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Consider the famous Karl Marx quotation, "Religion is the opium of the masses." Obviously, millions do use religion that way, as a means of feeling good and covering over problems and difficulties. Marx's words could well be updated to also include millions of those pursuing today's alternative spiritual paths (i.e., New Age paths). I think there are millions of New Age people who also are stuck in unproductive spiritual ruts. They view religion as being like opium but deny the addictive qualities of their own spiritual paths. I think the unwelcome truth is that most everyone is using their spirituality and/or religion as a means of avoiding necessary life lessons here at Earth School.
If you are out there raping, robbing and murdering, most would likely agree that your road to God-Tao is likely to be long, not short. Few recognize that their most popular spiritual paths may also result in long detours. I believe your road is long if you are always trying to be loving, kind and spiritual, or trying to live a life filled with God's love, meditation, prayer, yoga, rituals, ceremonies, and so on. For these spiritual paths and tools, which few ever question, are useful in helping us to feel better.
It is necessary to understand that anything that makes us feel better (even a bit of New Age humor) can be and often is used like opium by millions of people. We get a little tense or bothered or upset, and we grab for our favorite fix. Our current fixes might be: opium, food, religion, meditation, prayer, yoga, guru, feeling God's love, exercise, groups, therapy, sex, relationship, excitement, pleasures, family, friends, pets, ritual, ceremony, internet, cigarettes, alcohol, chanting, drugs, peak experiences, dancing and/or conversation.
© 2008 by Thayer White
Finding Your Soul in the Spirituality Maze
| Excerpt from Be Your Own Therapist: "Post Traumatic Stress = instant simplified diagnosis of the 97% of us who grew up in dysfunctional families (see Chapter 16 for more about our dysfunctional families). Almost all of us suffer still from unhealed traumas suffered at the hands of both parents and society during our first 18 years." |
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