There are exceptions. I am referring to religions
based on a premise that a Big Juju, normally referred to as God, sits in judgment
over his people—the masses he’d created in his image and likeness, in order to
offer them eternal boredom or eternal suffering. Don’t know which is worse. The
leaders of such religions, (mostly Christian Sects), also based their premise
on geocentric principles. Although they’ve grudgingly reinstated Galileo and
officially accepted a heliocentric view of the world, little has changed.
The problem remains.
They continue to regard our solar system as “the
world”, in which a few avatars had been sent to show us the error of our ways
and save our souls. BTW, English translation of ‘soul’ in the King James Bible
is erroneous. (vide Dictionary
of Biblical Symbolism)
The real problem with religions is that they slow
down personal development. When one is told what to do, rather than encouraged
to finds out for oneself, the teaching doesn’t take hold. And when teaching is offered
under the threat of dire penalty—all’s lost. We are not taught; we are trained
with a carrot and a stick. (vide BEYOND
RELIGION Vol. I, essay #28)
Also, religious teaching is
often in direct opposition to the source to which it is attributed. E.g.:
Yeshûa insisted not to be recognized as “good”, let alone “god” (Mark 10:18). Yet,
Christian churches deified him—even as many of Yeshûa’s predecessors had been
deified.
Deifying people is a human
hobby. Egyptians, Hindus, Greeks, Romans, all did it in abundance.
Pity.
Furthermore, majority of
Christians ignore the Bible, as do Moslem; although Qur'an
mentions Torah eighteen times, and confirms that it is The Word Of God.
Again, pity.
However, contrary to all the ardent atheists
who never took the trouble to raise the veil of symbolism from various
scriptures, I regard most myths on which such scriptures were based to be
invaluable for learning the wisdom which humanity has accumulated over many
millennia.
The custom of adapting, often twisting, the
Wisdom of the Ages to religious ends robs us from applying it in our daily
life. If we reach back, however, and dig deep into the ancient myths, we shall
find that the truth we can rediscover within the depth of our own psyche was
already there. Perhaps that is why, providing we follow Universal Laws, the
ancient prophet called us gods: “Children of the Most High”.
Us. That’s you and me.
The potential abides within every single one of
us.
And we must never forget that not religions, but
the Truth will set us free. Until it does, we shall continue to walk in ever
diminishing circles of “specialization”, losing the “Big Picture”. We shall
adorn our names with “learned titles”, and pretend to be smart.
Pity.
Socrates said, “I know that I know nothing”. I
am yet to hear any priest, imam, or scientist say that. And yet, the Truth
dwells within us all, waiting to be discovered.
Again, pity.
Also available at Smashwords and other outlets.
FREE DOWNLOADS
For reviewers at:
Some already available in paperback
In all fairness to scientists, the scientific method is not dogmatic but always open to change with new evidence and new discoveries. It takes a whole lot of proof to turn theory into law. Science is somewhere between knowing nothing and knowing some things, and then understanding some things better. Otherwise you wouldn't know enough to be able to say how little you know. Please don't lump scientists in with priests. They are at opposite ends of the scale, with diligent search for truth versus self-satisfied, unquestioning faith. Science is the open door; religion has its doors nailed shut and windows boarded up.
ReplyDeleteScientists do not create laws. They (often myopically) observe phenomenal reality and occasionally shout Eureka!
DeleteAs for “scientific discoveries” we had flat earth, black holes, pre-big bang void, big bang followed by big crunch, flat universe, multiverse, black energy, and a dozen other “discoveries” to make their equations work. No, I do not dismiss science, nor the scientific method. I dismiss the priests of science who treat speculations as natural laws. There are as many good scientists as there are good priests, which is a poor reflection on both, science and religion. Sorry.
My own views are expressed in “Delusions—Pragmatic Realism”. It is on Amazon. It costs $2.43, less then a hamburger. Enjoy.
PS. A man many recognize as a scientist, by the name Albert Einstein, said: “A man of science is a poor philosopher. “ And philosophy is love of wisdom.