Theos-Talk Archives (December 1999 Message tl00346)

At 10:53 AM 12/31/1999 +1300, Murray Stentiford wrote:
>I don't know if you want to, at this stage, but I'd be interested in
hearing what you think about what it's like for people who make the climb
out of an "orthodox" religious environment and strike out on their own. I
have a lot of admiration for those who have done so.

Murray<

I have been there -- I have also seen many who have been there and have
found it very difficult to *climb* out.

To me the "orthodox" environment is to be taken in its widest meaning; the
key being many *beliefs* which are not obviously based on personal
knowledge. For example I have seen my friends who have grown up in
traditional *Hindu* background with strong *theosophical* influence, still
find it difficult to leave behind some of the *Hindu* thinking. These are
all very good and helpful people and we have to use our tolerance and hope
one day they would be able to "climb" out. I have seen myself immersed for
decades in traditional "theosophical" beliefs fostered by writings of well
known authors and it took years to realize how these beliefs are not based
on personal first hand knowledge.

Once you climb out of beliefs, and if you do not replace them with another
set of beliefs, one can have an open mind and one is likely to question
everything -- nothing is considered sacred -- and such an inquirer would be
very independent and original in thinking and could be very unpredictable
since their actions under a certain set of circumstances are governed by
the then existing circumstances and not any predefined ones.

Organizations and its leaders will find it easy to deal with
people/followers who -- for one reason or the other -- are hanging on to a
set of beliefs, however sacred they are considered -- since clever
leadership can mould the beliefs to their best advantage. In *spiritual*
organizations, such changes or compliance is achieved by either fear of
/good/bad consequences now or fear in a future incarnation! Another serious
problem one runs into in *spiritual* organizations is the demand that one
hands over one's conscience to another -- such as a Guru or Guru's rep as a
condition of some expected spiritual growth. Once such a commitment is
obtained, it is very easy to make everyone fall in line and comply with no
questions asked. It is not unlike how when one joins military, one is
expected to take orders coming from above and obey with no questions asked,
however immoral or irrational or cruel or unreasonable such orders are.

My 0.02.

mkr