Is religion a protection racket, or does it provide a genuine service to mankind? I, like many, have had a very negative view of religion, preferring instead to be ‘spiritual’. Religion, I thought, was all about control, causing wars, creating division. It may cause wars and create division, it may also exert control, but religion does have a purpose.
I recently had a dream in which I was in a large meadow. At the top of this meadow was a church and the pastor was busy making a white picket fence. I went over and asked about the fence, he said it was to ‘keep the badness out’.
This is what religion is really all about, protection. It protects us from malevolence, whether it be in the form of other humans, supernatural beings like daemons and vampires, or our own inner darkness. That is why religions have so many rules, they form a psychic defence system, they are the spiritual police.
Religions primary purpose is protection, it is not about finding out spiritual truths. Walking a spiritual path is about finding out these truths, like who am I? What, if anything, can I do about it? What is the nature of the universe? The spiritual path can be perilous and some chose to work within the framework of a religion in order to walk a spiritual path. Thus they are protected and can explore the deeper philosophical questions.
This was illustrated during the same dream. I arrived at a country road and a large group of Zen monks were on a pilgrimage. Walking along the road was not safe, as they could get run over by a car, but in the large group they were safer. Finding out spiritual truths is always inherently risky, but can be made safer if you do so in a group.
The safety of religion and the freedom of spirituality represent a compromise. If you want total safety, you sacrifice your freedom, effectively imprisoning yourself. On the other hand, if you want total spiritual freedom, you become open to possible attack by compromising safety.
It is a little like the anti virus and firewall applications on your computer. They slow it down, filter what you can access, and even cause it to crash. We still use them because of the fear of a possible threat and the knowledge that such a threat could destroy all our data and steal all our personal information. In the end we come to some sort of compromise, security versus usefulness.
Religion is very paternal and likes its rules and regulations. It is the policeman of the psyche and as such is a protector, but is often not wanted as many find the structure too constrictive and opt to go it alone. Most religion is largely based on fear, but this fear is not always unfounded. Most of the time there is no need for its protection, but when at times it is needed, then you will be glad its there.
If you decide to go it alone, beware, as the Universe is full of beings; some powerful, some benevolant, some just playing tricks and others that will eat you for breakfast. Whatever you decide to do, it is worth finding out what is really out there.
as Hamlet said
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
I recently had a dream in which I was in a large meadow. At the top of this meadow was a church and the pastor was busy making a white picket fence. I went over and asked about the fence, he said it was to ‘keep the badness out’.
This is what religion is really all about, protection. It protects us from malevolence, whether it be in the form of other humans, supernatural beings like daemons and vampires, or our own inner darkness. That is why religions have so many rules, they form a psychic defence system, they are the spiritual police.
Religions primary purpose is protection, it is not about finding out spiritual truths. Walking a spiritual path is about finding out these truths, like who am I? What, if anything, can I do about it? What is the nature of the universe? The spiritual path can be perilous and some chose to work within the framework of a religion in order to walk a spiritual path. Thus they are protected and can explore the deeper philosophical questions.
This was illustrated during the same dream. I arrived at a country road and a large group of Zen monks were on a pilgrimage. Walking along the road was not safe, as they could get run over by a car, but in the large group they were safer. Finding out spiritual truths is always inherently risky, but can be made safer if you do so in a group.
The safety of religion and the freedom of spirituality represent a compromise. If you want total safety, you sacrifice your freedom, effectively imprisoning yourself. On the other hand, if you want total spiritual freedom, you become open to possible attack by compromising safety.
It is a little like the anti virus and firewall applications on your computer. They slow it down, filter what you can access, and even cause it to crash. We still use them because of the fear of a possible threat and the knowledge that such a threat could destroy all our data and steal all our personal information. In the end we come to some sort of compromise, security versus usefulness.
Religion is very paternal and likes its rules and regulations. It is the policeman of the psyche and as such is a protector, but is often not wanted as many find the structure too constrictive and opt to go it alone. Most religion is largely based on fear, but this fear is not always unfounded. Most of the time there is no need for its protection, but when at times it is needed, then you will be glad its there.
If you decide to go it alone, beware, as the Universe is full of beings; some powerful, some benevolant, some just playing tricks and others that will eat you for breakfast. Whatever you decide to do, it is worth finding out what is really out there.
as Hamlet said
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
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