Oct
To Do or To Say
One of the things that differentiates experiential religion from Judaism, Christianity and Islam is a matter of direct contact. Experiential religion believes that spiritual beings and components can be contacted by the individual. We can know and even interact with the Gods. Likewise, we can each derive insight and knowledge personally from this contact. It is assumed, and rightly so, that we have the capacity to understand these insights ourselves.
Our monotheistic friends do not have this luxury. Even if they admit the potential for direct contact through what they call prayer, there is always a middleman lurking in the wings. For Christians, these middlemen are the clergy and their bible. To their way of thinking, any knowledge of “God” and other spiritual entities must be in accord with the bible and church doctrine. The church acts like a middleman which validates some experiences and invalidates others. No matter how you slice it, there is always something between the people and any spiritual insight.
The difference between our way and theirs can be summed up easily. We are doers. Our way is a way of action. There is mostly talking. An Asian man commented about Christianity, “Well, it is a talky religion.” There you see the difference between “walking the walk and talking the talk.”
