Humanity (ritual, reincarnation, myth, eternal, sin)

[Muad'dib]

That which we commonly call a “man”, regardless of gender, is a contradictory creature, uniting within itself the most diverse and varied tendencies. One moment this creature reaches to the utmost heights of kindness, love and sacrifice, and the next moment sinks to the lowest depths of bestiality. Thus, that which we commonly call a “man” is a human and a beast at the same time.

Most spiritual systems seek a way for this “man” to transcend its humanity. Christians, Jews, and Muslims seek to escape human sin and mortality and live eternally with God as pure souls. Taoists, Hindus, and Buddhists seek to transcend the limits of human consciousness and the reliance upon material desire, escape the cycle of reincarnation, and attain either oneness with God or nirvana.

However, all these religions are getting a little ahead of themselves. Before a “man” can seek to transcend its humanity, it must first ATTAIN humanity, transcending its animal nature and becoming a Human.

What is the difference between the human-animal and the Human? The human-animal is a ******* ******* who lives without regard for other creatures or its environment, seeking to shape the world into a tool for its personal ambition or the ambition of its species. Its consciousness is involuntary; it is unable to think for itself except in a rudimentary way. It is incapable of reason except as a means of attaining or explaining its animal desires.

In contrast, the Human wields its consciousness as a tool. It is free of animal desire, and therefore its consciousness is not governed by bestial instinct. It recognizes that this unique consciousness gives it responsibility toward other creatures and its environment, and it is this feeling of responsibility, and not the Human’s personal ambition, which shapes the world.

Religion is the domain of human-animals. It is a puppet show designed to both flatter and control the human-animal populace. Religion generally begins when a true Human introduces a spiritual philosophy seeking to help human-animals attain Humanity. Spiritual philosophies are themselves faultless, but as soon as they fall into the hands of the human-animal masses they become the tools of the most ambitious of human animals, and they are twisted and corrupted until they begin to reek of human-animal ego, ambition, and intolerance. Thus they become Religions.

Spirituality is the domain of potential Humans. It is an individual journey designed to introduce the potential Human to its Humanity. Not being in the hands of the masses, it is not subject to human-animal ego, ambition, or intolerance. However, it offers no easy answers. Religions rely upon the concept of divine inspiration for authority; Spirituality relies upon reason, forcing potential Humans to seek their own answers rather than blindly accepting answers fed to them by ambitious human-animals seeking to control them or accepting answers that help support what they wish is reality rather than what reality is itself.

Religion is for human-animals who are told by human-animal authorities, “You are not the kind of person we think you should be. You must change to fit into our vision of the world”. Spirituality is for potential Humans who reason to themselves, “I am not the kind of person I want to be. I would like to change to meet the realities of world”.

Religion often partakes of the myth of progress that shields us from the terrors of an uncertain future. Spirituality recognizes that the reason the future is so uncertain is because of this “human progress”, which is driven by ambition and which is leading homo sapiens on a straight course toward ultimate destruction.

Religion and Spirituality have one thing in common: in both, man is on trial. Each man is a little war. The difference is the outcome. The human-animal following Religion will remain a human-animal. The human-animal seeking Spirituality will transcend its animal nature and become a true Human.

[dharveymi]

Originally Posted by Muad'dib

Spirituality relies upon reason, forcing potential Humans to seek their own answers rather than blindly accepting answers fed to them by ambitious human-animals seeking to control them or accepting answers that help support what they wish is reality rather than what reality is itself.

I think you have a rather limited view of religion, and a rather inflated view of reason. Reason has no inherent value system. For example in general, it is unreasonable to treat someone kindly who is treating you badly. Only in religion, can a person find a "reason" to do such a thing. If you would like to learn about reason, I recommend Machiavelli's The Prince. Although in a world without religion, it is quite reasonable to behave as Machiavelli suggests, it is quite contrary to most religious systems.