137 Real Religion Requires Logic & Critical Thinking

Responding to a comment left in the live chat of my interview with Sri Dharma Pravatarka Acharya (of DharmaNation youtube & the International Sanatana Dharma Society) on the topic of 'are all religions the same?'. The comment stated that the "essence of all religions are the same". I debunk this foolish comment based on logic, which I believe is something we shouldn't abandon when discussing religion but yet we do constantly. Live 11.9.2024.

0:00 – Intro to responding to chat from episode 136
5:00 – Sanatana Dharma is a religion of inquiry encouraging logic & research unlike Christianity
7:27 – The world & religion is logical & rational | religion becomes about feelings | everything is logical on some level
17:35 – Acting illogical is unattractive to outsiders
20:20 – Religion is an escape from the world | making religion illogical to escape logical world | religion is a game
22:49 – Saints who escaped game of life without making up a new religion
25:16 – True religion is not happy | being always happy is an escape
27:10 – Gandhi said the essence of "all true religions" are the same & one | finding a true religion | misinterpreting Bhagavad Gita by Gandhi & Christian missionaries
30:20 – "All essence is the same" called as authentic scriptural idea when its only a century old
31:36 – Defining essence of religion
35:19 – Impossible to study "all" 10,000 religions to prove their essence is the same
41:11 – Internal vs external religion | discrediting influence of externals
48:24 – How to define the essence of religion while ignoring externals | Black Sabbath example
52:04 – Defining essence of religion to the point of destroying religion
54:41 – Making friends with feel good statements
55:22 – Proving atheists right with our own illogical statements
56:37 – If externals don't matter neither do individual religions | mix & match religions as they are all one | no religions are special
1:05:24 – Sanatana Dharma is not based on feelings
1:06:32 – Promoting religious uniformity
1:07:57 – Closing thoughts | spiritual growth stunted by ourselves

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For independent thinkers who’ve outgrown spiritual, cultural and political fluff, and want more out of life than what society often offers. This isn’t about trends, vibes, or blind devotion. Tune into my live show for unfiltered commentary on politics, culture, music, religion, and society from a rational, historical and politically conservative perspective.

I’m Aaron Joy in Portland, Maine, USA (also known in spiritual circles as Premanand Das Bhagat). I'm a writer, musician, ultra-runner, and former thespian. Visit my website for my books. I'm also trained as an Integral Vedic Counselor, Certified Spiritual Life Coach and Ayurveda Specialist. I'm follow the spiritual path of Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma) of the Ramanuja lineage.

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