Religion has always been a subject that is very touchy with most people. Regardless of what religion a person chooses to practice, all (Christianity included) have a belief system that preaches a: "My God is bigger than your God" philosophy. When I was a Christian, I served in one of the largest churches in my home town. That all changed the day I realized that the men and women occupying the leadership positions where I attended cared more about their personal "titles" than they did about their personal relationships with the people they were supposed to be helping. That was a painful experience but nevertheless one that would force me to embark on a journey that would ultimately bring me face to face with the truth that I had been seeking all along.
When I became a Christian, I did it for many of the same reasons why many of you have whether you realize it or not. I became a Christian not because I knew it was the truth, but because it is a belief system that was passed on to me by my parents. Christianity is the dominant religion of America. Or at least it has been for a very long time. That reality plays a big role in why many people become Christians. The flipside of that is if you lived in a 3rd world country like Iraq, many of you would be a Muslim for the same reason you are a Christian. Islam is the dominant religion for that region. Like us, Mid-easterns become muslims, again not because they know for a fact that it is the "true religion," but because it is a belief system passed on to them by there parents or family member as well. It would be no different if you lived in China where Buddha is the dominant religion for the Asian culture.
I realized these things when I left the church and started studying the history of religion. I did this because I got tired of being approached by members of many of these institutions with each individually claiming that "We are the only ones who have the truth." I wanted to know what it was that the 1st nations people on this planet believed and taught about the things of God. What I found out was life changing. My eyes are now open in ways that they have never been before. What the religious world doesn't teach you is that there is a difference between being "religious" and being spiritual. The history of our ancestors is not one based on a religion. In those days there was no such thing as a Christian, muslim, or Jehovah's Witness. There was no such thing as "church." Church in those days was not a building you go to and give 10% of your hard earned money to a pastor for a "building fund." Church was a way of life. Our ancestors believed in living in ways using a device that all of us are born with but, for many of us has become an after thought. It's called common sense. It is good for a man to be a good husband to his wife. It is good for a man to be a good father to his children. It is good for a man to be a good friend to his neighbor. All of these things should come natural. They should feel natural. Unfortunately, society as a whole has lost it's moral compass and chooses to live in ways that are unnatural.
I am no longer a Christian because in realizing the difference between religion and spirituality, I can not be both. In order to give birth to one, you must lay down the other. So I have laid down my religion in order to give birth to my spirituality. I am not trying to step on anyone's toes with this information. I only want to give you something that will set you free if you choose to use it. This world doesn't need religion any more than it needs Democrats and Republicans. For those of you who don't know I'll let you in on a little secret. There is no such thing as a Democrat or a Republican. In this world there are only two types of people that exist: The "haves" and the "have nots." The "haves" are responsible for 90% of the hell you and I go through. Not a fictitious figure with a pitchfork, tail, and pointed ears you've been taught to call "the devil." The other 10% is from us not taking the initiative to recognize the power we have within ourselves.
When we take a look at religion truthfully, we all see it for what it really is. It is a system that by design does nothing but separate us all from one another. Religion has been the reason why we go to war. It has torn families apart, broken friendships, and ended marriages. If religion was everything it is toted up to be, this world would have a different face than the one it has now. There is a church, mosque, kingdom hall, temple, or some type of religious institution on every corner of every city in this country. If that was "the way," we would have all been "saved" a long time ago. Too many of us spend entirely too much time trying to give birth to a religion, which causes us to miss the point of being exactly what we were born to be. One people.
No comments:
Post a Comment