Aug
27
K.VIVEKANANDAN
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Religions from God
God Almighty, revealed the religion to the entire mankind through his prophets who lived in different ages, in different parts of the world and in different societies, right from the period of creation of the first man Adam who is the first prophet until Muhammad who is the last prophet.
The existing religions such as Hinduism/Vedism, Zoroastrianism/Mazdayasni, Taoism, Judaism, Islam are the ones revealed by and originated from God who is one and only one. Jainism, Budhism and Christianity are not separate religions. When Jainism and Budhism are a part of Hinduism, Christianity is a part of Judaism. This is because Mahaveer, Gautama Buddha or Jesus were not sent by God to institute a new religion separate from the religions that had been revealed long before them and were in practice at their time ie Hinduism and Judaism. But God sent them to preach the morals, impart wisdom to peoples and to dispel man-made traditions that had gone against God-revealed religions.
Similarities Between God’s Religions
As Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Judaism and Islam had originated from one and the same source who is God Almighty, these religions are closely inter-related and have many common beliefs, rituals, worship, rules, laws, morals, and wisdom. The reason for the similarities is that God’s law is universal and as such his religion is universal too. Some people think that the similarities between religions are due to one religion borrowing beliefs and philosophies from other religion(s) and vice versa. But they are mistaken and have failed to notice or hardened their hearts to refuse to believe that the author of these religions is one God and hence the similarities.
One Religion
Worship (Yajna/Yasna/Salat), other rituals, laws, morals, knowledge, wisdom and many other teachings found in Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Judaism, and Islam are fundamentally same and corroborate each other. Hence these religions are like several branches in a tree and these form part of, and constitute basically ONE RELIGION of God Almighty.
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Religions from God
God Almighty, revealed the religion to the entire mankind through his prophets who lived in different ages, in different parts of the world and in different societies, right from the period of creation of the first man Adam who is the first prophet until Muhammad who is the last prophet.
The existing religions such as Hinduism/Vedism, Zoroastrianism/Mazdayasni, Taoism, Judaism, Islam are the ones revealed by and originated from God who is one and only one. Jainism, Budhism and Christianity are not separate religions. When Jainism and Budhism are a part of Hinduism, Christianity is a part of Judaism. This is because Mahaveer, Gautama Buddha or Jesus were not sent by God to institute a new religion separate from the religions that had been revealed long before them and were in practice at their time ie Hinduism and Judaism. But God sent them to preach the morals, impart wisdom to peoples and to dispel man-made traditions that had gone against God-revealed religions.
Similarities Between God’s Religions
As Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Judaism and Islam had originated from one and the same source who is God Almighty, these religions are closely inter-related and have many common beliefs, rituals, worship, rules, laws, morals, and wisdom. The reason for the similarities is that God’s law is universal and as such his religion is universal too. Some people think that the similarities between religions are due to one religion borrowing beliefs and philosophies from other religion(s) and vice versa. But they are mistaken and have failed to notice or hardened their hearts to refuse to believe that the author of these religions is one God and hence the similarities.
One Religion
Worship (Yajna/Yasna/Salat), other rituals, laws, morals, knowledge, wisdom and many other teachings found in Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Judaism, and Islam are fundamentally same and corroborate each other. Hence these religions are like several branches in a tree and these form part of, and constitute basically ONE RELIGION of God Almighty.
Aug
25
How Religion Can Lead To Violence
Filed Under Religion | Leave a Comment
Christina Pomoni
Religion has often been the root cause for violent acts. Focusing on the interpretation of moral claims about good and evil, religion encompasses tradition, history, and faith and as such it reflects the social construct of a culture that views a particular religion as indisputably true. Extreme religious commitment is often expressed in the form of extremist behavior and terrorism as religious beliefs are mainly based on faith rather than reason. In this context, the higher objective truth echoed by religion may require confrontational solutions when put at stake.
Religious violence is closely related to the nature of the religious imagination, which has always had the predisposition to project images of cosmic war. Many fanatic believers feel that they are God\’s only representatives on Earth and as such they need to be God\’s defenders. This means that when a religious conflict arises it cannot be resolved through dialogue. Instead, disagreements escalate and social tensions occur as a result of absolute solutions. Moreover, religious violence can be seen as an intellectual course of action that reflects context-dependent meanings. This explains why religious extremists emphasize greatly on the symbolic aspect of their acts.
Often, fanatic believers adopt a religious faith because they need to feel secure in a dangerous world. In this context, religious extremism is characterized by a group, which considers itself as being terribly suppressed and demoralized, and asks for freedom through the annihilation of the group of oppressors. When their religion is disputed, they react emotionally and often violently. Religious violence is expressed through physical abuse, vandalism, torture or even murder. Moreover, the act of suicidal attack reflects fervour of social integrity, which is used to stimulate interest about global social and political shifts.
Many religious fanatics believe that there is only one religion: the one revealed by God to humanity. This top-down approach leaves no doubt that the best religion is the one each one believes at and at the same time any other religion is a bottom-up faith, meaning all other religions are created by humans in their need to express their love for God. In this context, it is impossible for a religious fanatic to accept that, apart from own religion, the top-down religion, there are other religions, equally respectable and top-down, which should be respected.
This top-down concept is applied in all religions. Islamic religious extremism is driven, not only by fanaticism, but also by the urge to overcome poor education, poverty, and political instability in the Middle East. Encompassing the fervour of destroying anything anti-Muslim, Muslim religious violence mirrors the power of Allah. Similarly, Jewish terrorism performs extremist attacks against Palestine as they cannot accept any peaceful settlement with the Muslims. Something similar happened in Christianity. Called from the Eastern Orthodox Byzantine Empire to conquer Jerusalem, the Crusades were military conflicts between the Christian Europe and the rest of the world, namely Muslims, Mongols, Magyars, and Slavs.
Apparently, no one can tell what is the right religion and if there is a right religion. However, in the name of religion, innocent people are brutally beaten and killed. Although it may seem contradictory, religion repeatedly leads to violence. God bless us all.
Religion has often been the root cause for violent acts. Focusing on the interpretation of moral claims about good and evil, religion encompasses tradition, history, and faith and as such it reflects the social construct of a culture that views a particular religion as indisputably true. Extreme religious commitment is often expressed in the form of extremist behavior and terrorism as religious beliefs are mainly based on faith rather than reason. In this context, the higher objective truth echoed by religion may require confrontational solutions when put at stake.
Religious violence is closely related to the nature of the religious imagination, which has always had the predisposition to project images of cosmic war. Many fanatic believers feel that they are God\’s only representatives on Earth and as such they need to be God\’s defenders. This means that when a religious conflict arises it cannot be resolved through dialogue. Instead, disagreements escalate and social tensions occur as a result of absolute solutions. Moreover, religious violence can be seen as an intellectual course of action that reflects context-dependent meanings. This explains why religious extremists emphasize greatly on the symbolic aspect of their acts.
Often, fanatic believers adopt a religious faith because they need to feel secure in a dangerous world. In this context, religious extremism is characterized by a group, which considers itself as being terribly suppressed and demoralized, and asks for freedom through the annihilation of the group of oppressors. When their religion is disputed, they react emotionally and often violently. Religious violence is expressed through physical abuse, vandalism, torture or even murder. Moreover, the act of suicidal attack reflects fervour of social integrity, which is used to stimulate interest about global social and political shifts.
Many religious fanatics believe that there is only one religion: the one revealed by God to humanity. This top-down approach leaves no doubt that the best religion is the one each one believes at and at the same time any other religion is a bottom-up faith, meaning all other religions are created by humans in their need to express their love for God. In this context, it is impossible for a religious fanatic to accept that, apart from own religion, the top-down religion, there are other religions, equally respectable and top-down, which should be respected.
This top-down concept is applied in all religions. Islamic religious extremism is driven, not only by fanaticism, but also by the urge to overcome poor education, poverty, and political instability in the Middle East. Encompassing the fervour of destroying anything anti-Muslim, Muslim religious violence mirrors the power of Allah. Similarly, Jewish terrorism performs extremist attacks against Palestine as they cannot accept any peaceful settlement with the Muslims. Something similar happened in Christianity. Called from the Eastern Orthodox Byzantine Empire to conquer Jerusalem, the Crusades were military conflicts between the Christian Europe and the rest of the world, namely Muslims, Mongols, Magyars, and Slavs.
Apparently, no one can tell what is the right religion and if there is a right religion. However, in the name of religion, innocent people are brutally beaten and killed. Although it may seem contradictory, religion repeatedly leads to violence. God bless us all.
Jul
26
Universal Real Religion
Filed Under Religion | Leave a Comment
seshya urpfr.org
not Divide and Separate the peoples in the name of Religion because we have many religions but all the religions refer to the only one God.
Example: For the earthly life, the water is the most important one. We cannot live without water.
The water – The water is the English language.
The Paani – The Paani is the Hindi language.
The Pani – The Pani is the Sourashtra language.
The Thanni – The Thanni is the Tamil language.
The Aqua – The Aqua is the Spanish language.
The Wasser – The Wasser is the German language.
FINAL RESULT:
If the languages are different the name also differs but the absolute meaning will be the same as the water. Similarly we have many religions but all the religions refer to the only one God.
What kind of reform or present action we need in the religion?
Due to the misunderstanding in the religion so far we (the earth people) had shed so many bloods as an ocean till date. The beasts don’t have religion but the human being has the religion for his own civilization purpose. Otherwise we will become again as a beast by what? If it is true and we accept the truth of truth is
a. The religion exists only if the human being exists.
b. The religion is not a device but it is a practical procedures.
c. If a person admitted or enrolled in a medical college means at the moment he is a medical college student, after completing the course successfully he will come out with the degree of the doctor. The degree is certified by the university but after doing service to the people he is recognized by the people or by the society as doctor. This formula is same to the engineers also. Similarly if a man enters to a religion first he is the student of the religion. Now a day we are recognizing a religious man by his religious name but not by his religious perfect practice. If he practices the religious practice thoroughly and completely then only he belongs to that particular religion. The religious people must recognize the man as the religious man. This is just like the religious degree. After getting the religious degree he must come out and do service to the people as doctors and engineers. So service to the people is the religion purpose, the real spiritual purpose. We may know many religions or may follow one religion but the aim is service to the people. Here service means service to all the people not the particular religious people because the god, the Almighty is Omni potent and Omni present everywhere, every human beings, every creatures not in particular human beings or in particular creatures or in particular religion. If you realise the above facts you think yourself why still there is religious fight and blood shedding?
FINAL MANTRA:
God, Religion is to up lift all the beings.
God, Religion is to up lift all spiritual beings’ thoughts.
God, Religion is not to up lift any government body.
God, Religion is not to up lift any Political Individual.
God, Religion is to up lift the universal real peace and freedom only.
MESSAGE:
We have many religions but all the religions refer to only one God, The God for spiritual purpose and not for political purpose. God and Religion loves peace not war, then why you love war In the name of God and religion? WAR means simply against THE GOD and Religion.
You please do not use God and Religion name for money making and political purposes, use only for SPIRITUAL PURPOSE. Then there is no social crisis, no social fight and war. Only Universal real Peace and Freedom exists in ALL HEARTS
You may REALISE THIS AT ONCE, OR YOU MAY TAKE YOUR OWN TIME.
CONVERSION BY COMPULSION IS UNKNOWN TO ME; I AM THE LEAST OF LEASTS OF ALL CREATURES IN THE UNIVERSE.
- By SESHYA URPFR.ORG
not Divide and Separate the peoples in the name of Religion because we have many religions but all the religions refer to the only one God.
Example: For the earthly life, the water is the most important one. We cannot live without water.
The water – The water is the English language.
The Paani – The Paani is the Hindi language.
The Pani – The Pani is the Sourashtra language.
The Thanni – The Thanni is the Tamil language.
The Aqua – The Aqua is the Spanish language.
The Wasser – The Wasser is the German language.
FINAL RESULT:
If the languages are different the name also differs but the absolute meaning will be the same as the water. Similarly we have many religions but all the religions refer to the only one God.
What kind of reform or present action we need in the religion?
Due to the misunderstanding in the religion so far we (the earth people) had shed so many bloods as an ocean till date. The beasts don’t have religion but the human being has the religion for his own civilization purpose. Otherwise we will become again as a beast by what? If it is true and we accept the truth of truth is
a. The religion exists only if the human being exists.
b. The religion is not a device but it is a practical procedures.
c. If a person admitted or enrolled in a medical college means at the moment he is a medical college student, after completing the course successfully he will come out with the degree of the doctor. The degree is certified by the university but after doing service to the people he is recognized by the people or by the society as doctor. This formula is same to the engineers also. Similarly if a man enters to a religion first he is the student of the religion. Now a day we are recognizing a religious man by his religious name but not by his religious perfect practice. If he practices the religious practice thoroughly and completely then only he belongs to that particular religion. The religious people must recognize the man as the religious man. This is just like the religious degree. After getting the religious degree he must come out and do service to the people as doctors and engineers. So service to the people is the religion purpose, the real spiritual purpose. We may know many religions or may follow one religion but the aim is service to the people. Here service means service to all the people not the particular religious people because the god, the Almighty is Omni potent and Omni present everywhere, every human beings, every creatures not in particular human beings or in particular creatures or in particular religion. If you realise the above facts you think yourself why still there is religious fight and blood shedding?
FINAL MANTRA:
God, Religion is to up lift all the beings.
God, Religion is to up lift all spiritual beings’ thoughts.
God, Religion is not to up lift any government body.
God, Religion is not to up lift any Political Individual.
God, Religion is to up lift the universal real peace and freedom only.
MESSAGE:
We have many religions but all the religions refer to only one God, The God for spiritual purpose and not for political purpose. God and Religion loves peace not war, then why you love war In the name of God and religion? WAR means simply against THE GOD and Religion.
You please do not use God and Religion name for money making and political purposes, use only for SPIRITUAL PURPOSE. Then there is no social crisis, no social fight and war. Only Universal real Peace and Freedom exists in ALL HEARTS
You may REALISE THIS AT ONCE, OR YOU MAY TAKE YOUR OWN TIME.
CONVERSION BY COMPULSION IS UNKNOWN TO ME; I AM THE LEAST OF LEASTS OF ALL CREATURES IN THE UNIVERSE.
- By SESHYA URPFR.ORG
Jun
29
Is Christianity a Religion?
Filed Under Religion | Leave a Comment
Majorreligions
Religion is one of the most significant influences of most people’s lives. Even the people who do not really believe in any conventional religion, like the atheists, the agnostics, the relativists and humanists, are influenced by religion. This is because a vast majority of people do believe in some religion, some to a greater degree and some less. Since no individual is an island, it is obvious that every body would get influenced from religions, whether one believes in them or not. So developing an understanding of various religions is quite important.
When one considers the various religions, there are probably several thousands of them, but only a few are followed by a majority of the world’s population. These religions are referred to as the major religions of the world. They are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism. Of these major religions, Christianity has by far the largest number of followers. So it is desirable to have a fair understanding of Christianity.
So what is Christianity ? The common answer would be, it is a religion. But this answer is not exactly correct. It limits the power of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christianity is more about developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is only when one approaches Christianity in this manner that one can fully appreciate what being a true Christian means. When one believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ, he or she would try earnestly to develop a relationship with Him. This would lead him beyond other religious people who are more enthusiastic about observing customs and rituals. They may be full of knowledge and great debaters but are spiritually dead.
Christianity is not simply a set of rituals and customs. It is about surrendering to Jesus Christ. People all over the world, whether religious or not, are plagued with doubts and questions. This happens when they treat Christianity as a religion, rather than as a relationship. When they view it as a relationship and work on building it, they would lift their consciousness. The central point of Christianity is knowing God, knowing Him personally. When one achieves that one is able to transcend the sufferings of daily existence. Once you have had the experience of God, you will experience a tremendous and positive transformation. Just like Saul did – he was a murderer who turned into a mighty man of God with just one vision of Christ.
Religion is one of the most significant influences of most people’s lives. Even the people who do not really believe in any conventional religion, like the atheists, the agnostics, the relativists and humanists, are influenced by religion. This is because a vast majority of people do believe in some religion, some to a greater degree and some less. Since no individual is an island, it is obvious that every body would get influenced from religions, whether one believes in them or not. So developing an understanding of various religions is quite important.
When one considers the various religions, there are probably several thousands of them, but only a few are followed by a majority of the world’s population. These religions are referred to as the major religions of the world. They are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism. Of these major religions, Christianity has by far the largest number of followers. So it is desirable to have a fair understanding of Christianity.
So what is Christianity ? The common answer would be, it is a religion. But this answer is not exactly correct. It limits the power of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christianity is more about developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is only when one approaches Christianity in this manner that one can fully appreciate what being a true Christian means. When one believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ, he or she would try earnestly to develop a relationship with Him. This would lead him beyond other religious people who are more enthusiastic about observing customs and rituals. They may be full of knowledge and great debaters but are spiritually dead.
Christianity is not simply a set of rituals and customs. It is about surrendering to Jesus Christ. People all over the world, whether religious or not, are plagued with doubts and questions. This happens when they treat Christianity as a religion, rather than as a relationship. When they view it as a relationship and work on building it, they would lift their consciousness. The central point of Christianity is knowing God, knowing Him personally. When one achieves that one is able to transcend the sufferings of daily existence. Once you have had the experience of God, you will experience a tremendous and positive transformation. Just like Saul did – he was a murderer who turned into a mighty man of God with just one vision of Christ.
Jun
12
Should Religion Stay in the Pledge?
Filed Under Religion | Leave a Comment
John Parks
Can you still remember all of the words to the Pledge of Allegiance? Most of us recited the pledge every single school day from Kindergarten all the way through the sixth grade. Some junior high and high schools also required a daily flag salute and the recitation. This being the case, can you remember all of the words? Can you still rattle it off without thinking like most of us could do by the middle of our kindergarten year?
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” Hey! I can do it!
It’s funny how those two little worlds “under God” have caused such a ruckus. Many people insist that our country was founded on the idea of the freedom of religion. Others insist that forcing children to recite the words “under god” is forcing a single religion down school children’s throats—a religion that might not be taught or encouraged at home.
A few years ago a Congressperson caused quite a stir when he recited the entire pledge—without the words “under God.” Suddenly people were screaming that he wasn’t patriotic at all.
What do you think? Do you think that religion should play a part in our politics, or should the two be kept completely separate? Would it surprise you to learn that the original pledge did not contain religion at all? It was added in the 1950s as homage to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The Washington Post’s website has published an article that claims it is time to take the phrase back out of the pledge.
When the phrase was added to the pledge, the primary religion in the United States was one of the Protestant Sects and only five percent of the population did not claim any single religion. Today the United States has a much larger variety of religions within its borders. Today, there are people who claim Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Muslim and Wicca (among a few others) as well as those who claim traditional Christian and Jewish sects as their religions.
The Washington post agues that “under god” and religion be stricken from the pledge because the greatest threat to the United States is not those who are “godless” but those who are “fundamentalist” in their religion—willing to harm or kill anyone who does not subscribe to their exact belief system. The Post argues that our beliefs about religion are not what set us apart from other nations, but that our tolerance of each religion is what makes us unique.
What do you think about the topic? Do you think that the pledge should acknowledge religion and, if so, how should that acknowledgement of religion happen? Not everyone is of a monotheistic faith. How do you incorporate each religion without the pledge taking five or six hours to recite?
For more information on religion, visit http://www.religionmicroblog.com and http://www.jewishmicroblog.com.
Can you still remember all of the words to the Pledge of Allegiance? Most of us recited the pledge every single school day from Kindergarten all the way through the sixth grade. Some junior high and high schools also required a daily flag salute and the recitation. This being the case, can you remember all of the words? Can you still rattle it off without thinking like most of us could do by the middle of our kindergarten year?
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” Hey! I can do it!
It’s funny how those two little worlds “under God” have caused such a ruckus. Many people insist that our country was founded on the idea of the freedom of religion. Others insist that forcing children to recite the words “under god” is forcing a single religion down school children’s throats—a religion that might not be taught or encouraged at home.
A few years ago a Congressperson caused quite a stir when he recited the entire pledge—without the words “under God.” Suddenly people were screaming that he wasn’t patriotic at all.
What do you think? Do you think that religion should play a part in our politics, or should the two be kept completely separate? Would it surprise you to learn that the original pledge did not contain religion at all? It was added in the 1950s as homage to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The Washington Post’s website has published an article that claims it is time to take the phrase back out of the pledge.
When the phrase was added to the pledge, the primary religion in the United States was one of the Protestant Sects and only five percent of the population did not claim any single religion. Today the United States has a much larger variety of religions within its borders. Today, there are people who claim Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Muslim and Wicca (among a few others) as well as those who claim traditional Christian and Jewish sects as their religions.
The Washington post agues that “under god” and religion be stricken from the pledge because the greatest threat to the United States is not those who are “godless” but those who are “fundamentalist” in their religion—willing to harm or kill anyone who does not subscribe to their exact belief system. The Post argues that our beliefs about religion are not what set us apart from other nations, but that our tolerance of each religion is what makes us unique.
What do you think about the topic? Do you think that the pledge should acknowledge religion and, if so, how should that acknowledgement of religion happen? Not everyone is of a monotheistic faith. How do you incorporate each religion without the pledge taking five or six hours to recite?
For more information on religion, visit http://www.religionmicroblog.com and http://www.jewishmicroblog.com.
Apr
12
The Dark Side of Religion.
Filed Under Religion | Leave a Comment
Adam Wilson
Side of Religion …
by Adam Wilson
Religion can be defined as set of supernatural beliefs and practices that to give meaning to one’s life through the existence of a deity or multiple deities.Religion is meant to be uplifting and to console people during difficult times.It is meant to bring communities and nations together and to strengthen them.Religion generally inspires the world to be a better place by it’s very nature.
Sometimes though religion can also be negative and destructive.It can tear nations apart, fueling wars and causing mass destruction and mass genocide.Religion can cause people to feel ashamed of things they shouldn’t, it can cause extreme fear and guilt, intolerance, lowered self esteem, dangerous obsessions and perfectionist attitudes.
Religion is often forced upon people, especially children.Often time these people grow up feeling alienated and like they don’t belong.They are led to feel guilty if they don’t feel enthusiastic or right about their religion.Guilt ensues and sometimes they become suicidal.People should always have the right to choose their religion, even children.
People sometimes use religion as a weapon, an excuse to **** certain groups of people.Christian groups have targeted pagans and witchcraft, the LGBT community, the Muslim community, and many others.Extremist Islamic groups have use religion as an excuse to attack Christians and Christian nations.People have often murdered and committed great atrocities in the name of religion since the beginning of time.There will always be those who will ******* and corrupt religion to their own selfish ends.
People often abuse religion.People often use religion to justify violence and wars.They use it for personal gain and to advance political or economic agendas.The abuse of religion has always been around and always will be.
Religion should never make you feel hateful, guilty, insecure, shameful, obsessive, or negative in general.It should never lead you to commit or want to commit ill acts against another human being.Religion should foster spiritual growth and development as well as improving the health of the mind, body and spirit.It should unite people and empower them to enrich their lives and the world around them.
If your religion doesn’t do these things for you and it makes you feel negative or oppressed, then perhaps you need to find another group or church within your religion or perhaps even find a new religion completely.Never let religion harm you in any way.It was never meant to be used as a weapon.
© SpiritualAdviceToday.com
Visit Spiritual Advice Today for more articles.
Side of Religion …
by Adam Wilson
Religion can be defined as set of supernatural beliefs and practices that to give meaning to one’s life through the existence of a deity or multiple deities.Religion is meant to be uplifting and to console people during difficult times.It is meant to bring communities and nations together and to strengthen them.Religion generally inspires the world to be a better place by it’s very nature.
Sometimes though religion can also be negative and destructive.It can tear nations apart, fueling wars and causing mass destruction and mass genocide.Religion can cause people to feel ashamed of things they shouldn’t, it can cause extreme fear and guilt, intolerance, lowered self esteem, dangerous obsessions and perfectionist attitudes.
Religion is often forced upon people, especially children.Often time these people grow up feeling alienated and like they don’t belong.They are led to feel guilty if they don’t feel enthusiastic or right about their religion.Guilt ensues and sometimes they become suicidal.People should always have the right to choose their religion, even children.
People sometimes use religion as a weapon, an excuse to **** certain groups of people.Christian groups have targeted pagans and witchcraft, the LGBT community, the Muslim community, and many others.Extremist Islamic groups have use religion as an excuse to attack Christians and Christian nations.People have often murdered and committed great atrocities in the name of religion since the beginning of time.There will always be those who will ******* and corrupt religion to their own selfish ends.
People often abuse religion.People often use religion to justify violence and wars.They use it for personal gain and to advance political or economic agendas.The abuse of religion has always been around and always will be.
Religion should never make you feel hateful, guilty, insecure, shameful, obsessive, or negative in general.It should never lead you to commit or want to commit ill acts against another human being.Religion should foster spiritual growth and development as well as improving the health of the mind, body and spirit.It should unite people and empower them to enrich their lives and the world around them.
If your religion doesn’t do these things for you and it makes you feel negative or oppressed, then perhaps you need to find another group or church within your religion or perhaps even find a new religion completely.Never let religion harm you in any way.It was never meant to be used as a weapon.
© SpiritualAdviceToday.com
Visit Spiritual Advice Today for more articles.
Jan
15
Don’T Get Lost In Christianity And Religion, Your Purpose And Knowledge Is Much Greater
Filed Under Religion | Leave a Comment
Reginald Martin
I have come to a conclusion; there is a difference between religion and spirituality. People that are religious say that they are spiritual. Many times the words are thrown about interchangeably. However, there is a difference. Religion is an idealized set of beliefs. With religion everyone has to ascribe to those beliefs or they are not a part of that religion. Spirituality is personal with universal concepts, Universal in that all can ascribe to those beliefs and they work without impartiality to race or condition. Religion is objective, meaning others agree to dogma and rules. Spirituality is subjective; it is subject to the internal beliefs, moods and emotions of the individual.
Jesus was teaching spiritual principles, but man for its own reasons made Christianity about Jesus rather than what he was attempting to teach. Jesus was attempting to teach us to connect to a universal consciousness not some all powerful being that watched over us like a guard dog ready to bite us and punish us when we did some wrong determined by man. Jesus teachings were to lead man into discovering his greater existence in the universe. Man unfortunately for centuries have believed that the world we live in is the entire universe. Man has believed what we experience with our five senses is all there is to the universe. Even though there is much evidence to the contrary, man persists in his limited view of his existence. Religion is an aid in the persistence of limiting thought.
In the NIV bible, John 4:24 Jesus states, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
This is one of the scriptures that Jesus makes a statement that is meant to be universal in nature. Man has now defined what a worshiper is and the consequences when he does not fit the definition. Did Jesus intend his teaching to separate man or to unite? Religion says we all have to fit a definition of worshiper. Jesus had principles that taught us HOW to worship.
John 7:16 Jesus answered, “my teaching in not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”
This scripture is spoken figuratively by Jesus. He says …HIM who sent me. Can God be a person, or did Jesus mean a universal force? What is God’s will and how do you choose it? Who decides your choice? Who decides where his teachings come from? Religion believes they have answered those questions and they have answered them for anyone that believes in the ascribed dogma. Jesus was giving us formulas to find out for ourselves. How does one know that the teachings of Jesus come from God? When they search for the meaning for themselves. When that person goes inside and starts to ask the hard questions.
John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Religion made this scripture and statement about the man. Figuratively Jesus was saying that he can teach us how to recognize our eternal selves. If we follow his TEACHINGS he can give us the knowledge.
One of the most destructive verses to mankind and his universality is John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
This one verse man has taken literally from Jesus. He meant that through his teachings man would be enlightened. Religion made it about THE MAN Jesus rather than about the universal enlightenment of man. Religion has separated mankind from its understanding of his place in the universe for thousands of years. We have within us a vast reservoir of knowledge. We have to be brave enough to step outside the accepted NORMS of religion to discover that knowledge. That is what the teachings of Jesus was about. Not the dogmatic rants of self proclaimed disciples. Does a teacher TELL you how to think? Or is a teacher to give you a foundation on which to build?
It is time for us to wake up. We have gotten lost in religion. Our purpose is much greater and our knowledge more vast than any religious thought will allow us to perceive. Religion controls through fear and misinformation, giving us concepts of a vengeful God and hell. We should open our minds to the eternal wisdom of our souls. Not to the finite rants of preachers. We all have infinite abilities that Jesus alluded to in the scripture. You have to be brave enough to investigate for yourself and strong enough to stand up to thousands of years of ignorance. Spirituality is personal and liberating. Religion is bastion of fearful and confining thought.
Are you a brave soul?
reginaldc is me @ http://reginaldc.me
I have come to a conclusion; there is a difference between religion and spirituality. People that are religious say that they are spiritual. Many times the words are thrown about interchangeably. However, there is a difference. Religion is an idealized set of beliefs. With religion everyone has to ascribe to those beliefs or they are not a part of that religion. Spirituality is personal with universal concepts, Universal in that all can ascribe to those beliefs and they work without impartiality to race or condition. Religion is objective, meaning others agree to dogma and rules. Spirituality is subjective; it is subject to the internal beliefs, moods and emotions of the individual.
Jesus was teaching spiritual principles, but man for its own reasons made Christianity about Jesus rather than what he was attempting to teach. Jesus was attempting to teach us to connect to a universal consciousness not some all powerful being that watched over us like a guard dog ready to bite us and punish us when we did some wrong determined by man. Jesus teachings were to lead man into discovering his greater existence in the universe. Man unfortunately for centuries have believed that the world we live in is the entire universe. Man has believed what we experience with our five senses is all there is to the universe. Even though there is much evidence to the contrary, man persists in his limited view of his existence. Religion is an aid in the persistence of limiting thought.
In the NIV bible, John 4:24 Jesus states, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
This is one of the scriptures that Jesus makes a statement that is meant to be universal in nature. Man has now defined what a worshiper is and the consequences when he does not fit the definition. Did Jesus intend his teaching to separate man or to unite? Religion says we all have to fit a definition of worshiper. Jesus had principles that taught us HOW to worship.
John 7:16 Jesus answered, “my teaching in not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”
This scripture is spoken figuratively by Jesus. He says …HIM who sent me. Can God be a person, or did Jesus mean a universal force? What is God’s will and how do you choose it? Who decides your choice? Who decides where his teachings come from? Religion believes they have answered those questions and they have answered them for anyone that believes in the ascribed dogma. Jesus was giving us formulas to find out for ourselves. How does one know that the teachings of Jesus come from God? When they search for the meaning for themselves. When that person goes inside and starts to ask the hard questions.
John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Religion made this scripture and statement about the man. Figuratively Jesus was saying that he can teach us how to recognize our eternal selves. If we follow his TEACHINGS he can give us the knowledge.
One of the most destructive verses to mankind and his universality is John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
This one verse man has taken literally from Jesus. He meant that through his teachings man would be enlightened. Religion made it about THE MAN Jesus rather than about the universal enlightenment of man. Religion has separated mankind from its understanding of his place in the universe for thousands of years. We have within us a vast reservoir of knowledge. We have to be brave enough to step outside the accepted NORMS of religion to discover that knowledge. That is what the teachings of Jesus was about. Not the dogmatic rants of self proclaimed disciples. Does a teacher TELL you how to think? Or is a teacher to give you a foundation on which to build?
It is time for us to wake up. We have gotten lost in religion. Our purpose is much greater and our knowledge more vast than any religious thought will allow us to perceive. Religion controls through fear and misinformation, giving us concepts of a vengeful God and hell. We should open our minds to the eternal wisdom of our souls. Not to the finite rants of preachers. We all have infinite abilities that Jesus alluded to in the scripture. You have to be brave enough to investigate for yourself and strong enough to stand up to thousands of years of ignorance. Spirituality is personal and liberating. Religion is bastion of fearful and confining thought.
Are you a brave soul?
reginaldc is me @ http://reginaldc.me
Nov
23
American Religion and the American Way
Filed Under Religion | Leave a Comment
Patrick Roberts
We Americans love our religion because it allows us to pick and choose God’s goals for us. The substance of our religion is an infatuation with control, which is also the case for all lovers of religion.
We suppose that we’re clever for finding new religious standards against which to measure ourselves. These measurements are easy to understand and they make us feel good about ourselves for a while because they tell us what we want to hear.
We are following something that looks vaguely like faith down ever-darkening alleys of religious presumption. With our actions say we say, “We’re striving ahead even if we have to run out ahead of God!” Yet such overbearing insecurity is spiritually self-defeating. This is the opposite of Christ-centered surrender. We love our plans and our plans love us back and on and on until we become utterly clueless about true spiritual usefulness.
Our American minds cannot comprehend the fact that God is disregarding our best laid plans. We want some kind of guarantee for tomorrow but God keeps telling us not to worry about it. Therefore, because God fails to give us the credit we deserve, we shrug our shoulders at His heavenly wisdom while we continue using His name to label our man-made methods. Christ’s command to take up our crosses seems unreasonable to us, so we dismiss it as such.
However, even more dependable than our inclination to make plans is God’s inclination to explode our plans. God dismantles our manly construction with shocking persistence. Evidently, we have a God who is much fonder of surprises than we might have hoped.
God’s lack of respect for our plans is purposeful. We assume that we’ll live long enough to accomplish our silly little plans, but this will not necessarily be the case.
A savvy businessman might plan for and successfully builds twenty skyscrapers during his earthly sojourn. However, if that man fails to take care of business with God, then, by neglecting the Main Thing, that man loses everything forever. Therefore it works out for that man’s eternal wellbeing that God demolishes his plans. He is blessed to be swallowed up, plans and all, by God’s devastatingly merciful grace. Not that looking ahead is a bad thing, but if we follow Christ then we are called to take care of business with God before everything else.
So what remains for us after God has taken away all that our flesh holds dear? Only a life-consuming dependence on Christ remains. In God’s estimation this is the highest honor any person could hope for.
Our goal as Christ’s followers is to be so reduced in Him that we are completely dead to our old selves. This is strategic. At the point that we are so thoroughly humbled, there will be nothing left to shield us from the truth about ourselves in relation to God’s kingdom.
After we are reduced to the point that we boast in nothing but Christ and our crucifixion in Him, then He will move us beyond ourselves and therefore also beyond our miserable failures and shortcomings.
That Christ is All and we are nothing is great news! We should embrace the chance to become nothing because this makes room for Christ to be our All in all. We will learn from experience that God bounces people who are even as bad as us back onto the right spiritual track.
So here is American churchgoers’ first order of business: Stop using religion to resist God. If we want to hear from the Lord again, then one little thing remains: We must relinquish everything we hold dear. We have to give up the right to even understand God and His Way of doing things.
Now is the best time to start embracing the superiority of God’s Way over the American way. We have abundant reason to weep, maybe even bitterly at first. But this is a joyful weeping because it proves God’s faithfulness to keep our consciences alive.
by Patrick Roberts. Find his book and additional resources at www.BooksByPatrick.com
We Americans love our religion because it allows us to pick and choose God’s goals for us. The substance of our religion is an infatuation with control, which is also the case for all lovers of religion.
We suppose that we’re clever for finding new religious standards against which to measure ourselves. These measurements are easy to understand and they make us feel good about ourselves for a while because they tell us what we want to hear.
We are following something that looks vaguely like faith down ever-darkening alleys of religious presumption. With our actions say we say, “We’re striving ahead even if we have to run out ahead of God!” Yet such overbearing insecurity is spiritually self-defeating. This is the opposite of Christ-centered surrender. We love our plans and our plans love us back and on and on until we become utterly clueless about true spiritual usefulness.
Our American minds cannot comprehend the fact that God is disregarding our best laid plans. We want some kind of guarantee for tomorrow but God keeps telling us not to worry about it. Therefore, because God fails to give us the credit we deserve, we shrug our shoulders at His heavenly wisdom while we continue using His name to label our man-made methods. Christ’s command to take up our crosses seems unreasonable to us, so we dismiss it as such.
However, even more dependable than our inclination to make plans is God’s inclination to explode our plans. God dismantles our manly construction with shocking persistence. Evidently, we have a God who is much fonder of surprises than we might have hoped.
God’s lack of respect for our plans is purposeful. We assume that we’ll live long enough to accomplish our silly little plans, but this will not necessarily be the case.
A savvy businessman might plan for and successfully builds twenty skyscrapers during his earthly sojourn. However, if that man fails to take care of business with God, then, by neglecting the Main Thing, that man loses everything forever. Therefore it works out for that man’s eternal wellbeing that God demolishes his plans. He is blessed to be swallowed up, plans and all, by God’s devastatingly merciful grace. Not that looking ahead is a bad thing, but if we follow Christ then we are called to take care of business with God before everything else.
So what remains for us after God has taken away all that our flesh holds dear? Only a life-consuming dependence on Christ remains. In God’s estimation this is the highest honor any person could hope for.
Our goal as Christ’s followers is to be so reduced in Him that we are completely dead to our old selves. This is strategic. At the point that we are so thoroughly humbled, there will be nothing left to shield us from the truth about ourselves in relation to God’s kingdom.
After we are reduced to the point that we boast in nothing but Christ and our crucifixion in Him, then He will move us beyond ourselves and therefore also beyond our miserable failures and shortcomings.
That Christ is All and we are nothing is great news! We should embrace the chance to become nothing because this makes room for Christ to be our All in all. We will learn from experience that God bounces people who are even as bad as us back onto the right spiritual track.
So here is American churchgoers’ first order of business: Stop using religion to resist God. If we want to hear from the Lord again, then one little thing remains: We must relinquish everything we hold dear. We have to give up the right to even understand God and His Way of doing things.
Now is the best time to start embracing the superiority of God’s Way over the American way. We have abundant reason to weep, maybe even bitterly at first. But this is a joyful weeping because it proves God’s faithfulness to keep our consciences alive.
by Patrick Roberts. Find his book and additional resources at www.BooksByPatrick.com
Nov
20
The One Religion—the Religion of Mankind
Filed Under Religion | Leave a Comment
Amlan Roychowdhury
THE ONE RELIGION—THE RELIGION OF HUMANITY.
In today’s world, all that we see or hear, is the mindless killing of innocents in the name of religion. Be it the total destruction of the world trade center, or the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai India or the senseless massacre of the Christians in some of the eastern block countries, or Orissa in India, it is the innocent people, mothers , fathers, who suffers the most. They are forced to leave their habitat, homes, jobs, schools, and live in dilapidated refugee camps. No sectarian group who perpetrate such senseless mindless war think about the crying child, the wailing mother, the hapless father. Their only aim is to spread fear and terror all in the name of Religion. The perpetrators feel that they are doing a tremendous job and that by doing such an act they will be rewarded by the Divinity. God, Bhagwan, Allah, Christ, or any other name that one might give, will bless them with martyrdom. Does ones conscious sustain such concept?? Does Bhagwad Geeta tell us to kill people?? Does Quran teach us to inflict pain and agony to our fellow human beings?? If not Then why in the name of religion such acts are perpetrated??
We must have some idea about the evolution of religion to understand that religion helps us to bind together within the group and between the groups.
From the very beginning when man was an advance ape scientifically termed as Australopithecus he lived in a group. Living in a group has lot of advantages, one of the prime being safety. Then there was the economic reason for man to be in a group. During the early Paleolithic period when man was a hunter gatherer, he needed a well defined group with a well defined division of labor among the group for the group to be economically viable. The animals that were hunted were as mammoth as the wooly mammoths. When the economy shifted from hunting gathering to agrarian the groups needed to be much larger. Therefore there needed to be some rules, rites, rituals, and certain norms that gave the group an inherent control from within. Thus becoming a well structured social group. The rites, rituals, and and certain norms were basically made for the groups to be more economically viable by creating an atmosphere of harmony and not discord at any times. Therefore we see the development of religion or a spark of it among the Neanderthals. Neanderthals were the first hominids to intentionally bury the dead. Exemplary sites include Shanidar in Iraq, Kebara Cave in Israel and Krapina in Croatia. Some scholars, however argue that these bodies may have been disposed of for secular reasons. Likewise a number of archeologists propose that Middle Paleolithic societies such as Neanderthal societies may also have practiced the earliest form of totemism or animal worship in addition to their (presumably religious) burial of the dead. Emil Bächler in particular suggests (based on archeological evidence from Middle Paleolithic caves) that a widespread Middle Paleolithic Neanderthal bear cult existed.
The evolution of religion is closely connected with the evolution of the mind and behavioral modernity. Evidence for Paleolithic burials is often taken as the earliest expression of religious or mythological thought involving an afterlife. Such practice is not restricted to Homo sapiens, but also found among Homo neanderthalensis as least as early as 130,000 years ago. The emergence of religious behavior is consequently dated to before separation of early Homo sapiens some 150,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of symbolic ritual activity besides burials may be a site in South Africa dated to 70,000 years ago.
Does evolution of mind and behavioral modernity justify killing of thousands of innocent people ?? No religions in this world, in its truest sense preach cruelty and killing. Every religion in this earth preach unconditional love, brotherhood of man, and love thy neighbour. Quran, Bible, Bhagawad Geeta and all other religious text preach only one thing and that is help mankind in his hour of need irrespective of caste creed *** propagate love and not ****. Here in modern time we are all doing just the opposite.
The religious ideas also make their impact by crossing the boundaries of their origin (or dominance) to far off places. Religious faith of economically and militarily strong race (or nation) tries to dominate the weak and the underdeveloped. The mode of *********** and percolation of religious ideas may be through missionary activities, or through persecution by the sword and the pen. Tactful, but definite, attempts may also be made to derogate the native religious beliefs and customs, and to eulogize the religion of the strong. Thus, customs and rituals, religious faiths and traditions, art and literature, all find free flow from dominant culture to economically weaker one. The resistance of the native people is chiefly through the strength of their own religious principles and traditions. Militarily the native may not fight back, but the religion of the land might be capable of keeping its head afloat if its level of growth, faith in scriptural tradition, and history are strong.
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa lived such a highly spiritual life that he made India strong in this field, and thus, Vedanta could sustain and extradite itself from the influence of narrowness of religious dogma. Moreover, in the process, a wonderful synthesis and harmony of religions was established as the basis for universal religion. In addition to Hindu ways, Sri Ramakrishna undertook the sadhana of both Islam and Christian faiths. Between 1868 and 1874 a devout Muslim and a Christian initiated Sri Ramakrishna in their respective methods of worship. On both the occasions, he had visions of the great Prophets of those religions, who merged in his body. On both the occasions Sri Ramakrishna was established in Nirvikalpa Samadhi state after the visions. He could then emphatically say: “As many faiths, so many paths!”
He explains that every human soul has an objective and that is to connect to the divine. It is like a mountain top and there are umpteen number of ways to reach the top. If one takes a route to climb the mountain top and half way through he decides that this route is treacherous and he comes down to take another route, he will never reach the top of the mountain. He has to take a route and stick by it. The route is the religion and the top of the mountain is the almighty. The Divine. Which ever way he chooses his ultimate destiny is that one point –The mountain top, The divine.
As intelligent creatures and as gods finest creation we must realize this and stop all this senseless and mindless brutality. In the vast space earth is like a pin head and the only place where Gods most precious creation “MAN” lives. There can be only one religion and that is of Humanity.
THE ONE RELIGION—THE RELIGION OF HUMANITY.
In today’s world, all that we see or hear, is the mindless killing of innocents in the name of religion. Be it the total destruction of the world trade center, or the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai India or the senseless massacre of the Christians in some of the eastern block countries, or Orissa in India, it is the innocent people, mothers , fathers, who suffers the most. They are forced to leave their habitat, homes, jobs, schools, and live in dilapidated refugee camps. No sectarian group who perpetrate such senseless mindless war think about the crying child, the wailing mother, the hapless father. Their only aim is to spread fear and terror all in the name of Religion. The perpetrators feel that they are doing a tremendous job and that by doing such an act they will be rewarded by the Divinity. God, Bhagwan, Allah, Christ, or any other name that one might give, will bless them with martyrdom. Does ones conscious sustain such concept?? Does Bhagwad Geeta tell us to kill people?? Does Quran teach us to inflict pain and agony to our fellow human beings?? If not Then why in the name of religion such acts are perpetrated??
We must have some idea about the evolution of religion to understand that religion helps us to bind together within the group and between the groups.
From the very beginning when man was an advance ape scientifically termed as Australopithecus he lived in a group. Living in a group has lot of advantages, one of the prime being safety. Then there was the economic reason for man to be in a group. During the early Paleolithic period when man was a hunter gatherer, he needed a well defined group with a well defined division of labor among the group for the group to be economically viable. The animals that were hunted were as mammoth as the wooly mammoths. When the economy shifted from hunting gathering to agrarian the groups needed to be much larger. Therefore there needed to be some rules, rites, rituals, and certain norms that gave the group an inherent control from within. Thus becoming a well structured social group. The rites, rituals, and and certain norms were basically made for the groups to be more economically viable by creating an atmosphere of harmony and not discord at any times. Therefore we see the development of religion or a spark of it among the Neanderthals. Neanderthals were the first hominids to intentionally bury the dead. Exemplary sites include Shanidar in Iraq, Kebara Cave in Israel and Krapina in Croatia. Some scholars, however argue that these bodies may have been disposed of for secular reasons. Likewise a number of archeologists propose that Middle Paleolithic societies such as Neanderthal societies may also have practiced the earliest form of totemism or animal worship in addition to their (presumably religious) burial of the dead. Emil Bächler in particular suggests (based on archeological evidence from Middle Paleolithic caves) that a widespread Middle Paleolithic Neanderthal bear cult existed.
The evolution of religion is closely connected with the evolution of the mind and behavioral modernity. Evidence for Paleolithic burials is often taken as the earliest expression of religious or mythological thought involving an afterlife. Such practice is not restricted to Homo sapiens, but also found among Homo neanderthalensis as least as early as 130,000 years ago. The emergence of religious behavior is consequently dated to before separation of early Homo sapiens some 150,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of symbolic ritual activity besides burials may be a site in South Africa dated to 70,000 years ago.
Does evolution of mind and behavioral modernity justify killing of thousands of innocent people ?? No religions in this world, in its truest sense preach cruelty and killing. Every religion in this earth preach unconditional love, brotherhood of man, and love thy neighbour. Quran, Bible, Bhagawad Geeta and all other religious text preach only one thing and that is help mankind in his hour of need irrespective of caste creed *** propagate love and not ****. Here in modern time we are all doing just the opposite.
The religious ideas also make their impact by crossing the boundaries of their origin (or dominance) to far off places. Religious faith of economically and militarily strong race (or nation) tries to dominate the weak and the underdeveloped. The mode of *********** and percolation of religious ideas may be through missionary activities, or through persecution by the sword and the pen. Tactful, but definite, attempts may also be made to derogate the native religious beliefs and customs, and to eulogize the religion of the strong. Thus, customs and rituals, religious faiths and traditions, art and literature, all find free flow from dominant culture to economically weaker one. The resistance of the native people is chiefly through the strength of their own religious principles and traditions. Militarily the native may not fight back, but the religion of the land might be capable of keeping its head afloat if its level of growth, faith in scriptural tradition, and history are strong.
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa lived such a highly spiritual life that he made India strong in this field, and thus, Vedanta could sustain and extradite itself from the influence of narrowness of religious dogma. Moreover, in the process, a wonderful synthesis and harmony of religions was established as the basis for universal religion. In addition to Hindu ways, Sri Ramakrishna undertook the sadhana of both Islam and Christian faiths. Between 1868 and 1874 a devout Muslim and a Christian initiated Sri Ramakrishna in their respective methods of worship. On both the occasions, he had visions of the great Prophets of those religions, who merged in his body. On both the occasions Sri Ramakrishna was established in Nirvikalpa Samadhi state after the visions. He could then emphatically say: “As many faiths, so many paths!”
He explains that every human soul has an objective and that is to connect to the divine. It is like a mountain top and there are umpteen number of ways to reach the top. If one takes a route to climb the mountain top and half way through he decides that this route is treacherous and he comes down to take another route, he will never reach the top of the mountain. He has to take a route and stick by it. The route is the religion and the top of the mountain is the almighty. The Divine. Which ever way he chooses his ultimate destiny is that one point –The mountain top, The divine.
As intelligent creatures and as gods finest creation we must realize this and stop all this senseless and mindless brutality. In the vast space earth is like a pin head and the only place where Gods most precious creation “MAN” lives. There can be only one religion and that is of Humanity.
Nov
18
Why not Religion?
Filed Under Religion | Leave a Comment
Cathi Bee
It is a fact that the world today is very religious. One needs only to examine how many religions there are as opposed to the single direction of “Atheism” to see this. Many feel that the tendency towards some sort of faith is proof for the existence of God. Many claim to derive great power from their religious practices. Many believe that their specific belief system is the only truth and that the whole world should be converted to their views. So why not you? There are about as many good arguments against religion as there are for it.
The religious drive was developed in very primitive societies. Human beings could not understand what they saw and experienced. Lightning was a scary mystery and crop growth was subject to scarcity and abundance at apparent random. People needed religion to explain the world to themselves. Religion was their weapon against the fear of life and the fear of death.
Despite the fact that people have meanwhile discovered science to explain the world to themselves, ancient religion survives well, as does the fear. One reason for this could be a type of “sheep” or “follow the leader” mentality. People are unwilling to trouble themselves with too much critical thinking, and therefore accept whatever they learn from their parents. This is the conformist paradigm.
Another reason is, as mentioned above, fear. There are all sorts of fear attached to religion: eternal damnation takes up a significant part of the religious energy. Christians for example believe that all non-Christians are damned to eternal hell. In more immediate terms, some are afraid that that life itself would be meaningless without religion, not to mention what such a lack of belief would mean for death.
This fear is responsible for many a religious atrocity. Religious leaders use it to their own advantage and the disadvantage of many. In ancient societies, human beings may have been simple enough to listen to their leaders without thinking about what they heard. But we live in the information society.
We have the freedom and the right to choose what to believe and what to discard. We are intelligent enough to decide what makes sense and what does not. We have the knowledge to determine who is self-serving and fraudulent and who is genuinely interested in serving the human evolutionary process.
We no longer have to kill or maim to bring our point across, and yet this still happens. We are no longer obliged to believe any specific thing, and yet we still do. Not learning from history seems to be our only consistent trait.
If more people grounded their views in the human rather than the religious viewpoint, perhaps we might have less starvation and murder in the world. We may have fewer power-hungry leaders who kill in the name of God, more who serve life rather than death, and peace rather than fear. A loving heart can change everything.
It is a fact that the world today is very religious. One needs only to examine how many religions there are as opposed to the single direction of “Atheism” to see this. Many feel that the tendency towards some sort of faith is proof for the existence of God. Many claim to derive great power from their religious practices. Many believe that their specific belief system is the only truth and that the whole world should be converted to their views. So why not you? There are about as many good arguments against religion as there are for it.
The religious drive was developed in very primitive societies. Human beings could not understand what they saw and experienced. Lightning was a scary mystery and crop growth was subject to scarcity and abundance at apparent random. People needed religion to explain the world to themselves. Religion was their weapon against the fear of life and the fear of death.
Despite the fact that people have meanwhile discovered science to explain the world to themselves, ancient religion survives well, as does the fear. One reason for this could be a type of “sheep” or “follow the leader” mentality. People are unwilling to trouble themselves with too much critical thinking, and therefore accept whatever they learn from their parents. This is the conformist paradigm.
Another reason is, as mentioned above, fear. There are all sorts of fear attached to religion: eternal damnation takes up a significant part of the religious energy. Christians for example believe that all non-Christians are damned to eternal hell. In more immediate terms, some are afraid that that life itself would be meaningless without religion, not to mention what such a lack of belief would mean for death.
This fear is responsible for many a religious atrocity. Religious leaders use it to their own advantage and the disadvantage of many. In ancient societies, human beings may have been simple enough to listen to their leaders without thinking about what they heard. But we live in the information society.
We have the freedom and the right to choose what to believe and what to discard. We are intelligent enough to decide what makes sense and what does not. We have the knowledge to determine who is self-serving and fraudulent and who is genuinely interested in serving the human evolutionary process.
We no longer have to kill or maim to bring our point across, and yet this still happens. We are no longer obliged to believe any specific thing, and yet we still do. Not learning from history seems to be our only consistent trait.
If more people grounded their views in the human rather than the religious viewpoint, perhaps we might have less starvation and murder in the world. We may have fewer power-hungry leaders who kill in the name of God, more who serve life rather than death, and peace rather than fear. A loving heart can change everything.