Politics and religion

Politics, defined as “social relations involving authority or power”, dominates a religious organization when religion is no longer relevant; the operative words are “social” and power. “When a religion becomes more of a social event rather than living up to the original tenets of religion, which is personal transformation toward an ideal, then religion is forced to react to the whims of its practitioners. He does this by offering increasingly raucous forms of entertainment and activities to bring his flock back. A sermon on Iraq, immigration, or same-sex marriage will keep parishioners involved; a sermon on love and kindness will put practitioners in the dark. Sleep. The church with music survives, the church that asks its flock to sacrifice fails. It is not rocket science.

Serious religious practices have practically disappeared. Ask most Catholics if they are familiar with contemplative saints and you will get a blank stare. “What miracles did they perform?” they will ask, in anticipation of being entertained and finding more reasons to simply believe without doing any work. Ask most Buddhists about deep meditation and you will get the same blank stare; it is much easier to earn merit by meeting socially at the local monastery and offering food to the monks.

In this age, who would consider any kind of austerity to become a better person, despite the great religious icons of the past, namely the Buddha and Christ, who warned people of this exactly, deviating their religious ideals and fervor? in mundane dramas. The Christ and the Buddha were not social, nor did they seek power, but it is as if we could no longer relate to this, because we have no one whom we can legitimately admire who convinces us to look inward, instead of looking. without. Religion is failing.

True spirituality has been replaced by economics and politics. We constantly argue about how we can hold onto what we have and make sure no one else gets it, or how we can get more; rules of greed. I hate too, because we hate those who don’t believe like us, or who don’t have the same ideals or political systems, and we delude ourselves in all of this, really believing that our opinions are a truth of some kind. And for all this, we fight to the death.

We do not fight to the death to perfect ourselves as human beings, that would require introspection. Who would be interested in that kind of thing? that would be boring. Much more fun talking about religion and politics, and staying in a world of dreamy concepts. The reality of life ends up second here, and so do we, because the reality of life is the only place where we will find true freedom. It is in the illusions of life that we find slavery, not just slavery, but deep and painful suffering, and the path the world is heading with its fanatical sectarianism and hardened opinions, humanity’s suffering has only begun.

There is no way around this pending disaster; no one will listen anymore. It is as if all rationality has been turned a deaf ear, and it gets worse every day, every hour. What hope do we have as a civilization if even our churches turn their backs on their principles and simply entertain us? What hope do we have when we have lost contact with that divine void that opens so many doors. Now we only know how to close doors, and when we close the door to understand each other, we are left with only self-destruction. It is so and it cannot be different from this.

Please give me your comments. It’s too late? Can’t we keep opening up to each other in this conflict-ridden world? Can’t we hug each other without insisting that we embrace the beliefs and ideals of others? How can we become human beings to change and reverse the trend of civilization that has been nothing but bloodshed for millennium after millennium? How can we change this dark bear consciousness? How can we enlighten ourselves?