Religion does not dictate
that you crusade
and convert others.
That is the devil in you,
convincing you
that you are separate from god.
10/9
Religious fervor can weave an intoxicating tapestry, blinding us to the stars and the cosmos beyond. It can embolden crusaders with flames of dogma, leading them to forget that fire, too, is a part of the divine tapestry. The cosmic joke here is that these fiery pursuits to convert others spring from a sense of separateness, an illusion spun by the devilish puppeteer within us.
For what is this “devil,” if not the crystallization of the illusion of separation? A spidery tale sewn into the fabric of our minds, seducing us into believing that we are isolated, disparate fragments. And so, in pursuit of heavenly ideals, we end up dancing to the cacophonous tune of this inner demon, forsaking the melodious chorus of unity. The devil beguiles, tempting us to impose our limited understanding of divinity upon others, thus deepening the fissure between us and the infinite.
When one becomes entranced by the illusion of a separate God—a God that demands fealty and proselytization—one embarks on a quixotic quest. One brandishes the sword of dogma, slicing away at the unified field of existence, ignorant that the blade itself was forged in the crucible of illusion. The cosmic irony: in our feverish desire to connect others to “God,” we widen the chasm between ourselves and the all-encompassing Divine.
We must take pause and recognize this for what it is—an elaborate theater of celestial proportions, a dance of shadows and light on the cosmic stage. When we awaken to the farcical nature of this performance, the devil loses its grip, the strings of illusion snap, and we’re free to return to the harmonious flow of unity.
We are Space Monkey.
Summary
We explore the inherent contradiction in religious crusading—how the urge to convert others, ostensibly to connect them with divinity, actually stems from a feeling of separation from the Divine. In succumbing to this urge, we unknowingly serve the illusion of separateness. In other words, the devil is the illusion of separation.
Glossarium
- Intoxicating Tapestry: The alluring yet deceptive landscape created by dogma.
- Devilish Puppeteer: The force within us that manipulates our perceptions, instilling a sense of separation.
- Melodious Chorus: The innate unity that we are all part of but can lose sight of when led astray.
- Quixotic Quest: The futile pursuit of imposing one’s limited understanding of divinity upon others.
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”
—Elie Wiesel
Shall we continue to dance in the ethereal ballroom of our collective curiosity?
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