It's a wonderful thing to discover true spiritual life. There are many different ways to have this experience and they are not all via formal religious belief or practise. The Christian story inspires many and for these people, this is their path if it leads them to humility, loving-kindness to all beings and the ability to refrain from judging others.
What worries me about Christianity and the other "religions of the book" Judaism and Muslim belief, is that too many times this does not seem to be the outcome. In fact often it appears to be the opposite, with not only a general condemnation of all who do not subscribe to their particular set of beliefs, but also with some, a tendency towards a lack of compassion when faced with problems such as refugees and displaced people, or anyone who they encounter who is a little different from them.
And yet there are many, many practitioners of these faiths who are not like this, but are humble, compassionate, merciful and giving people. So I wonder what it is that causes others within these traditions to so obviously lack these qualities.
With Christianity, I think that it is the escape clause that says we are all sinners by nature, but if we "believe" in the risen Christ, we will be saved fom our sins. That means as long as you "believe" and keep on repeating how much you do believe, you can basically do whatever you like to your fellow human because you have met your selection criteria for an eternal life by simply believing the Christian story. This doesn't require much reflection or discipline in the way we live our lives on a daily basis. Compassion, loving-kindness and forebearance come from reflection which leads to true insight and wisdom, not from repeating statements of faith.
I find it ironical that some Christians actually interpret events in the world which destroy whole groups of people, as being the will of God, particularly if the affected group are not Christians. The irony is that Jesus taught love and compassion and this vengeful attitude would seem to be the opposite of such teachings.
My last word is that this is not a condemnation of Christianity or Christians as such, but a lament that unwise and simplistic interpretations of religious beliefs can do more harm than good in the world.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
So many different paths
Early in 2010 I watched a recording of Compass (show on ABC1) - this segment was about a Christian guy who went investigating the many similarities between Christian beliefs and other major religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Sorry, I have no idea who it was or the name of the episode.
It was fascinating as he uncovered the origins of the different mythologies in belief systems dating way back before Christianity in ancient India. The risen saviour, the miracle birth and so on. The code for living which is basically loving kindness, peace and good will to all living beings, doing to others as you would have done to yourself. It seems humanity has had these basic values and the mythology to illustrate and support them, since the dawn of time. They are not the exlusive preserve of any particular religion.
The narrator interviewed practitioners of Buddhism and Hinduism in Indian society and found a great tolerance and good will to to Christianity and the other "religions of the book" who claim to be the only legitimate way. Such tolerance and open mindedness is gold. We need more in today's world!
It was fascinating as he uncovered the origins of the different mythologies in belief systems dating way back before Christianity in ancient India. The risen saviour, the miracle birth and so on. The code for living which is basically loving kindness, peace and good will to all living beings, doing to others as you would have done to yourself. It seems humanity has had these basic values and the mythology to illustrate and support them, since the dawn of time. They are not the exlusive preserve of any particular religion.
The narrator interviewed practitioners of Buddhism and Hinduism in Indian society and found a great tolerance and good will to to Christianity and the other "religions of the book" who claim to be the only legitimate way. Such tolerance and open mindedness is gold. We need more in today's world!
The strangeness of being here
From the time I was about 10 years old I have had flashes of this amazement at my own existence, a sudden realisation that here I am, a living creature on the planet, conscious for only a small spark of time before the physical body ends and consciousness....changes?....ends? And that those who are in this life with me are also only with me for this brief period, at least in our current forms.
I am sure this awareness hits all of us frequently, but many of us become afraid and busy ourselves in the minutae of every day existence to avoid this overwhelming and possibly dismaying insight.
I have been a strange bod on this planet, compared to many other individuals. I don't fit that well into accepted forms of behaviour and relationships. Outwardly this may seem to be an exaggeration, as on superficial appearances I certainly seem to have fitted into society, earning a good living in a respectable job, and going about my life in the expected fashion in terms of family, friends and work. However only I know how hard and long the struggle has been for me to fashion and create this appearance of normality.
For a start, I was a strange, skinny child who was teased at school. I had a gaunt face with a disproportionately large nose from the age of 8. Even the teachers couldn't resist teasing me. School can be a cruel place for the hardiest child. But I wasn't that hardy, in fact I was absurdly sensitive and awkward, and the taunts and observations of me by my fellow humans were all taken on board as true reflections of who I was.....a strange and laughable creature. To put it mildly, the journey from childhood to adolescence was, for me, far from carefree and joyous. The adolescent years were, in fact, sheer hell and I really did grow stranger and stranger, even to myself. But I will leave that story for another day.
The logical conclusion of these early experiences in life was that I became a deep, solemn and searching thinker. I have been on the look-out for answers since the age of about ten. I read the New Testament Bible from cover to cover in late childhood and early adolescence. I found it more comforting than the Old Testament, which was not only almost impossible to decipher, but also gloomy and frightening in many parts. I learned about ancient Egypt and Buddhism at school at the age of thirteen and this turned into a lifelong fascination with ancient times and ancient philosophies and religions. Buddhism eventually became the path for me to follow in my spiritual searchings - it just seems to make logical sense, compared to most religions. It appeals to my thirst for rational and compassionate answers to our human dilemma. So my blog will largely be a record of my reflections on a spiritual response to the problems I face in life, and by extension, to problems the whole world is grappling with.
I am sure this awareness hits all of us frequently, but many of us become afraid and busy ourselves in the minutae of every day existence to avoid this overwhelming and possibly dismaying insight.
I have been a strange bod on this planet, compared to many other individuals. I don't fit that well into accepted forms of behaviour and relationships. Outwardly this may seem to be an exaggeration, as on superficial appearances I certainly seem to have fitted into society, earning a good living in a respectable job, and going about my life in the expected fashion in terms of family, friends and work. However only I know how hard and long the struggle has been for me to fashion and create this appearance of normality.
For a start, I was a strange, skinny child who was teased at school. I had a gaunt face with a disproportionately large nose from the age of 8. Even the teachers couldn't resist teasing me. School can be a cruel place for the hardiest child. But I wasn't that hardy, in fact I was absurdly sensitive and awkward, and the taunts and observations of me by my fellow humans were all taken on board as true reflections of who I was.....a strange and laughable creature. To put it mildly, the journey from childhood to adolescence was, for me, far from carefree and joyous. The adolescent years were, in fact, sheer hell and I really did grow stranger and stranger, even to myself. But I will leave that story for another day.
The logical conclusion of these early experiences in life was that I became a deep, solemn and searching thinker. I have been on the look-out for answers since the age of about ten. I read the New Testament Bible from cover to cover in late childhood and early adolescence. I found it more comforting than the Old Testament, which was not only almost impossible to decipher, but also gloomy and frightening in many parts. I learned about ancient Egypt and Buddhism at school at the age of thirteen and this turned into a lifelong fascination with ancient times and ancient philosophies and religions. Buddhism eventually became the path for me to follow in my spiritual searchings - it just seems to make logical sense, compared to most religions. It appeals to my thirst for rational and compassionate answers to our human dilemma. So my blog will largely be a record of my reflections on a spiritual response to the problems I face in life, and by extension, to problems the whole world is grappling with.
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