reply to post by bgaty
Having a Spiritual belief system that is personalized and running within the realm of reality according to the given understandings is a good thing
because God is real.
However when people as a group, (religion), start focusing on the ritualized phyical aspects of the spiritual belief system, and they lose focus from
the true nature of the "spiritual reality" then the religion becomes toxic.
We can use "Christianity" as a model for understanding.
Christ was/is real. The Christ being defined as an understandable extention of the original "creator god", and being the "original child". The
Christ, our creator's chosen being comes to this little planet. He delivers the message. However it is in the humanizing of the understandings where
the "christ ians" become toxic. They start yelling at the world they they are the rightous ones. This is a lie. However they feel because they've
taken a sunday bath and misunderstood a couple of lines of text that they are "saved". This "Salvation" established within the confines of thier
own mind, not being in reality, gives them "free licence" to act badly and do damming things to their own soul.
However the "salvation" is real in the context that if you see what you've done wrong and feel bad and then stop doing it you are free.
Let us look at a charactor. Bill was a bully. Bill went out getting drunk and starting fights. Bill one night got beat down. Bill though oh lord save
me. Bill then became a christian. Bill takes the sunday bath and makes the confesion. Bill feels he's saved and rightious. SO Bill begins to bully
"nonbelievers".
Bill has changed his bad behavior from a blind agression to a focused agression. Bill didn't change the agression.