The War Against Religion by Leon Bahrman
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. - 2Thessalonians 2:4.
While the text above is a prophecy concerning the Antichrist, we may also see it as referring to the ego-self as that tyrant fights the Christ from being known.
This is not a treatise that is promotive of any one religion in particular, nor is it intended to be against any other religion as such. It is rather a brief work against a particular trend seen within many movements today which seek to sideline, subvert, or else to shelve religion in general. 'Religion' is herein defined as any set of beliefs or creeds which are recongnized through their traditional names and orthodox beliefs.
Notice in the text above the phrase: "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped"- This is not a statement that's exclusive toward Christianity. Of course many Christians think that they're the only religion that's 'targeted' in their conspiracy theories or experiences, however, if we're honest we can see that persecution within recent history has also included members of these religions: Islam, Buddhism (as in Myanmar), Tibetan Buddhism (as in China), Falun Gong (as in China), as well as others. Multiple practitioners of these and other religions have been imprisoned for their faith for religious or political (or both) reasons, and have even been killed.
In many progressive circles, there's a contemptuous view toward relgions in general- and while Christianity often seems to receive the brunt of that, it's inclusive of religion in general as noted above. Religion is seen as a hindrance toward an evolutionary leap of man in his/her spiritual Quest, and an antiquated thing which serves more as a crutch for a weaker humanity. Yet is all this fare? After all, it is often religion that has been behind man's aspirations to better himself, to reach out in compassion and empathy for each other, and much of the drive for lifting up man toward his next evolutionary status has been historically shared by all the major religions of the world- albeit expressed in different ways.
What is behind this perceived 'war against religion'? While much of it may be philosophical, as in the difference between the more 'Patriarchal' or Personal views toward God- as in the Abrahamic Faiths, underlying this move away from religious traditions could be nothing short of hubris or pride. Man's move away from religion, as if he can uproot long standing traditions and moors, seems to arise from an immoral desire to 'do it himself'- or to actualize the saying, "God is Dead". It's also a (grave) misunderstanding on the part of Westernized perceptions of Eastern philosophies. Many learn from the East that we can be Enlightened, and that the Enlightened view of God is that one no longer 'needs' Him (and by extention religion in general)- as one can grow beyond all that. That it is mere ignorance to pray, or to follow a belief system, or a creed of any sort. If one is God, the reasoning goes, why pray to Him? Why have a relationship with Him? And there is a view that the more impersonal views of God as espoused in the East, as in Vendantic Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism, are more ancient and wiser than their Abrahamic cousins who view God in more personal terms. The question may be: What is one's own personal motive for rejecting religion?
...so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." - While this treatise isn't meant to be a study of the Antichrist himself, whom the Muslims call Masih Ad-Dajjal, but rather of a certain mode of thinking and belief within spiritual and philosophical (or theosophical) circles. By 'temple of God' one can see a reference to the body as this temple. As such, the Antichrist is an expression of the ego-self who exalts itself above all that is called God, or worshipped so that 'it' alone is enthroned within the human body as 'god'. This is a kind of seeking of Enlightenment in revulsion, or rejection of the necessary grace which comes from the Sacred as one understands It. And this is what's mostly misunderstood by Westernized versions of seeking Enlightenment, or Awakening- sometimes referred to as Gnosis: and that is- realization, knowing the Self must come through grace. Grace is herein defined as an unmerited favor granted from the Sacred, from God as one understands Him- either directly, or else through intermediaries such as one's guru, teacher/master, initiator, or through bodhisattvas, saints, Christ, etc... Note in the above text that for one to reject all religious tradition, to reject all traditional revelations or understandings of God, given that Light/Logos is within all truths in varying degrees of luminosity, is to reject the very One for which they aspire- God. Such a one, who so rejects, so denies, does so only in order to show their (egoic) self that 'they' are God, or Self. Yet, in this case, has their ego-self died? Is it truly their ego-self, their nafs (lower soul) that sits enthroned, while God as Self yet remains veiled from them? Indeed. To therefore reject various forms of the Sacred is to infact reject the necessary grace whereby one comes to know the Self in all Truth.
Grace as seen in the major religious traditions (esoteric):
Christianity: "...becoming by grace what God is by nature" St. Athanasisu (De Incarnatione, I).
"But by the grace of God I am what I am" - The apostle Paul (1Corinthians 15:10a).
Judaism: "Even when one does not have the vessels, when one engages in this wisdom, mentioning the names of the Lights and the vessels related to one’s soul, they immediately shine upon us to a certain measure. However, they shine for him without clothing the interior of his soul for lack of the able vessels to receive them. Despite that, the illumination one receives time after time during the engagement draws upon one grace from above, imparting one with abundance of sanctity and purity, which bring one much closer to reaching perfection.”
—Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) (1884—1954),The Study of the Ten Sefirot
Islam: "You are so weak. Give up to grace.The ocean takes care of each wave till it gets to shore." - Rumi.
"Grace is one thing and effort another. The prophets did not achieve the station of proephethood through effort; they found that good fortune through grace. However, God's Wont requires that whoever acheives prophethood live out his life in striving and virtue. This is for the sake of the common people, in order that they might have convidence in the prophets and their words. For the common people are not able to see the inward- they only see the outward. But when they follow the outward, they find access to the inward through the outward's intermediary and blessing." - Rumi (Fihi ma Fihi 176/183-184).
Hinduism: "...liberation of the soul can come only through knowledge proceeding from His grace" - Adi Shankara (Soul, 67).
"I am like fire: just as the fire does not ward off cold from those who are at a distance, and wards it off from those who go near it, so I bestow My grace on My devotees, not on others." - Adi Shankara [speaking 'as' the Self in his commentary on the Gita] (Gita, IX, 29).
“If you seek the grace of God with your whole heart, then you may be assured that the grace of god is also seeking you.”- Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Buddhism: "My compassion will never change or fade - to see me as gone is an eternalist viewpoint. I have not died, I have not gone anywhere. Pray to me - even if I do not appear in person, I will give the desired siddhis to those with one-pointed devotion." - Khandroma Yeshé Tsogyel
"Devotion and compassion are at the heart of the Tantric path. Traditionally, it is said that one should have devotion towards enlightened beings and compassion for unenlightened beings. These are like the wings of a bird and together, both allow us to fly into the sky of natural wisdom. Often people will attempt to use the Secret Mantra methods but will have no success - even after years of diligent application of the techniques. Why is this? It is because techniques cannot liberate. If we reduce the path to the mechanics of methods then we have very narrow commercial mind where enlightenment is a thing which can be obtained by buying techniques. Really, the techniques are a magnifying glass through which we focus the wisdom rays of devotion and compassion." - Traktung Rinpoche
We may see from the above examples that grace, and the traditions which embody them, are important to many on the Path. It is not that one has to 'belong' to any particular religion. One may realize apart from religion, or traditions- Truth is a Pathless Land, as taught by Krishnamurti. However, paths as such ought to be respected for those who regard them, religions should be given the freedom to be as they are without outside interference, or inside subversion. Religions are part of the story of man, and while we may Awaken from the stories, still, we retain them within Consciousness. It's not that we take a story and mutilate it beyond recognition, so that the definitions and content is a distortion, a mutilation of the original. In this way, the jewels and treasures contained therein may become corrupt, like a computer program, and fail to yeild what Wisdom intended in it's original revelation and insight.
May there be ears to hear, hearts to receive.
While the text above is a prophecy concerning the Antichrist, we may also see it as referring to the ego-self as that tyrant fights the Christ from being known.
This is not a treatise that is promotive of any one religion in particular, nor is it intended to be against any other religion as such. It is rather a brief work against a particular trend seen within many movements today which seek to sideline, subvert, or else to shelve religion in general. 'Religion' is herein defined as any set of beliefs or creeds which are recongnized through their traditional names and orthodox beliefs.
Notice in the text above the phrase: "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped"- This is not a statement that's exclusive toward Christianity. Of course many Christians think that they're the only religion that's 'targeted' in their conspiracy theories or experiences, however, if we're honest we can see that persecution within recent history has also included members of these religions: Islam, Buddhism (as in Myanmar), Tibetan Buddhism (as in China), Falun Gong (as in China), as well as others. Multiple practitioners of these and other religions have been imprisoned for their faith for religious or political (or both) reasons, and have even been killed.
In many progressive circles, there's a contemptuous view toward relgions in general- and while Christianity often seems to receive the brunt of that, it's inclusive of religion in general as noted above. Religion is seen as a hindrance toward an evolutionary leap of man in his/her spiritual Quest, and an antiquated thing which serves more as a crutch for a weaker humanity. Yet is all this fare? After all, it is often religion that has been behind man's aspirations to better himself, to reach out in compassion and empathy for each other, and much of the drive for lifting up man toward his next evolutionary status has been historically shared by all the major religions of the world- albeit expressed in different ways.
What is behind this perceived 'war against religion'? While much of it may be philosophical, as in the difference between the more 'Patriarchal' or Personal views toward God- as in the Abrahamic Faiths, underlying this move away from religious traditions could be nothing short of hubris or pride. Man's move away from religion, as if he can uproot long standing traditions and moors, seems to arise from an immoral desire to 'do it himself'- or to actualize the saying, "God is Dead". It's also a (grave) misunderstanding on the part of Westernized perceptions of Eastern philosophies. Many learn from the East that we can be Enlightened, and that the Enlightened view of God is that one no longer 'needs' Him (and by extention religion in general)- as one can grow beyond all that. That it is mere ignorance to pray, or to follow a belief system, or a creed of any sort. If one is God, the reasoning goes, why pray to Him? Why have a relationship with Him? And there is a view that the more impersonal views of God as espoused in the East, as in Vendantic Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism, are more ancient and wiser than their Abrahamic cousins who view God in more personal terms. The question may be: What is one's own personal motive for rejecting religion?
...so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." - While this treatise isn't meant to be a study of the Antichrist himself, whom the Muslims call Masih Ad-Dajjal, but rather of a certain mode of thinking and belief within spiritual and philosophical (or theosophical) circles. By 'temple of God' one can see a reference to the body as this temple. As such, the Antichrist is an expression of the ego-self who exalts itself above all that is called God, or worshipped so that 'it' alone is enthroned within the human body as 'god'. This is a kind of seeking of Enlightenment in revulsion, or rejection of the necessary grace which comes from the Sacred as one understands It. And this is what's mostly misunderstood by Westernized versions of seeking Enlightenment, or Awakening- sometimes referred to as Gnosis: and that is- realization, knowing the Self must come through grace. Grace is herein defined as an unmerited favor granted from the Sacred, from God as one understands Him- either directly, or else through intermediaries such as one's guru, teacher/master, initiator, or through bodhisattvas, saints, Christ, etc... Note in the above text that for one to reject all religious tradition, to reject all traditional revelations or understandings of God, given that Light/Logos is within all truths in varying degrees of luminosity, is to reject the very One for which they aspire- God. Such a one, who so rejects, so denies, does so only in order to show their (egoic) self that 'they' are God, or Self. Yet, in this case, has their ego-self died? Is it truly their ego-self, their nafs (lower soul) that sits enthroned, while God as Self yet remains veiled from them? Indeed. To therefore reject various forms of the Sacred is to infact reject the necessary grace whereby one comes to know the Self in all Truth.
Grace as seen in the major religious traditions (esoteric):
Christianity: "...becoming by grace what God is by nature" St. Athanasisu (De Incarnatione, I).
"But by the grace of God I am what I am" - The apostle Paul (1Corinthians 15:10a).
Judaism: "Even when one does not have the vessels, when one engages in this wisdom, mentioning the names of the Lights and the vessels related to one’s soul, they immediately shine upon us to a certain measure. However, they shine for him without clothing the interior of his soul for lack of the able vessels to receive them. Despite that, the illumination one receives time after time during the engagement draws upon one grace from above, imparting one with abundance of sanctity and purity, which bring one much closer to reaching perfection.”
—Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) (1884—1954),The Study of the Ten Sefirot
Islam: "You are so weak. Give up to grace.The ocean takes care of each wave till it gets to shore." - Rumi.
"Grace is one thing and effort another. The prophets did not achieve the station of proephethood through effort; they found that good fortune through grace. However, God's Wont requires that whoever acheives prophethood live out his life in striving and virtue. This is for the sake of the common people, in order that they might have convidence in the prophets and their words. For the common people are not able to see the inward- they only see the outward. But when they follow the outward, they find access to the inward through the outward's intermediary and blessing." - Rumi (Fihi ma Fihi 176/183-184).
Hinduism: "...liberation of the soul can come only through knowledge proceeding from His grace" - Adi Shankara (Soul, 67).
"I am like fire: just as the fire does not ward off cold from those who are at a distance, and wards it off from those who go near it, so I bestow My grace on My devotees, not on others." - Adi Shankara [speaking 'as' the Self in his commentary on the Gita] (Gita, IX, 29).
“If you seek the grace of God with your whole heart, then you may be assured that the grace of god is also seeking you.”- Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Buddhism: "My compassion will never change or fade - to see me as gone is an eternalist viewpoint. I have not died, I have not gone anywhere. Pray to me - even if I do not appear in person, I will give the desired siddhis to those with one-pointed devotion." - Khandroma Yeshé Tsogyel
"Devotion and compassion are at the heart of the Tantric path. Traditionally, it is said that one should have devotion towards enlightened beings and compassion for unenlightened beings. These are like the wings of a bird and together, both allow us to fly into the sky of natural wisdom. Often people will attempt to use the Secret Mantra methods but will have no success - even after years of diligent application of the techniques. Why is this? It is because techniques cannot liberate. If we reduce the path to the mechanics of methods then we have very narrow commercial mind where enlightenment is a thing which can be obtained by buying techniques. Really, the techniques are a magnifying glass through which we focus the wisdom rays of devotion and compassion." - Traktung Rinpoche
We may see from the above examples that grace, and the traditions which embody them, are important to many on the Path. It is not that one has to 'belong' to any particular religion. One may realize apart from religion, or traditions- Truth is a Pathless Land, as taught by Krishnamurti. However, paths as such ought to be respected for those who regard them, religions should be given the freedom to be as they are without outside interference, or inside subversion. Religions are part of the story of man, and while we may Awaken from the stories, still, we retain them within Consciousness. It's not that we take a story and mutilate it beyond recognition, so that the definitions and content is a distortion, a mutilation of the original. In this way, the jewels and treasures contained therein may become corrupt, like a computer program, and fail to yeild what Wisdom intended in it's original revelation and insight.
May there be ears to hear, hearts to receive.
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