I read today that many people have been arrested in North West England, suspected of planning an Al Qaueda bombing campaign this Easter in Manchester shopping centres. The article I read states that most appear to be from Pakistan; there are strong links between terrorists in that country and in England and the people arrested appear to have been trained in religious schools in Pakistan.
Religious schools! What can possibly be religious about training young people to kill and maim other human beings whose only ‘crime’ seems to be that they live in a country that does not choose to follow the intolerant and frankly evil, ways of their masters, the extremist mullahs? If there was a single circumstance that could persuade me to have nothing whatever to do with organised religion, the actions of religious extremists would be it.
It is not just Islam that is afflicted by extremists who do not hesitate to use violence to achieve their misguided and inhuman aims – Christianity and Buddhism have their share of such intolerant supporters too. Take those ‘pro life’ activists for example. Once any group of people abandon reasoned argument for force, backed often by the use of guns and explosives, it is because they have no reasoned argument to present. The tyrant throughout human history has followed the same destructive path, one that has from time to time plunged humanity into a series of dark ages from which it has sometimes taken centuries to escape.
How can a just God allow this kind of thing to happen and to go on happening?
God, in His infinite wisdom, has granted humanity the boon of free will but at the same time has created a series of natural laws with the object I believe, of persuading us through their operation, to use our free will with responsibility. Like the boy who quickly learns that to put his finger in the fire will result in pain and disfigurement, so the breaking of the less understood natural laws will result in pain also. Cause and effect are universal in relation to all natural laws, the effect follows the cause whether for good or ill, as surely as night follows day.
Throughout human history human beings have resorted to force in order to coerce others into accepting their particular religious or political way of life. This has continued, indeed it seems to have escalated during the last century, despite lots of evidence that it is ultimately counter productive. Most people agree violence creates further violence and hatred breeds greater hatred. All negative actions generate spiritual darkness. The darkness we have created in this way is why visitors to us from the spiritual world complain of the discomfort they experience when entering ‘our dark world.’
The difficulty lies in the human ego. It is the part of us designed to ensure our true spiritual self does not lose contact with the physical body and our physical surroundings on earth. It is designed if you like “to keep body and soul together.” Unfortunately the combination of the ego and the five physical senses in many cases completely overwhelm the higher, spiritual self and so most people come to suppose that there is only one type of life – physical. Consequently all thought and action become short term and materially based. I use the words ‘short term’ in contrast to eternity which is in fact our true heritage.
We choose to come to earth because, among other things, we know the battle to contain the ego and the five senses is difficult but if it can be won, it will result in the strengthening and growth of our soul.
Conversely, because we are spiritual beings, the conflict generated between our spirit and our ego results in deep-seated fear; principally the fear of death. This means we are more easily influenced by priests, ministers and theologians who promise paradise if we renounce all and allow them to do our thinking for us. Thus are the eager young disciples of extremist Islam (or any other sect) easily led to accept the argument that to kill ‘infidels’ and surrender their own lives in the service of Mahomet, will lead them to Paradise. God is not mocked. The natural law of compensation will exact a terrible price on the spirits of those mullahs and others who mislead the young in this way. The darkness into which their spirit will be thrust and the aeons, in our time, of hard, selfless service to others in the spirit world before they can regain their light, makes such action very costly to their soul. The fact they seem not to understand this, shows just how far removed from the spirit is their version of religion.
© Lionel Owen 2009
The remainder of this article will appear in tomorrow's post.
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