On August 23, 1572, French Catholics attacked communities of French Protestants. Both of these groups accepted Christ’s divinity and His gospel of compassion and love; however, they disagreed about the nature of this love. Protestants believed God’s love for humans was so great that He incarnated, was tortured, and, by doing so, enabled them to go to heaven. Catholics also believed that. But added that you also have to participate in church rituals and do good deeds to go to heaven.
This event later became known as the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. Between 5,000 to 10,000 Protestants were slaughtered in less than 24 hours. When the Pope (the leader of the Catholics) heard the news, he organized festive prayers to celebrate the occasion and ordered a painting of the massacre inside one of the Vatican rooms, which is now closed to the public. One might wonder why.
How absurd and atrocious is this? People who believe in a God of love and compassion and kill others who disagree with them, all in the name of that same God? What? What’s even worse, we still have conflicts and wars because of this. Humans have always prosecuted others because they had different mental images or conceptions of God.
"How childish it all seems to those who have attained a broader view and are able to see all men as children of God, each doing the best they can, and worshiping the highest conception of Deity possible to them," Yogi Ramacharaka wrote in a chapter about Bhakti Yoga. The branch for those who want to grow and unfold through love, worship, and devotion to their own conception of God.
And it is indeed childish and savage for people to kill each other in the name of a loving God. On one hand, the Yogis instruct us to take a step back and look at things from above. To see how absurd these conflicts are. On the other hand, they ask us not to blame those same people. They are, just like you, doing the best they can. They are all looking at the same thing, The Absolute, from the perspective that works for them in their present stage of development.
Rise above such narrow-minded perceptions. It doesn’t matter if you are religious or not. Believe whatever makes sense to you. But don’t hate or exclude other people just because their perspectives differ. Just because their conception of God differs from yours or even if they do not believe in a higher power at all.
Do not condemn. Everyone is your brother and sister. All are on the path, each doing the best they know how. Let love flow out of you towards everyone around.
Listen to this email on your favorite podcast platform
Read previous posts here.
