Webster's defines community as" A population of people living in the same place and under the same laws." Religion is defined as "the service and worship of God or the supernatural." Herein lies my quandary: Can one have community without organized religion? I think you can.
Many good works and many vile acts have been committed in the name of religion. This isn't God's fault. It is the result of human nature and free will. In every moment of your life you are free to choose your response and your actions. You are free to be an atheist or agnostic if you so choose. History has shown us that power and greed warp human nature. We can look back to the crusades and shrink with horror at the things done in the Lord's name. Roman Catholics slaughtered Muslims AND Eastern Christians. The shameful degradation of holy places and wholesale murder of innocents is sickening. Yet, this kind of behavior is still committed by many faiths today.
Growing up Catholic in the deep South I was asked why I worship statues. This came as a great surprise to me; I saw statues as a visual aid and nothing more. I had Baptists telling me I could still go to heaven as long as I "don't say that Hail Mary prayer." The list goes on and I am confident that my Catholic brethren have equally offended other Christians.
Some Catholics are offended by the very ideas contained in the book, Angels and Demons. They have every right not to read it or to read it and reject it. For me it is a book that gave me food for thought. Ideas are not frightening; Not thinking and making your own choices is frightening.
When I reflect on organized religion, I find myself torn. I love the rituals and ceremony of the church. I like the rosary. I love the symbolism of lighting candles for loved ones or for an intention. However, I bristle at being told how to vote from the pulpit. I think women should be priests if they hear the call. I disagree with the Church's view on contraception. I do not think contraception and abortion are one and the same.
In the end, I have learned to form my own community of believers who may call the Divine different things. My circle includes all believers in the One. It would be simpler if I believed one set of tenets, but I DO believe in One Divine creator who defies definition and description. Hinduism is not, as many believe, polytheistic. There is one Divine that has many facets, much like the faces of a diamond. This is a good metaphor for how I see the Divine. It is so vast, so beyond our comprehension, that we have come up with various ways of describing it. So I see myself as part of a worshiping community that goes beyond walls and culture to embrace the Light. In yoga, the practice is begun and ended with the word, "Namaste", "the Light in me greets the Light in you." Call the light by whatever name you will, when we pray, I believe our voices are joined. Namaste.
Many good works and many vile acts have been committed in the name of religion. This isn't God's fault. It is the result of human nature and free will. In every moment of your life you are free to choose your response and your actions. You are free to be an atheist or agnostic if you so choose. History has shown us that power and greed warp human nature. We can look back to the crusades and shrink with horror at the things done in the Lord's name. Roman Catholics slaughtered Muslims AND Eastern Christians. The shameful degradation of holy places and wholesale murder of innocents is sickening. Yet, this kind of behavior is still committed by many faiths today.
Growing up Catholic in the deep South I was asked why I worship statues. This came as a great surprise to me; I saw statues as a visual aid and nothing more. I had Baptists telling me I could still go to heaven as long as I "don't say that Hail Mary prayer." The list goes on and I am confident that my Catholic brethren have equally offended other Christians.
Some Catholics are offended by the very ideas contained in the book, Angels and Demons. They have every right not to read it or to read it and reject it. For me it is a book that gave me food for thought. Ideas are not frightening; Not thinking and making your own choices is frightening.
When I reflect on organized religion, I find myself torn. I love the rituals and ceremony of the church. I like the rosary. I love the symbolism of lighting candles for loved ones or for an intention. However, I bristle at being told how to vote from the pulpit. I think women should be priests if they hear the call. I disagree with the Church's view on contraception. I do not think contraception and abortion are one and the same.
In the end, I have learned to form my own community of believers who may call the Divine different things. My circle includes all believers in the One. It would be simpler if I believed one set of tenets, but I DO believe in One Divine creator who defies definition and description. Hinduism is not, as many believe, polytheistic. There is one Divine that has many facets, much like the faces of a diamond. This is a good metaphor for how I see the Divine. It is so vast, so beyond our comprehension, that we have come up with various ways of describing it. So I see myself as part of a worshiping community that goes beyond walls and culture to embrace the Light. In yoga, the practice is begun and ended with the word, "Namaste", "the Light in me greets the Light in you." Call the light by whatever name you will, when we pray, I believe our voices are joined. Namaste.
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