Wisdom of the Week – Sex, Drugs and Religion: Part 1 Religion

 

  Lucian Eyers © 2010

You may wonder why I have grouped these three topics together. But they all share common themes. These range from confusion and corruption to purpose and compassion. I will attempt to remove some of the confusion surrounding these subjects.

Today saw the royal marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton. This religious ceremony showed a profound commitment, made in the eyes of God. It was also the opportunity for joyful celebration amongst two billion people across the planet. It was a wonderful example of where the process of religion is displayed at its very best. ‘Will the marriage last?” some people have asked. It will – for three reasons.

It was undertaken by two mature people, they clearly love each other and it was a decision made of their own free will.

Last week on Easter Sunday the great Indian spiritual leader the Sia Baba died. “The 84-year-old's death on Sunday triggered an outpouring of grief from followers who included Indian politicians, movie stars, athletes and industrialists. Most remembered him as a pious, selfless person who worked to help others with the billions of dollars donated to his charitable trust. However, he had also been dismissed by some in the past as a charlatan who passed off magic tricks as miracles.”1

Considered by many to be the most spiritually advanced person on Earth, the Sia Baba wisely did not promote one religion above another. Because of his success, there were some who tried to disgrace him, claiming he also sexually abused some of his devotees. Clearly his accusers were in a minority, fearful of losing their own devotees or unable to accept different views and abilities. Sai Baba’s abilities benefited many people:

“The crowning achievement of the foundation's charitable work was its funding for the renovation of the Kandaleru-Poondi canal to carry drinking water more than 100 miles to Chennai (formerly Madras) city at a cost of £1bn. This and other projects brought clean water to almost two million people in various drought-prone areas of southern India.”2

The Sia Baba once said, “Man equals God minus ego.” It is this understanding that the process of selfishness and arrogance will leave us vulnerable to the worst part of ourselves. Do not think that ego is a state of self-preservation. It is self-worth which allows you to love both yourself and others. The Sia Baba was known to have declared, "I am God. And you too are God. The only difference between you and Me is that while I am aware of it, you are completely unaware."

The Sia Baba meant he was part of God and was living proof of what we can be if we truly believe in ourselves.

After writing last week’s Easter blog on ‘Happiness’ I was very pleased that I had been able to include two belief systems in one text – Christianity and Judaism. A friend of mine who is a practising Jew emailed me in response to this blog stating, “For you it’s logically possible to do this, given that your faith considers Judaism its mother religion.”

I responded by saying, “I can do this because I embrace any religion that promotes love, tolerance and acceptance and I mean any religion. But I have no need to choose one above another to follow. God loves us all and we are all of God. The most dangerous scenario that can be adopted is to compare. This makes us either smug or inadequate – much better to accept that being different is beautiful in itself.”

So is religion good for us?

We have had countless generations of determined people usually male, who have tried to tell people how they should live their lives. Therefore, I am reluctant to do the same. The choice must be our own. I know what is good for me, but that may not be good for you. What I can say is, if your chosen belief system promotes compassion and love to all, then it is good. If however, it is intent on exploiting and controlling others, then it is not.

It is important to remember that we are here on Earth to learn. Therefore, from a higher soul level we have chosen the right environment in order to learn certain lessons. Different belief systems present different challenges. Each carries its opposite, so for example the opposite to fear is trust.

• The Catholic faith for example promotes transcending to a higher place but encourages guilt from the confession of sin to matters of birth control.

• The Buddhist faith teaches peace and to honour all living things. But coupled with this is a need to suppress our emotions before we are perhaps ready. This leads to anger and frustration.

• The Jewish faith has on one hand a sense of worth believing they are the chosen people, but then often experience rejection which can lead to a lack of self-worth.

• The Islamic faith promotes peace and tolerance. Its sense of faith is very strong, but sometimes to the point that it questions nothing. This leads to manipulation which will generate frustration and then anger.

• The Protestant faith teaches us to love unconditionally and to forgive those who persecute us. But, it is dominated by intermediaries who do not promote the act of tolerance to all.

• The Hindu faith endorses a great sense of tolerance, accepting many belief systems. The spiritual icons the religion worships are countless, but the result leads to much confusion.

• The Pagan or folk religion understands we are all of one. They honour the Earth as well as the Father. However, this can lead to blind superstition rather than accepting that consequence is the result of action.

• Spiritualism focuses on moving towards ascension, but can also distract us from remaining grounded.

Remember there is no such thing as ‘better’ only ‘different’ – accept all is as it should be in order for us to learn.

So what about the atheist and agnostic?

This will teach independence. However, the ability to believe in something that you can only see or hear will hinder spiritual development. This can often lead to selfishness and frustration, as there will be many occasions out of one’s control and the need for faith and trust will be necessary. Even the agnostic and famous scientific cosmologist and astronomer Carl Sagan said, “An atheist has to know an awful lot more than I do. An atheist is someone who knows there is no god. By some definitions atheism is very stupid.”

Am I suggesting a spiritual path opposed to organised religion?

It matters not what belief system you decide on, but you would be wise to follow your own path. Do not judge others that choose another route to you.

It is however the case that as we move further into 2012, more people will replace organised religion with a spiritual philosophy. This is largely due to the dogma that organised religion currently adopts.

I have included one of my poems which is based on a true story about a lady vicar in a small village. The poem is taken from my book, ‘The Angel Book of Hours,’ and is called, ‘The Vicar of Little Sawing’. My illustration for the poem is at the top. This true story is a reminder of how we must not believe everything we read, no matter where it is written. It suggests also we should be realistic about people and understand that even with the greatest of intentions, the writings of any sacred script are not always guided by the hand of God.

The Vicar of Little Sawing

A shaft of light through coloured glass,

So radiantly appeared.

The flowers blossomed in the aisle,

“We’re Godly people here.”

The warden said, “For forty years,

I’ve cleaned my little church.

And though I’m quite disgusted,

I won’t leave God in the lurch.”

“Well forty years is nothing,

I have been here all my life,

For once I was baptised in here,

And later as a wife.”

The lady thus continued,

“This new notion’s quite insane,

I’m such a Godly person,

You won’t see me here again.”

The congregation dwindled,

Some would visit only when,

The vicar had decided,

It was time to visit friends.

But still the warden cleaned the church,

Yet on his favourite book,

He left the pages open,

Just so everyone could look.

“For here it says,” he muttered,

“Only men should preach in church,

And I am an authority,

For I’ve done much research.”

Some days an open window

Sent a breeze that turned the page.

But by the evening’s visit,

It was turned again in rage.

The vicar left it as it was,

“Let people have their views,

For I can understand why some

Will not embrace this news.”

The warden though was angry,

She’s provoking me he thought.

And so he then decided,

That a lesson should be taught.

He stuck the pages down and so

Exposed and bathed in light,

But as the dust and years appeared,

The pages turned to white.

“I’ve dedicated many years,

In service to you Lord,

So why have you now taken words,

That show what we deplore?”

His guardian angel thus appeared,

“God’s messenger I am.

I’m here because you asked,

And so to help you understand.

What right have you, to say just who,

Should be, or should be not?

The word of God is tolerance,

Or have you now forgot?

You say you know God’s words,

Though like a parrot you recite.

Yet proof you do not have,

That these are words our Lord did write.

The prejudice of Man,

Was not invented just by you,

But spans the many centuries,

To when this book was new.

The word of God is clear,

It’s up to you to siphon out,

His voice of love and reason,

Or reject Man’s lies and doubt.”

‘The Vicar of Little Sawing’ taken from ‘The Angel Book of Hours’ by Lucian Eyers © 2010

1. Guardian website Tuesday 26 April 2011, ‘Thousands queue to pay respects to Sai Baba’.

2. Guardian website Monday 25 April 2011, ‘Sai Baba Obituary’.