Religion Discussion of the Essence

“To them that ask, ‘Where have you seen the gods, or how do you know for certain there are gods, that you are so devout in their worship?’ I answer, ‘Neither have I ever seen my own soul, and yet I respect and honor it.’”–Marcus Aurelius

Wouldn't it be great if religion told us everything we need to know? Wouldn't it make life's decisions easier?

We do have religions making such claims. In the U.S. the extreme right evangelical Christians advance a political agenda of intolerance toward gays, immigrants, and, at times, Muslims. Likewise, Muslim extremist terrorists use horrible violence to inflict their religious beliefs on others. Unfortunately, this is not new in history. Consider the Crusades. We have reasons to believe that organized religions don’t “get it right.”

Most religions are exclusive, claiming to be the only true religion. If you don’t believe in their doctrine, no eternal life for you! This is like saying God is only in one room and not others.

Then which religion is right? Who’s wrong? How can we tell? Can we seek truth in the ancient scriptures that are the source of many of today’s religions?

Seeking truth amid the underlying motives of the church means acknowledging time lapses between writings and events and realizing the likelihood of inaccuracies. Yet this doesn't mean there is no God. It just means the human beings, relaying their thoughts and observations, gave it their best shot but were as human as any of us in their capacity for error. And, since we are discussing a topic that is, by definition, beyond comprehension, how can we expect religious leaders to absolutely “get it right?”

Yet their efforts are not without fruit. People gathered together as a church can draw from one another and do great things for humanity. Perhaps the wise soul needs to be alert for the false teachings of humans but still be ready to absorb the essence of spirituality and be open to new discoveries of science in making sense of spirituality.

Our own upbringing weighs heavily on our perspective. Personally, I was raised Christian and try to follow the essence of Christ’s teachings. Yet, I am wary of misinterpretations and, like Thomas Jefferson, I believe parts of the Bible cannot be true. (See Jefferson discussion below). And I have a problem with Christianity’s exclusivist claim of being the only true religion. As described above, that’s like saying God is in one room and not the other. And I certainly have a problem with the intolerance of right-wing Christians.

But that doesn’t mean that the religion itself doesn’t have a vital offering, if taken by the essence. I think of Christianity as being just one facet and one glimpse of a beautiful, multifaceted diamond. Other religions may provide another facet, again, taken by the essence and not necessarily by the doctrine of their leaders. If we could see through all facets, perhaps we could see the real beauty of the diamond.

But to review all religions is way beyond this exploration. However, we can explore the essence of one. By essence, I mean a truth contributing to our understanding of our condition as humanity, like the moral of the story.

For me, the most appropriate path is to use Christianity, the religion I was taught from childhood. But I am confident these principles apply to other religions.

Jesus Christ is one of the most famous, impactful persons to live on this planet. The Christian religion is the most popular on the planet with over two billion followers. Islam is second with 1.6 billion. (Muslims also acknowledge Christ and his teachings but relegate him to a prophet status.) So Christianity has, indeed, affected many lives. It is a message is of love, forgiveness, and salvation of our souls because of Christ’s sacrifice of himself on the cross.

Most Christians believe Christ was the son of God and, therefore, our link to God. However, disagreement about interpretations of the Bible have spawned many Christian denominations and churches through the ages. Though Jesus walked the earth until about 30 AD, the earliest recountings of his teachings, or the gospels of the Bible, were not likely written until about 70 AD, soon enough for eyewitness recountings, but a long time for accurate memory. Biblical scholars have plenty to debate and research, but they universally agree that Christ did live and had a powerful impact on his followers.

One of the most famous forefathers of the U.S., Thomas Jefferson, had intense interest in the Bible. He believed Christ's teachings to be, "the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man." But he also studied it so carefully that he came to believe Christ’s followers, who we assume wrote the gospels of the bible, combined Christ’s gems of wisdom with their own political agendas. He didn’t feel it was difficult to tell the difference. He took a razor blade and cut out parts he felt to be true and reassembled a slimmer, purer recounting of Christ’s teachings. The old Bible with razor blade cuts has been on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

So how do we make sense of all this second-guessing? Who’s right? Which interpretation is right? What is the truth?

When we ask such questions, we are implicitly asking for the most reliable guidance from the past or the empiricism of science. Though science is discovering the beauty of the universe, it is questionable that science can resolve issues of divinity that, by definition, are beyond our comprehension. Likewise, though science is assisting us in reconstructing history, it is doubtful that we'll ever be able to reconstruct exactly what happened two thousand years ago. And we have already seen how reliance on the past can keep us in a “world is flat” condition. Maybe it’s more important to look within ourselves and our actions and results.

Christianity has been the basis for many alcoholics' recovery and has provided a source of great personal strength to many. We've all known people who have experienced healing or almost mystical experiences. Are these and many others truly the result of divine intervention or a benefit of the mind's orientation or religious training? Such thoughts will be eternally subject to question. But the benefit was there.

Christianity (as well as other religions) has also united people to accomplish great things. Check out the You Tube video “One Dallas 2016” or the movie Woodlawn for real-life examples of recent events.

Many people have found unification, peace, direction, and joy from Christ’s teachings. Church missions have provided much aid to people in need. Many acts of kindness and love have been created. Human beings have the capacity to draw together for such acts of love.

 As Jesus said, “God is Love.” So people drawing together and creating acts of love are creating acts of divinity.

Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is within us.” Perhaps that is literally true. Could not a detailed factual historical basis be irrelevant if the Kingdom of God is truly within us and followers can draw from each other to create acts of love? Perhaps our minds contain so much more capacity than we think.

Regarding the truth, perhaps one of the greatest essays is the editorial written by Francis Pharcellus Church in the September 21, 1897 edition of the New York Sun. It is history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial. Church writes a reply to a little girl who asks if there is a Santa Claus. Here is the editorial:

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’
Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

VIRGINIA O’HANLON.
115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."

Hmmm. "Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders . . ." and ". . . there is a veil covering the unseen world . . . only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernatural beauty and glory beyond."

Maybe it’s not what really happened two thousand plus years ago, but what does happen in lives of people who believe that stories such as those in the Bible can carry a greater truth and lead us to discovering higher truths within ourselves. And, perhaps this is the essence of Christianity and other religions as well.