....Or Psychological Mysticism if you prefer. In the past, and still in the present, many sincere and good hearted people are taught to stifle their mental potential in the name of "good faith." They are taught that it is a sin to think one's own thoughts, and speak one's own words. What often happens due to this rigidity is that some people remain steadfast and just listen to what they are told, and live their lives in blissful contentment. Others try to change their systems of ideology from within. Many people from this lot begrudgingly resign, after realizing that they can not reform the obvious problems that they can so easily see. Still, others fight tooth and nail until the powers that be throw them out, and then wash their hands of the matter. These are only generalizations, of course. But these scenarios occur time after time.

Atheists point to these events to indicate how religion does not work in fairness to the very people it claims to serve. Yet, religionists look upon the same events to expose the blasphemies of those who were removed from the ranks of the believers. The same event produces radically opposing interpretations. One is the unfairness of the institutions. The other is the unfairness of the dissidents. At this juncture is where the true religious moderates are needed to bridge the gap between the war holler to destroy religious institutions, and the equally abrasive shriek of religious fundamentalists with their "Our way or the high-way" banner raised up from on high. Religious Moderation is not a code for apathy, extreme relativism, new-age, or anything of the sort. It simply refers to people of all religious and spiritually based systems who don't throw away their convictions every time they are tempted by their egos, and likewise it indicates those who don't shun the rest of the world because they practice the wrong religion.

Skeptics may say, "This is all very well in theory, but fundamentalists learn this attitude from their own books and scriptures. They don't get this from thin-air." They are correct in saying that, without a doubt. All of the religious scriptures of the world contain attitudes of extremism, intolerance, absolutist, and everything under the sun that religious fundamentalists cling to. There is also evidence to the contrary in those self-same books. This is the point of contention among religionists with non-believers, and with each other as well. Each "group" is selecting choice passages and phrases that bolsters their own point of view, and they begin throwing these at each other to see who wins the competition. It reminds one of a theological snowball fight. One could say that even religious moderates are guilty of this, and they would be correct. Thus, the human experience exposes its imperfection for eternity.

Now that it has been established that all of the religious scriptures contain evidence to support fundamentalism, liberalism, and moderation. Where do we go from here? In the opinion of the author, the key element is acceptance one fundamental that I think we can all agree upon. Humans are not perfect, and we will continue to prove this to ourselves forever and ever. It has been my experience that fundamentalists can be the most kind of all people, while religious liberals can be the most smug and arrogant. So, don't think a person's philosophical ideas makes their character.

About the Author

I enjoy the simple pleasures of life, with some lavishness thrown in for good measure every once and a while. I'm always looking for new skills to learn so I can apply them in my life.