Tonight was one of those nights! I decided to post this one because it makes me mad ...and sad ...that so many young people today have thrown out the idea that a religious element in life has any relevance in modern day living. It's true perhaps we need a whole new template to discover afresh how to think about it all..and this is what prompted this beginning attempt!
The Reclamation : Religion without the power and politics - an inner journey between humans, the planet and the universe.Throughout history, in every culture and every age, there has been a spiritual element in living. An awe, a respect, a sense of belonging within the greater picture of life on earth, the urge to play one’s part in the refinement and progression of civilisation, to express outwardly these inner feeling and longings.
There are so many examples stretching through the millennia …..
Our own culture in the 21st century is a unique situation…we have an extensive understanding of past centuries, access to religions above and beyond our own, a day by day communications media that keeps us up to date with world events, and world problems….and on top of all of that, most Western cultures are an absolute mixing pot of different nationalities and religions.
The horrors of what has been done in the name of religions are well known to most. The barbarities of the Crusades, the many wars being fought in the name of religion, the injustices of the caste system, genetic culling, modern day terrorism, the cover ups within the classic religions of perversities practiced within the cover of religious authority …the list goes on and on and on. No wonder that so many people today decry religion, deny its usefulness in society and indeed see religion to be a major cause of the problems in today’s world.
Yet often when people speak of religion in those terms , of course they mean religion in its classic sense. Religion that is embroiled in power and politics and centuries old ceremony and regalia, that seems somewhat bizarre to those outside the religion to which they are attached...and let's face it.... a lot of it is pretty weird!!
Yet, let’s try for a moment to leave behind the outer trappings of religions and look to what has been steady and consistent throughout our very long history since homo sapiens emerged. In all cultures across the globe, there are certain aspects that seem to be constant throughout the centuries though perhaps in today’s world seem to be in diminishment.
Some of those are a sense of belonging to the greater picture, an awe at the largeness of the universe, an urge to give thanks for the gift of life, a feeling of ones place in nature, the need to find ways to influence and refine our behaviour with values & principles, a desire to learn from and give respect to our ancestors. In different ways, cultures the world over, have sought this continuity and refinement. One of the features that makes us uniquely human is that non physical part of ourselves which has consciousness, makes choices and gives us our unique individual possibility. Some may believe this to be based in the soul or spirit, others may see it to be more to do with the mentality and the mind (and most religions would see it be a combination of both) but few would deny that it is this unseen and self forming part of us that gives us our unique identity as human beings, both collectively and individually. Most religions would have the view that the life we have now has the possibility of continuance…and that the quality of that next opportunity is governed by the life we lead today.
Those who today down-cry traditional religion, see this after life as a ‘threat or promise’ as a means of control by the authorities and no doubt this is a part of the picture. However, unless every culture and civilisation has simply got it wrong, this is only a tiny part of the picture
JUST IMAGINE
Just imagine for a few minutes, that indeed they had it right, at least in the fundamental part… that this life we live today can be a starter ( or continuation ) of a life which can extend for thousands and possibly millions of years…. That indeed the quality of our life today ……does indeed influence this next possibility? Then, looked at from outside, wouldn’t it be the case that our generation which bases itself so heavily in materialism and individual gain and stature, may indeed be making the biggest mistake of all time? In the West, some of the most publicised views about the 'afterlife' are the Islamic promise of Paradise for the elect, or for the Christians the notion of heaven and hell…both concepts which go back over thousands of years and indeed in their portrayal are part of the reason why so many young people today see it all in the same kind of context as ‘fairy tales’. The Hindus have an even older and perhaps more logical view that sees reincarnation and karma as the keystones to a series of lives in which all participate one way or another... However this too has had its controlling aspect within the caste system. One could go through all the major religions like this but in an age where we move beyond the differences of our religious heritage…is there a place to look which might unify some of these age old beliefs whilst leaving behind the out of date attachments which have caused so many to discard anything to do with religion ?
No comments:
Post a Comment