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I came back from home from my college-bound apartment the other day, and when I sat down to breakfast, my family and I got to discussing religion. A faction of us (which, coincidentally, preferred waffles over pancakes) claimed that human beings are being run by a greater plan laid in place for them by a superior being, or God. Another faction (who ate their eggs before their toast) patiently tried to explain that reality is formed by the consciousness of our minds, and that we can shape the reality around us with our energies. Another faction tried to find a more scientific explanation to the apparent manifestation of that which we think of most. During this discussion rife with trodden toes and sodden toast, I sat with my hands folded calmly before me. It was with great regret that I was still present when someone turned towards me with a mouthful of waffles and asked my opinion.

I don’t think that any particular religion should be exclusive in its beliefs. The things that one religion believes are not necessarily set apart from things that another religion teaches. For instance, the differing religions of today share similarities as well as differences. There’s no one religion that can be entirely true or entirely false. There are aspects of all that are true and false- just like there are aspects of everything that are good or bad. So when somebody asks me what religion I believe in, it’s hard for me to say that I fit into the very particular belief system of one of the worlds most noted traditions. If I had to choose parts of the teachings of the religions I most agree with, then the religion formed by that would be my own, and no other person would agree entirely with what I thought.

This is what I think religion is all about. It aims to teach moral strength and spiritual wholeness, not control, and when you go to church you should go with a mind open enough to gather the teachings that help you most in life. It’s impossible for the teachings of one religion to help you entirely, so wisdom must be sought from the teachings of others. The teachings you need as an individual differ from those of everybody else, since the experience of your life does not perfectly match that of any other person, and because of this you will need individual teachings from the world’s religions in order to obtain the highest possible moral and spiritual unity.

So when the guy with the face full of waffles turned to ask me my affiliation, I only shook my head in silence. Religion should not be about being part of a faction. It should be about finding the best way to improve the living conditions of the human race and, in order to do that, by achieving the highest level of personal peace.

Posted in Religion Brandon Daubs's blog | | | | 272 reads