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Are religious leaders today afraid of esoteric teachings?

stvdv

Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
This got me thinking, does the leadership in both Islam and other religions fear the "hidden teachings" from esoteric paths?
Or is there other reason why this is happening?

Have you experienced something similar? or have understanding of why this occure?
Are religious leaders today afraid of esoteric teachings?

1) The religious esoteric leaders are not afraid of esoteric teachings
2) These Teachings are called "hidden" for a reason
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
I have noticed that when i speak with especially brothers or sister from from other parts of Islam (Sunni and Shia), they start to bashing Sufis teaching as something evil. (Not that i get offended by them)

This got me thinking, does the leadership in both Islam and other religions fear the "hidden teachings" from esoteric paths?
Or is there other reason why this is happening?

Have you experienced something similar? or have understanding of why this occure?

My religion is esoteric, so the leaders most certainly aren't afraid of it. They practice it at a much higher level than regular folk.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Are religious leaders today afraid of esoteric teachings?

1) The religious esoteric leaders are not afraid of esoteric teachings
2) These Teachings are called "hidden" for a reason
I know the teacher who teach within esoteric path is not afraid :)
Mainstream belief and teacher maybe are..
 

Marcion

gopa of humanity's controversial Taraka Brahma
I know the teacher who teach within esoteric path is not afraid :)
Mainstream belief and teacher maybe are..
My own esoteric path was persecuted in the past, this came mostly from political opposition but also from diverse orthodox religious sides.
I noticed some of the animosity even on this forum but nothing serious.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
My own esoteric path was persecuted in the past, this came mostly from political opposition but also from diverse orthodox religious sides.
I noticed some of the animosity even on this forum.
For me it was only one person in RF who got a bit personal in critique of sufism and how i practice:) but of some reason he got silent :)
 

capumetu

Active Member
I have noticed that when i speak with especially brothers or sister from from other parts of Islam (Sunni and Shia), they start to bashing Sufis teaching as something evil. (Not that i get offended by them)

This got me thinking, does the leadership in both Islam and other religions fear the "hidden teachings" from esoteric paths?
Or is there other reason why this is happening?

Have you experienced something similar? or have understanding of why this occure?

Perhaps the key is in the words of Jesus sir, he said:
(Matthew 13:11) . . .“To you it is granted to understand the sacred secrets of the Kingdom of the heavens, but to them it is not granted.

The Bible is only understood as God reveals it to His people progressively Pro 4:18; Daniel 12:4; Mat 24:45-47; Rev 1:1
It was not meant to be understood by the masses
 

Brian2

Veteran Member
I suppose the leaders of more extrovertive religions depend for their livelihoods on the donations of their followers.
They don't like to see their flock move on to other pastures in other religions or paths.

If you read texts from the early Christian church fathers in which they fulminate against teachings from more gnostic or introspective leaders, you can sense the hate they must have felt towards that sort of competition.

In the early Christian church it was hate against the false teachings about Jesus and Christianity that were being spread.
 

Marcion

gopa of humanity's controversial Taraka Brahma
In the early Christian church it was hate against the false teachings about Jesus and Christianity that were being spread.
That is indeed how it was presented, as 'false teachings'. The crooked arguments they used however prove that they were mostly doing apologetics and that they were not interested in the real facts about the texts that they were discussing. Of course that was a different age, there was no scientific paradigma to counter such falsehoods.

They felt threatened by the more esoteric paths and tried to vilify them.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
As far as i know, yes. in the way i have come to know him, he has very little attachments to what others think of him as a teacher or person. He know him self very well :)
Whether or not he has little attachment to what others think of him has no impact on what others think of him. (I need to do more research on Sufi persecution.)
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Whether or not he has little attachment to what others think of him has no impact on what others think of him. (I need to do more research on Sufi persecution.)
You can find some of that in Turkey especially for the dervishs there.

There will always be persecution of religious groups, especially the esoteric once
 

Clara Tea

Well-Known Member
I have noticed that when i speak with especially brothers or sister from from other parts of Islam (Sunni and Shia), they start to bashing Sufis teaching as something evil. (Not that i get offended by them)

This got me thinking, does the leadership in both Islam and other religions fear the "hidden teachings" from esoteric paths?
Or is there other reason why this is happening?

Have you experienced something similar? or have understanding of why this occure?

Preachers put down other religions. Perhaps the reasons are:

1. Afraid that their followers will follow a different religion, especially if their religion derived from an older religion that is more apt to be from the source (God) rather than a rewrite by some king). I would imagine Anglicans insisting that their religion is the only true religion though it was created by a king (Henry VIII) who threw chicken bones over his shoulder while he ate, and created the church to allow for the divorce or execution of his various wives.

2. Support their choice of religion. Some went to divinity school (college) and spent a long time studying their religion, and it would be a pity to toss all that out if someone decides that another religion is correct or better.

The problem is that ever religion seems to have sects. One sect bashes another. It seems that religion is the great divider (rather than pulling everyone together, as it is supposed to do). Religion is supposed to make peace, not wars (Crusades, Guantanamo torture camp, etc).
 

firedragon

Veteran Member
I have noticed that when i speak with especially brothers or sister from from other parts of Islam (Sunni and Shia), they start to bashing Sufis teaching as something evil. (Not that i get offended by them)

This got me thinking, does the leadership in both Islam and other religions fear the "hidden teachings" from esoteric paths?
Or is there other reason why this is happening?

Have you experienced something similar? or have understanding of why this occure?

When you say "Sunni and Shii" it is representing billions of people and maybe millions and millions of so called "leaders".

Thus in this case you will get anecdotal experiences.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
When you say "Sunni and Shii" it is representing billions of people and maybe millions and millions of so called "leaders".

Thus in this case you will get anecdotal experiences.
I have not spoken with millions of sunni or shia. what i mean is that those muslims i have spoken to who reacted negative to sufi teaching has been from sunni or shia. i dont say everyone think so
 

firedragon

Veteran Member
I have not spoken with millions of sunni or shia. what i mean is that those muslims i have spoken to who reacted negative to sufi teaching has been from sunni or shia. i dont say everyone think so

I didnt say you said "everyone thinks so" brother.

I said, the world is such a big place, so the answers you will get from those who do answer you will be anecdotal.

Hope you understand.
 

Dawnofhope

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i
Staff member
Premium Member
In my religion, a high percentage of it is esoteric. Some would argue all of it is. So that challenge doesn't exist.

Of course its impossible to quantify how much of the teachings within Hinduism are esoteric and as soon as you share an esoteric teaching with a commoner such as myself its no longer an esoteric teaching.

My limited experience of Hinduism is that’s it is indeed diverse with many contradictory perspectives accepted as valid. It is a definite weakness within both Islam and Christianity that there’s an inability to accept the validity of opposing religious views. That inability can manifest itself as outright distain, distrust, conflict and persecution. That inability extends even to variants of the religion themselves where perhaps the harshest criticisms and opposition stems.

However in many countries where Christianity and Islam are the dominant religion, secularism exists that is often much stronger at accepting the ‘other’. That appears to be a strong positive for secularism which ironically many Muslims and Christians embrace.

I would imagine there are strongly conservative strands of Hindu society where the ‘other’ is treated just as badly if not worse in Christian and Islamic society. So I’m not entirely convinced that Hinduism is anymore tolerant than some Western countries including where we live. I suspect we’re actually more tolerant in some regards and ironically Christianity has contributed to that tolerance.
 
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