Stephen Prothero: God Is Not One

(Visit: www.uctv.tv/) Are all religions simply different ways up the same mountain? Or is the key to religious tolerance found in better understanding differences? In "God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World," New York Times best-selling author and religion scholar Stephen Prothero argues that persistent attempts to portray all religions as different paths to the same God overlook the distinct problem that each tradition seeks to solve. Delving into the different problems and solutions that Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Confucianism, Yoruba Religion, Daoism and Atheism strive to combat, provides a guide to the questions human beings have asked for millennia-and to the disparate paths we are taking to answer them today. Series: "Walter H. Capps Center Series" [5/2014] [Humanities] [Show ID: 28045]

[@PifflePrattle]

Best talk about reigion I've seen in a long time. Also funny in a dead pan Jack Dee way. Going to look out more from Dr. Stephen Prothero. Talk starts @ 7:00

[@robb6059]

Prabhupāda: If we try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, at least we understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God. God is explaining Himself.

[@robb6059]

"If we do not accept the author, or the speaker, of the Bhagavad-gītā, and if we do not accept the student of Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna, then where is the study of Bhagavad-gītā? It is something nonsense. You have to accept the version of Bhagavad-gītā as it is stated by Kṛṣṇa, and you have to accept the version of Arjuna as it is admitted by Kṛṣṇa. Then you are perfect in Bhagavad-gītā. Otherwise you have simply wasted your time [...] Śrama eva hi kevalam. Simply laboring. Simply uselessly laboring. If you do not awaken your Kṛṣṇa consciousness by studying the Vedas, by studying Bhagavad-gītā, by studying Bhagavad." (Srīla Prabhupāda's lecture on BG 7.7, Feb 22, 1974, Bombay)

[@robb6059]

31:19 "[Someone may say that aside from devotees, who always seek shelter at the Lord's lotus feet, there are those who are not devotees but who have accepted different processes for attaining salvation. What happens to them? In answer to this question, Lord Brahmā and the other demigods said:] O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet."

[@Karl_Marksman]

The last question was the most interesting part of the whole video

[@robb6059]

But how is it possible for there to be another God? Kṛṣṇa is God, and God is one; He cannot be two. Teachings of QUEEN KUNTī

[@mmore242]

Religions do appear to converge when you study their mystical aspects. Suffism, Kabbalah, Christian mysticism parrelle quite we;ll with Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism.

[@raysalmon6566]

jesus is not a myth

[@abdalrahimawad3592]

God is one and the religion is one that means you have to obey him and worship him alone but you have to get to know him first .if you don't see him from your heart's light that means you're turning your back to him

[@pcuimac]

Typical religious woo woo.

[@Ploskkky]

If only you knew what you meant, because I sure as hell don't .

[@greystash998]

BUDDHA HAD NO GODS,it is buddha's followers that put all this gods in the buddhist teaching of the way you can free yourself from this existens suffering, to be free and avoid to be reborn in to this suffering again,the only (god) buddha talk about is the god of temptation when he meditated under the bodhi tree but he understood that that (god)was he's on desires and he was luckily stronger than his own desires so he reach the ultimately goal of avoiding to be reborn and to be free from suffering, and i am jealous of buddha.

[@publicme]

The ultimate message here seems unclear. Is it simply that we should all work to have a better understanding of religions? so we can all get along better? Or is he trying to articulate a super-ordinate religious vision? The take away for me is that Elephant Parable at the beginning where the point of understanding religions better beyond the fact that this might allow us to get along better via better understanding, it can allow us to form a grander vision encompassing the many aspects of the different religions...

[@TheCakeIsNotaVlog]

I think he's saying that we should all make more of an effort to understand each other. Not religion, or race, or favourite colour, just each other. Understanding differing religious viewpoints is a part of that. The largest part. Not because it's more important of an issue, but because it's more important to most people

[@publicme]

The Cake is not a Vlog Thanks.

[@TheCakeIsNotaVlog]

I could be wrong, but I don't think I am

[@tatehamilton758]

Awesome

[@benl6121]

Fire whoever mic'd this guy.

[@autofabwerks]

Insightful for many. Good position of thought. And use of common sense. Or at least what common sense should be.

[@zen.artgallerysenay]

There is so many ways to confirm if all is one or not. 🍄 🍄 It's the one that experiencing it self in so many forms. u can call it god , the universe, emptiness......

[@veritasetlibertas7889]

The jokes are good, but the delivery too slow and long.

[@terrydillon1427]

Comedic view of which I personally approve because it is always good for us to be to laugh at ourselves, even when the topic is tragic. Biblical and world religion illiteracy is endemic and the loss of this knowledge means that we no longer understand the nuances of classic works like Shakespeare. This video is being shown to Mormons at UVU. One of the most embarrassing problems of Mormonism is having so many names hijacked by them and given an entirely difference reference from reality. Example, Palmyra. If a professor of Archaeology mentions, Palmyra, he is not referencing the biography of Joseph Smith. Try this instead: a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/NC_palymra_02_as_160328_4x3_992.jpg

[@stephenpowstinger733]

The idea that God is one is just plain wrong; dishonest. Yes there are similarities between religions but many fundamental differences. A country that drifts towards a multiplicity of religions is a country disunited and conflict ridden.

[@jockley9763]

28:53

[@raysalmon6566]

"I and the Father are One" Jesus john 10

[@thoughtfuldevil6069]

Right, the point of this speech is that this isn't true across all world religions, so god(s) can't all be one since every religion is different.

[@raysalmon6566]

@@thoughtfuldevil6069 Well jesus is above all that

[@thoughtfuldevil6069]

@@raysalmon6566 According to your religion, not all the others. Because nobody knows what religion is 'correct' we've all got to coexist here and now, and we'll only get there by understanding each other, not ignoring each other.

[@raysalmon6566]

@@thoughtfuldevil6069 that will never happen

[@thoughtfuldevil6069]

@@raysalmon6566 Those of us open-minded and tolerant enough to try and understand each other, like Doctor Prothero, say otherwise. You should try it. It's very enriching. You wouldn't want somebody of a different religion to dismiss yours, would you?

[@wdh1550]

the most influacial? clearly spartacus! there is a differance between the new atheists an religion, the new atheists are evolution. hitschens is not harris. we got evolution, do you?

[@milhouse53]

Not good.enough. claims are not supported

[@243dkmk]

wat is to be known that there are primary gods and the rest ofcourse come under secondary

[@joecaner]

I find that I agree with Lewis, I mean, Stephen Prothero on at least one point. That "god is not one." God is negative one (-1)

[@pcuimac]

More of the sqrt(-1) ;)

[@joecaner]

pcuimac I imagine that I stand corrected by your superior definition. :-D God = sqrt(-1) = i; As per usual, the devil is in the details...

[@pcuimac]

Joe Caner That´s why 'god' is also often called an imaginary friend by us atheists. But Hawkings introduced the time before the 'big bang' (I would call it a phase transition) as i*t. So he did include 'god' somehow into his mathematical theories one could argue. :D

[@joecaner]

pcuimac One could argue many different positions such as the argument from ignorance which cannot imagine any other possible explanation for the creation or existence of the universe, ergo god. It is not one that Hawking would make, but if such a universe did exist, god would then stand outside of the that universe, and for all intent and purposes, be absent from it.

[@tomtom2ization]

There is "one"God,but God is "more than "one."

[@243dkmk]

u have to understand this... GOD is one does not mean there is only one GOD.The Sect of GOD or the family of GODs or the term GOD is one,similar to saying the term Human Beings is one but there are millions of human beings.There are 33million GOD/Goddesses in Sanatana Dharma.The Vedas say that GOD is one it should not be misunderstood to saying there is only one GOD as i mentioned above thats wat it meant.The same VEDAS as u go along speak about many GODs.Thank U.

[@robb6059]

But how is it possible for there to be another God? Kṛṣṇa is God, and God is one; He cannot be two. Teachings of QUEEN KUNTī

[@atifhasan3808]

If God is not one then why stephen is one?????????........