From the moment I was born until my early twenties, I was exposed to Catholic teachings. I attended church every Sunday, sometimes even more frequently. I went on missionary trips every year to help those in need and attempt to evangelize them. I received my first communion and confirmation. I read the Bible, memorized the Holy Father, the Hail Mary, and all the prayers.
In general, most of these experiences made me a better person, and I wouldn't change any of it. They were essential in shaping my values during my formative years and taught me many valuable lessons. They encouraged me to be kind to others, reflect in silence, and help those in need.
'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself' is one of the fundamental teachings of the great spiritual master, Jesus. As a Catholic, I heard this message many times during my formative years. But it was disheartening and confusing to see that it wasn’t always properly followed by those who claimed to follow Jesus. This is one of the many reasons that led me to step away from Catholicism.
I began to notice that many of Jesus' followers adjusted his teachings to fit their lives instead of aligning their lives with his teachings. They preached that you should 'love your neighbor as yourself,' but with a long list of exceptions: unless your neighbor follows another religion or no religion at all, unless they belong to a different socioeconomic class, unless they don't attend church every Sunday, unless they don’t believe there’s a heaven. Unless, unless, unless…
In such cases, let those poor 'unbelievers' go to hell.
Can you see the absurdity of this? People who claim to follow a religion based on love, compassion, and understanding exclude those who don't share their beliefs. Jesus didn't impose conditions when he said, 'you should love your neighbor as yourself.' His teaching is that we should love everyone, regardless of their background, skin color, beliefs, behavior, language, or geographic location. No one should be excluded.
This issue is not exclusive to Catholicism; it's present in many religions. They tend to cast aside certain groups of people. How can this make sense? No wonder there’s so many people continuously stepping aside from such belief systems.
All religions promote the idea that we should love and be kind to one another, but frequently, the most religious individuals are the least inclusive, the most judgmental, and the most inflexible. They focus on the flaws in others rather than trying to see the good. What's the point of following a belief system that divides the world rather than uniting it?
And the purpose is not to criticize religions. It is simply to present you with things as they are, as if you were looking at the world from above. The Yogis see truth in all forms of religion and consider all thinkers, priests, and followers as brothers and sisters. But the Yogi philosophy refuses to be bound by the limitations of any creed.
It teaches that any belief system that excludes human beings is flawed. It teaches that one may maintain their connection with any religion while accepting the truths found in other philosophies. It teaches that wisdom is wisdom, no matter where it comes from. It teaches that it's impossible to have a world where we all agree, and therefore, we must be unconditionally kind. It teaches that each of us is experiencing exactly what we need for our ultimate good. And it teaches the Oneness of All and the brotherhood of humans, and so, we should truly love everyone else as we love ourselves.
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