Catechizing the Cogency of Religion — Part I

We all have times in life when the internal voice is particularly strong telling us the next step or maybe even a starting blueprint for the journey forward. At those times, and all the time, we get to make a choice — to listen or not to listen.

I wrote some thoughts a while ago, but I didn’t have the courage to make the choice to listen and share them. I had apprehension (aka fear) about what others would think; most especially those close to me. A couple days ago the things I wrote came to mind with another internal push to share them. Because I was raised in a religious environment and I grew up in the church apprehension is still there with sharing them, but I’ve decided to do it anyway. I’ve come to learn there’s no growth without challenging my internal boundaries.

As I stated above, a significant part of my childhood was spent in a church somewhere. It will always be a part of my history and it has factored into who I’ve become. But, religiosity is not who I am.

I’ve never quite comprehended, even as a young girl, how it could be okay to condemn other individuals because they didn’t worship the same God or embody the same beliefs as the ones I was being raised in. How could they all be going to hell for not believing in and accepting Jesus as their way to salvation? Exactly what makes that a sin and why? Doesn’t being a good person, living your life in a peaceful, loving way and embodying integrity count for anything? If a person never sets foot in a church does that really make them unholy? Does going through the motions of religious practice outweigh daily acts? I wondered… And, how could some of the people I see in church every Sunday, who are dishonest, unloving and judgmental Monday through Saturday, go to the great place known as heaven because they show up on Sundays to pray, take communion, holy dance and beg for forgiveness? I wondered… What kind of system was this and how could it possibly be fair if these were the principles it was built upon? As a young girl I wondered but dare not speak out loud my questions; where I come from that’s blasphemy and that too is a sin.

So, I pondered…

Over the years the pondering has led to me resting into concepts based on spirituality, universal principles and science that resonate with me. And quite honestly those concepts are fluid; there is space for expansion, change and replacement within them based on my experiences as I learn, evolve and grow. No thought or belief is all right or all wrong. Your reality is not my reality so it can’t possibly be.

It is my choice not to follow a set religion and to instead embody principles of spirituality. However, I don’t have disdain for any religion. I believe all the ancient religions possess sacred principles worthy of awe and respect at their core. The stories and acts of some of history’s greatest human teachers have been passed down through religion. There’s no doubt that religion has served a role throughout history.

Last time I was in church it lead me to writing about some of my internal thoughts and questions. This is not for everyone. If you’re a very religious person it’s probably best you switch to another blog or web page now. Even if you’re open-minded, some of the thoughts may cause a bit of uncomfortability. But, isn’t that the beauty of thought, creativity and expression; that they have the ability to make us a bit uncomfortable which pushes established boundaries.

So, here it is…catechizing the cogency of religion part one…

— When and how did God get so personified to essentially be a person? With human feelings of dislike, separation and disdain?

How can an entity that represents the purest form of light and love in religion punish humans, make them suffer and tell them it’s my way or no way? And, if God does do that aren’t we essentially resolving that God is a conditional lover? Conditional love is not true, pure love.

— How do so many people operate on blind faith?

There’s a difference between having faith in life for things to happen, or faith to make it through life’s situations and circumstances. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m instead referring to blind faith with the stories passed down.

Each person interprets what they read in their own way and they way they interpret it isn’t necessarily right or true. Their interpretation can only be based on their view which is encumbered by their history, beliefs and life experiences. Their interpretation may or may not be the meaning intended. And out of the millions of people who have interpreted the Bible (or any other holy book) and given it their own meaning isn’t it very plausible that we’ve completely gotten away from the stories as they were intended? Some truth with a lot of fiction, like a game of telephone.

We trust, we believe, yet we don’t question or seek to experience directly for ourselves. Instead we put all our faith in this book (whatever holy book applies) and the preachers, priests, rabbis, etc… who teach/relay to us its words. Blind faith.

The overwhelming majority of people have never sought to truly, fully experience or test the validity of the stories and theories for themselves. They just accept them at face value and then repeat them to others seeking to make it their “truth” as well. God forbid someone question the stories, the person telling them or God because that’s a sin.

Sounds like man-made conditions to me.

If we directly experience the light, love and perfection that the concept of God embodies wouldn’t all internal vilification, opinionation and separation have to disappear within its wake?

— Is organized religion quite possibly the greatest source of brainwashing that has ever existed?

I’m not saying it is, but it’s an ingenious way to keep us organized, control our thinking and have us live in fear. It scares us into a particular way of thinking so we do what is said. A way to tell us we need to live by a subscribed set of moral beliefs, do things a set way and trust and believe in these things only or we will be punished and outcast.

Would a God of pure love truly think that way?

Religion can be a way to exercise control and dominance by saying this way is THE way and it has to be done this way or else you’re going to hell (or some other unfavorable place). We’re given an answer for what we seek and told we don’t have to fully understand, see or know it we just have to believe. Once blind faith and belief is obtained it can be combined with fear to have us do and act as we’re told.

— Are there people who truly believe there is an ACTUAL place called heaven and one called hell?

Do they really believe that if we don’t do things according to what we’re told — according to a set way — we’ll actually go to hell? Do they also believe that if we repent and are faithful we’ll go to an actual place called heaven with white pearly gates?

Do they truly believe that if we don’t specifically go to Jesus (or the religious figure represented in the corresponding religion) for forgiveness of our sins we are condemned to hell; to a purgatory place? And what about if we live our life in an upright way and are sincerely remorseful for anything we may have done to negatively impact someone else, but never step foot in a church, go to confession or call upon Jesus? Do we still go to hell?

Also, does that mean there is no heaven in the human experience? No ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’ on earth?

— Isn’t the church one of the primary sources of not enoughness?

Not enoughness is one of the foundational teachings of the church. We are not worthy. We live in sin. We live on a sin-filled place (earth). We must be washed of our sins…we must be baptized to be saved.

Everything is based on us not being enough. It’s based on us needing to get something instead of us already possessing it. It’s based on God being ‘out there’ instead of inside.

If we grow up being taught we’re not enough — with all our beliefs being based on not being worthy — it only makes sense that we deal with not enoughness inside ourselves. Right?

— What good is it if we come to church every Sunday (or even everyday) but live our life from a place of doom, gloom, judgment and fear?

If we believe this world is a sin-filled, purgatory place how can our experience in it be any different?

If we believe that everyone who doesn’t pray to God or call out Jesus’ name is doomed to sin and hell how can we truly appreciate and respect upright people with fundamental differences? And how can we fully live from a love-filled space if we don’t embrace them exactly the way they are and fully respect their beliefs and differences? Doesn’t true love embody complete and unconditional acceptance?

— If we are to literally believe the Bible and take the things it says at face value then don’t we also have to believe that earth once had superhumans and maybe some aliens…or at least magicians?

If we literally believe:

· That five fish and three loaves of bread can be expanded in thin air to feed an ‘army.’
· That a human can reside in a whale
· That water can be turned to wine
· That it’s possible to walk on water
· That there were ten commandments carved into stone on a mountainside
· That a voice physically spoke through a burning bush…

Then we believe they possessed capabilities humans today don’t possess. Right? So, they must have been different from us.

Isn’t the Bible just stories and interpretations of people’s experiences from individual perspectives?

— Are we really, truly supposed to believe Jesus is coming back to earth again?

That he was the exclusive, immaculate son of God? Also, isn’t it another personification of God to believe that ‘he’ has a gender and a child? And that ‘he’ chose one child above others to be the salvation for all mankind.

That’s part one. I’m not judging, just questioning…

Candra Adia writes daily musings on the perfect imperfections of life here in Soul Connected. Receive one every morning to read as you start your day by clicking here to subscribe.