Religion: A Doorway

“And he to whom worshipping is a window, to open but also to shut, has not yet visited the house of his soul whose windows are from dawn to dawn.” – Kahlil Gibran

Did you miss it?

Did you know that the door was open?

Why did you shut it?

Why did you shut out the very thing that you are looking for?

As I sat in one of my classes today an argument broke out. One party was discussing how he believed that his priest had the power to exercise demons, and the other, a self proclaim rationalist was trying to debunk his belief.

When you are studying religion in college, you see this kind of argument all the time. Admittedly, I myself have been guilty of participating in these kinds of discussions. But today was different for me. Today I sat back and watched patiently, letting the argument unfold.

Both were highly intelligent individuals, both had many arguments that fit their point of view, but neither could convince the other. They were at a stalemate. Both were speaking eloquently, but neither was listening.

I remembered how frustrating that is. You feel that you know you are right and the other person is definitely wrong. There is no question in your mind of who will win the debate. You know that if you just keep at it, eventually the other party will see the error of their ways.

But ultimately neither party can win. The reason is that all beliefs, all ideas, all thoughts, and all religions are a doorway. They are a place from where we can move from. Every element of consciousness is a place that we can move from. We must learn to start where we are at, and simply open the door.

What does it mean to open the door? It means that you should remember that your thoughts, beliefs, ideas, and religion are all relative to you. Why are they relative to you? It is because all your experiences and perceptions color your mental constructs. Can you honestly say that you have ever met anyone who agreed with you 100%?

The moment you feel that you can win a debate of this nature, is the moment you have closed the door on yourself. You have missed an opportunity to see into the heart and mind of another individual and have a profound and shared experience of the human condition. I did notice that one of the two individuals was almost there, he was almost reaching out to the other. I will not say which one it was, but he was giving the other the benefit of the doubt.

When it comes to ones mental constructs, we must give the other the benefit of the doubt. Why? Because in the end there is really no argument to be won. If you think there is something to be won, then you have missed the point of power of the human exchange.

Just listen to others, learn from them as much as you can. Even if their ideas contradict your own, it is important to listen, and then look into your heart. When one argues over their beliefs, or ideas, they are becoming defensive because of fear. They are afraid something is going to be damaged or destroyed.

One who possesses great wisdom, knows that he cannot speak of it properly. One who possesses great knowledge, does not boast, but uses it for the benefit of others. One who loving, does not ask for credit for good deeds, and does not brag about them. One who knows the truth, knows that truth can never be attacked or injured.

Religion is a door because it can open you up to love, or it can close in your face to fear. Science is a door because it can open you up to the great possibilities and wonders of the universe, or it can close your mind to them. Emotions are a door because it can help you to connect to other human beings, or it can close your heart to mistrust and resentment.

No matter what position you take, open your heart, open your mind, open your thoughts, to the idea that the other party may have some validity to what they are saying. Even if there is a single pearl in the whole ocean of conversation, is it not worth finding that pearl?