stage one
Questioning Religion
In Stage One you are questioning religion. This is about understanding that it is near to impossible that any one religion can be true. Accepting this means letting go of all organised religions. This may be a leap for many, but it is a necessary one. However,you don’t have to let go of God if you don’t want to, you just have to let go of any particular god. Doing this frees you to ultimately see God in all things, if that’s what you decide to do, or to see meaning in all things without any god or gods, if that fits better. But that is a few stages away from here.
Questioning religion was not part of my upbringing. I grew up in a religious household and believed fully until the age of fourteen in the traditional Christian God. My parents were not bible bashers, and there was no severe consequences for not believing, but there was an unquestioning rule that you had to fully believe in Jesus to go to heaven. We were evangelical with a small “e.”
When I look back on that time now I see my parents who, like most of the generation in the 1970’s were young twenty-something parents, as people who were seeking meaning in their lives. This may seem simplistic, but I believe that most belief in traditional religions is simplistic. People want to know they will be looked after and get a reward (Heaven) for all their suffering on earth.
My upbringing was Christian, but all religions provide the same meaning for their believers, the same story that there is someone/thing out there that will save/reward/look after them in exchange for good behavior/repentance on earth. This is why questioning religion is vital – to let go of a distinct religious viewpoint. If you can’t let go of a Christian god, or Muslim god, or Buddhist god, or Hindi god, or a Roman or Greek or Egyptian god then you are forever trapped within the rules of the churches these gods are built upon.
If questioning religion is a stumbling block for you, then there are two main approaches to help understand why you don’t need organised religion:
1. The scientific/philosophical approach – what are the arguments for and against a traditional god as creator, organiser and rewarder?
2. Go inside and ask yourself why you need religion to be true?
1. The arguments for and against a traditional god
Okay, so this is not going to be a full blown in-depth exploration of the pros & cons for why god does or doesn’t exist. If you want that then there are some excellent resources online.
I am also not so arrogant to tell you that I have, somehow, solved a problem that has foxed philosophers of religion for at least 100 years, and all humans for millennia before. I spent three years at university studying Philosophy & Religious Studies, so I know my limits.
But, let’s face it, if you are reading this then you’re perhaps already questioning religion and asking yourself if religion is true, if god is real, and what exactly, if anything, this whole shebang called life is about? You’re already looking for your gorse!
So the key takeaway here is that there are a few simple ways to look at religion that are hard to argue against, regardless of how clever you get, or how many big words you use.
First simple argument is that it is nearly impossible to imagine that any one religion can be true given that each grows up in a different region, in a different time and can be followed by billions of people. How can any single religion claim truth when all do? Faith and tradition are the only rationales for choosing Christianity over Hinduism, or Islam, for example.
Second simple argument is that if a traditional type of god does exist, then how did they come into existence them/itself? This is the “prime mover” argument. If a creator god exists then who/ what created that creator god?
This argument for me does away with any kind of traditional god, leaving only a mystical view of God that is metaphorical. This metaphorical God doesn’t really do anything and so they are essentially another word for reality, or existence and is synonymous with Oneness and Love. So you can see that questioning religion doesn’t mean ditching the idea of God.
2. Ask yourself why you need religion to be true?
Most of us, at some point in our lives, want simple, traditional, organised, religion to be true. We want this truth because we fear death, and the simplicity and organisation of traditional religion provides comfort that there is something else beyond death, a force looking after us, like a parent. Like someone who knows what all this chaos is for, and will hold our hand throughout, and reassure us that everything will be alright.
Some of us want religion to be true because to break with this truth will put us at odds with either our community, our friends, or our family, or, all three. It is frightening to go it alone, and of course you may be wrong?
Many people need religion to be true because they have built their success in life, (material or emotional), upon the alter of religion. Questioning religion would endanger their achievements. I am thinking here not just of priests and preachers, but of so many politicians, business people, and societies who align themselves with churches to further their own agendas.
And this need is everywhere. If you believe in a Christian God, and go to church every week, and send your kids to Sunday school, and teach them to say their prayers at night, then the pressure to continue to do this is often hidden, but immense. Especially when everyone else is feeling it and promoting the same beliefs around you.
Practicing The roadmap - Stage one
If questioning religion feels tough and you are struggling to let go of traditional religion, read the article Get Into A Growth Mindset, to help push you to challenge your usual way of thinking about adopting new ideas.
Meditation is a keystone of all the stages and so it’s good to get get started with a daily meditation practice now. Take a look at the article Meditation – 3 Ways, but for now stick with the first and third meditations – Loving Meditation, and Oneness Meditation.
Even if you don’t fully start meditation at the very least get used to finding stillness in your life and time alone with your thoughts as recommended in the article.
Key Guide for this stage – Mindset
Are you Ready For Stage two?
If you are nodding, then yes you are. Maybe you are questioning religion though you still want a traditional god to be real, but you just have this big nagging feeling that there are too many holes in the arguments. It’s okay not to be certain or to know for sure that no god we have ever thought up can be a true god.
I can’t prove this, or that god does, or doesn’t, exist any more than the Pope, Mormons or the high priests of the Jedi can prove their beliefs. All you need in Stage One to be ready for Stage Two is a healthy sense of skepticism.