Religion has taken us places and has come close to destroying us, so what's it
all about and do we really need it?
Religions developed from the need for understanding about our life and world as
we perceive it. They are about understanding the deeper or spiritual
consciousness of our lives, an aspect like all in modern life where there is
always someone ready to take parts of yours or my individual consciousness and
exploit it for power or profit.
The earliest priests were the shamen who explored the hidden world of
consciousness and the churches of today try to control access to the world of
spirit and consciousness. Today the wise ones know that Gods are the creation of
man and yet God is supposed to represent love, conscious evolution and harmony
with existence is gods are used to justify war and violence making them servants
of ego ruling the earth and depriving billions of people of their human
heritage. Today's God has become inverted more aptly described as a devilish
thing that serves the egos of the ruling elite, oppresses others and destroys
our planetary existence.
"Bad theology is like pornography-the imagination of a real relationship without
the risk of one. It tends to be transactional and propositional rather than
relational and mysterious. You don't have to trust Person, or care for Person.
It becomes an exercise in self-gratification that ultimately dehumanizes the
self and the community of humanity in order to avoid the painful processes of
humbling and trusting. Bad theology is not a victimless crime. It dehumanizes
God and turns the wonder and the messy mystery of intimate relationship into a centerfold to be used and discarded." The Divine Dance - Richard Rohr
The War on Consciousness by Graham Hancock
In this lecture, the topic of consciousness and the benefits of psychedelics are
discussed at length. Can the shamanistic brew, ayahuasca, really change a
person's life for the better?
According to Graham, this potent brew can
literally show you the mistakes you are making in your life and even help the
user kick a nasty habit or addiction. He then moves on to talk about how
consciousness still isn't completely understood, even by today's most brilliant
minds.
Graham offers the controversial theory that our brains don't produce
consciousness, but act as an "antenna" for it. Could that point to life after
death being a possibility? He closes the lecture by telling the audience about
how our society needs find spirit and become open to altered states once again.
In the section on the origins of religion, we have videos and commentary from
well know thinkers and researchers. But how ever we think of religion or our own
lives, life and religion must be put into context with our real history as best
we can understand.
"In my experience, everyone will say they want to discover the Truth, right up until they realize that the Truth will rob them of their deepest held ideas, beliefs, hopes, and dreams. The freedom of enlightenment means much more than the experience of love and peace. It means discovering a Truth that will turn your view of self and life upside-down. For one who is truly ready, this will be unimaginably liberating. But for one who is still clinging in any way, this will be extremely challenging indeed. How does one know if they are ready? One is ready when they are willing to be absolutely consumed, when they are willing to be fuel for a fire without end."
~ Adyashanti
Religion has taken us places and has come close to destroying us, so what's it
all about and do we really need it?