When I was 19 and knew more than any human ever, I returned from my first quarter at college to learn that my mother had converted from Catholicism to become a Jehovah's Witness. Out to prove my vast intelligence and wisdom, I reduced her to tears a couple of times with my flawless logic. But I was wrong on so very many levels.
Over the years I've come to realize that my mother's path is her path. And really, besides the limitations on who gets into heaven, we're really just arguing over semantics. After years of studying shamanism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Reiki all set to the tune of a background in Catholicism, I realize how similar the core fundamental beliefs are: be good, help others, uplift the human spirit, alleviate suffering, be compassionate, and love.
And I also came to realize that we need different religions so that people can find the one that resonates with their path. And, despite their differences, each religion brings people closer to knowing the Divine. The problems occur when we try to "help" others see the Divine in our way. Bickering begins, shouting matches ensue, skirmishes break out, wars are declared, and genocide makes us realize that maybe we've gone too far.
Osho says that "All words are just fingers pointing to the moon, but don't accept the fingers as the moon. The moment you start clinging to the fingers -- that's where doctrines, cults, creeds, dogmas, are born -- then you have missed the whole point. The fingers were not the point; the point was the moon."
I believe that we're all worshipping the same Divine Source. However, I've also come to realize that words carry an enormous amount of power. Words like God, Allah, Jehovah, Mohammed, Jesus, Krishna, Love, Manifestation, Transformation, Meditation, Prayer, Sin, Mohammed, Jesus, Forgiveness, and thousands more are often loaded with explosive emotion depending on who used those words and to what effect. I'm still discovering all of my trigger words.
But as I've come to understand compassion at an emotional level like never before, I've also come to realize that each path has its own language to point to the Divine Source. None are better than others, except for the people on that specific path, because with those words they can appreciate and embrace Divinity they can from where they stand.
Compassion is the key to looking past the semantics and seeing the Divine at work. Let me know what you see.
