Tuesday, September 16, 2008

limits

When it comes to interreligious dialogue, you can't dialogue with everyone.

Case in point.


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Posted by Kevin Kim at 12:31 PM

1 comment:

Britt Elizabeth Verstegen said...

Dear God! Man's capacity for evil is boundless -- fortunately, just as boundless as his capacity for good. How unfortunate and alarming that these murderous souls chose to use their free will in such a horrific way. Before it dampens my belief in good, let me take a moment to read something uplifting, something demonstrating integration and love rather than disintegration and the absence of love...yikes...how awful.

...

OK, so I am back. I read a short story about an effective foster parent. Whew. I feel better.

You raise yet another very important question, however:

What constitutes a "true" religion?

The etymology behind the word is interesting and there are a host of philosophical and religious (sic) definitions, but by strict "here's your pocket Random House Dictionary, Kiddo" terms, it is defined as "a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe...usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs."

By that wishy-washy PC definition, satanism is a religion. I cannot accept that. So, I look for something to sunstantiate my belief, right?

Ha-ha.

In my Faith, a religion must meet the rubric of establishing "unity and concord among the peoples of the world," never to be a cause of dissension and strife. That is a high standard. The foundation of most world religions, minus the heavy dogma and divisive trappings created by adherents, fulfills this requirement. I don't imagine a satanist will ever promote unity and concord, except among his fellow satanists.

It is also said within my Faith: "True religion can enable (the human spirit) to soar in the highest realm of the spirit, while its abscence can, as we already witness around us, cause it to fall to the lowest depth of degradation and misery." Again, I don't believe satanism fulfills this requirement, only the "lowest depth of degradation."

In the Dhammapada, the Buddha is reported to have said, "He is certainly not an ascetic who hurts others, and nor is he a man of religion who causes suffering to others." The satanists in the article certainly caused suffering. *SHIVER* A man of religion harms no living thing and clings to the universal belief of the Golden Rule. As I understand it, satanists are hedonists.

Muhammad saw fit to add that true religion is directed toward God, not some other entity -- a fair assumption to make of any movement calling itself a religion. "(There is no help for any) save those who repent and amend and hold fast to (God) and make their religion pure for (God only). Those are with the believers." Makes sense to me.

Sikhism echoes this, of course, stating, "Of all religions, the best religion is to chant the Name of the Lord and maintain pure conduct. Of all religious rituals, the most sublime ritual is to erase the filth of the dirty mind in the Company of the Holy." Yeah, satanists don't fit this category.
Purity of thought definitely isn't in the satanist radar.

Of course, there is further evidence in Christian and Jewish texts, on and on and on. And so, in our efforts to be loving souls ready to embrace religious differences and celebrate diversity, we must also acknowledge that the term "religion" is not a buffet term to apply to any philosophy.

Tender hearts like ours focus so accutely on unity, in fact, that we might find ourselves entertaining -- if only for a moment -- the thought, "As long as they don't kill anyone, their differences are to embraced, too." Nope. The foundation of true religion gives us a short lists of absolutes:

1. Religion is worship of God: Sometimes God is described as having multiple facets or characteristics, but in the end it is worship of God.
2. Religion promotes spiritual and social health: True religion encourages adherents to serve, pray, meditate and fast, never to harm.
3. Religion is bound to the Golden Rule: Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, the Bahá'í Faith, etc., etc., etc., all teach this essential truth.

What else can we add to that?

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Holy Moly, then I stumble upon this: "The equal toleration of all religions ... is the same thing as atheism." [Pope Leo XIII, Immortale Dei, 1885]

Yikes.

September 16, 2008 at 2:32 PM

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