The word “Religion” is mostly used interchangeably with “Faith” or “Belief”, and just so you know, there are approximately 4,200 different kinds of religion in the world. Regardless of the message conveyed, or how awkward the practice of any of those religions may seem, every religion claims to be a means to achieving a unified purpose, and that’s connecting humanity with spirituality.
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For the record, the moment you catch me mention any religion in this article, you can stop reading. I’m not here to paint any religion black or white. I just want to iron out a pertinent issue which my (little) exposure has made me realize cuts across every religion. It is just more pronounced in some religions than others. For every “authentic” religious doctrine, there is a counterfeit.
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Every religion has their practices and how things should be done. These teachings are taught to everyone of that particular faith, by those who, from generation to generation have dedicated their time and lives to the acquisition of knowledge, and the understanding of the intricacies of the religion. These ones are highly regarded and oftentimes, given leadership positions, hence, one of the most delicate aspects of a human’s life – “BELIEFS” is entrusted into the hands of the “Shepherds”, expected to lead their “Flock” aright.
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While some shepherds genuinely care for the spiritual health and progress of their flock, some are just rearing them like livestock, strategically feasting on the simplicity that they have planted amidst those who only wanted to be led aright. I’ve said it before and won’t stop saying it – “We will be stupendously stupid to sit down and suspend our brains, anytime religion is called into question”. There are hungry shepherds everywhere.
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A particular religion requires you spend at least 1 hour of the 24 on meditation and deeper spiritual communication. A Shepherd then tells you they’ve seen how busy you are, and if you can pay a certain amount of money, they’ll meditate on your behalf. Another requires you fast and pray, and a shepherd tells you it’ll cost you this much, to do that on your behalf. Seriously? It has come to contractual spiritual activities now?
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You don’t even want to know how gullible a lot of people have become, thanks to religion (and brain suspension). Husbands giving out their wives to “Holy Shagging”, Parents allowing their children become slaves to spiritual heads, people living day-to-day life exactly according to how they are told to, “Divine Orgies”, people running into insurmountable debts on divine instructions, “Killing for God”, “Holy Suicides”…
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I could go on and on, but the fact remains that even though there’s more to spirituality than meets the eye, the application of commonsense and engagement of discretion has never and would never be a sin. Any religion that preaches otherwise is crap. Yes! Quote me anywhere. As a spiritual shepherd, if what gives you joy is to continually feed on your flock; then enjoy. One day the feast will come to an end, and it’ll be the turn of termites to feed on you.
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The question I keep asking is “Who’s to blame for spiritual gullibility? The Shepherd or The Flock?”
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Cheers!
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#Day12 #WriteTimeChallenge #JaybeesWriteTime #Religion