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

[Leonardo17]

Ferrocyanide:
 
The term “Church” has become very widespread indeed. Technically, even Muslim communities in the US are a “church” of some sort. Students of Paramahansa Yogananda are also describing themselves as “missionaries” of God. And there is nothing wrong with that for me. It simply strengthens my idea of “Separation of Church and State”
 
GrandNudger:
1) I’m a hetero, so to me it’s like a 10 year old kid holding a hand-grenade or a razor-sharp knife or something like that. The hijab (this kind of hijab) is a very strong symbol. And I believe it is also partly responsible for the far-right disaster that has just happened in European parliament elections a few days ago.
 
Not all Europeans are the civilized / highly intelligent individuals that we usually think of in other parts of the planet. Some of them are complete philistines under a mask of culturally more sophisticated persons. There is no denying this. But this guys (people with the hijab) are increasing the pressure of them. They go as far as portraying people who simply don’t like their way of doing this as “anti-Islam” or “racists” (Just like Jewish extremists call us anti-Semites whenever we say something that goes against their way of doing things).
 
So yes: This image is a scary image. I totally don’t like it. And it’s utterly stupid to believe that you can achieve any level of spiritual growth by terrorizing other people like this.
 
Of course: you know that I totally respect more “normal” types of headscarves when they have a cultural and/or sincerely spiritual meaning for that person.
 
2) Yes. But I say this has to change. No one is going to follow that kind of approach in our time unless they are forced or brainwashed into it. All parts of society have the potential to evolve. Religious institutions have also the ability of evolve and change
 
3) That type of Islam / Political Islam are not really a match for me.

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I grew up identifying with the most famous figures of resistance who would rather give up their lives suffering under the hands of the Gestapo rather than betraying their cause of freedom and independence. So of course I don’t eat that type of meat
 
But I also met “other” types of Islamic doctrines. In fact, that’s the main school of Islam if you are willing to look at it straight.
 
The problem in our time is that if you have means like social media, TV stations who say whatever you want them to says, followers who were indoctrinated into doing whatever you tell them is the right way to do things, there are these “methods” that will allow you to do things in the way your own Ego is dictating you.
 
If Putin is doing it in Georgia, If he tried and failed to do stuff like that in Ukraine, Do you think other people with even more financial means will not try it in other parts of the world. Look at Narendra Modi and His BJP Party in India. He splits Indian society in two, he polarizes, he hates Muslims (who are an integral part of Indian society since several millennia), alienates the Sikh and the Christians (spread hatred toward them like Trump spread hatred toward those who don’t believe his lies), he undermines secularism, He hates the theory of evolution (that’s the one I really don’t get, why does one remove the theory of evolution from biology classes?), the economy is growing by 10 % a year but still the poor stay poor and still youth-unemployment is rising.
 
This is like the story of the AK Party here, only a bit further to the east.
 

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So it’s not a “religion” thing. This is populism / fascism. And it’s as old as the Pharaohs of Egypt actually. But this is not the Age of Ramses II. This is the age that follows enlightenment and the Industrial revolution. So while some people are a little slow in getting it. This is the reality of our time. I like reason and true facts. I don’t like indoctrination and brainwashing based arguments. And I am saying that true spirituality is like this too. You’re probably understanding this by now.