Learning From Religions

Our journey as living beings may carry us through a wide variety of circumstances and ways of viewing the world around us. The yearning for an expression to our spiritual nature motivates our investigation into the religious traditions of our cultures. Here we find structure, morality and community. There are answers to our questions, reassurance for our doubts and the certainty that being a good person will be rewarded. Unfortunately, these same belief systems are often mired in dogma, mindless repetitive ritualistic behavior and intolerance of any other religion. Unquestioning faith in a religion demands silencing the same investigative motivation that led us there in the first place.

The question then becomes how we may separate the beneficial qualities these religions may have to offer from their oppressive and restrictive qualities. Is this even possible, or should we reject them outright? The vast majority of the followers of these religions are peaceful, rational people. They may not even agree with all the tenets of their religion, but what can they do? To abandon their chosen religion puts them in jeopardy of being ostracized by their family or community. In some parts of the world it may even put their lives at risk.

Panphilosism views the religions of the world like the grades one passes through in school. There are useful points of view that one religion may offer that resonate with one individual more than other. Often they merely state the same truth in different ways, if we can see past the canons, mythology and insistence of being the "one true way." There are valuable things to be learned in elementary school, but one is not meant to stay there forever.  We graduate and move on. Panphilosism, or any other way of viewing the universe, can offer valuable insights and tools that help us on our journey. It cannot contain the entirety of what may be called "absolute truth", but it may be just what you are looking for to carry you to the next level of your development.