People frequently ask me if I’m religious and of a particular religious faith. I am neither. Although I was born into a family of one faith (Russian Orthodox), yet raised in another (Jewish, of Holocaust survivor parents). And being a very curious child, I was never satisfied by anything religion taught me.
My questions were never answered intelligently or sufficiently enough to make sense. I found that religious leaders often twist either life or religion in order to justify their religious views and why they think we should all live a certain way. Some questions I asked fell on deaf ears, on prejudiced ears, with responses that ridiculed rather than showed care and compassion, and yet there were those who are wonderful people, but don’t know much. It always left gaps, and I felt like I was being handed yet another bunch of holy crappola.
Plus, the words in those bibles weren’t mine, didn’t reflect my thoughts. Why should I have had to say them by rote and with a congregation of sheeple? Towards what purpose? I didn’t know God from those books and classes, and I didn’t think any of those guys knew God, either.
I still don’t think most religious leaders have a clue because they’re so hung up on what books tell them to think, rather than experiencing it for themselves through personal experience, for instance like meditation. There is little balance in most religions between the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional.
Because I was somewhat able to communicate with my higher self and spirits since I was a kid, I knew there was more out there than meets the eye in religion. Since teenagehood, I’ve been a spiritist and metaphysician who shares in the appreciation of some elements found in organized religions. But, I am not a "follower" or "believer" of only one religion, and never will be. After I had my own experiences with spirit and the Source, I know that I don’t need a religion in order to find It, or please it.
Religions are mostly static, living in the past, not open to change. I don’t think we must forget what happened in the past (those events that actually DID occur), but not to relive them year after year. I think if we haven’t learned anything from the past, we have missed the lesson and may need to repeat it until we get it. But for those who get it - get on with your lives. For instance, in Judaism, how long do the Jews want to keep reliving slavery and freedom until they get the point that they are always free?
Example: The Passover can keep a people in victimhood, or it can be seen as a celebration of freedom. I think that most Jews are trying to transcend being victims, but as long as they worship YHWH/Enlil, they’re doomed because YHWH was a woman-hater and a terror who had no problem destroying life (unlike Adonai/Enki).
I do think that children need a strong spiritual foundation early in life. I think having this foundation gives a child confidence, roots, support, and reminds them why they are in their family - shared belief systems. Religious does not equal spiritual.
Egocentricity and belief in God are mutually exclusive. When egocentricity overtakes our consciousness, our professed belief in God may be nothing other than a psychological means of having someone to blame for whatever is going wrong in our lives [Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh]. How many times have you heard of, or yourself used God as an excuse or blame for the problems in the world?
The major religions of the world (not including paganism) began as a way to control the masses and gain power and wealth by instilling fear and low self-esteem, by warping the true messages from the Source by teaching that suffering and self-degradation were sacred and a super highway to the Lord. You were created in God’s image, yet you were sinful.
Love the Lord, but fear the Lord. And if you were born a woman, by the Old Testament you are evil and to be punished and treated as property and cared for as if you’re incapable of taking care of yourself. Your clergy were the only ones allowed to commune with God FOR you. God created you, but don’t be human and have human feelings. Human emotions were then relegated to God. What a mess! Hypocrisy grew in religions to ridiculous proportions, and everyone vied to be God’s chosen people. Want proof today of the hypocrisy?
Just try to talk to some Jehovah’s Witnesses or Born Again Christian and see if they’re open to YOUR views. They’re not. And don’t even get me started talking about Mohammad. Then there is the Catholic Church, The Vatican, the richest gang on the planet who thrives on lying to its masses who support it (while being controlled by it).
Besides lecturing their flocks on what to do or not to do, or ordering them to deny their divinity and humanity and feel guilty for their existence, does the Vatican actually share its wealth with their followers? (Absolutely not.) Do they allow women equality, even though women are more than half the population, and the real Church i