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Why Are There So Many Religions?

vhero

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I have recently become more religous than before. I am trying to learn as much as i can about sikhism. When i started, i had many questions, such as if god created us than who created god? I asked these questions because mostly they were the arguements athiests used. But now i have had most of these questions answered. One that i still dont understand is, why are there so many religions, if there is only one god? why did god create many religions? What does it say in the guru granth sahib ji? can anyone help me?
 

S|kH

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We Are PENN STATE!!
I have recently become more religous than before. I am trying to learn as much as i can about sikhism. When i started, i had many questions, such as if god created us than who created god? I asked these questions because mostly they were the arguements athiests used. But now i have had most of these questions answered. One that i still dont understand is, why are there so many religions, if there is only one god? why did god create many religions? What does it say in the guru granth sahib ji? can anyone help me?

I don't think any "real" atheist would ask that question. Seems more like an agnostic question or actually any religious believer question to me.

There are so many religions because the "myth of god" is a powerful tool to sell to the masses.
 

Tejwant Singh

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Why are there so many religions? The first answer from me would be the saying "There is one truth but many ways of saying it."

Peace
Satyaban

Satyaban ji,

Guru fateh.

How would you include literal places called Hell and Heaven which are in the belief systems of the semitic religions and Hinduism in your above thinking?

Please share with us.

Tejwant Singh
 

BhagatSingh

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Apr 24, 2006
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There are so many religions because each religion makes different claims without any evidence.
Since neither can come to conclusion they all exist based on faith (blind faith).

This is why one should stick with science, which is based on stuff we know and can test. Everyone can agree on the facts established by science, unlike religion. If there are disagreements, then they can be resolved with more tests and research. Whereas, in religion, everyone beats there own drum. You can't resolve anything because nothing has any foundations. The arguments are weak, so the only way a religion can continue to exist is if it places things like death penalties on its followers.

Religion plays the "we don't know this, so God did it" card. So of course! different religions just add in their own details for something, which explains why there are so many religions. e.g. what happens after death? reincarnation, judgement day, we all become zombies, wine rivers, hell, heaven, we get abducted by aliens...
How do you resolve this?? You can't, with religion that is. There is no evidence for any of that. So when you have no evidence what should you actually be saying?
Hint: Science says we don't know (most logical answer) and apparently people can't handle that.

If we could all learn to reason, there wouldn't be so many religions.

When i started, i had many questions, such as if god created us than who created god?
So you answered this question??
One that i still dont understand is, why are there so many religions, if there is only one god?
If there was no God there still would be just as many religions as there are today.
 

spnadmin

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Just something to consider -- to think about... The opinion of Brent Hill writing for Associated Content News who takes on the challenge of describing what a "good" religion is like.

The Nature and Purpose of Religion

May 29, 2005

What Religion Should Be About

I have thought about religion for a long time. Even though I was brought up in no religious tradition, with my parents fully committed to having me make up my own mind, I had no choice but to confront religion rather early. The outside world really doesn't care about your parent's good intentions and the outside world, at least in the southern US, is very religious. As such, I was quickly informed in a variety of ways that I was either an idiot or evil because of my lack of any particular conviction towards a supreme being (or *the* supreme being, depending on which side of the table you were on). The result was my well know distaste for religion, religious people, and Christianity in particular. I have since changed my views quite a lot, primarily in the last few years. This is not to say I disagree with my former self, but rather find those early views overly broad and under-informed. The meat, the center, though, is unchanged: extreme and exclusivist religious views are intolerant, often ill informed, divisive, and lead to the suffering of many. These views have these effects today, have had these effects in the past, and I see no reason why these views will not lead to more problems in the future.For a long time, most of my life in fact, I considered religion of any stripe to be a sort of mental and social plague. A plague that would move from parent to child, with swift and terrible efficiency, generation after generation. But it’s not. Or at least, it doesn't have to be. Religion is a big thing, encompassing a myriad of potential views, an assortment of rituals, and a tremendous collection of art, icons, and viewpoints. The usual focus of all of these things is life, or how to live it; either because a god or gods said so, because it is a good idea, or even because of traditional accretion. There is nothing wrong with this innately. The problem is always found in the extreme and the xenophobic.Where does this extremism and xenophobia come from then? I think it comes from a lot of places. For one, the many people involved in the development of any religious tradition are not perfect, no matter what the scripture may say to the contrary. They all had viewpoints, enemies, friends, and a host culture which shaped their thinking, even if that host culture was eventually rejected. Furthermore, anyone who proclaims that only through their knowledge, their revelation, and of course obedience to only them and their teachings, kicks the door open to extreme interpretations, fear of other ideas, and conflict with all the others claiming supreme and exclusive access to the truth.Which brings up the question of truth. It isn't clear if anyone knows what this truth thing really is, or even, if they DO know, whether or not they would be inclined to tell us. Given the strife that often follows such claims to knowledge, I think they most likely stay quiet, stay hidden, and have a jolly time laughing at all the rest of us poor humans.It is in the face of this enforced ignorance that religions come about. The problem isn't that they don't have access to the truth; the problem is that they pretend they do when they actually don't. This becomes most evident with such battlegrounds as Evolution. Answers to such two-year-old questions such as, "where do we come from?", or "where did the world come from?", do not have a place in religion. Answers to these questions may be interesting, informative, or shocking, but they have little to do with how you should live you life, why you should live it that way, or anything else of spiritual merit. All these answers do is provide an excuse for disagreement, division, and eventual hate.Even if religions did have direct answers for us, I am not sure if they would do us any good. Like a person reading a book in a language they don't know, the answers could be right in front of us yet still hidden. The only way we can understand is if we put in the work-to learn the language, understand the problem, and finally receive the answer. Moreover, it is likely that once we learn the language and understand the problem, we will no longer need the answer. We will be in a position to figure it out for ourselves. Perhaps religions should concern themselves less with answers and more with helping us to ask the right questions. And like any good guide, the answers should still be there, provided as a way of checking our work, figuring out where we went wrong, and getting us going the right direction again.But there is a trap here. Answering the wrong questions can often be as misleading as giving the wrong answers. Answering bad questions gives the impression that the question is important, that the line of inquiry is worth pursuing, and strokes the ego of the questioner. The pursuers of truth, who should be natural allies, find themselves bickering over irrelevant trifles. Given the fiery rhetoric of many television preachers, I have no doubt this has long since happened.And there we are, back to the xenophobia and the hate, fear, and extreme views. Thus, for a religion to lead the world towards "the Good", to lead it away from suffering, it must first avoid these traps. It must force us to ask the right questions, refuse to answer bad ones, and offer satisfying answers every step of the way. It must allow no major misinterpretations, no hateful rhetoric, nor fear of contrary views. It must avoid the human pitfalls of false prophets and demagogues, the corrupting influences of wealth, power, and those who would exploit religion for political gain, and most difficult: the fears and rationalizations of its own adherents. For they are the ones who feel the hate and the fear. They are the ones who are manipulated by the powerful who would turn religion to their own purposes. They are the ones who read the scripture, try and apply it to the world, and carry their views to the next generation. And they are us.So what can we turn to in order to save us from ourselves? How do we rid ourselves of the poisons of fear and hate? By taking their antidotes: compassion and wisdom. This answer comes from religion, as religion finds its best expression in the perfection and embodiment of these two concepts. Across religions, across cultures, across time, these ideas occur again and again, leading the way. A good religion will therefore only answer the following types of questions: "how can I better understand the world around me?", "how can I be more compassionate?", "how may I ease the suffering of myself and others?", and, "how can I lead a life that does not lead to pain and sorrow, and what can I do about it when I sometimes fail?" Similarly, a good religion will not put itself in a position to be misinterpreted. It will not reward those seeking an easy hold over the populace. It will go out of its way to clearly state that anything and everything that leads towards extremism, fear, hate, and the subsequent suffering to be out of bounds, against its purpose, and against "the Good", no matter what the rationalization of the day may be.

Source The Nature and Purpose of Religion - Associated Content
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

Sawa lakh se EK larraoan
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GOD sent His Prophets, Messengers...to TEACH MANKIND about GOD....instead they all TAUGHT MANKIND about "THEMSELVES" First...and 'god" second....when ever GOD is mentioned.."HE" is used to AUTHENTICATE the "Messenger/Prophet" rather than the other way around....I AM the SON of GOD..I AM the MESSENGER of GOD..I am..I AM...I AM.....I A M !!! Here is a book of my sayings..IT IS GODS WORD !!

Thus God continued to TRY and TRY again...to send the Messenger that will ONLY TALK about GOD and GOD..and GOD....and NOT his own glory !!

READ the entire 1429 Pages of the SGGS...EACH WORD is about GOD and the CREATOR..about ALLAH..and RAM..and RAHIM..and Gopal...and Hari...and ........about the .......Supreme EK OANGKAAR....ONLY. NO "messengers" histories..no sons of god..no last messenger..no final messenger etc etc. JUST all about HIM and HIM alone.:happy::happy:
 

BhagatSingh

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Apr 24, 2006
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It must force us to ask the right questions, refuse to answer bad ones, and offer satisfying answers every step of the way.
This is where religion goes bad, when it tries to offer satisfying answers. These answers in reality change as humans understand more and more about the world around them. But will this religion change and keep up with new knowledge?
 

spnadmin

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amarsanghera ji

Thanks -:cool:- but I thought English was the official language of the forum. :advocate: Since I can read what you have been writing I can see you are being very droll ;) But translate for everyone else on this one thread and perhaps the other two. :yes: Cuz they would like to know what you are saying. :8-:)
 
Aug 27, 2005
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Satyaban ji,

Guru fateh.

How would you include literal places called Hell and Heaven which are in the belief systems of the semitic religions and Hinduism in your above thinking?

Please share with us.

Tejwant Singh

Heaven and hell are in many belief systems as you said but not in "Hinduism", I prefer the term Sanaatana Dharma.
Some believe there is a literal "heaven" and "hell". In truth they are metaphors. I believe man is born with a priori knowledge of spiritual matters but can not express them in words. Myths and metaphors are attempts to express what can not be expressed. These metaphors often reflect the environment of the monad where they originated and turned into dogma and doctrine more individualized by each religion. For instance in Islam the more or less dictated way women should dress is an extension of the way women dressed when they were bedouins. I hope this clarifies it for you.
 
May 28, 2009
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Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa..Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.......

This world and every Khand, Brhmand (whole universe) is playfield...he is enjoying looking at us... Well God has not created any religion....he only made us Sikh (learner/follower of GOD)..we became Teacher..everyone wants to teach other...hardly anybody there who really wishes to learn..........we in turn created so many religions, castes.....God doesn't sent a person down and told him..you are Brahim..and I am sending you down...you don't have to do anything but just Naam Simran...and only you have to do this...I am sending others to help you in other day- to- day work. This is what Hinduism taught the indians............God just send us for naam simran, karma, win this Maya...Win yourself and come clean to me.... Men created so much obstacles in the way for their own benefit...by making such religions...he taught us to follow some path...reach destination...we stick to some fake people sitting in between and never try to travel futher to our destination....

Once varanasi Pandits were telling all people that Kalyug has arrived...we have to calm him...get Milk, Rice, wheat...we need so many other stuff to calm him... Then Guru Nanak Ji asked them to show him the Kalyug, how this Kalyug looks like..What it does ?............all pandits got angry...then Guru Nanak ji told them that...when False/wrong will suprees the Truth...thats Kalyug, When people will say a Saint as mad man, stop him from worshipping, start pressing the poor.....thats Kalyug.......its within humans ...not outside somewhere..........

I think I went out of topic in a flow........sorry...

TC..
 

spnadmin

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GillAUS ji

You didn't really go off topic. I think I "get it" -- sometimes the "seers" come off as crazy because they see what is going on and get emotional. And in Kalyug -- who can say it does not exist? - there is a lot to get emotional about. So the road to sukh lies in Gurbani... wheat and milk aren't bad ...but Guruji is better.
 

Tejwant Singh

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Heaven and hell are in many belief systems as you said but not in "Hinduism", I prefer the term Sanaatana Dharma.
Some believe there is a literal "heaven" and "hell". In truth they are metaphors. I believe man is born with a priori knowledge of spiritual matters but can not express them in words. Myths and metaphors are attempts to express what can not be expressed. These metaphors often reflect the environment of the monad where they originated and turned into dogma and doctrine more individualized by each religion. For instance in Islam the more or less dictated way women should dress is an extension of the way women dressed when they were bedouins. I hope this clarifies it for you.

Satyaban ji,

Guru Fateh.

Well, I beg to disagree with you. Reincarnation is a form of Hell and Heaven concept ingrained in Hinduism whereas Gurbani says, all those who follow Guru's teachings are able to get rid of this belief.

Tejwant Singh
 
Aug 27, 2005
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Vaheguruseekr

I am a practising Shaivite, a devotee of Lord Shiva, and I have found no "hell" in the maner of eternal punishment. Reincarnation is not hell, but part of one's spiritual evolution. "Heaven" is the eternal bliss of moksha amd reunion with God. One's reincarnation is determined by karma.

Om shanti shanti
Satyaban
 

Tejwant Singh

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Vaheguruseekr

I am a practising Shaivite, a devotee of Lord Shiva, and I have found no "hell" in the maner of eternal punishment. Reincarnation is not hell, but part of one's spiritual evolution. "Heaven" is the eternal bliss of moksha amd reunion with God. One's reincarnation is determined by karma.

Om shanti shanti
Satyaban

Satyaban ji,

Guru fateh.

Pardon my ignorance but I have no idea what a Shaivite is and I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn from you. As I said, I am totally ignorant about it, please share about your faith and I want to apologise in advance for my questions because they are meant for the understanding of your faith not to mock it in any way or form.

1.Is it a sect of Hinduism?

2.What are those called who follow Brahma, Vishnu and other deities?

3.Is there any rift among them?

4.I have been told that Shivling is Lord Shiva's phallus and people touch it and caress it shamelessly. Is it part of your faith and what is its origin and its significance?

5. What is the origin of Lord Shiva and his purpose on the Earth?

6. Who were his parents and their names and where did they come from?

7. Why is Lord Shiva's color purple/lavender which is unusual for a human skin? Was it a birth defect or lack of some chemicals which are normally found in other humans?

We will discuss about reincarnation after this.

Thanks for sharing your faith.

Tejwant Singh
 

vsgrewal48895

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Dear All,

Guru Nanak stresses in Raag Basant that there is only one religion of righteousness as God created Its creation with one religion but man turned it to many and only rare Guru willed individual understands it;
ਏਕੋ ਧਰਮੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜੈ ਸਚੁ ਕੋਈ ॥

ਬਸੰਤੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ॥
Basanṯ mėhlā 1.​


ਦਰਸਨ ਕੀ ਪਿਆਸ ਜਿਸੁ ਨਰ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਏਕਤੁ ਰਾਚੈ ਪਰਹਰਿ ਦੋਇ ॥ ਦੂਰਿ ਦਰਦੁ ਮਥਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਖਾਇ ॥ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਬੂਝੈ ਏਕ ਸਮਾਇ ॥੧॥ ਤੇਰੇ ਦਰਸਨ ਕਉ ਕੇਤੀ ਬਿਲਲਾਇ ॥ ਵਿਰਲਾ ਕੋ ਚੀਨਸਿ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦਿ ਮਿਲਾਇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ ਬੇਦ ਵਖਾਣਿ ਕਹਹਿ ਇਕੁ ਕਹੀਐ ॥ ਓਹੁ ਬੇਅੰਤੁ ਅੰਤੁ ਕਿਨਿ ਲਹੀਐ ॥ ਏਕੋ ਕਰਤਾ ਜਿਨਿ ਜਗੁ ਕੀਆ ॥ ਬਾਝੁ ਕਲਾ ਧਰਿ ਗਗਨੁ ਧਰੀਆ ॥੨॥ ਏਕੋ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਧਿਆਨੁ ਧੁਨਿ ਬਾਣੀ ॥ ਏਕੁ ਨਿਰਾਲਮੁ ਅਕਥ ਕਹਾਣੀ ॥ ਏਕੋ ਸਬਦੁ ਸਚਾ ਨੀਸਾਣੁ ॥ ਪੂਰੇ ਗੁਰ ਤੇ ਜਾਣੈ ਜਾਣੁ ॥੩॥

Ḏarsan kī pi▫ās jis nar ho▫e. Ėkaṯ rācẖai parhar ḏo▫e. Ḏūr ḏaraḏ math amriṯ kẖā▫e. Gurmukẖ būjẖai ek samā▫e. ||1|| Ŧere ḏarsan ka▫o keṯī billā▫e. virlā ko cẖīnas gur sabaḏ milā▫e. ||1|| rahā▫o. Beḏ vakẖāṇ kahėh ik kahī▫ai. Oh be▫anṯ anṯ kin lahī▫ai. Ėko karṯā jin jag kī▫ā. Bājẖ kalā ḏẖar gagan ḏẖarī▫ā. ||2|| Ėko gi▫ān ḏẖi▫ān ḏẖun baṇī. Ėk nirālam akath kahāṇī. Ėko sabaḏ sacẖā nīsāṇ. Pūre gur ṯe jāṇai jāṇ. ||3||

That person, who thirsts for the Blessed Vision of the Akal Purkh, is absorbed in the One Creator, leaving duality behind. His pains are taken away, as he churns and drinks in the Ambrosial Nectar. The Guru willed understands, and merges in the One Akal Purkh. ||1|| So many cry out for Its vision. How rare are those who realize the Word of the Guru's Sabd and merge with It. ||1||Pause|| The Vedas say that we should chant the Name of the One God. It is endless; no one can find Its limits? There is only One Creator, who created the world. Without any pillars, It supports the earth and the sky. ||2|| Spiritual wisdom and meditation are contained in the melody of the Bani, the Word of the One Akal Purkh. The One Akal Purkh is Untouched and Unstained; Its story is unspoken. The Sabd, the Word, is the Insignia of the One True God.
Through the Perfect Guru, the All Knowing Akal Purkh is known. ||3||

ਏਕੋ ਧਰਮੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜੈ ਸਚੁ ਕੋਈ ॥ ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਪੂਰਾ ਜੁਗਿ ਜੁਗਿ ਸੋਈ ॥

Ėko ḏẖaram ḏariṛai sacẖ ko▫ī. Gurmaṯ pūrā jug jug so▫ī.

There is only one religion of Righteousness; let everyone grasp this truth. Through the Guru's Teachings, one becomes perfect, all the ages through.

ਅਨਹਦਿ ਰਾਤਾ ਏਕ ਲਿਵ ਤਾਰ ॥ ਓਹੁ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਪਾਵੈ ਅਲਖ ਅਪਾਰ ॥੪॥ ਏਕੋ ਤਖਤੁ ਏਕੋ ਪਾਤਿਸਾਹੁ ॥ ਸਰਬੀ ਥਾਈ ਵੇਪਰਵਾਹੁ ॥ ਤਿਸ ਕਾ ਕੀਆ ਤ੍ਰਿਭਵਣ ਸਾਰੁ ॥ ਓਹੁ ਅਗਮੁ ਅਗੋਚਰੁ ਏਕੰਕਾਰੁ ॥੫॥ ਏਕਾ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਸਾਚਾ ਨਾਉ ॥ ਤਿਥੈ ਨਿਬੜੈ ਸਾਚੁ ਨਿਆਉ ॥ ਸਾਚੀ ਕਰਣੀ ਪਤਿ ਪਰਵਾਣੁ ॥ ਸਾਚੀ ਦਰਗਹ ਪਾਵੈ ਮਾਣੁ ॥੬॥ ਏਕਾ ਭਗਤਿ ਏਕੋ ਹੈ ਭਾਉ ॥ ਬਿਨੁ ਭੈ ਭਗਤੀ ਆਵਉ ਜਾਉ ॥ ਗੁਰ ਤੇ ਸਮਝਿ ਰਹੈ ਮਿਹਮਾਣੁ ॥ ਹਰਿ ਰਸਿ ਰਾਤਾ ਜਨੁ ਪਰਵਾਣੁ ॥੭॥ ਇਤ ਉਤ ਦੇਖਉ ਸਹਜੇ ਰਾਵਉ ॥ ਤੁਝ ਬਿਨੁ ਠਾਕੁਰ ਕਿਸੈ ਨ ਭਾਵਉ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਹਉਮੈ ਸਬਦਿ ਜਲਾਇਆ ॥ ਸਤਿਗੁਰਿ ਸਾਚਾ ਦਰਸੁ ਦਿਖਾਇਆ ॥੮॥੩॥

Anhaḏ rāṯā ek liv ṯār. Oh gurmukẖ pāvai alakẖ apār. ||4|| Ėko ṯakẖaṯ eko pāṯisāhu. Sarbī thā▫ī veparvāhu. Ŧis kā kī▫ā ṯaribẖavaṇ sār. Oh agam agocẖar ekankār. ||5|| Ėkā mūraṯ sācẖā nā▫o. Ŧithai nibṛai sācẖ ni▫ā▫o. Sācẖī karṇī paṯ parvāṇ. Sācẖī ḏargėh pāvai māṇ. ||6|| Ėkā bẖagaṯ eko hai bẖā▫o. Bin bẖai bẖagṯī āva▫o jā▫o. Gur ṯe samajẖ rahai mihmāṇ. Har ras rāṯā jan parvāṇ. ||7|| Iṯ uṯ ḏekẖ▫a▫u sėhje rāva▫o. Ŧujẖ bin ṯẖākur kisai na bẖāva▫o. Nānak ha▫umai sabaḏ jalā▫i▫ā.
Saṯgur sācẖā ḏaras ḏikẖā▫i▫ā. ||8||3||

Imbued with the Unmanifest Celestial God, and lovingly absorbed in the One, the Guru willed attains the invisible and infinite. ||4|| There is one celestial throne, and One Supreme King.
The Independent God is pervading all places. The three worlds are the creation of that Sublime Creator. The One Creator of the Creation is Unfathomable and Incomprehensible. ||5|| Its Form is One, and True is Its Name. True justice is administered there. Those who practice Truth are honored and accepted. They are honored in Its Court. ||6|| Devotional worship of the One God is the expression of love for It. Without the Fear of God and devotional worship the mortal comes and goes. One who obtains this understanding from the Guru dwells like an honored guest in this world. That humble being who is imbued with the sublime essence of the Akal Purkh is certified and approved. ||7|| I see It here and there; I dwell on It intuitively. I do not love any other than You, O Master. O Nanak, my ego has been burnt away by the Word of the Sabd. The True Guru has shown me the Blessed Vision of the True Akal Purkh. ||8||3||------Guru Nanak, Raag Basant, AGGS, Page, 1188

Cordially,

Virinder S. Grewal
 

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