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Religious fear
The Fear Standard - Chapter 8 Religious Disarmament
Perhaps a level of predatory behavior and fundamentalism flows in the same vein because each type endeavors to control others. Whether political or religious, both want people to look upon them as the sole authority, with admiration and respect. But what happens is that a true love and respect is fragile and doesn't last especially using fear as a base. People will pretend because of fear of ridicule, physical harm or death. Even the followers can't really love them because they have a narrow choice to follow be judged negatively or die. When options are taken away, when there is the threat of punishment, whether it comes from political leaders or the idea that God will punish you if you don't follow, there is no love, no real respect, and no real loyalty or compassion. It is an illusion, and is always ultimately a weak one, that continues to break down time after time. When we attempt to contain and control an individual with fear, we lose everything. It is our great challenge as human beings to find the middle ground. We are presented with pressures in many directions to arm ourselves through fear. Yet we are here to disarm ourselves.
I believe we must search outside our religious organizational boundaries for more information to discern deeper knowledge, which will create a wider opportunity for truths. This practice of discernment will give confirmation to what our inner self holds to be true with current practices and beliefs, or it will challenge, create friction, and cause us to question further and therefore discover new truths that the inner self will accept. The need to take this action is usually the result of the inner knowing and curious drive to capture, verify, and unlock knowledge that exists within.
Religious dogma claims a beginning and an end or finite focus on a "one size fits all" directive. This cannot apply exclusively to the personal relationship we have with The Divine, which is infinite in its possibilities. We must begin to question why dogma sets finite standards, why it leans more strongly to external control, when we know that our souls and God are infinite.
Man didn't originate spirituality. Humans are spiritual because we exist. It seems to be our journey to understand it and the nature of it within ourselves, and how we express it in our world. Any type of separateness that exists is a result of the limitations of our thinking and actions. Of course, religious doctrine was created by humankind's cultural ways, made to fit into everyday laws, beliefs, personal motivations and control issues, prejudices and fears, as well as survival needs. It stands to reason that fear wove itself in and out in varying degrees. And some religious texts have had interpretation after interpretation. Understandably so! As humans awaken and positively grow spiritually within, many things will continue to change and be refined in religious teachings. How we interpret God and how God is believed to exist will be the measure of how we interpret ourselves on the scale of spiritual evolution. We are learning to positively work with our own Darkness. As we become more self-loving and balanced with the male and female aspects within ourselves, we should not be surprised that how we view God must also change.
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