In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful...the Best Knower.
Peace to all.
The question was asked:
"If I have GOD in my life....Why do I need Religion?"
Good Question.
There is a huge difference between "God-revealed" religion and "man-made" religion.
"Religion" comes from two Latin roots "re"(back, again) and "ligare"(to tie, to bind, to connect). Therefore, in its truest sense, "religion" means to bind together or to "reconnect".
God is more interested in the "whole" than the "parts". When the majority of the whole, or a siginificant portion of it, has fallen into disorder due to deviation from Divine Guidance, then it becomes necessary for God to reveal Guidance that will bring order back into the lives of those who need it most. His aim is to provide a means for the people to "reconnect" with Him.
When attempting to get a group of people who have fallen into disorder and nonproductivity as a collective BACK into a state of Order and Productivity, it is necessary to first "bind them together" under a common idea and a common code of ethics and a common sense of purpose, and then give them Guidance to accomplish the Idea of a better reality.
Our difficulty has been in discerning the difference between man-made religion, man-corrupted God-Revealed religion, and actual God-Revealed Religion....that, and the general unwillingness to extend ourselves beyond our personal comfort zones.
Basically, what True Religion amounts to is, "People organized and working together to fulfill a Divine Idea for a better world, according to Guidance from God."
What is good for the Whole is good for all its Parts.
RM
Peace! Religion: Latin religio originally meant 'obligation, bound.' It was probably derived from the verb religare 'tie back, tie tight.'. ~ Dictionary of Word Origins. Obligation: requirement, prerequisite, demand, necessity, command, order, CONSTRAINT. ~Oxford American Desk Thesaurus. Bound: limit, confine, restrict, cramp, straiten, restrain, demarcate, define. Tie: restrict, confine, curb, limit, constrain, restrain, hamper, hinder, impede, cramp. Tight: taut, rigid, stiff, tense, stretched, strained. Tie Back: to restrain; as in behind one's back: secretly, deceitfully, slyly, sneakily surreptitiously, covertly.
ReplyDeletethe above definitions that break down the origin of "religion" can be likened to slavery. Slavery: enslavement, bondage, servitude, subjugation.
A slave is one who is tied down, tied back, restrained, one who is limited.
Thank you for your input/response.
ReplyDeleteYour statement underscores the reality that it is all about "perception".
One could also be "tied down" or "bound" by false ideas and concepts about life.
Religion, like any other "instrument" can be used for great good, or great evil. It just depends on whose "hand" it's in.
Peace to you and yours.
RM
Salaam (Peace)...
ReplyDeleteAs a follow-up, we are ALL "bound" together, or "tied" together by the Laws of Creation.
There is no such thing as "absolute freedom" in this universe. If there were, Life could not exist.
In order for Life to Exist, there must first be MOTION.
In order for Life to Exist, that MOTION must be given ORDER.
ORDER is a sign of CONTROL, and CONTROL suggests LIMITS to "freedom".
TRUE Religion, GOD-REVEALED religion, is designed to restore the UNIVERSAL ORDER among the people.
Man-made (selfish) religion is designed to control for selfish purposes.
Both impose limits on "freedom", except one is CONSTRUCTIVE and the other is DESTRUCTIVE.
Absolute "freedom" is chaos, and chaos - or random motion - is against life.
Thanks again for your input.
RM
Peace an Blessing Brother Reuben!!...Nice Writing as always!!
ReplyDeleteI remember Assistant Min. Lawrence (Mosque #45) back in the 90's was breaking down how "Freedom" is born out of "Restriction". In a nutshell he went on to say that "The Restrictive Laws" of God that One "Submits" to and is "Bound" by, is NOT damaging to his or her Growth and Development on every level. (Mind Body Spirit) For whenever and however The Restrictive Law is broken.....a circumstance arises out of that Rebellion to "ENSNARE" (enslave) the Rebellious One!!!
Peace.
Tajudeen Chancellor