Perceptions of Organised Religion

I have met far too many individuals in my life who, having been brought up in a strict religious atmosphere of one kind or another, whether at school or at home, have rebelled completely against the entire business of religion, discarding the spiritual along with the organisation itself.

When people tell me that they are religious in their own way but 'do not subscribe to organised religion', I once felt that I could understand that point of view but I soon realised that my own was quite different.  I believe that organised religion serves a number of purposes and that we ought to USE the religion rather than allowing it to use us.  To say one does not believe in organised religion is rather like saying one does not believe in public transportation or hospitals or banks.  I do not trust any of them but they all have their uses, as does organised religion.

Without the organisation known as the Roman Catholic Church, there would be no soaring cathedrals and exquisite little churches and much of the great art and literature of the Western World would not exist.  Why on earth would one not wish to take full advantage of the beauty offered in the name of the Church without allowing it to take control?

One can worship God at home or in a garden, but there is nothing quite like a magnificent 'House of God' whether that be a Cathedral, Church or Mosque.  Furthermore, in the best circumstances, the energy of a group of people united in worship is quite powerful.  Sad to say, most of the time, much of the congregation or audience is not really concentrating on God or worship or using any spiritual energy at all.

Fundamentally, I believe that, at the very heart of Christianity is the ancient mystery religion of the Sacrifice of the God and I therefore believe that the Roman Catholic Church offers the most powerful experience of this mystery in Holy Communion.  Transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is true magic and anything less is less potent.

In like fashion, I find the traditions of Muharram and the weeping over Imam Husayn to be one of the most powerful experiences in Islam.  It is a practice that is limited to the 'shiani 'Ali' or Shia but it, like the crucifixion of Christ has its roots deep in the ancient world.  The weeping of women over the death of a God is one of the most potent communal magical acts.

Why on earth would one not wish to have life enriched by these incredible traditions and mysteries?  Why would one shun Cathedrals and Mosques, turn away from the extraordinary unfathomable face of the Divine and slam the door on cultural and spiritual practices that have belonged to humanity in one form or another since the very dawn of Time? 

I do understand how one might rebel against bigotry and strict adherence to any set of rules or regulations but to me, that is not the heart of religion.  That is simply the sort of thing that human beings do to place control over others in their own hands.  I therefore ignore it.  I believe that priests and Imams serve a function but it should not be treated as anything that interferes with the working of the individual soul and heart.  I find my own morality.  I choose what to follow in any spiritual tradition and in doing so, am free to sample more than one religion and  find the common threads that link them together.

I know this is a topic that I consider again and again but the reason I am thinking about it now has to do with the Runes and the Mysteries of Dionysus.  I have been studying the Runes for about three decades now and none of the explanations of their meaning ever convinced me totally.

It is the same with the mysteries of Dionysus.  I have read book after book on the subject but although they are filled with explicit and detailed accounts of this and that, they do not appear to find the very heart of the religion.

I do believe, like Joseph Campbell, that all religions are linked and there is a fundamental eternal Truth out there.  Even the worst religions and cults have a kernel of this truth somewhere, however much dross overpowers the gold.

The real problem with the Runes and the literature that deals with it, is Christianity and the way it dominates our thoughts in the Western World, whether we actually be Christian, atheist or belong to some other religion.   The way History is written, Christianity spread like a wildfire, instantly dominating the cultures it touched.  It evoked strong opposition in some cases but even when it did, it still was given an importance it may not have possessed at that point in time.

I read an interesting book that declared that it really was a toss-up at one point soon after the death of Christ whether Christianity or the worship of Mithras would triumph.  That struck me and I would go further in fact to state that Christianity NEVER would have achieved the significance it did were it not for the long history of mystery religions in the West and the worship of Dionysus, Adonis, Osiris and Attis.