Reflection N° 123 - Living without a Religion
It is natural to live without a religion. Religions are institutions created by Great Initiates for the organization of social life in those times when nobody knew how to read or write, customs were primitive, nothing was known about powers of Nature and, somehow, raised Nature over tribal fetishism and instinctive impulses. This is why, as remains of those ancient traditions, religions are repressive not only by punishments in the hereafter but also on the Earth (Inquisition, and Jewish and Muslim Laws). Both Vedas and Brahmanic Religion are the first written papers; and later, Egyptian Worships of Temples along the Nile, and multiple gods. In Akhenaton’s days a fight took place, a legacy of monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, entirely present politically, militarily and socially. Under the cyclic law of human evolution, those religions of immense economic power have come back to tribalism, witchcraft and violence, fighting against each other: Jews against Muslims, Christians against Arabian nations, et cetera. They had ended their cycle and are destroying each other. All they will partake in a nuclear hecatomb, already prophesized by mystics, politicians and scientists. One is living the logic of such war: South and North Korea, United States, Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel and Russian Federation in Central Europe; in short, the world as a whole.
As a fact, we are living in the West and going to take the Roman Catholic Religion for an explanation of the arguments of this Reflection, which likewise can be applied to all those religions, even those not mentioned above. Such phenomenon is universal. By its history and fragile geopolitical situation, Israel can detonate the atomic war.
Last years, the Church and its hierarchy have become irritating news. Since the last Vatican Council and its worldly reformations, journeys around the world by Pope John Paul II and his dramatic crowd at soccer stadiums and main avenues filled with hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic followers, unforgivable mistakes committed by Ratzinger the successor, and sex crimes perpetrated by priests against children and handicapped persons before a conformist attitude of the hierarchy have produced quite negative results among parishioners, and Churches have seen reduced their ceremonies or, for example, in many European cities, those Churches became tourist museums. Alms became almost nonexistent. These days, the Pope has announced to charge the entrance to see him in London. His presence in England will be in company of successful music multimedia ensembles. In the future, shall there be a ticket office every Wednesday and Sunday for tourists? What show shall they give? The scenery is impressive. According to last news, everything is possible.
Even though official statistics refer to so many Catholic persons in America, so many Muslims in Near East, and so on, temples are empty indeed, y people are gathered when there is an entertained festival, for instance trips made by the Pope, which nothing have to do with Religion, but related to his popularity. In Middle Ages, when faith was genuine, cathedrals of cities like Amiens, Chartres, Burgos, Florence, et cetera, were filled with the faithful of any social level. Cathedrals and their sculptures, choirs and ritual were the Bible for illiterate peoples. The same can be told about Brahmanic temples, mosques and Japanese churches of symbolic gardens. Now, they cannot compete with TV shows entirely entertaining the leisure of ignorant people. Mass and sermons are boring and incomprehensible.
Nowadays, what is a Religion? A political-economic power in the hands of well organized groups or in the service of powers. The Dalai Lama rejected benefits offered by Mao himself, raised monks against communism, and now, being exiled and with money from India and the Central Intelligence Agency is travelling through the world and making political propaganda against his own fatherland. Let us remember the excommunication from Pope Pius XII still in force against communists, although they are not a risk for Italy and the Vatican. Now as before is a dissuasive spiritual weapon.
In view of discoveries made by sciences on any discipline and practical technology achievements, religions have neither chances to hold an important rank in modern civilization nor to wage war confrontations; they are accessories to economy needs, for instance, oil interests pushing the American invasion in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries. Religions are sterile. They neither satisfy nor conciliate existential problems of modern living; they are acting only in a marginal way. Even they have not any agents prepared on their own doctrines in order to take care of spiritual and social destitute persons. On the contrary, like in a Catholic Church of enormous riches and permanent alliance with political powers of American nations, they appear as enemies of the poor. And if they are mainly unable to make more bearable that material point across the whole spectrum of needs, subsistence, humanitarian help, diseases, advice in case of misfortune, family support, assistance to the needy, free and gratuitous education in slums, et cetera, what for do we want a conformist religions and put coins in the parish collection box? No. Those who believe in God still have dignity and are forsaking religion, any religion.
If one reads the Teachings closely, we’ll understand how a relation of man with God, when it is effective and sincere, is ever the result of Mystical Asceticism and not of Religion. Those who had left permanent traces in the Catholic Church throughout centuries have been mystics like Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Therese, Saint Paul of the Cross and many more: they have taught how we can come nearer to God without intermediations, but by our own efforts. Who can remember names of Popes and of their administrative tasks, and of great inquisitors too? Nobody. They have left a lot of money, real states and much suffering as it is happening now, and these days one can read it in newspapers.
Men are not going to the Church because they neither need a Mass nor an absolution from a priest. Priests have lost authority and prestige. Church authorities have replaced a near relationship between priest and churchgoer with mass shows, focusing entirely the attention on the Pope and Hierarchy: the latter have no direct relation with people. A Mass by TV at any place, for instance a parish or stadium, brings about the same emotional effect of a soccer match. These proposals do no solve spiritual needs of those persons.
Religions have reached their final doctrinal chances and can produce nothing new according to the evolution of sciences, technology and culture of present society. In 19th and 20th centuries, crass big mistakes have been made, namely, Papal Infallibility, Social Doctrine of the Church by Pope Leo XIII and Second Vatican Council, profaning what should be sacred. On the other hand, they do not hold any valid page about spaceflights, genetic engineering, overpopulation, and Nature changes. They were hard with the Soviet Union and quite soft with Nazis and genocide in Vietnam.
Men remain unprotected, and today the Roman Church can offer nothing to them. Masses? Papal visits? Tiny medals? One third part of Humanity lives in abject poverty, without drinking water, medical care or education, while safes of church institutions remain the richest in the world.
To live without a Religion is the best, and this occurs practically on the Planet and any worship. Here the point is not to change a Religion for another, or for a lodge or sectarian group like those many organizations that in the United States are promising and promising an easy arrival on Heaven or solution to personal and family problems after financial contributions. One should live without a religion.
Good religions that were good in the beginning became bad as they grew older, when the world evolved and they remained tied to strict dogmas and to a power they held in their hands. India was under Brahmanic control was socially ruling and exploiting castes, and as soon a Buddhist grew up along with a doctrine of higher charity, eventually exterminated them all. In Muslim countries ruled by the Law of Islam justice, the hands of thieves still are cut, and adulterous women are stoned. The Roman Church is centered on the Mass, transmutation magic of species, original sin, and confession. Jews hold Moses Tables 3,000 years old. If one wants to understand these historic phenomena, we should be guided by ethics of good and evil, explained by these Teachings, and move away from those things that are bad for our soul. One should change. One should live without a religion. One should be prepared for the future world. Children should get rid of dogmas, circumcision, baptism and children’s marriage.
To live freely, without masters or totalitarianisms is difficult. Those men who are strong, rebel against tyrants. And those who are weak become conformists and accept crusts of stale bread. The future world belongs to those who are strong. Androids will disappear from the Earth, as has ever happened. How should one be prepared to work with such ideal and instruct to those who are moving away stones from the path of achievements, as we have experienced it being youngsters of many ideals and few guides. That is the task of the Teaching globally spreads, and it is our own task although we may be some few who are learning by the said Teachings.
If we want to be guides for the new Americans, we must be free of rags and customs that are preventing us from teaching, we must renounce to ourselves and begin to give, not to give things because we are poor materially, but to give our own experience of life, which we have learnt throughout years along with the rules on Renunciation and assistance to the Masters. We must become an example and teach always. We must study the Teachings continuously and, if necessary, we must remember them by heart, and telling the truth on very occasion. According to teachings of Jesus and Buddha, we must be poor in order to get dignity, trust and respect. We must move away from religions –from all of them– in order to conquer the universal law of life –Renunciation– which already is looming up on young souls. We must move away from degrading customs of modern society, from financial success careers, from TV that destroys the mind, being open to the world of sciences and the example of mystics, looking for wise men of all times, and being humble, silent, patient, kind and, consequently, happy.
José González Muñoz
September 2010