Where Angels Fear to Tread
As noted in a recent post, my parents were rarely on the same page; but they underestimated how good my hearing is, and I overheard their discussion about religion and what church to choose in our new community. It was a political decision. Eisenhower was president, and he was Presbyterian so the children would go to a Presbyterian church where “they would meet all the right people.” I was horrified but never let either of them know that I had heard their conversation. Neither of them went to any church so this was strictly for the kids. One day, my father picked me up after Sunday school and asked what I had learned. I told him; and he blurted out, “You don’t believe it, do you?” I was so tactful that I did not say anything like, “If you wanted me to have the same views as you, you should have considered that . . .” I was very young, perhaps only eight or nine, and knowing how volatile he was, I kept my mouth shut.
As time went on, I developed very clear standards for choosing who would be permitted to influence my spiritual understanding. At minimum, the preachers, ministers, priests, pundits, whoever they were, should themselves be enlightened. Otherwise, why should we trust them to guide us. That set the bar pretty high, but an event came to pass that became a turning point. I was sent to a youth training camp. After dinner, there was to be a half hour discussion on the missionary budget. I said it should go for health. Others favored proselyting, and I objected strenuously, insisting that we should respect the beliefs of others. The debate went on through the night until breakfast the next morning, and involved some rather harsh words from the grown up who was leading the discussion. His eyes became bloodshot, and he told me I was going to hell. I said, “Hell is a state of mind, not a place.” This infuriated him even more, but I felt my arguments were sound so I did not budge.
In actuality, the issues that arose clarified the path ahead. Returning to my church, the minister asked to see me. I was expecting praise for my arguments, but he said I had embarrassed him and he had been reprimanded for putting strange ideas into my head. I was less tactful than with my father. I said, “I guess you don’t really understand the words you say when standing in the pulpit.” I burned some bridges and explored other churches and even a mosque and synagogue. None met my standards.
For those who doubt a child could handle a debate of this nature, I would highly recommend a book by Marie Corelli, the favorite authoress of Queen Victoria. A rare edition was gifted to me by an attendee at a seminar in Chicago. “Master Christian” is a novel involving a small boy who goes to the Vatican and debates the pope. This is sort of the theme of many of Corelli’s novels. There is often a mystic and a magician who view the same situations through vastly different frames of reference. I highly recommend her books IF an open mind is something of value to you.
Finding a Path
Some years passed and I was introduced to Zen through one of my high school classmates, a girl who was regarded as quite eccentric. I was intrigued and ended up spending ten years practicing Zen, but being curious about everything, I later favored Tibetan Buddhism since profound cosmological questions were addressed in erudite scriptures and commentaries.
While extremely passionate about my own beliefs, I am quite certain I never tried to convert anyone else. Of course, I do admit to referring to tenets of various religions when the right occasion arises, but as a philosopher rather than proselytizer.
Given the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics and various efforts in some European countries to prohibit the use of mosques, I think it is time to have an open discussion. The reality is that my God and your God and the God of all other religions must be the same God — and, it is inconceivable to me that He favors some beings over other beings. We understand Him according to our own experiences, and these experiences differ for each individual and no doubt for every life form in the Created Universe. The problem is not that someone is Jewish or Christian or Moslem, the problem is the behavior of those who fail to interact in a civil and respectful manner.
I know people of everything imaginable faith who are clear, centered, composed, courteous, and compassionate. I hope these are virtues we aspire to express to the fullest extent possible. If we succeed, there would not be conflicts. Personally, different ideas are stimulating to me. Also, it would be impossible to be a good astrologer if I tried to change people instead of helping them to understand the patterns in their horoscopes.
Taking this into the political arena, I have to wonder how once the votes are counted, the rhetoric will become conciliatory and unifying. We can never agree on everything, not until we are in a much higher state of awareness, but we can listen, discern, and learn. I don’t know about you, but I think the global economy is in a precarious state. We are not going to crawl out the current mess without some original thinking. Slogans and mantras will not have the desired effect. I have yet to see a better plan for sound fiscal policy than that proposed by Ellen Brown. It is so simple and painless.
In the ridiculous curriculum to which I was exposed in college, the issue for governments is guns or butter. If we stop fighting, we will have more funds for comfortable living. It is that simple. Yes, industry has to adjust, but can we call ourselves civilized when our history is about one war after another and another. Isn’t it time to be constructive rather than destructive? How could anyone in his right mind oppose building a more beautiful future. Do we really have a need to dominate anyone else? Can we interact without trying to enhance our own power and diminish that of others?
Copyright by Dr. Ingrid Naiman 2024 || All Rights Reserved
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So appreciate your thoughts, we are on same page here with religion! Thank You!