Just a thought....
Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

Thursday, 27 January 2011

Fumbling humanity



A couple of days ago, I was talking to a friend with very different spiritual beliefs to my own. She was asking about how to deal with a child in the class she taught with vastly different beliefs. Just yesterday, I had a chat with Tat about our various paths. This morning, I heard a talk about evolution and where we are in the passage of dramatic change, in terms of spirituality, in the world. Just the other day, I saw a cartoon on how science and religion are finally agreeing - the end is nigh *spoken in an appropriately doom-'n-gloom tone* Needless to say, I can't find the cartoon now.

Among my friends, I have Buddhists, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Christians, Wiccans, Atheists, Agnostics, Scientists... and a host of other spiritual and non-spiritual beliefs besides.

I spend a lot of time between students either reading, listening to recordings and music or just thinking. Sometimes I think too much and my mind just wanders aimlessly. Other times...

I got to thinking about my friends and their beliefs. I thought back to when acts of terrorism became the norm in the media and how my peace-loving, fun Muslim friends were treated. I thought of the misguided verbal attacks I've read on the Mormons and Witnesses, how many Christians are criticized for their beliefs, and so on.

Why? Why don't humans accept that someone else believes differently?

What is the true religion? Is there one? Do you believe your spiritual choice is the 'true' or 'right' one? Of course you do! We all do.

So let's play "What if..."

What if there's a higher power that made everyone different? What if that was intentional... to give variety and to stop us dying of boredom because we're all clone-beliefs? What if each segment of society or even individual was given a belief system that the higher power (I'm deliberately not giving him/her/it a name here) knew would be acceptable in terms of the individual or group's culture and life experience? What if they're all right? What if there is no one belief that is right?

Let's take an example... 'Enlightened' Christians travelled to the ends of the earth to convert the natives. Those natives already had a belief system that served them well, one that existed before the Christians came along. Who got to choose which was the right one? (Apologies to Christians and natives who were selected randomly purely because they were the first to come to mind.) That is without the division within the belief systems - each belief system has orthodox and unorthodox or radical and each of those branches off into yet more divisions.

Years back, I was looking into various religious beliefs and found it fascinating that vastly contrasting religions had similar root stories, a great flood being just one example. Is it so inconceivable that we're actually all the same and no one can really know 100% for sure that his chosen path is the only right one? Aside from a deep faith and heart-felt belief, that is.

20 comments:

  1. love the pic..lol..the world cant end today btw..I feel better!!

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  2. haha! So so true! I'll leave the appropriate instructions ; )

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  3. Wanna bite of my shiny red apple? ;-) I hear you & I agree. What gets me is that few religions promote acts of violence against fellow man & yet religion is used as the excuse.

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  4. You have an apple? A big, red, shiny one? I'll take... as long as it's not floury (a worm I can cut out). Yep... that is another of my bug-bears, that religion is used as an excuse to fight or a banner to fight under and it's usually a religion that has peace as it's base.

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  5. I want melktert..not an apple..I took a bite of that apple once

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  6. It's not inconceivable at all. I have had the very same thoughts, myself. And I actually DO think all gods are one. Like drinking water from a well. There may be many wells dipping into that water source---and everyone thinks their water is better. It's all the same water.

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  7. Melktert and koffie kapitaal : )

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  8. Kat, the water analogy is a good one!

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  9. Oops... the cartoon went in the wrong comments, but I'll leave it ; )

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  10. Love the cartoons and you know I love the thoughts you've put here. :) Very similar to the wise men and the elephant analogy. I really love how many different religions are represented amongst your friends and am glad to be tucked in there somewhere. :)

    Heather, I'm glad to hear you're feeling better today!

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  11. I am a Christian with deep childish beliefs some might say. I also have muslim, jewish, hindu and non believing friends. My theory is that the day we walk up the staircase to heaven we will see all our friends again and nod recognising that There is only One God. We all agree on that, and I think that one God is the same one we all believe in one way or the other. Hugs to all.

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  12. Kippy, we've had discussions on this. Like you, I love the diversity. Yes, you are very much tucked in there.

    Marianne, there is absolutely nothing childish about your belief : ) I was once asked as a teenager whether I was worried that I wouldn't get to heaven. My answer was much like yours... I know that what waits must be good. What it is, I'll find out when I get there.

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  13. I'm an Atheist - and I believe : Wherever you go..... there you are !

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  14. As a Mormon, I also believe that all religions hold pieces of the same truth. We are on Earth to learn and grow and will just have to wait and see which peices are actual truth or error. I also don't beleive that faith is childish. . .sometimes it takes more maturity to understand we can't do it all by ourselves.

    Violence in the name of God sickens and saddens me.

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  15. that would not be that bad..its only two days before my 30th so its not thaaaaaaaat bad.. lol!

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  16. Annette, the big question is not about the meaning of life, but whether or not you're going to be happy where you "are" :)

    Maggie, that was interesting. Your belief there is much like Kat's water analogy, that we're all dipping into the same well.

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  17. I'm confused... but Happy Birthday anyway :)

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  18. What is an Atheist???? Do you not believe in a Creator ?? Do you believe in Darwin's Theory??

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  19. I agree totally here. I also believe that punishment will be just one day.

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