Questions regarding the LOO, STS and Religions

[Ali Quadir]

After all religion tells you to do the right thing just like the law. When religious figures commit crimes they are like criminals who don't do what their own laws would suggest.

Not entirely. Some religions also include admonitions to commit evil acts, such as killing others in the name of their 'god' and those passages have been used throughout history to justify violence. This along with the passages promoting love, charity, etc. It works both ways.

When I speak of religion, I am generally referring to that which contains dogma and hierarchy, rather than a personal spiritual path. In this context, it could be said that a rigid system of dogma naturally has a high degree of bias.

This is the big difference in perception maybe. I can certainly understand that point of view, unfortunately we experience our kin's desire to dictate to each other how to act. This combined with religion makes a mixture that's very dogmatic... Take the religion away however, and people will still be dogmatic. Take the peoples influence away and the religion will no longer be dogmatic.

Just look at the atheist movement. They're just as bad as the rest of people at admitting that their path is one of many. Some actually evangelize.

Religion to me is the cultural inheritance relating to spiritual evolution. Extremely mixed up with culture and politics. Whatever hinders this evolution must obviously not be part of it.. Cleaning dirt from gold is easy there's a big difference between the two.

In here in bring4th, we see a strong willingness to accept and assist others. To me these are qualities I admire in saints. They are certainly not exclusive to saints, saints were just people like you and me. They made an impression certainly, but in the end this isn't knowledge that is monopolized, many of us get it. It doesn't take a theist to be a good person.

Take the Law of One.. Considering her work as a channel, Carla is literally a prophet, isn't she? Different words, without the association of the dogmatic and terrible which we have with traditional religion. Why would those situations not be the same? We can hardly expect centuries of people to be able to express to us exactly what this or that prophet meant... Or even that these prophets were 100% accurate themselves.

But they're not dead... I met incredible people.

So I guess it's a difference in how we name the thing. I don't have a big opinion of the hierarchical structures myself. I have a tremendous opinion of certain lessons. And certainly of certain people. But in the end we're all equals. We walk our own paths, and we must be our own experts. We can't go around handing our power away to every idea someone else has. The expectation of certain key people in those religions for the rest of us to do so. And our willingness to do so. Is the problem...

They must come down and if this damages the popularity of religions that's fine with me. You know me, I'm a pragmatist. And humanity is clearly more important than an institution. Those so inclined will find the pearls among the wreckage and build something less dogmatic. I'm with you on that one... But religion is not that one single simple thing it's a spectrum of experience. Different to different people.

Never will religion to me mean that dogmatic shell of dirt that got wrapped around humanities most beautiful jewels. The dirt doesn't even come close to being near what we might call a true saint and literally feeling his prayer. That to me is religion.

Just a glimmer of this utterly re-convinces me that I will carry this with me to my death.. But that's me... No one has to do anything or adopt anything. Certainly not the irrelevant baggage from the back of the book. This is just me and my experience.

The current head of my group (sounds official huh?) once told me as a teen he always thought of starting a religion he would call it "relaxitarianism" then he met the Sufi's and they were okay too! I guess we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously. Just do what we do with conviction... And have some fun along the way.

There are many facets to religion. It would be a shame if we threw out the good with the bad. Lets just throw out the bad and steal the good things for ourselves

(I'll distract the priest you grab his book!)