Benedict's Choice Is No Choice

An article in the Washington Post in response to their question:
In his speech to U.S. bishops last week, Pope Benedict XVI said: "Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted . . . To the extent that religion becomes a purely private affair, it loses its very soul." Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Benedict's Choice Is No Choice

Comments

[Idytme]

To me, spiritual is your state of being, while religion is the external trappings. It is the institution, the books, the rules. Once an institution is started, it needs to perpetuate itself.
One of the major points of contention in early Christianity was about whether you can find God within you. The Gnostics lost and lost big when state control of the church led to the burning and destruction of all documents pertaining to finding God inside yourself as opposed to only being able to communicate to God through a priest. (there were even a few people who wanted more of a two-tiered system, like a high school and college for Christianity which would include both).
When the Gospel of St. Thomas was found, there are many phrases said by Jesus that are in the gospels, but mysteriously (!!) it also contains other sayings that point to looking inside one's self for God that never made it to the NT.
But if one seeks the Aramaic of the Lord's Prayer (look up Neil Douglas-Klotz), one will see how meditative and self-instructive the prayer really is. There is no doubt that Jesus was teaching people to look within, to meditate and do *inner* work, including forgiveness work.
So yes, while a *religion* may lose its soul if people look inward, the person doing it may gain theirs.
; )

[nerakami]

Religion is a set of beliefs created by man in an attempt to convey the essence of God. It has evolved to be a personal set or institutionalized system of attitudes, beliefs, and practices. From the perspective that it's intention is to share its teachings with others, it has to be a public affair. However, if we look at the individuality and uniqueness of each of God's creations, it goes without say that it is inconceivable that any one set of beliefs could sustain or satisfy everyone or anyone. It is ironic that the word religion comes from the Latin word: religare - to restrain, tie back, as it seems the very thing that ought to deliver one to freedom becomes the yolk around his neck.

John 4:23/24: ...."God is Spirit, and those that worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Clearly then, communicating and re-connecting with the Creator is a very private and personal affair as it "sees" the intentions behind everything we do in the unseen realm of our hearts and minds.

Religious teaching is symbolically like the Driver's License handbook we study to take the Driver's test, but then the day comes when we put the book down and get behind that wheel to incorporate these beliefs as a daily practice so our lives become an ever-evolving state of be-ing.

Religion has too many excuses to live the life of a "poor sinner" and not enough information to transcend the cross.

[RabidRightRebel]

If public religion means people using religion to judge others in public count me out. While my soul does not mind private condemnation, I am pretty sure it would be pretty rebellious if it had to accept public criticism for not being pious enough.

And just for the record, while I believe that all Popes are extremely religious men, history and Luther have shown that they are not infallible agents of god.

[lunadove]

The soul is, to me , is the sacred, and to reach the soul is to go to sacred inner space. Connecting with soul is a private matter.
Religion, however, is a business that relies on growth, therefore it is no the same as having soul, and is thus not able to loose soul, but expansion and profits. Business has no soul, unless it shares its resourses in a responsible manner and works for the good of all.

When I sit in my own castle full of treasures, I will be sure to fully contemplate the soul of the church while many suffer for lack of basic needs.