Religions, Spirituality, and Humanity

Religions, Spirituality and Humanity is an extension to this author original book “Religion without Boundaries”. True aspect of all religions calls for compassion, austerity, cooling of passion, inner and outer purity, control of senses, self-restraint, service to humanity, and equality among all living beings. These aspects of true doctrines of religions incline persons to become spiritual persons of moral character having patience, compassion and concerns for others. Humanity is an active part of spirituality when one’s conscious and compassion towards other human beings translate into kind concern for others to do good in the society. Thus, religion, spirituality and humanity are interconnected and interwoven with each other.
The problem with all major organized religions-namely Hinduism, and Abrahamic religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam had been not the true doctrine of these faiths, but the rules and regulations promulgated since ancient times per tradition and customs that have remained fixed. With the passage of time, these writings have become outdated in modern time. Science evolved and new awareness emerged, but the rules and regulations and holy books never changed. So organized religions always remained within confined boundaries.
There are three views of the religion. First is the absolute view like Christian faith is the true religion and salvation only be achieved through explicit faith in Jesus. Same concept is in Hinduism that explicit faith in Lord Krishna can only bring salvation. In Islam, only prayer to Allah can bring salvation. The relative view is that one religion is as good as another. The author believes in the third relative view, that affirms that there is one God who has made himself known to people in variety of ways encompassed in the religions of the world. God is not the exclusive property of one tradition, but has been source of knowledge. The true aspect of any religion calls for tolerance of other and equality among all living beings. If we follow the spirit of any religion, then we will treat every human being as equally worthy of respect and regard. Women will have same respect and regard as men. There will be no discrimination or violence within each religion and between other religions.
The root of many problems of organized religion, as pointed by psychologist Stephen Uhl, a former priest, is that in supernatural religion, a necessary stance is that faith must override or control one’s reason; for the believer, logic is secondary to faith. That subjecting of humankind’s highest natural power to faith results in interfaith terrorism and repression of free search and inquiry.
To address the lack of reasoning and logic in religion, humanism emerged as an alternative to theism. Humanism is based on critical thinking and evidence over acceptance of dogma or superstition. It views humans as solely responsible for the promotion and development of individuals and concern for people in relation to the world. Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life without theism or other supernatural beliefs, affirming our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greatest good of humanity.
Organized religion is based on faith, while humanism is based on science. To bridge the gap between faith and science is not an easy task. However, spirituality has emerged as the only rational alternative to address the ethical issues of contemporary society. Spirituality is the true essence of any religion connected with consciousness, morality, and integrity of humankind. It is the higher form of human awareness of goodness, kindness, and caring concern for others. It is the foundation of humanity. Spirituality goes beyond boundaries of all religions.
Spirituality may refer to any kind of meaningful activity, especially a search for the sacred. It may also refer to personal growth, blissful experience, or an encounter with one’s own inner dimension. Spirituality is a sacred dimension, touching the deepest values and meanings by which people live. Spirituality is self-transcendence, asceticism, and recognition of one’s connection to all. Secular spirituality emphasizes humanistic ideas of moral character, qualities such as compassion, patience, harmony, and concern for others. Spirituality means love, compassion, morality, and self-transcendence.
Humanity is the active part of spirituality when one’s own consciousness and compassion toward other human beings translate into kind concern for others to do well in the society. Humanity is the quality of being human, and having kindness, benevolence, compassion, and a disposition toward the welfare of humankind. Humanity aids and encourages self-reflection, which in turn develops personal consciousness or an active sense of civic duty. Humanity is considered synonymous with humanitarian ideals. Humanitarianism is based on the view that all human beings deserve respect and dignity. Humanitarianism stems from a spiritual belief in compassion, benevolence, and concern for others. Four pillars of humanity and humanitarianism are empathy, compassion, altruism, and egalitarianism. Further, it is emphasized that each person should be treated as having inherent worth. In humanity, “deeds before creed" is the motto applied. Religious beliefs also contribute toward humanitarian ethics.
Religions play a crucial role in contemporary society. In spite of the interfaith conflicts, violence and extremism in each religion, there is certain segment of religious population who tends to follow the true doctrines of their faith and find comfort and peace in their heart through participation in religious services. Further, many religious organizations and pious individuals are sincerely involved in charitable work to alleviate the suffering of people and provide necessary help for the poor and needy. True doctrine of each religion will lead us to become spiritual in nature which in turn will propel us towards promoting well-being of humanity. Thus, integrating religion, Spirituality and Humanity will cultivate and promote living consciously, harmoniously and righteously.