(ThyBlackMan.com) Most of us have been born into a religious belief system that has defined and shaped how we view and experience life. In fact, over 80% of the world’s population identify themselves with some form of religion. In most instances, our concept of God was formed through our early religious indoctrination. If you happen to be born in the United States your religious context was likely some form of Christianity. Those born in the Middle East likely experienced God from an Islamic perspective.
At its core, all religions offer principles of living and God. Religion in and of itself is not a bad thing; however, it has been used to cause great destruction, division, war and suffering. People use religion to justify hate, murder and discrimination. The reality is religion is doctrine, and is not God. While most religions consider its tenets as the pathway to God, the truth is that our connection to God is not based on a religious affiliation. All religions were created by imperfect human beings, not by God. The foundation of all religions is faith which means there is no empirical evidence or proof to support the belief. Even the most astute theologian will acknowledge that the sacred texts have many interpretations and unsubstantiated stories.
If we were really honest, none of us knows for sure the validity of any doctrines. This is why it is difficult for many independent thinkers who rely on verifiable evidence to believe many of the stories in religious texts. For example, in the Bible it speaks about a serpent telling Eve to eat the apple. A talking snake? Or, consider the story of the man who was in the big fish for 3 days. Those who dare question the validity of these events are often attacked as if questioning scripture is an attack on God.
Reality check: God is all powerful, and that power that we call God is not diminished by the skepticism or questioning of man. What we do know is our individual experience with that which we call God.
Your faith is your faith…it is not necessary to convince others that their way is wrong and yours is right. There is no harm or injury in allowing others to believe what they choose to believe. Free your mind and discover truth for yourself and allow others to do the same. Self-discovery moves us beyond belief to knowing.
Imagine a world without religion…no Christianity, no Islam, no Hinduism. We would be able to truly discover God, who did not cease speaking to His creation when the sacred texts were written thousands of years ago. Imagine a God that is not limited to a set of principles and traditions. A God that is not restricted to a particular belief system. How differently would our world be if rather than discovering God through a religious perspective, we were able to discover God for ourselves without a prescribed philosophy?
The truth is, God is beyond concept and description. All have access to God…the Christian, the Muslim, the Hindu, the Jew, and even those who do not have a particular faith. No one has a monopoly on God. God is beyond a religious system.
Staff Writer; Harold Leffall
Who Is Harold Leffall? He is a student/teacher who is committed to sharing the lessons of limitless living to those who are ready to create and live a new reality. Harold has written two books, Brother CEO and Living from Within. He has been featured in Black Enterprise, Best Self Altanta, Essence and Entrepreneur magazines and host the TV show “Moving Forward with Harold Leffall.” He has also appeared on OWN, BET and TV On; http://www.haroldleffall.com.
Also feel free to drop an email at; HL@ThyBlackMan.com.
