Quod Verum Est: Questioning the Nature of Reality: Is Religion Necessary to Love?

Really sensible quote, as I see it.

What Religion Does to Us

Do we actually need a religion to know how to live as a good person, to have what we call "morals" or "ethics"? Do we need religion to tell us about love and God? Is religion necessary at all?

I think not. We can know ethics, love, and God without religion. It doesn't make sense to me why people choose to believe in religions, actually. Why would people choose to believe in something which intentionally makes them feel a sense of alienation from their fellow human beings? At the end of the day, we're all just humans in a world together, aren't we?

For example, in the Christian paradigm, people who believe in Jesus are saved from sins, and those who don't believe are not saved from sins. How does this make a Christian act towards those who aren't saved? Some would pity others, some would be disgusted, some would justify that the reason why bad things are happening to non-Christians is that they don't believe. Similar beliefs are caused by other religions as well. It is widely known what the conflict between Israel and Palestine is.

Some atrocities are committed in the name of religion.

Parody on the conflict between Israel and Palestine

Basically, what religions do, whether they admit it or not, is to create this sense of otherness. This is contrary to what the etymology of religion is. It comes from the Latin words Re (again) and Ligare (to tie). Combined, they make the expression "to tie again".

How can we be tied again, if religion is used more as a means of division towards our fellow human beings? Also, if God is taught to be a God of Love, then how can we be reunited with love if we use religion as a means to divide?

I think that there are things that we just know, even if we aren't taught them. Look at children. They don't need anyone to tell them about love. In fact, if you look at a baby who's all vulnerable and seeking affection, you know instinctively what love it's looking for, and you know how to give that love.

Cutie pies.

What's the Difference between Religion and Spirituality?
I want to make the difference clear between religion and spirituality.

Religion is an organised and hierarchical social institution which adheres to dogma which is deemed as true.

Spirituality is an individual realisation of truth through personal and unique experience.

I believe in spirituality, and that the very core of it is love. What we need is personal spiritual experience. We don't need religion to experience love. All we need is to be, because spirit is what we are.

Why be a part of a religion if you can be one with all?

Why do we have to be Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Zoroastrianist, Taoist, Jew, Shinto, Sikh, Jain, etc.? Why can' we just be?

At the end of the day, that's what is. Just us being. We just are. Why not make that being with each other a peaceful one? Why not we go beyond labels, just be, and be one with all?

Let's go back to the time that we as children once knew - that time before we learned about religions or nations or what ever differentiation. We already knew love.

Let's go back to being the children we once were in our hearts.

So if not religions, what then?

To end, I would like to share with two quotes from very insightful people which I think are very much appropriate: Albert Einstein and Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th and current Dalai Lama.

“The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.“.. Albert Einstein.

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