The
Nature, Purpose and Practice of Religion
What
can a universal world view, based on the fact that everything is energy,
teach us about how to find a better approach to religion?
By
Kim Michaels
The nature of religion
Now that
we have built a more universal world view, let us apply it to our questions
about religion. Let us first summarize our findings:
- Everything
is energy. Energy is vibration. Different energies are set apart only
by a difference in vibration.
- There
are no impenetrable barriers in the energy continuum. However, there
is a threshold between the vibrations of the material universe and
higher vibrations. There is a material realm and a spiritual realm.
- The material
universe is made of the same substance as the spiritual world, the
vibration is simply lower. Our minds are currently tuned in to the
lower frequencies of the material world. Yet we do have the ability
to tune the mind to the higher frequencies of the spiritual world.
- By learning
to tune in to the spiritual world, we will reconnect to our source.
This connection is the key to happiness and peace of mind.
What might
these ideas tell us about religion?
Imagine that someone hands you a photograph of an unknown fruit. While
you are looking at the picture, the person asks, “What does the
fruit taste like?” How would you know the taste by looking a the
picture? Would taking a bite of the picture tell you what the fruit
tastes like, or would it merely tell you what photographic paper tastes
like?
So let us state the obvious, namely that religion is not the same as
God. Religion might be a description of God or of the spiritual realm,
but it is not the real thing. Religion can show us that there is something
beyond the material universe. Religion can give us an image, a description,
of what the spiritual realm is like. Religion can stir our curiosity
and give us the desire for a taste of the spiritual realm.
Yet can religion ever replace the direct experience? If we partake of
religion with the belief that religion is all we need, that religion
is an end in itself, then we will end up with the taste of dry paper
instead of the taste of the juicy fruit of the spirit. Is that what
we want, or do we want the real thing?
The purpose of religion
The real
problem, perhaps the only problem, on this planet is that we human beings
have lost the memory of our origin. It follows that the purpose of religion
is to help us overcome that memory loss and reconnect with our spiritual
source.
Nothing can replace the direct experience. Our minds are like a radio
receiver with the ability to tune in to the vibrations of the spiritual
realm. So the purpose of religion should be to give us a direct, inner,
intuitive experience of the spiritual realm and our spiritual nature.
We might say that religion should help us reconnect with our higher
selves.
If religion helps us reconnect with spirit through a direct experience,
it is fulfilling its intended purpose. However, if religion becomes
an end in itself and helps us connect only with outer doctrines and
practices, then it might take us into a blind alley.
The many religious organizations, doctrines and practices are simply
tools to help us get a direct, inner experience. If we no longer strive
for the inner experience, then the outer tool, which was meant to liberate
us, becomes a trap that imprisons our minds. We then spend our energies
on defending the outer doctrines, and this can lead to extremism and
fanaticism.
Why spend our time trying to make everyone accept that there is only
one true religion? Why not focus on giving people a direct experience
of the spiritual side of life?
If religion is a tool for the liberation of our souls, then let us stop
using it to build thicker prison walls around our minds. Let us look
beyond the outer means and discover the inner goal.
The practice of religion
Imagine that
we give ten people an apple each. We ask them to take a bite and then
write down a description of what the apple tastes like. All of the people
were eating the same kind of fruit. Eating the fruit triggered an inner
experience. The fruits were identical, but would the ten descriptions
of the inner experiences be identical?
Not likely. We cannot know if tasting the same kind of fruit triggered
the exact same experiences for all ten people. And certainly we would
expect that each person would describe the experience with his or her
own words. If we expect that our experiment will give us different descriptions
of the taste of an apple, why would we expect that the grand experiment
of helping people reconnect to their source will give different people
identical descriptions of the fruits of the spirit?
This then leads to the following guidelines for how we practice religion
in this age:
- We must
first of all use our chosen religion to reconnect to our source. We
must learn to turn the dial of consciousness and experience the spiritual
reality. We must learn to reconnect with our higher selves and receive
intuitive insights directly from the source of wisdom.
- We will
see an outer religion, doctrine and method simply as tools for achieving
this inner experience and understanding.
- When
we approach others, we focus on the individual human being instead
of the outer organization or doctrine. We always keep in mind that
the real goal of our religious practice is to help the individual
reconnect to his or her source through direct inner experience and
intuitive insight.
- We do
not seek to force people into a mold. We do not seek to force people
to approach the spiritual reality through a particular outer framework.
We recognize that many paths lead to the same goal. We seek to help
each person discover and follow the path that is right for him/her.
- We will
not work to promote one religion to replace all other religions. We
will respect that many religions can serve as a foundation for a person’s
path to union with the source.
- We recognize
that behind the many outer paths is an inner path, a universal path,
a transcendental path. It is our foremost goal to help everyone discover
this path.
- We recognize
that the true goal of the inner path is to rediscover who we are.
We must enter a state of mind that empowers us to be
who we are. And then, when we have built this solid foundation, we
must follow the command to multiply our talents and be more
than we currently are.
- If we
meet a person from a particular religious or cultural background,
we will seek to help that person discover the inner path through his
or her particular background.
Explore the fact that religion
is a form of communication between human beings and our
spiritual teachers.
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Copyright
© 2005 by Kim Michaels |
