Hello, I'm a dissertation pupil in my last year of High School and was wondering if you could answer a question or two from your spiritualist viewpoint.
Do you think the removal of God(s) from our society and world would benefit the majority and why?
Thank you very much
Siobhan
—Siobhan, Scotland
Dear Siobhan,
I think the removal of God would result in a complete disaster for our society.
God, to use an allegory, is like a huge symphony, out of which all our little personal melodies come. If we don’t listen to that symphony anymore, but all of us just play our own rhythm and key and tempo, everything is terribly out of tune. What results is a total cacophony. And this is what we observe today in our society, all over the world: everything out of tune, a cacophony, and it is getting worse.
As you rightly say we have a “spiritualist viewpoint.” There is a definite difference between “spirituality” and “religion.” Both believe that there is an Intelligence at the base of everything, but “religion” means dogmas and outer structure, while “spirituality” is something we experience inside, personally and freely.
The majority in society, I think, would greatly benefit if we define “God” in a fresh way. It may be best to chose another word, because “God” is so laden with old concepts. We could use the term, for example, “Infinite Spirit”.
Modern and young people often can’t stand religion: how the churches define God, the narrowness of it all, the oldness, the heaviness, the sense of guilt, the pressure, the power involved, bad examples of clergymen, the teaching of condemnation to hell and that we are all sinners, the hierarchy, the dogma that there is only one way, the demand to believe in things which defy common sense, and so on. I agree. All these elements need to be abandoned, with great benefits to society.
We live in a scientific age in which our concept of God must change, but without God, as I said, we are like an orchestra of a thousand musicians without its director. The more we go that way, the more our world will find itself lost in meaninglessness and therefore disaster. We don’t need religion, at least not an old one, but we do need God.
What is needed is a new and free concept of God, which works for our modern society. God, to use an image of Yogananda, is an Ocean, and we are the waves. This Ocean is pure Life, pure Consciousness. It can be felt by everyone who lifts his eyes in stillness. Being felt it gives nothing else but pure joy, bliss, love, peace. That Ocean, however, is too big to be only formless and impersonal. It can intelligently take on form, according to the way a person opens up to it: it can become a Shiva for one, or a Madonna for the other, or Light for the next. But in reality it is none of it: Spirit is an eternal Ocean, beyond time, space, and concepts.
To sum up: God, or “Spirit” is absolutely necessary for society, like the center of a wheel which, when lost while turning quickly makes the wheel turn badly and everything wobbles woefully. Society needs to learn that He is a blissful reality. He gives freedom. He can be experienced. He doesn’t mind if we don’t call Him “God,” we may use whatever name we want, pray in whatever way we like, follow whatever path inspires us. That kind of approach in pure freedom would prove healthy for the world. Turning away from our Source, on the other hand, means we will turn our society into even a greater nest of trouble than it already is.
I was an atheist and hope that all who are the same will try what I tried: “Spirit, if you exist, help me understand. Make me somehow feel it. Show me a sign.” Then see. In this way a door opens for a healthier society.
Good luck in your studies and all, jayadev
