Dear friends,
People who were born into a certain religion and have never challenged the dogma they were handed from childhood, often express the most strict “don’ts” rather than anything positive and lovely they got from it. For example, “don’t live together before marriage, don’t miss confession, don’t question the Bible or our teaching, don’t terminate a pregnancy, don’t accept gay people, don’t give women a role in leadership, and on and on. When I ask what they like about their religion they will often say “uh, well, the rituals are nice.” Even more telling is what I heard recently “it tells me what to think about things.”
Religion ought not tell us what to think. It ought to be a way to connect with the cosmic aspect of our own being, through meditation and contemplation. It ought to help us respect all life, take care of our planet, value diversity, and live in harmony with Nature and each other. If it does not do those things, it is not a spiritual teaching, it is a regime designed to control and even oppress.
What a different experience we humans would have had together if religion had not taken such hold of our minds for so long. Young people today denounce church in search of what is Real, what is true, what can be proven and experienced. They are looking for a combination of science and mysticism. They want love and peace in their world. What they are looking for is available right now in the teachings of Ernest Holmes and the Transcendentalists. Steer them in the direction of New Thought spirituality. Many will find what they are unconsciously seeking.
Stay tuned in,
Carol Carnes
