The religious institutions, masses and fanatics must be confronted to embrace the most ridiculous and defy/deny the most revered.

July 9, 2009

Dear Violet and all,

Let me start by quoting Acharya Shri Mahaprajna:

" Some people believe that religion is based on eternal truth, and

therefore, it will always be useful for mankind. Others believe

religion to be useless because it has grown old and rusted, and so

there is no sense in sticking to it. Who shall we believe?

There are two forms of religion: religion as such and

institutionalized religion. Religion in its essence is limitless

and open, but when it assumes the form of a sect it becomes

institutionalized and closed. Religion is like the open sky.

Institutionalized religion is like the sky bound within a building

and its rooms; it becomes sectarian, and therefore dogmatic.

People have an emotional attachment to dogmas. Everyone can move

freely in the open sky, but the sky enclosed within a room becomes

something like a private property. The owner of the room can

prohibit anybody's entry into it. Sectarian religion implies a

closed society. Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity and

Islam are such closed religions because they have been

institutionalized. They have caused division between men. They

have taken heretics as aliens and have denied them the status of

human beings. Institutionalized religion has neither done nor is it

likely to do any good to humanity. It is in the light of the evils

of institutionalized religions that some people have denounced

religion itself. Such people have come to feel strongly that

religion has deluded mankind and has denied them their legitimate

claim to the primary necessities of life. As religion came to be

viewed as a hindrance to the fulfillment of the basic needs of man,

it came to be totally rejected.

I would not enter into the controversy about the desirability of

religion, but I would like to remind the reader that although food,

clothing and shelter are the basic needs of man, manliness cannot be

confined to these necessities only. It commands a much wider field

of operation. Manliness consists in the search for and practice of

truth. It is also true that we are governed by faith in matters of

religion, but faith alone is not enough. We must also exercise our

critical faculty and examine things for ourselves. Religion has

got to be enlivened by the combined operation of faith and reason.

It is natural for us to ask why religion has lost its essence and

why its body has become deceased. The answer to this question is

that the scriptures have belied our faith and that an irrational

attitude towards religion has vitiated its form. Followers of all

religions swear by the scriptures. We have come to treat Gita,

the AGAMs, the PITAKAs, the Koran and the Bible as the first and the

last words of truth. Nobody asks whether the scriptures from

thousands of years ago still hold good. Moreover, do we understand

the scriptures correctly? Have we ourselves perceived the truths

enunciated in them? " (end)

This " begotten son " is just one of the many points of revulsion/

contradiction found in religious doctrines and scriptures. Just the

day before yesterday i bought " In Defense of Atheism: The Case

Against Christianity, Judaism and Islam " by Michel Onfray, an

excellent book that is both brutally honest and devastating logical.

i will let all of you have a peek at a random page (91 out of 242):

" In the industrious atmosphere of their laboratories scientists

advanced the idea of humans at different geographical locations. A

contradiction, thundered the church: Adam and Eve were indeed,

factually and really, the first man and the first woman. Before them

no one existed. The existence of the primordial couple, the couple

who brought us original sin, buttresses the biblical logic of error,

guilt, and redemption. What can we do with men and women existing

before sin, and thus spared by sin? Pre-Adamites? Absolutely not!

Brushing dirt from stones and poring over fossils, geologists

proposed a scientific dating of the world. Seashells found on

mountaintops, strata and layers all attest to an immanent chronology.

But there is a problem; their dating does not correspond to the

sacred numerology supplied by the Bible. Christians insist that the

world is four thousand years old, no more, no less. Scientists prove

the existence of a world before that Christian world. Science is

wrong ... Is geology a science to be relied on? Absolutely not! " (end)

i have now a book backlog* that needs to be synthesized so that the

external gates and walls of religious institutions can be battered

down, and their prisoners freed to the direct, inner and personal

experience of the Divine and the Resurrection. The religious

institutions, masses and fanatics must be challenged to defend the

indefensible (primordial couple, 4000-year-old earth etc.) and flee

the multi-pronged charge against their most prized, sacred and

protected bastion (Eschatology of the Last Judgment)! They must be

confronted to embrace the most ridiculous, and defy/deny the most

obvious and revered i.e., the Great News and Sure Signs of the

Resurrection, the heart and soul of their religion.

" In Defense of Atheism: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism and

Islam " is one gigantic battering ram, a most welcome means to

accelerate that process. The religious elite should begin to realize

that the sun is now setting on their evening empires which are

crumbling into sand, and from those ruins is breaking the Dawn of the

Divine Feminine that will awaken the human race from their long

spiritual slumber.

" The People of the " poor " 87 — those who, humble and meek, rely solely

on their God's mysterious plans, who await the justice, not of men

but of a Messiah — are in the end the great achievement of the Holy

Spirit's hidden mission during the time of the promises that prepare

for Christ's coming. It is this quality of heart, purified and

enlightened by the Spirit, which is expressed in the Psalms. In these

poor, the Spirit is making ready " a people prepared for the

Lord. " " 88

(87. Cf. Zeph 2:3; Pss 22:27; 34:3; Isa 49:13; 61:1; etc.

88. Lk 1:17.)

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Interdicasterial Commission),

Catechism of the Catholic Church, U.S.C.C. Inc.,

Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994, p. 189.

" The Paraclete is to be sent by God the Father in response to the

prayer of Christ (14:16), by Christ Himself (16:7), by the Father in

Christ's name (14:26), or by Christ from the Father (15:26.) "

Dictionary of the Bible, [Edited by James Hastings],

Charles Scribner's Sons, 1963.

The religious institutions, masses and fanatics must be confronted to

embrace the most ridiculous, and defy/deny the most revered ... and

that includes the challenge that the Spirit is making ready " a people

prepared for the Lord " , and that the Paraclete has been " sent by God

the Father in response to the prayer of Christ (14:16), by Christ

Himself (16:7), by the Father in Christ's name (14:26), or by Christ

from the Father (15:26.) "

As i have said before, everything is being worked out. It will only

get better over time. That's a promise!

regards to all,

jagbir

* Hindu Spirituality: Postclassical And Modern

* The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices

* The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore

* Life After Death: The Burden of Proof

* Yogic Secrets of the Dark Goddess

* Lalita-Sahasranama: A Comprehensive Study of One Thousand Names of Lalita

Maha-Tripurasundari

* The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist's Case For The Existence Of The Soul

* I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

July 9, 2009

Dear Jagbir and all,

, " jagbir singh " <adishakti_org

wrote:

> " Some people believe that religion is based on eternal truth, and

> therefore, it will always be useful for mankind. Others believe

> religion to be useless because it has grown old and rusted, and so

> there is no sense in sticking to it. Who shall we believe?

> There are two forms of religion: religion as such and

> institutionalized religion. Religion in its essence is limitless

> and open, but when it assumes the form of a sect it becomes

> institutionalized and closed. Religion is like the open sky.

> Institutionalized religion is like the sky bound within a building

> and its rooms; it becomes sectarian, and therefore dogmatic. "

It is true that some people believe that religion is based on eternal truth and

is therefore always useful for mankind, while others believe that religion is

useless as it has grown old and rusty and therefore there is no use sticking to

it. Whichever the case, the facts are that the eternal truth came first. And

some, who found the eternal truth too powerfully liberating for others,

harnessed it into a religion that could--and did, ensnare as well as liberate.

It is when a religion in the name of the eternal truth does both, that it loses

its credibility over time. It suffers from that ying/yang effect: Go too far to

the left and you overdo it and lose the plot; go too far to the right and you

also overdo it and lose the reason for even being there.

This situation in religion has been happening for millennia now and that is why

'adulterated religions' in contrast to 'the pure religion' have lost their

credibility over time. The 'pure religion' does not lose its credibility because

it is the simple eternal truths that the incarnations and prophets talked about,

sans [without] the religious interpretations that altered the understanding of

those teachings.

The majority of the people don't believe in religions anymore because of so much

falsehood that has been proclaimed in the name of the eternal truth. Who can

blame them? But it means that people are wanting the simple, unadulterated

eternal truth presented to them again, without having to become part of a

religious organisation. They are finished with religious organizations and just

want the truth. The hunger and thirst after righteousness is undoubtedly there.

It is in their hearts, as it has always been.

> People have an emotional attachment to dogmas. Everyone can move

> freely in the open sky, but the sky enclosed within a room becomes

> something like a private property. The owner of the room can

> prohibit anybody's entry into it. Sectarian religion implies a

> closed society. Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity and

> Islam are such closed religions because they have been

> institutionalized. They have caused division between men. They

> have taken heretics as aliens and have denied them the status of

> human beings. Institutionalized religion has neither done nor is it

> likely to do any good to humanity. It is in the light of the evils

> of institutionalized religions that some people have denounced

> religion itself. Such people have come to feel strongly that

> religion has deluded mankind and has denied them their legitimate

> claim to the primary necessities of life. As religion came to be

> viewed as a hindrance to the fulfillment of the basic needs of man,

> it came to be totally rejected.

It is true that people have become emotionally attached to dogmas, like they can

be emotionally attached to their favorite pets. Being attached to dogmas defies

any reasoning. Reason and truth part company, when it comes to dogma--as if a

dogma is so valuable that the reasoning faculty of man can be dispensed with in

favor of whatever dogma is being purported. The tragedy then becomes that the

people are inclined to throw out the baby with the bathwater. They turn away

from religion altogether, not realizing that these were adulterated religions

and not the pure, unadulterated, eternal truth.

> I would not enter into the controversy about the desirability of

> religion, but I would like to remind the reader that although food,

> clothing and shelter are the basic needs of man, manliness cannot be

> confined to these necessities only. It commands a much wider field

> of operation. Manliness consists in the search for and practice of

> truth. It is also true that we are governed by faith in matters of

> religion, but faith alone is not enough. We must also exercise our

> critical faculty and examine things for ourselves. Religion has

> got to be enlivened by the combined operation of faith and reason.

It is true that following a pure, unadulterated religion does not mean that a

person dispenses with their reasoning faculty. Faith and reason go together.

Both are part of the critical faculty of discrimination. Faith is based on the

internal, spiritual evidence, unseen by the exterior senses. Reason comes from

the divine intelligence, the divine mind.

violet