Religion is one of those intriguing parts of life that we love for our self and yet love to hate. It is blamed for everything, is accused wrongly of causing every ill under the sun, called a snare and a racquet – even wished nonexistent on occasion. Yet societies forced to live without it, at least openly, as in Communist Russia, have re-embraced it with abundant enthusiasm.
So what is it about the diverse religious traditions that draw us to seek greater meaning? There is something innate within us that wants to look beyond us. Yet there seems to be within religions there seems to be three components.
On one level there are the obvious rules that we would probably obey without Bible or Quran. After all, it makes sense that murder be banned, that stealing be frowned on and people’s property be protected.
Then there is the more challenging rules that make some sense when their context is explained. These are the religious laws that make sense in the original society that a sacred text is written. There are laws that make sense if you understand how the ancient priesthood was ran, then perhaps you may understand how religious principles have been extrapolated and applied in modern life.
Then there’s a third group. Rules that well – as much as theologians may speculate – just don’t seem to make much sense. They require you simply to say, well god made sense to this point so He must know what he wants me to do. Why a Jew or Muslim is not to eat pork is perhaps an example – there has been speculation about the difficulty of cooking pork in the past, but is that truly the reason? Why should a person not cook a goat in its mother’s milk? Is there a logical reason? Why stick the ash remains of a red heifer in a container of water and for years to come use that water for ritual purification?
Sometimes the reasons fit with deeper significant principles not easily understood. Sometimes its simply because the infinite One wants us to do something that gives us a connection to him. I have been asked to do something by G-d – wow! Me? I don’t deserve it? Yet He allows me that privilege to do something that He wants of me.
In reality, all commands are ways I can conect with Him. Sometimes they are dressed in more easilty recognised clothing. Sometimes the dressing is beyond our comprehension.
Every time I do it there is point in time when I - a speck of dust on a speck of dust rotating in giant universe can get as close as possible to that infinity that resides within all things in selfless service.
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