"All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether."I wanted to ask my friend who shared this if she will be "singing an REM"1 anytime soon?
Anyway, at the risk of being out of context (because surely that's how I received this shared status update), I think the problem is that people don't understand "their religion" very well. No one's to blame though; it is not easy at all. Some people think they do, and I'm not exclusively talking only about young people.
I think though that this is due to the general lack of leaders-teachers. Yeah, there are bad leaders-teachers. Sure. But I think, that is also simply a product of the general lack of leaders-teachers. And again, who can blame people? Who would want that responsibility and that being an easy target of criticism and ridicule that come with being a leader in any religion, anyway? Which brings me back to my first point. People don't understand their religion very well.
I am not familiar with other religions, so really I'm speaking only about the only religion I know. In Christianity, this is what we are called to do. To be leaders. To be preachers. To be evangelizers. How to do all that effectively is a different topic altogether so I won't delve into it. But essentially, by avoiding to becoming these that we are asked to become, we are really not understanding our religion that well. And essentially, to start being one of those things, requires a lot of learning and studying. Once you have decided you want to be a leader-teacher in your religion, that's just a first step. You have to continuously question yourself always if what you know is enough. Often times, people fall into false confidence and complacency, thinking they're of a certain age already, they're wise enough, they've been in a religious organization or institution for a long time now, they're "veterans" of the religion already, what they know and think is right, and so on. Have enough of these people preaching for religions, and what do you get?
What has happened is people have come to think of religion as insufficient. Like, how can people kill others to "defend" their religion that otherwise teaches love? How can people support something their own religions are strongly against and still call themselves members of that religion?
And so, the Dalai Lama's status update. By "spirituality and ethics beyond religion," I think what he really means is "spirituality and ethics beyond any of today's many religions." I come back to my main point. People don't understand their religion. Then they do not love, have compassion, tolerate, forgive, and so on. And then yeah, it's easy to blame it on the religion. Or on those that are not theirs. Blame, blame, blame. People also change religions for the same reasons - but for many, it is mostly because they do not understand their original ones. The Dalai Lama appears to be essentially proposing a new religion, except he doesn't want to label it as such. It's something "beyond a religion." Oh. Kay.
But I think "religion" isn't bad. Many people just think it is. A Bon Jovi song unfortunately pops into mind: "You give love, a bad name." After all, wouldn't girls tend to have trouble with men if they grow up with a bad father figure? So, the Dalai Lama is talking only about today's crop of religions. Maybe the Dalai Lama's proposed new non-religion religion will work "better." Maybe it will bring more people to "the good side;" loving, compassionate, forgiving, patient, tolerant, and so on. That's great. But as the Dalai Lama said, that's what most of today's major religions are already supposed to be aiming to achieve. And he almost asks where has ethics and spirituality gone? Again, I think today's religions need more leaders and teachers who themselves will not stop learning and understanding their faiths and beliefs. But again, it's easier said than done.
So now I think it's all about personal decisions, really. At least that's what I think. What do you decide? Will you sing an REM?
Lastly, note that age is never an excuse. Many religious figures started older. You can, start (or restart anew), too, now or later, hopefully not too late. Me, personally, I think that religion is sufficient and it's what you make of it. If you personally think that (current) religion(s) is insufficient, just make sure it's not just an excuse for something. Do better. Make others better. Do the right things for the right reasons. I guess in that sense, the Dalai Lama is pursuing the right things (well, of course). But I disagree that religion itself, as far as spirituality and ethics are concerned, is inadequate. If you think it is, that's up to you.
It's all up to what you think, what you decide to think, and what you decide to do. Here's hoping you think and do the right things and make the right decisions. For the right reasons. Here's to continuous learning, and understanding that what you know might not be enough!
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1 One of the most popular songs of R.E.M. (the band) is entitled "Losing My Religion."
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