What is Religion? (Part Thirteen)
While religions may have started with the best of intentions, it was seldom long before some less scrupulous leader would see the value in being able to provide the very specific goal to which the techniques being used would lead the congregation. And so, the message gets corrupted.
The originating messiah or seer, prophet or sage, will bring the message that, by doing ‘X’ a soul can find their own path to enlightenment or salvation. It is almost unknown for the originator to actually define the end point of the soul journey beyond giving it a name. Nirvana, Heaven, the Duat, Arulu – all these are names for wonderful places to be achieved when the soul progresses beyond its current limits. Note they are NOT the goal itself – in the original message, the goal is to grow and learn, to become enlightened with a greater understanding of both Self and Life.
But then the message changes. No longer is it a personal journey between Self and Godhood, instead it becomes something that you need an intermediary for, something that cannot be easily attained unless there is someone with knowledge and experience to interpret and explain.
And Heaven, Nirvana or Valhalla becomes the goal. No more do you need to do the hard tasks of learning, adjusting and changing the beingness within – all you need do is follow what the master says and all will come to you without trial. Subtly, without sparking thought or resistance, the goal has been altered and the path turned aside.
And don’t forget of course, those taking on the onerous task of helping one find one’s way to the wonderful paradise need to be paid. I remain unsure just why those in communication with such a powerful entity as the God of All would need to be supplied regularly with the dirty stuff they tell us is corrupting our souls, but so goes Religion.
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