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Divindades indianas. Obra de Carlos Julião. Índia portuguesa, século XVIII.

Religion: Friend or Foe?
By Stephen Reedy


I was a child when my dad said, “No more church.” He was rightfully disgusted at the absolute hypocrisy of road-rage in the parking lot demonstrated by the same people who, minutes earlier, partook in the holy tradition of shaking hands with neighbors and sharing the peace. He had a point. The mad rush to exit the crammed parking lot was a savage display of angry, selfish people screaming cuss words and murderous wishes at each other. What monsters! Yet, these were seekers who went out of their way to attend a place that teaches them to be better people, which was admirable… Or was it?

I wondered if maybe their religious dedication taught them nothing, making them empty parrots of virtuous words they refused to understand. If so, then church was a waste of time. Or maybe they are self-aware work-in-progress seekers, hungry for guidance on how to stop being imperfect. If so, then they deserved high respect, because we are all silly monkeys trying to do better. This presents a great paradox: are the gigantic tribes of the world’s religions helping people grow or are they enabling folks to be mean? These systems have been the cause of oppression, war, and hellish genocide, yet they have also saved countless lives over the ages via guidance and community...


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  • HOME
  • ABOUT PRS
    • Manly P. Hall >
      • Manly Hall, A Personal Perspective
      • MPH Reading Group
    • PRS Board & Staff
    • Contributing Artists >
      • Arianne Ayu Alizio
      • Guadalupe Arellanes, PhD
      • Syd Buffman
      • Cecelia Condit
      • LD Deutsch
      • Paige Emery
      • Nailah Hunter
      • Marcella Kroll
      • Matt Marble
      • Brian Merriam
      • Lezley Saar
      • Radha Vishnubhotla
      • Senon Williams
    • Press
  • EVENTS
    • PLANTSTOCK
    • Visit
    • Accessibility
  • CLASSES
  • PRS ONLINE
    • CLASSES
    • On Demand
    • Videos >
      • Series
      • Subjects
    • Audio
  • EXHIBITIONS
    • Hansell Gallery
    • THE OUTER PLANETS
  • Library
  • Shop
    • Recent Publications
    • PRS Merch
    • Knapp-Hall Tarot
    • Books by Manly P. Hall >
      • The Secret Teachings
      • The Signature Editions
      • New Editions for Contemporary Seekers
      • Vintage Lecture Notes
      • MPH Essays
      • MPH Book SALE
      • Manly P. Hall Book Bundles
    • MPH Audio >
      • MPH Collection at BetterListen.com
    • MPH E-Books
    • Reprint Series curated by MPH
    • Online Gift Cards (not valid in store)
    • Symbolic Prints and Posters
    • Shipping Update
    • WHOLESALE
  • Rentals
  • BECOME A MEMBER!
  • FUNDRAISER FOR PRS!
  • Support
    • DONATE TODAY!