Karen Devaney's Blog - Posts Tagged "ridiculous-judgments"
Stop Judging Start Listening: A reflection of similarities between religions and spiritual practices
Arguing for the sake of religion is an innate absurdity that denies the very essence of a spiritual tradition in the first place. There is not one religion or spiritual practice that advocates killing other humans who are non-believers. Indeed, compassion and navigating life with love is the bedrock of both Islamic and Christian beliefs. The same can be said for the Jewish religion, Buddhism, Sufism, Hinduism and all philosophical and divine traditions. Why then, do we demonize one religion or practice over another? They all follow rituals that essentially bring us to the same place. The place of Oneness that connects should not divide us.
The very word peace comes from the Arabic word salaam, the Hebrew word shalom, and the Aramaic word shlama. Three words all meaning peace and originated in the Middle East. Here in the West we have been hoodwinked into thinking Islamic religion is bad and Christian religion is good. The campaign that all Islamic people are terrorist is as ruthless as any other tyrannical crusade. We Westerners have amnesia for historically it was not the Islamic people who initiated such terrors as the Inquisition or the destruction of Native people for the sake of Christianity. The holocaust, Chechnya, the bloody battles in Northern Ireland, and the occupation of Palestine were not orchestrated by people of the Islamic faith. The expansive list of who did what is not my reason for writing this blog but rather to clarify. Extremists are extremists no matter what faith or persuasion they sprouted from. It is time to call a meeting of the hearts for Salaam, Shalom, Shlama, for Peace. It is time to stop harping and finger pointing and to remove the veils of ignorance.
I grew up in a Catholic family who went to church every Sunday and abided the Catholic rules to a point. Lent was a sacred time of fasting and prayer—no different than Ramadan or Yom Kippur (known as the day of atonement) or Nyungne the Buddhist practice of fasting and meditation for purifying the spirit. Hinduism fasts, called a vrat, vary depending on the day of the week and the need of the individual. Sunday is for the Lord Sun or Surya and red is the color to be worn if you are fasting. The threads of commonality are as pervasive as the differences. Jesus and Muhammad were both from Arabic backgrounds. The saints and sages and Buddha were graced with divine wisdoms that they shared with their followers. Because cultures of the world are now exposed to one another; it is the perfect point in history to embrace our similarities.
My exploration of other religions and rituals began as a child. I used to go to Synagogue on Friday evenings with my friends; it was at a Bar mitzvah that I had my first kiss! My babysitters were Indian and wore beautiful Saris. I met my first Buddhist in high school; she had a calmness about her that was radically different from my Irish/Italian high strung mother. At the time though I thought the Buddha was a strange little fat man who promoted un-emotionalsim!
It was not until I was an adult that I really began to delve into spiritual beliefs and practices. I was driving a lot at the time and decided to get a few books on tape (yes no CD’s for me at that point—they were too expensive). Quotes from Native Americans was the book that snagged me by the nose. Listening to profound statements such as; “You ask us to go inside a building to praise God once a week, yet I give thanks to God every day when I see a sunrise or kill a deer for my family.” (a Cherokee Chief to a Missionary) conked me over the head as if suddenly waking up. Not that it is a terrible thing to subscribe to one faith or religion, after all that is the crux of tradition. But can’t we live in harmony with the array of spiritual practices—toss them in a blender and come out with an enlightening treat?
When I began studying yoga my spiritual world blasted open. The idea that God is within not one religion or belief but in each individual brought a sense of freedom. I began reading the works of Mahatma Gandhi, the Quran, and finally books on Sufism. Sufism is brilliant because it honors all the prophets and is inclusive using Rumi, Jesus, and Muhammad to name a few as teachers. Depending on the semantics, meanings could be misconstrued unless studied and compared. For example Jesus said in one of the Beatitudes in his native Aramaic language "Ripe are those who whole heartedly follow their passion, by being Unified they see unity everywhere." Rumi exclaimed, "Whether you love God or love another human being, if you love enough, you will come into the presence of love itself." Each of these statements speak about unification through love. Each section of ourselves comes together in the heart.
My question again then is why can’t we stop judging and start merging. Why not incorporate religious teachings—why can’t we teach the different religions purely as a study like history or social studies? Is it not knowledge all of us are seeking? Knowledge that spreads unity, understanding, and ultimately brings each of us and therefore the world to a place of Salaam, Shalom, Shlama, Peace.
The very word peace comes from the Arabic word salaam, the Hebrew word shalom, and the Aramaic word shlama. Three words all meaning peace and originated in the Middle East. Here in the West we have been hoodwinked into thinking Islamic religion is bad and Christian religion is good. The campaign that all Islamic people are terrorist is as ruthless as any other tyrannical crusade. We Westerners have amnesia for historically it was not the Islamic people who initiated such terrors as the Inquisition or the destruction of Native people for the sake of Christianity. The holocaust, Chechnya, the bloody battles in Northern Ireland, and the occupation of Palestine were not orchestrated by people of the Islamic faith. The expansive list of who did what is not my reason for writing this blog but rather to clarify. Extremists are extremists no matter what faith or persuasion they sprouted from. It is time to call a meeting of the hearts for Salaam, Shalom, Shlama, for Peace. It is time to stop harping and finger pointing and to remove the veils of ignorance.
I grew up in a Catholic family who went to church every Sunday and abided the Catholic rules to a point. Lent was a sacred time of fasting and prayer—no different than Ramadan or Yom Kippur (known as the day of atonement) or Nyungne the Buddhist practice of fasting and meditation for purifying the spirit. Hinduism fasts, called a vrat, vary depending on the day of the week and the need of the individual. Sunday is for the Lord Sun or Surya and red is the color to be worn if you are fasting. The threads of commonality are as pervasive as the differences. Jesus and Muhammad were both from Arabic backgrounds. The saints and sages and Buddha were graced with divine wisdoms that they shared with their followers. Because cultures of the world are now exposed to one another; it is the perfect point in history to embrace our similarities.
My exploration of other religions and rituals began as a child. I used to go to Synagogue on Friday evenings with my friends; it was at a Bar mitzvah that I had my first kiss! My babysitters were Indian and wore beautiful Saris. I met my first Buddhist in high school; she had a calmness about her that was radically different from my Irish/Italian high strung mother. At the time though I thought the Buddha was a strange little fat man who promoted un-emotionalsim!
It was not until I was an adult that I really began to delve into spiritual beliefs and practices. I was driving a lot at the time and decided to get a few books on tape (yes no CD’s for me at that point—they were too expensive). Quotes from Native Americans was the book that snagged me by the nose. Listening to profound statements such as; “You ask us to go inside a building to praise God once a week, yet I give thanks to God every day when I see a sunrise or kill a deer for my family.” (a Cherokee Chief to a Missionary) conked me over the head as if suddenly waking up. Not that it is a terrible thing to subscribe to one faith or religion, after all that is the crux of tradition. But can’t we live in harmony with the array of spiritual practices—toss them in a blender and come out with an enlightening treat?
When I began studying yoga my spiritual world blasted open. The idea that God is within not one religion or belief but in each individual brought a sense of freedom. I began reading the works of Mahatma Gandhi, the Quran, and finally books on Sufism. Sufism is brilliant because it honors all the prophets and is inclusive using Rumi, Jesus, and Muhammad to name a few as teachers. Depending on the semantics, meanings could be misconstrued unless studied and compared. For example Jesus said in one of the Beatitudes in his native Aramaic language "Ripe are those who whole heartedly follow their passion, by being Unified they see unity everywhere." Rumi exclaimed, "Whether you love God or love another human being, if you love enough, you will come into the presence of love itself." Each of these statements speak about unification through love. Each section of ourselves comes together in the heart.
My question again then is why can’t we stop judging and start merging. Why not incorporate religious teachings—why can’t we teach the different religions purely as a study like history or social studies? Is it not knowledge all of us are seeking? Knowledge that spreads unity, understanding, and ultimately brings each of us and therefore the world to a place of Salaam, Shalom, Shlama, Peace.
