*(I do support all belief systems that are benevolent. We all have a right to believe what we want to without imposition)
Religion is a touchy subject and one that I’ve hesitated to explore in a blog for some time.
Something however caught my attention today- I heard the saying “pull the trigger” three times via songs all within 10 min. They weren’t about guns but in taking action… add a few synchronicities to the mix and boom, I’m giving myself the green light to write.
There is a saying that states; “religion is for people not wanting to go to hell, and spirituality is for the people who have already been there.” Now I’ll have to admit I was quite taken by this when I first heard it many years ago. It resonated strongly for me and I thought it was a cool saying. Recently though I have come to really understand why I resonated to it so strongly.
Lets take a look at the root word for ‘religion’, which comes from the two Latin root words, “Re” (prefix meaning return) and “Ligare” (to bind) in other words “Return to Bondage” “Re-Ligare”
Jesus, Buddha and even the modern teachers such a Paramahansa Yogananda didn’t set out to start a religion, no it was their followers later that have preached that. Wise teachers taught the path to Love… within the self and towards others. They showed us that we have the power that is latent and waiting to awaken within! No genuine teacher has ever claimed that ‘they’ were the Savior; I’d be suspect of a cult if that were truly the case.
Religion is: believing in someone else’s experience, while spirituality is having your own.
I find using the chakra system a good way of showing how an imposed belief system can be accepted. As some of you know there are 7 charkas within the body, (lets quote a biblical saying…the 7 churches) each chakra has positive and negative aspects. (Blocked or unblocked) There are 3 below and 3 above the center heart chakra representing Love. The 3 below when blocked resonate fear, guilt and shame, and the 3 above when blocked involve falsehood of expression, delusion and separateness. The heart when blocked experiences grief and suffering. When chakras are open and flow there are the experiences of confidence, self-respect, worthiness, love/joy, truth of expression, reality, and Oneness.
Now if I wanted to control a large populace (hypothetically speaking that is) I would have to instill or manipulate the negative aspects found in the blocked chakras
- Fear
- Guilt
- Shame
- Suffering
- Suppression of expression
- Deception of truth reality
- Separation of our connectedness to our highest self.
I’d have to promise salvation from them all, and that I knew the way out. How can anyone be controlled or manipulated when they are confident, have self respect, feel worthiness, love and joy, speaks their truth, sees through the illusion knowing that they ARE what they seek (Their highest self) and that they are not separate from it.
Now depending on our upbringing, some of us have been raised in a (varying degrees) religious environment and some of us have not. Neither dictates whether one is a good person or not; that comes from within. Now if what we have been taught works for us, we will most likley accept it and won’t question it. If however it doesn’t make any sense to us, we may search for our own answers to the questions that we may have… or instead, revoke everything. We can become agnostic, atheist, or dabble in all the religions until something feels right. Whatever the case may be, I think we all want to feel happy, peaceful… fulfilled… loved…. complete.
There is a dark side to religion as is with everything based in fear and duality. There is a lot of resistance, anger and division when it comes to religion. Wars have been fought over it, the debates of who’s god is better, who’s right, who’s wrong, who are the chosen ones etc.
Well intentioned people are so passionate that sometimes they preach a bit too much thus rubbing some the wrong way. It’s like throwing stones in a glass house, not living the example of what is being said. Some go to church to pray, so they don’t feel so bad about preying on their neighbors. Some are upset at feeling deceived at a young age, being vunreable and impressionable. Betrayal of trust; and denounce any religion and those who follow it as being weak and naïve. This can be a topic in itself, however this is not the point of this blog.
If we get passed all of the dogma we will realize that all benevolent religion share a common thread… Love… also treat others as you would want to be treated. It’s simple right? Unfortunately due to fear based teachings and the promise of salvation through suffering we usually don’t get there.
I’m excited at how science and spirituality are now merging and closing the gap between the once opposite and opposing faculties. I wanted to say religion, however i don’t sense that is the case in this point in time. (Again another blog)
Have any of you ever thought…what if?
We view a church as our body, the alter our hearts?
The desire to feel love, not just for our family but for our friends, their friends, our enemies (ok just a thought lol, let’s aim for something easier) ourselves and for everyone including our earth… and without judgment? When we pray we talk to our highest self and when we meditate we listen for our response?
It would be different wouldn’t it?
If that doesn’t resonate to you then at the very least ask yourself before accepting any belief thought or action…
Is it based in love or in fear?
Thank you for reading.
In gratitude
Frank Dee
This blog is Copyrighted (c)
