As these "holy days" come around, I'm going to post something that reflects my view of religion. It's expressed in Christian terms because that's the religion I was brought up in. It's from Paul Tillich and it perfectly expresses where I think religion has gone wrong -- and how individuals can free themselves from the burden of legalistic religion. How? By following, oddly enough, the example of Jesus Himself. If Jesus were here today, he would be destroying the religions that have been propped up in His name. The Yoke Of Religion by Paul Tillich.
Key quote:
The burden He wants to take from us is the burden of religion. It is the yoke of the law, imposed on the people of His time by the religious teachers, the wise and understanding, as He calls them in our words, the Scribes and Pharisees, as they are called usually. Those who labor and are heavy laden are those who are sighing under the yoke of the religious law. And He will give them the power to overcome religion and law; the yoke He gives them is a "new being" above religion. The thing they will learn from him is the victory over the law of the wise and the understanding, and the law of the Scribes and Pharisees.
3 comments:
Religious holidays kind of flip me out, and this is a great post to stumble on the night before Easter. It helps to strip away the bs. Thanks for this one.
oh, silly me, I thought you said The Joke of Religion...in which case I would have said right on! "Yoke" works too, tho...
echoing lsl - thanks for posting this Steve. It's too easy for me to get caught up (especially today, Easter) in the horrid old meanings my religion used to have for me and to spend my day in bitter musings. this was the antidote I needed!
hugs,
Brian
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