Can there be New Ways of Understanding and Practicing Ancient Religious Teachings?

[Leonardo17]

Belaqua: I agree with most of your ideas about the usage of art in the religious context. One of the names of Allah is Al-Jameel (Beauty).
 

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But medieval Islam like to focus on inner beauty rather than outside demonstrations of grandiose types of beauty. Which is the reason why, if you ever visit the medieval mosques of Modern Spain you will see that they are simple-looking from the outside and very elaborately decorated on the inside. Their highly precise working of inner spaces is just incredible.


 
This is the famous Alhambra palace in Spain: From the outside it looks like a simple medieval Castle.
 
On the inside, it’s probably one of the biggest object of art that has ever been produced by the hands of men:


 
But let us not dilute the subject here:
 
I added the picture of this triptych to emphasize the fact that “Whatever works for any of us is good”. There is no punishment, no competition and the only reward is the religious process itself. Just like Osiris who is being “remembered” by Isis (Life) after being torn down into pieces by the evil God Seth (A figure that is similar to “The Tempter” of the Bible who gets Adam and Eve kicked out of Heaven (Eternal Life), we have the ability to Remember. Religion means “To bind back”.
 
So again: “Do you feel like you are sincerely binding back to something Greater or are you just adhering to a set of mythology that is backed by the robotic realization of a given number of rituals?
 
- This question is not that new after all. But it is a question that is being amplified in our times. How?
By people who have the ability to get to your children while you are asleep. DO you know how many types of “Islam” branded political ideologies are available on the Internet right now?
 
Just today: I saw a video on the Major of Istanbul who was being visited by his friendly Palestinian counter-part. Under the Video there were troll accounts criticizing him for that because that Major was a secular Palestinian who was not related to the Terrorist group of Hamas.
 
So that’s the argument here: “If you are connecting with a triptych (like that beautiful Byzantine above) that’s perfect for me. On the other hand, if you are in an Ashram in India, sleeping in different Yoga postures, that’s also fine for me, but where is the connection? If there is no connection, where is the benefit?

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I think that’s one big criteria everybody should look-out for with anybody pretending to be from any of the main religious traditions that are present in this world.
 
Nay Sayer: 

That’s something I’m struggling with. We like to describe this as different boats that are there for us the use in the crossing of the same river (if we choose to). That’s the part that has no place in this century.

 Look at that sentence: “My path is the only possible right path”. Who is the You in that sentence?
 
JabberWocky: 

Yes, Maybe. All I am saying is that there is some logic within the seemingly Jabberwocky issues as well.
 
Plain and simple: I am currently seeing the Movie “Patriot’s Day” (Mark Wahlberg 2016) for the fourth time or so, All that I saying is there is a difference between someone who feels connected (like me) and someone who has mental issues or is simply evil (like the losers who perpetrate such hideous actions).
 
So here is the non-JabberWocky part for you