Spirituality and things of the spirit are often on my mind. And yet, I have less and less interest in religion beyond an intellectual curiosity about it's dogmatic purpose. Dig beneath the surface and soon we can uncover a political motivation for most any institution. If ultimately the "truth" of religious teaching leads to "because God said so" you should become quite skeptical that spirituality or spirit have anything to do with it.
Things of the spirit - spirituality - truth - are unquestionable. Not because God said so, but because it resonates as true always. That is the measure. We can call it whatever we want to call it.
For example, we know that when we smile a sincere smile - it is understood in any language and in any situation. Kindness - sincere expressions of kindness - are understood and resonate across all lines. These are spirit. These are spiritual truths.
If your religion teaches you that "truth" is something that does not have this universal resonance, it is not a spiritual or spirit driven teaching. It is that simple.
Creating a God that does not reside in truth is blasphemy. Watch the people who are burdened in dogma. They are driven by divide and destruction with great excuses for abandoning love and kindness. As they stretch to protect their teachings they create greater and greater falsehoods to defend them. This is what happens when you begin with a false premise. We watch them grow more bitter as their need for affirmation is left unsatisfied. They know no peace. They are invested in dogma not spirit.
Spirit and spiritual understanding is deeply personal. It is grounded deep within us. It is our inner voice telling us what to do. It is the connection we need to understand. It is the connection with everything and everyone around us. It is what binds us to all that ever was and all that will ever be. That connection is carried in our cells - our DNA - but it also transcends any physical entity. It is our source. It is part of everything.
Those of you who are animal lovers, like me, can feel it as we connect with our pets. They say, express, teach us - something that is beyond language. It resonates. We feel it. It is pure. There is no dogma associated with their connection to us. It is spirit and spiritual. They love. They connect.
We need to understand spirit and spirituality in that way. Love and connect without judgement.
Shed the religious dogma. Find truth - universal truth. Everything else leads us down a path of destruction even if someone tries to mask it as "God said so."
No comments:
Post a Comment