Religion must not be blindly believed, religion must be upheld and followed.
“Religion must not be blindly believed…”: This part challenges unquestioning acceptance of dogma, rituals, or narratives without personal understanding, critical engagement, or inner conviction. Blind belief can lead to rigid adherence, intolerance, hypocrisy, and a faith that is external rather than deeply integrated into one’s being. It implies that a meaningful connection to faith requires some level of personal wrestling, understanding, and genuine assent, not just inherited tradition or fear.
“…the core principles of religion must be upheld and followed.” This identifies the essence of religion that holds true value. Across many faiths, these core principles often revolve around ethics, morality, compassion, justice, love (for a higher power, humanity, oneself), humility, integrity, and the pursuit of spiritual growth. This part emphasizes that the purpose of religion is to provide a framework for living a good, meaningful, and virtuous life, guided by these foundational tenets.
“Religion is not a noun, religion must be a verb.” This is the central metaphor that brings the previous points together.
Religion as a Noun: This is the static, descriptive aspect. It’s about belonging to a group (“I am a Christian,” “He is a Muslim,” “They are Buddhists”), adhering to a label, knowing facts about scripture or history, attending services, or identifying with a cultural tradition. While these aspects can be important for community and identity, if religion is only a noun, it remains an external label or a set of unapplied beliefs.
Religion as a Verb: This is the dynamic, active aspect. It’s about doing. It’s about practicing compassion in daily interactions, acting justly even when difficult, living out the principles of forgiveness, engaging in prayer or meditation, serving others, striving for inner purity, and continually learning and applying the wisdom of the tradition to one’s life. It’s about the ongoing effort to transform oneself and interact with the world in a way that reflects the core principles.
The true value and purpose of religion are found not in mere intellectual assent or group affiliation (the noun), but in the active, conscious, and consistent application of its ethical and spiritual principles in one’s life (the verb). It calls for a lived faith that is demonstrated through actions and character, moving beyond simply believing in religion to actively living it.
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