The Joyful Way and Religion

*******

The text inviting people to follow Jesus, and where he says, "come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest," is an invitation specifically directed towards Jewish people. Their religion had become for them a huge task, involving several thousand laws.

But this invitation also extends to all people. Here, Jesus was contrasting the simplicity of the spiritual Way with the religious path.

It is still this way. There are so many rituals and tasks that must be done in a religious life: Going regularly to a particular church, giving money to that church, singing hymns, lighting candles, doing Bible-study, saying public prayers, participating in regular social activities. In some denominations and cults, you are expected to sell, or otherwise work for, the religion.

The spiritual person needs none of this. She has one simple assignment, and that is to love-- whenever possible, whomever possible. She does not need to study the Bible, for her life is based upon the personal interior direction of the Spirit of Love, not upon ancient books and laws. That is why the enlightened never argue about Scriptural dogmas and doctrines.

Laws create legalism, and this can drive one from the direct Presence of God. Legalism and religions separate people, often to the point where they cut each others' throats, all in the "name of God." Religions often harm people psychologically or emotionally. For example, many teach the monstrous doctrines of eternal hellfire or Armageddon-- both equally horrific. For both support and imply a "monstergod."

While religion keeps its members "busy," often with useless "make-work" for the church, true spirituality is light and easy. For, in another place, Jesus says of this same Way, "My yoke is easy, and My burden light."

The deeply, truly spiritual person can afford to "drop" religion: Her "church," like her God, is everywhere. Her every act of Love is an act of worship. Her every thought of Love is her deepest prayer. So, wherever she goes, she is "in church," and whatever she does or says is her true "worship." So, she has no need for a church or, for that matter, a human leader to tell her how to live.

Religionis coldly intellectual, while spirituality is a warm matter of a heart ignited by Love-- Love for self, others, and all living creatures. This is the Love of God, and there is no other.

I do not recommend that people drop their churches. I do not recommend that people hate their churches. But it is true that, after much prayer, meditation, and preparation, a deeply spiritual person might be ready to "rise above," or "outgrow" her church. If and when so, she can then live safely and very happily without any "religion" at all. Her life-design is between her and Jesus or God. She ceases to follow the advice or laws of any priest, guru, or minister.

She has become spiritually independent, as a fully functioning spiritual adult. Unlike the dozens of laws of any religion, the Way of Jesus has only one law. It can be most simply summed up in a single word:

Love.

It is this: Love everyone, serve everyone, and forgive everyone. As John said, if a person lives in Love, she is living in God, and God in her. So, in that wisdom, she no longer has any room for religion or a church.

Religion, for the spiritual, is like a second-grade class in school. Second grade is not "evil," but once you move beyond it, you just do not go back to the classroom (church). Instead, you go out into the world with what you have learned, and try to apply it to real life.

The sad aspect of our society is that people never feel "ready" to leave the second grade. And their teachers-- gurus, priests, and ministers-- do everything possible to keep anyone from growing up into independence. For they are on gigantic egotrips, and they really often believe that a person should stay in second grade forever. This is how religion retards, holds back, and even cripples people when its real task is to aid them to grow. A good minister, priest, or guru should help a person do everything possible to outgrow human teachers and leaders, and to stand on her own. One problem, in their view: This would make them obsolete and unnecessary, and this scares them.

The great spiritual teachers, by contrast, wanted all their students (disciples) to grow up and stand on their own. Jesus said, in John, that if he did not "go away" to the "Father," the disciples would cling to him. But instead, he did want to go away, and send them the Paraclete (Helper or Comforter), the Holy Spirit. And the Buddha said, "Be a lamp unto yourselves."

Embracing a true spiritual Way makes us stronger and wiser. It makes us more loving and compassionate, serving others and being sensitive to their needs. It is like taking a breath of fresh air; I know, because I used to be an abject, fulltime slave to religion.
*******

Our Response to God

*******

God does not command us to join any particular church to find salvation from the lower nature, darkness, or ignorance generally. Indeed, most people, throughout all of history, were unable to join modern churches, because they did not exist!

It is part of this enlightenment to recognize that the ancient Jewish community, that of the Hebrew Scriptures ("Old Testament"), worshipped a different god than the Lord of Love proclaimed by Jesus. Yes, Paul and some other early Christians did apply certain Hebrew texts about "God" to God, but this was so because they were intelligent proselytizers: The Jews of the time were enormously popular and powerful, and the early Christians were interested in making peace, not war, with the Jewish community. But Jesus was murdered because he taught that Jehovah was not the God of the entire universe; the Lord of Love was. In teaching that God was Love, Jesus taught a different, and universal, God-- a God for all people.

Jehovah was the local tribal god of the Israelis only. That is why they were so shocked when Christianity was offered to the Gentiles-- non-Jewish peoples. Had Christianity arisen in Greece, the early texts about Zeus would have been applied to the true God. Had the faith arisen in India, Christians would have applied the ancient texts about Brahman to the true God. For these Christians were, first, very smart; and second, they treasured peace, almost above all.

When Jesus taught that God was Love, he implicitly taught, enfolded within this larger teaching, a God who passionately longed, yearned, for the salvation of all His children. God was not the reticent Jehovah, who barely put up with human beings, or regarded them, as the "prophet" Isaiah said, as "grasshoppers."

No, the Lord of Love passionately, and profoundly, loved all His children, and was delighted when any one of them turned her life over to Him, trusting Him implicitly, without holding anything back.

What, then, should we do in response to this beautiful Lord of Love? We must live in Love twenty-four seven. This does not mean that we will become flawless or perfect. For, even while living "out of" our higher Nature, we will still have to contend with the lower. For that is the task, mission, or assignment of earth. But we can hold Love in our minds, to guide us, first in every situation. We can communicate (pray)
"without ceasing" to this interior Love. (Compare 1 Thes. 5:17)

Living in this purest Love was what early Christians meant when they recommended to "let Christ into your heart." For we must recognize the interior Christ of Love as our only "Master," and follow Love in every act, word, and thought in our lives-- as far as possible for imperfect beings. We must recognize that salvation (being "saved" from the lower nature and ignorance) comes only from the Christ, that interior Spirit of purest Love.

And, as far, and as often, as possible, we must turn to deep interior (sometimes wordless) prayer or meditation. We must begin by loving the Lord within our hearts with a blazing and exquisitely lovely intensity that wipes away every other priority.

We must awaken to the great truth that the only way to love God is by loving ourselves, other people, and other creatures. This will bring a life packed with joy, peace, and fun-- as God's many rewards begin to live in our hearts. We will have a clear conscience, not because we have never made mistakes, but because they are all forgiven. Jesus, in fact, was always getting into trouble for saying to people, often
strangers, "All your sins are forgiven."

This same wonderful message is a part of the interior communication of the Christ-spirit within our deeper Mind. First comes forgiveness, then rebirth-- as a son or daughter of God. For, as we reflect the genetics of our natural bioparents, we also reflect the image and likeness of God, in which we were created. We begin to manifest, among others, the nine "fruits of the Spirit" of Galatians 5:22, 23.

Like a tree, we produce these "fruits," not because we are smarter or better than others, but because God has smiled his tender Love upon us, through grace. Every minute, we must invite Love to take over our lives, and we must give ourselves over entirely to Its amazing and magnificent control. We must "obey God as ruler, rather than man," as it states in the book of Acts (5:24).

This means that we must become spiritually independent. We can no longer follow any guru, priest,pastor, or preacher. We follow only the Love of our hearts, which is perfect guidance. For, whatever else that you do or do not do, you cannot go wrong if you follow the Way of Love for all-- including the Way of harnmlessness. For, deep down, Love is all that we really want to do. It is all that we have ever wanted to do.
*******