Spirituality and Religion

Spirituality

Religion is often the vehicle by which we search for spirituality. This is not a condemnation of religions. I fear however that religion attempts to promise earthly rewards as an expression of spiritual growth. We are promised, by religion, many things from wealth on earth or even in some cases possession of multiple virgins an earthly desire as a reward for following fundamentalism of certain sects. You might ask in reference to the latter,”What do the virgins get.”

Maybe the most divisive of the forces among us with the exception of Politics; spirituality is key to” we the people” finding unity. What we must call upon in this category is the essence of spirituality. That essence is the ability for tolerance between the most avid atheist and the most zealous fundamentalist. These extremes of belief are the greatest bar against unity. We must when caught in this debate refer back to the basic principle of each tenant. We must ask ourselves, does our actions are our ideology harm another or does it harm the whole. Is that the purpose of either, to harm. No, actually as I understand both it is based on a principle of personal responsibility to not only avoid harm of others but to actually add benefit to oneself is to add benefit to the human race.

You must agree that if four people view a cloud above the horizon at the same moment each sees a different scene. Even though they look at a single object their perspective is different based on an infinite number of reasons. One may see an image of a chariot pulled by fiery horses while another sees simply vapors that form a mass of water droplets and yet another may see the face of God as he understands Him. In each of their minds and in each of their views at that moment in time the object they observe is as they see it, yet this object is simply what it is. Because they see it does not change what it is or how it benefits or plays its roll in the nature of the planet. All may know that it is a cloud. All may know that it looks exactly as they see it but all are capable of believing that the other observers may see it as they believe they see it. I believe you see a face but I do not see it. However I do not have to argue that you do not see it. I may also be able to see all of the different perspective if I am of an open enough mind to do so. I do not condemn you for not seeing it my way. I may wish you saw the chariot but since my ego is not involved I can tolerate your viewpoint. I can see the face of God yet still know that the cloud is a vapor of water droplets.

Having been born into a formal religion a man is conditioned into certain moral and ethical beliefs. Also this man may also be educated into certain rituals that have symbolic or sometimes more concrete spiritual meaning. Whether it is a specific religion or possibly a practice or even a form of scientific agnosticism the environmental impact on the human mind is usually life long. Though often some dramatic event may affect the mind of the individual the basic beliefs endure to some degree. Often I am sure the belief is an expanded version of the original education. Sometimes also the original philosophy is totally rejected out of anger, fear or remorse or any number of rationales. But I believe that the basic education is still in place whether rejected or expanded. I could be for instance angry at my church for what I perceive to be its fallacy but I still understand what its teachings were. We often hear people describe themselves as a recovering______________ naming a religion.

We have seen extremes of actions both in zealous promotion and acts for and against religions. There have been threats of banishment to hell as well as actual physical violence to humanity and even suicide. Hate in the name of God. It seems so unspiritual to me. I am not here however to judge the past. That is left to those more qualified to judge as well as to God if He is a judge. The purpose of this discussion is to find whatever common ground there may be and to emphasize that common ground in order to have a united stand against the Government intervention in the spiritual lives of people no matter what their belief. This is freedom of Religion. We must be united for freedom of and not from each individuals own belief. The dilemma seems to be that religions, all of which stem from one source which should bring about unity have brought about war. In the war of religions; the source is political power, in the unity of religion; the source is of spiritual power. If you look for the power source of your religion and you find a politician: eliminate his power. “Give to Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is God’s.”