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Originally Posted by september  kf, welcome! Here is the article Akashic was referring to when mentioning Steve's aversion to organized religion. |
Wow. That sure is cold. Talk about the other extreme. But then again, I've never met a "fallen away" Catholic who was very objective about the experience.
I don't know why Steve feels it's necessary to make fun of believing stories about people being raised from the dead. It's no more nutty to believe in people being raised from the dead than it is to believe in talking to dead people or believing that your thoughts create your reality. Steve should not take his own stories so seriously.
In fairness I must concede that Steve's portrayal is actually not too far off base as regards organized religious officialdom. But the powers that be have hijacked some often valid core truths. That has always been the story of mankind: someone has an intuitive insight and then politics and bureaucracy sprout up around it and ossify it. Don't think it isn't happening as we speak to the organizations and belief systems espoused by Mr. Pavlina.
Within religion there are truly good people quietly exerting their influence and they are often the actual "power" behind local churches. I know of one small-town congregation that has had a series of useless, nitwit ministers assigned to them over the past two decades but when someone really needs counsel, love, or comfort, members of that church know who they really need to go to. An elderly couple with no salary and no title are the actual heartbeat of that church. In the past year alone this couple spearheaded efforts to build handicapped access ramps for countless homes, fought a difficult but successful battle for disability benefits for a sick woman, fixed dozens of lawn mowers and garden tractors as a gift of love to the community, and been powerfully present for dozens of bereaved people, including this unchurched sinner.
I think that it's far more complicated and nuanced than a simple "us vs them" situation. Conscious people exist all over, inside and outside the church. Sometimes they actually use the rotting corpse of the church to raise the consciousness level of others. I've seen it.
This isn't an argument in favor of organized religion by any means. I wouldn't give that church credit for what I've witnessed this couple do. I give the couple credit and I think they are quite enlightened (no thanks to the church, and they get no thanks from the church, either).
This couple is simply blooming where they are planted. They are simple people, and their interior thought life is laced through with church teachings, but love is love no matter who shows it. They don't take the teachings or themselves seriously. They just do what needs doing. I'll take someone with real love and empathy over someone with "correct", "intelligent" ideas any day.
--Bob