THE PERVERSION OF A RELIGION

Most people accept their religious traditions and with this its teachings, rituals and the structure of power and control, – the organization. Regarding the religion everything is old, really old and somehow everyone takes part over generations without questioning anything. It is as it always has been and it seems that it will go on like this for eternity. No need for changes, no need for questioning, everything is fine.

It is all like in a trance, like in a dream where putting a question would lead to direct awakening to reality. But who wants to awaken as dreaming is so nice and easy.

Nevertheless there always have been people who woke up from dreaming, from the state of permanent hypnosis and those have questioned tradition, religion, rituals, teachings, etc.

And now let us imagine that we woke up noticing that there is something really wrong with the nice religion we have been integrated without being asked before, without having any choice.

And let us imagine that we can look back to the time where the religion was born and how it has developed through the centuries. We witness everything with the eyes of an initiate.

(We take a general example without pointing at a specific religion.)

So most religions start with a special person and quite often in a special situation. Let´s assume that we have the case that a real initiate starts the religion and not someone who believes that he is sent from God and that angels are talking with him but in fact he suffers from some kind of mental disorder like megalomania or schizophrenia.

Okay, there is a real initiate who knows about the secret side of creation, the so-called workshop of God, the nature of God, the hierarchy of spirits, the laws of creation and how the human being can develop himself to the highest foreseen aim. (And so on.)

This initiate has to face in main people who lack of everything, especially education, a good intellect, love, understanding and so on (some thousand years ago). So most people wouldn´t understand him if he tries to teach them directly high lessons. Only a very few are mature enough to receive his higher teachings, – the rest of the people need something like guidance, support, orientation, values, – more the things which are necessary for a good working society.

So the initiate does two things, – he gathers a few real students for the real esoteric teachings and real training and further on he gives simple but useful exoteric teachings for the normal people for leading a lawful, good life in a good society ruled by wisdom, compassion, justice and power. He probably simplifies some teachings about God, the human nature, incarnation and so on.

What is really important to understand is that the initiate is absolutely positive, supporting all positive aspects of the human nature, human behavior and human society. He always speaks about love, compassion, forgiveness, wisdom, justice, responsibility, growing, following higher ideals, etc. He knows that it is all about true spirituality, self-responsibility and the freedom of choice.

So far so good.

In the beginning as long as the initiate is in control and maybe also as long as his direct students are alive everything is fine. But then the power of the spiritual light is decreasing. When the master is gone then there is only the light of his direct students which cannot burn as strong as the master´s light. But it is still good. And when these students are gone then there are only their students left with even less light. And so it goes on if not from time to time a higher soul incarnates to refresh the line of initiation, to restore the true and original spirituality and to clean it from negative human attachments.

So we see here a natural process of degeneration as more and more original spirituality, light is going lost.

But it can go even faster when selfish, power-hungry people infiltrate the tradition or religion. Then they turn the good into bad. They pervert the original teachings of light into teachings of darkness, – freedom into slavery and clarity into dullness.

As religion often consists of a hierarchy of power and control the dark ones feel attracted to it as they can easily get into positions of power while they can oppress the people or followers.

And as soon as this has all happened, the religion cannot lead to something good but it imprisons the followers and keeps them away from real spirituality.

Let´s compare some examples of original teachings with the perverted teachings:

Original Spirituality             <->          perverted teachings

• God loves all beings    <-> God loves only the good followers of this specific religion
• The divine abundance is meant for all beings <-> it is only meant for those who rule the religious hierarchy as they are close to God
• Unity with God and a direct guidance is available for everyone <-> it is only available for the priests, not for normal followers, and only the highest priest has a perfect connection to God, only he is the speaker of God´s will
• Initiation into the mysteries of God, the human being and creation is available for everyone <-> it is only available for a few priests and only in parts depending on their position in the hierarchy
• Vitality, happiness, joy, health, etc. are the natural state of all creatures <-> joy is not good and vitality, health are not good signs as you are meant to work hard here on earth to be allowed to enjoy paradise/heaven later after death. Only the higher priest can enjoy the good things already here.
• All creatures embody the laws of nature, so they intuitively know what is good and what is bad <-> the divine laws are given by the priests and it is not good to follow your own intuition, the priests tell you what is good and what is bad.
• God´s gifts are for free <-> you have to pay for everything given by the priests
• God does not punish you <-> the priests will punish you for going against their “god-given” laws.
• God does not ask for payment or sacrifices, God asks only to open yourself to be able to receive the divine gifts of love <-> the priests ask for payment and sacrifices, they even ask to kill God´s own creatures
• Happiness is good as it is natural <-> the follower shall suffer as only then he might get into paradise afterwards
• Life has to be celebrated <-> life is not good, only paradise is good after a hard life working for God ( the priests)
• Following your own intuition and self-responsibility are good <-> as a follower you do not know what is good for you so that you have to follow the superior priests and their laws.
• God can be experienced in yourself <-> God is known only by the priests and here only be the highest ones in hierarchy, followers can only connect to God through the priests if at all
• All beings deserve respect and are loved by God in the same unconditional way <-> the priests determine who deserves respect, who has rights and who not, especially women and children have no rights but God meant them to serve and God said that men are superior, women are dull and just made to bring pleasure and to work hard
• All beings, all members of mankind are one big family <-> only those of this specific religion are humans and are good while the rest is dull and evil without any value
• There is no hell, no punishment <-> everyone who does not follow the rules of the priests has go to hell and will be punished forever
• All what is positive is good <-> only things which are defined by the priests is good, even if it is evil, killing in the name of God is good, punishing in the name of God is good, destruction in the name of God is good
• The laws of nature are valid for everyone <-> the laws of the priests are valid for the followers and the priests are above the laws as they are superior in their nature
• God can be understood <-> the ways of God cannot be understood, eventually only by priests
• Success and happiness is with those who work for it <-> it is only for the upper class of priests, the rest shall focus on suffering like all saints have suffered to please God. Only when you suffer on earth and neglect happiness then you are allowed to enjoy the good things after death in heaven.
• There is no devil <-> yes there is a devil and his job is to punish those who do not follow the “God-given” laws of the priests
• All those who undergo a spiritual training get closer to divine unity, unfolding their higher nature, etc. <-> those who study such things and do exercises are entrapped by the devil as only priest are allowed to do a few exercises and limited studies.
• All ways lead somehow and some when to God or highest perfection <-> only this specific religion cares for “spiritual” well-being of humans and all other religions, traditions, etc. are from the devil.
• If you love creation and feel as a part of it, it is good. <-> if you love your church and your religion and being a part of it, it is good
• Freedom is good <-> limitations are good
• Being smart and wise is good <-> being dull and preferring quantity instead of quality knowledge is good; the dull are meant for paradise
• You can have it all <-> you can have it all after death
• You do not need to be controlled <-> you need to stay under control by the priests
• God is all-embracing love, impersonal and absolute <-> God is like a human showing all bad characteristics mixed up with absolute qualities
• Humans can and should follow their natural needs <-> priests have to suppress their sexual needs, their longing for love and family
• And so on

So quite often there is simply something wrong with religion today and in general. As long as people do not question their religion, religion will stay a tool of power and slavery, also a tool of keeping people under control and far away from true spirituality.

May this small article serve as an inspiration for bettering things. If all people would return to natural spirituality with keeping only the good things from religious teachings then we could experience the golden age.