enough; - I'm not going to present silly points just to present something. I'm willing to continue the conversation, for I find it both important and interesting. However, I'm not willing to continue it right, or, as a matter of fact, in this thread: just look at the title and how far from it we've went. You've opened my eyes on a lot of things about both religion and how to view it, and I appreaciate that a lot, because religion and religious belief have been important points of my understanding of the world. Let's make a deal. I'm going to research religion - maybe talk to religious figures that I'd encounter (there are Orthodox Christians and Muslims in Tomsk, and Catholic Christians in Kemerovo, as far as I know), read the books or about the books - and then make a #talkreligion post with points on religion that I find important, critical or praising as "Part <whichever>". Does that sound good?
It's cool bro. It's just a discussion. That said, I'd love for you to reach out to me and share what you find. If and when you do start exploring, Wikipedia is a great jumping off point. Since you're in college, if you have some room for filler credits, maybe take a class or two on Religious History. I'd actually think that's the best way to start exploring, because you'll get things from a more secular, academic perspective. If you do go out into the world, visiting churches, mosques, what have you, just be prepared that you might come across some elements that seem a bit weird to you and you might be a bit uncomfortable. That's totally normal. Hell, it still happens to me. The thing is, you're gonna find some things that resonate you and some things that don't. Just remember to be polite and appreciative. These people are letting you into their world. If for some reason, you want to discuss religions with practitioners but are a little uncomfortable talking to people in person, This Place is a great place to talk to people from all sorts of faiths. To let you know though, you'll find people on there not only from a variety of faiths, but also on both extremes of the spectrum from grounded intellectuals to people who are (in my opinion) a bit too open minded. The Moderators there are actually a very helpful lot and some of them have been at it for over a decade.
Religious Forums seems like a fantastic place to go for religions that I can't reach physically. Thank you for letting me know of it, and thank you for prepping me up for the conversations! It is a discussion, but not just a discussion for me. Like I said, it's important for me to understand it, and the discussion we've made so far has been extremely potent in opening my eyes. If that's a trend, I'm willing to dive deep. I study in Russia, which, of course, has a different system of higher education from the US one. We don't have free classes to attend, barring optional non-free specialization and secondary education courses. I wonder if MOOCs have classes on religion, though. They must have something, must they not?Since you're in college