Religion is the way man connects with his Creator. At different times in history, among different peoples, religion has meant different paths.
Then there are the divine or revealed religions and religions crafted or embellished by man. And there are some paths that are replete with philosophies and appear like religion, but do not constitute a religion since a Divine Being is absent from the equation.
The ultimate purpose of religion is for man to be just – with himself, others and other things. Goodness, kindness, forgiveness, forbearance, etc. are vital ancillary tools and ends. In life’s entanglements rights and duties abound, initial endowments, opportunities and conditions vary from person to person, when with selfishness as a core human inclination, sometimes scarred by jealousy, misunderstanding, hearsay, superstition and apprehension, injustice can easily prevail. Injustice is the mother of all conflicts. Religion’s purpose is to forestall or reduce foul play, and accordingly maintain or restitute balance and order. The Divine Being’s status is not increased or decreased by whether man is religious. Proper religiosity properly followed only serves to enhance the quality of life for man.
To understand broadly the nature of religion, we need to acknowledge its external and internal dimensions, its moral fabric, and its pervasiveness over time and space.
The external aspect of religions constitutes all its do’s and don’ts, the ritualistic and informal elements – acknowledgement of the Divine Being, prayer, alms giving, kindness, mercifulness, sharing, forgiving, helping, certain types and forms of abstinence, etc. This is a common format for all given to a particular religion.
The internal aspect of religion is about actually believing in the truth and vitality of all of its elements and their collective capacity to deliver positive and lasting outcomes as promised and expected. This takes one from merely submitting mechanically to submitting with heart and mind, thereby being spared lingering doubt and suspicion.
The third aspect of religiosity relates to morality – the ability or sensibility to distinguish right from wrong, fair from unfair, kindness from cruelty, openness from being predisposed, seriousness from frivolity, etc. This is possible on account of the faithful perceiving Divine Presence at every turn, or when failing to do so knowing that Divine Presence glorifies every event, shining or shabby. Thus, being duly aware, a religious person is inclined to moral rectitude.
The fourth and final aspect of religiosity is the knowledge about transparency and ultimate accountability over every action and inaction that one undertakes consciously, freely and with sanity, given what one knows and understands about religious prerogatives and obligations. This connects all of humanity in a final settlement of scores or debts. That is why it is far better to be conscientious while alive so that there is less to settle on that Final Day of Adjudication. None will be unfairly treated, everyone will settle any earthly debt owed others, and the Master of the Ceremonies will be as Merciful on His part as possible. Real religion as a principle pervades space and time. It is not contained on planet earth nor limited to our times.
tptChoice Team
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I am an educator in Business & Economics. I hold master's and doctorate degrees. Three decades earlier, as a graduate student, while going through a course related to Industrial Psychology, I stumbled upon Factor Analysis. It uses a mathematical technique to quantify emotions such as anger, happiness, etc. Thus, say, for identification as well as measurement of intensity of anger, one may identify telltale factors such as loudness of voice and quickness of speech, reddening of face, unusual use of swear words, flailing of arms, etc. They are all quantifiable and may act as proxy variables regarding this particular emotion.
So, I thought about my own community back in the old country, and even here today in the West, that has been able to vastly stave off addictive behavior, depression, suicidal tendencies, etc., yet is unable to follow other don'ts (back in the old country again) such as, not to drive erratically or honk randomly, litter the street wantonly, or rush rather than queue up when seeking a service, etc. So, I was curious why and how is it that my people follow the prohibitions against drinking, gambling, and pre and extra marital relationship, for example, yet fail to follow these other prohibitions?
That raised many questions. Mainly, what are the underlying, hidden or overt, spiritual, psychological and social factors or structures that allow this type of sustained, pervasive success over time and space? What receives their voluntary acceptance and cooperation, and guides them so as to be self-corralled?
In resolving this puzzle, I realized that maybe I could share this with people of other communities who are being debilitated by addiction of one type or another. As a new citizen, based on my values, I felt I needed to give back something lasting to the host community. Perhaps then my community and I could become true sons and daughters of the soil?
Yet my vision was not to seek religious conversion of others, but elucidation of what works, how and why for one faith community. While all of it is emanating from a spiritual domain of a particular variety, it is a part of human heritage. I wanted to be like a doctor who does not care about his patient's faith persuasion. He wants to know about the case history, diagnose the problem and prescribe the best way to recovery.
Needlessly to say, I have been questioned by some people of my faith whether individuals who follow my methodology will be successful. After all, they are not only not formally presented the actual faith's identity, much less expected to accept it. Presumably, those who accept the faith have a significantly higher qualitative appreciation. Absent self-selection, all I possibly have is a hollow exercise!
Well, all I can do now is to see how the experiment pans out in the long run.
Now, fortunately, given the tall order that I have set out for myself and with the very meager resource at my disposal, the advent of the Internet has been Godsend. I was stuck not knowing how to go about until I remembered about China's Ma and his Alibaba - the other Amazon.com. Thus, inspired by yet another eureka moment, I thought, surely I could also try. The service could very well be online, making the service seekers but a click away.
So, here I am, and here's Totally Personal Total Choice!
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