Build your own religion: the Tenets

Lent 2020 - Day Six

So - for those who are still with me on this year's spiritual quest - let's assume we're building a made-to-measure religion: what should be its prime principles?

The Ten Commandments are a useful start; we see both injunctions to worship the one God, and ones telling us what not to do if we are to live in harmony with our fellow human beings. The element of social control is clear. I believe more in self-control than having someone tell me what to do 'for my own good'; but this requires more than self-discipline - it requires wisdom and experience. The young do require external guidance, but in the form of respected role models and mentors, rather than dictators.

As a guiding principle, one's relationship with others needs to be based on trust, mutual respect and not doing harm. The need not to do evil unto others should come from within - not from fear of spiritual retribution or physical punishment. Societies built on trust work better than one where suspicion and distrust of the other reigns; they are generally both richer and fairer. So a first tenet or principle would be "get on with your fellow humans, and harm them not."

Along with an ethical approach to one's fellow man, we should also consider our home, this planet. Concern for the natural environment is something new - I remember first hearing about the 'greenhouse effect' and 'global warming' in a physics lesson in my fourth year at grammar school (so 1972 or '73); it was described as a theory, one that jarred somewhat with the ice age that was meant to be coming soon. A life that avoids waste and excessive consumption is commendable. Seek joy in life, rather than pleasure. A measure of asceticism is to be commended.

Do not be complacent, don't be ungrateful. Stay conscious of the luck bestowed on you (Be Thankful for What You've Got, to quote William DeVaughn). My father, who lived to 96, would sometimes ask me in his last years, "why have I been so lucky?". I think the answer is that he never took his luck for granted. And look after your health - don't take that for granted.

Be open to the spiritual, the numinous, the metaphysical; question; discuss with the like-minded.

"Try to keep an open mind. Try to understand the viewpoint of others."

Be observant and curious. These two facets of conscious life are crucial to one's spiritual development; a desire to understand means a desire to have an ever-higher awareness of the Universe, of the wholeness of Creation. A process that takes more than one lifetime - being open to learning will leave your consciousness open to have another go.

[One year on, I'm re-reading this. It makes sense to me - but does it make sense to you? If not, I have failed.]

This time last year:
Chynów station - progress on the tracks

This time three years ago:
Mindfulness - more than a passing fad?

This time four years ago:
Pascal's Wager dissected with Occam's Razor

This time five years ago:
Speaking to God, listening to God

This time six years ago:
D3200 shoots X100

This time seven years ago:
Weekend with the Fuji X100

This time 11 years ago:
Sublime sunset, Jeziorki

This time 12 years ago:
Dramatic sunset, Jeziorki