What is this thing called religion?
They tell us it means to tie back or tie together, but it seems to divide:
Families
Countries
Ethnic groups
It is used to justify:
Hate
Discrimination
War
Genocide
It claims “truth”
But people cannot agree on what that is
It offers certainty
And leaves more questions than answers
If all I had to go on were the lives of believers I observe, I would throw up my hands in disgust and disbelief.
Since
all I have to go on are the lives of believers (preserved in scriptures
and traditions), past and present, humble, unselfish, compassionate
lives given in service, I stand in awe and silent respect.
Religion: confounds my intellect
Challenges my self-centeredness
Invites my surrender
Destroys my ego
Infuses my life with purpose
For me it had no beginning.
It spoke in the desert saying, “Go and don’t stop until I tell you to.”
It appeared in a bush and gave its name.
It lived a life of unparalleled fullness.
It brought order, clarity, and purpose to a people wandering in darkness.
It died for a cause on a motel balcony in Memphis and in sacrificial service to the untouchables in India.
It will not let me go.
It cradled me in infancy.
It mentors me in my endless pilgrimage.
It will wrap me in its bosom at twilight.
God damn it-----I am cursed to have been called to wholeness.
Thank God----I have not been left alone.
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