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On Simplifying Religion

While at Jayh’s wake last week… one of the pastors made a comment that stuck with me.

He said something along the lines of, “Why complicate religion? Forget all of the endless interpretations from the endless lines of religious text and simplify. For me, it all boils down to two lines: Love God and Love Thy Neighbor. Period.”

And he continued by saying if what you’re doing in life doesn’t model those two lines, then you need to check your religion.

This reflects one of my core beliefs that comes from the Dalai Lama. When asked to define his religion he said, “My religion is kindness.” …And if there’s any concept that needs to be more closely interpreted for integration into life practice… it’s that line.

Don’t miss the forest for the trees. Don’t get caught up in the nuances. Don’t overthink what most religious texts try to make predominantly and abundantly clear… LOVE is the bottom line. KINDNESS is the interpretation. TOWARDS ALL is who we should include in our practice. NOW… TODAY… is when it’s needed.

…More than ever.

Published inArchivesOverflowingUnderstanding Love