Religion is a lockstep, step-by-step, graded course on the spiral staircase of divine knowledge. Each rung on the staircase is as important as the other, and fulfils the necessary need, without which a piece would be missing in whole of the Divine learning or enlightenment equation
By Els William
Professor Wole Soyinka recently spoke out condemning the banning of the celebration of Aje Olokun, also known as Isese festival, in Ilorin, capital of Kwara state, North Central Nigeria.
While condemning the action of the Emirate, headed by Emir Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, Soyinka asked, “Must we turn the turban of enlightenment into a crown of bigotry. And in a society whose very constitution that supposedly governs us all guarantee freedom of belief, association, and movement.
Should religious bigotry and intolerance assail our common sense of humanity?
Perhaps in man’s early days it would be understandable, given the little knowledge there was of what religion is all about. Co-existence then was not anything mutual but one of believe, power and number. So while there was the belief in every culture that there is need to revere and worship an unseen power that govern them, there was a wide disparity in understanding of the nature of that power, Its modus operandi, and what It wants. That knowledge gap formed the basis of “my God is greater than yours”, or “my God is better that yours”.
That formed the ground for religious executions –sometimes backed with or under the guise of State policy, religious war, denial of individual rights, and general intolerance each other.
However, in the light of truth that has continued to be progressively cast on the subject, religious bigotry and intolerance should have reduced to its barest minimum.
But minimum indeed.
Religion is a lockstep, step-by-step, graded course on the spiral staircase of divine knowledge. Each rung on the staircase is as important as the other, and fulfils the necessary need, without which a piece would be missing in whole of the Divine learning or enlightenment equation.
The lockstep nature of the learning process ensures that each person is not pushed up faster to a level than the person would not be able to cope with. Neither should anyone be demoted or pushed down the level he has mastered and passed.
Of what use would it be to force a first-year undergraduate into a class meant for Master or Doctorate degree. Or the other way around. It’s like, again, enrolling a primary school pupil into secondary school without the necessary preparation. Or doing otherwise. Such an action would not serve any purpose to either the individual or the entire society, except to destabilize to all concerned
Truth, it is said, in one area mirrors truth at all levels. Our physical education system mirrors the process in our religious and spiritual education and enlightenment
However, unlike our physical educational system which is fraught with imperfections and irregularities, the spiritual education curriculum is perfect to a fault. It cannot be manipulated in any way. Each religion, with all its varieties, is just one big classroom in the divine school of life. While some are passing out or moving to other room, others are coming in. Each person is, therefore, in his or her rightful religious room or class at anytime. A perfect fit.
The length of stay in each class or graduation or movement from one religion to another, from one rung to another, is determined by the individual. The signal that the time is up, for graduation or movements to another path or religion, is when the individual begins to have this internal discontent or disillusionment on the path he or she is following.
The discontent is a sign that all that is in the syllabus or teaching of that path or religion has been learnt and no longer necessary. With that the person would no longer be at ease in the path or religion. The path has been outgrown. Unexplainable nudge or the necessity for a known desire would ignite the fire of a search that would be moving the person in one direction or another until he finds another one that appeal to his level of consciousness.
This is why a religious body should just give out information on what it teaches to the public and allow the individual to make up his mind on what he wants, without trying to convince, coerce, entice with miracles, or any other such thing.
Members of same household, a community, even same religion, district, village, region or country, do not have the same state of consciousness. It would be good if they find themselves on the same path, but it would be wrong to hold back any member who has the urge to look for another path or religion. Maybe the person’s graduation has come. Of what credit is it that all the siblings, including parents, are in the same academic level and or institution? Should religion be any different?
Remember, truth mirrors truth.
This lockstep spiral divine staircase leads to the ideal of life. That ideal is Love. Divine love. This ideal is in agreement with the first law of the spiritual universe: “Soul exists because of God’s love”. It did not say you must be Christian, Muslim, Native worshiper, Buddhist, Hindu, Shintoist, ECKist; or of any human state, level or condition, for you to be included. We know that the sun shines for all, irrespective of anyone’s consciousness or inclination, but surely we, in our delusional ego and ignorance, would appropriated it ourselves to the exclusion of others.
In pursuit of that objective the Divine Power or God in his infinite wisdom has allowed each religion, path, or whatever else, to exist for the purpose of learning an aspect of that divine law, “Soul exists because of God’s love for It”.
Recognize the dignity and divinity in each person. Is it any wonder why most countries of the world has enshrined in their constitution freedom of religion, association, belief, worship… Let’s obey the constitution, failure of which you would not be living truly to your religion.
In concluding it must be said that there are linkages facilitating or coordinating the dynamics movement on the religious spiral staircase.