You Don't Need Religion to Become Peaceful

Sharon Brous did a recent Ted talk "It's Time to Reclaim Religion."  She is a Rabbi of the Jewish faith. She explores the extremist of all religions to point out that as violence can be the interpretation of one perspective of any religion, the opposite is the justice and peace that are foundational to all religions.  She is on this mission not only for her religion but unite all religions, all people.  She and a other female religious leaders have started a movement to interpret the rituals, the verses, from a peaceful, healing interpretation that results in world peace.  She shares her four steps (You can hear her talk and write down the steps on You Tube Ted Talks) the first step "Wakefulness."

She wants all people to know that every atrocity that is happening on this earth must be witnessed and felt to "do" something about it yourself. She believes people are numb to violence and must see the suffering of others to become aware of it, to become involved in the solving of the destruction of mankind.  I agree in becoming awake, I disagree in her teaching of the "only way" to wake up is to see the atrocities to become awake. Jewish people are very founded in the five senses and the rituals of that religion.  Matter of fact all religions focus on the five senses and see worship as something to be ritualized by eating certain foods on certain days and even lying prostrate on the ground in an outward sign of their obedience of it.

Recently I saw a posting on Facebook of the joys of motherhood and the proof of our innate "sinful nature" because her toddler took a toy away from another toddler.  I disagree again.

Religion will not work for anyone that is fed up with the rigid rituals and sin consciousness each instills in us unless we buy into being unworthy or a sinner.  If you are not a sinner then you don't need religion to rescue you.  Religion has to make you aware that you are unholy in thought or deed for you to need the saving by the rules and rituals of the religion. What if you were born innocent and good and all your days were filled with creativity and happiness?  What more could we accomplish in our lifetime if we loved one another because we all knew we are good? We all are the chosen ones, we all are one.

Religion and all its outward showing of belief in our church attendance, in judgment of those that do not worship like us, don't love the same sex we approve of, don't dress the way we think we should, causes judgment in an outward five senses way.  We focus on outward, five senses sight of what "perfect" is to us.

What my journey has led me to discover is to be healed of violent actions I must become aware of my thoughts. To become aware of my thoughts is to isolate and delete the world of every single one of my own violent thoughts that are based in prejudice in me, a five senses judgment of others in me.  I do not need to see all the atrocities of everyone else in the world to become involved on a very intimate level of my awareness of it and the part I can play in stopping it. (Byron Katie teaches this best n her book A Thousand Words For Joy.)

For those of us who have been hurt deeply by the judgments coming from our relatives of our being unacceptable or bad because we chose not to follow the crowd but to follow our truth and be free of the crowd, the church, the culture, the race, every five senses rule of living to become our loving peaceful selves, I write for you and me.  There is another way, it is found in your awareness, your becoming awake, of your own thoughts.  Because your own thought are THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER.

The truth of harm no one, including yourself becomes abundantly evident in the "awakeness of you, by yourself, examining your thoughts alone" and becoming clear of the root cause, the fear, and rooting these fears out.  It takes work, not another church gathering, not another going to the cross, or the alter, confessing your sins in front of a rabbi, priest or minister, all these five senses outward performances are not needed...Only you becoming aware of the reality you are born with an innate innocent loving nature that it is stolen from us through false teachings of every religion, culture, society, and household, will become loving peaceful people again.

For those of us who do not need another outward ritual service and teaching of what is good, we can find this "wakefulness" inside if we study and seek to find it.  I found it, you can too.