Author: AlphaWolf
In this day and age, with over 5 billion people on this planet, do we really think we can get away with hatred? Maybe hatred is a strong word for what I am going to address, but maybe we should call it what it really is. I am talking about the damage we do when we speak to our friends and those who are close to us, regarding others who are not so close or we do not know.
I know historically, the Christian church has had some problems; some BIG problems. But this was not necessarily the view of the basic religious tenets and church, but rather, the hierarchy or the followers. But why stop there. Islam has had its problems, usually from the people involved. Judaism has had its problems, again from the people involved. Even Paganism has had problems, again from the people involved. What I am trying to point out is that it seems that the only "good" religion is one where people are not involved.
But the eastern religions have had very few problems. The love taught there is pervasive of the life and culture of the religion. This is not to say they have "NO" problems, but their problems are not on the grand scale. I think all of us, including myself, could learn from the east. We could also learn from the basic tenets of the major religions as well. And that is Love. Love for self, love for the Divine (whatever form you follow), and love for all of creation, including the people.
All too many times have I been sitting around talking to people, Pagan and non-Pagan, and the topic turns to ridicule towards other religions. "Did you know this"… "They do that"… "That is such a crock of crap"… and it continues. And what winds up happening is that we emulate that which we are trying to ridicule. Christianity crusaded against the "savages", historically and today, only to become the savages themselves. Judaism had holy wars against the godless, only to become godless themselves. And there are more examples I am sure we can all think of. But when Pagans begin to destroy and dislike and "hate" that which they do not accept, they become that which they hate the most.
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have all taught Love and Peace. The eastern religions also have taught this love. It is the individual or collective interpretation that undermines and circumvents the heart of the message. When we strive for our own gain while hiding behind religion and holy texts is when we most lose sight of the message. Joshu, a Buddha, once said "His [the Buddha's] greatest passion is to save all sentient beings." This sure sounds like the basic foundation of Christianity.
This love is something that we all must strive for. But until more than one person; Jesus Christ, Moses, Ala, Buddha, Ghandi, the Dali Lama; is willing to take a stand, then this love will not be realized nor will it be shared. We need to first take this to heart and think upon it, we need to think before we act, we need to love before we think. Until this happens internally, we will continue to dislike and "hate" that which we see in other religions that is mirrored in ourselves. We must break past the "Outer Ego" or the shell that we hide within, and let our "Inner Ego" or our "Divine Ego" guide us. We are all made from the Divine, and to coin a phrase, "In the image of the Divine", and that image is love.
"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses… There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal… it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit" - C.S. Lewis
Are these the types of people we want to hate? Or should we do no less than love them. Let's close with this, Christ said "Love your neighbor as you love yourself", Augustine said "Love, and do what you will", and the Wiccan rede is "Perfect Love, Perfect Trust; an it harm none, do as ye will." The commonality is love, and it is from here that we must go forward into the world.
Copyright © 2000 MagicalGrove.com, AlphaWolf
