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I know.
It’s another of those “one word fuses”: Light (and stand well back). Like “Love”. A few letters beginning life as an innocent babe which we have then clothed and mutated and made something it was never intended.
I know.
Religion: Origin … Latin “to bind” … Old French “obligation, bond, reverence” … Middle English “life under monastic vows’ … Now? “I’m right and you’re wrong.” Just like we still argue about those seven days and creation or evolution (because it can’t be both) – like how we had no hand in things changing from then to now. Like it’s Your fault. Like we are the victims here!
Slept well, Paul?
Very well, thank you! 😊
Your six decades are not mine, Paul. No one’s decades are mine. Nor these “end times” … this “love with conditions” … this “religion” … church … denomination … faith … faithlessness … bible … qualifications in me … minstering, pastoring, vicaring, priesting, celibacy or no celibacy, straight sex or gay sex or no sex at all … hatred and jealousy … doing bad things and doing good things … All this “language creation” you each create and evolve and then science or god … ALL of it is you not me.
I know.
No one can “know” where you came from – where you’re going to … Is the climate your fault or mine … Was it a Big Bang or a little whimper … Are you essentially good or essentially evil … Am I real or a fiction … What’s the meaning of life and what comes next or not … Who is right and who is wrong …
You have created language to encompass everything (so you suppose). The language of words – of imagery – of touch – of intuition – of sense – of time passing and time standing still … You have doubt and certainty – knowledge and ignorance – you have an answer for everything … And where you don’t – you create an answer.
But we do it wrong so much … like Love: “Old English lufu, of Germanic origin; from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit lubhyati ‘desires’, Latin libet ‘it is pleasing’, libido ‘desire’, also by leave and lief.“ And now? Do you love me – show it – prove it – make me believe that you do love me – you can’t and don’t and won’t and you call that “love”? Give me your body. Give me your mind. Give me your possessions. Give me everything you have and only THEN might I believe that you love me – and only THEN might I love you back by giving a little bit of me and mind for all of yours – and only THEN might I “commit” myself to you.
And what’s wrong with that, Paul?
Everything!
So Love should be something that is perfect and detached from who you are … ? Love shouldn’t be anything you are not already? Love should be Who You Should Be and not who you are already … ? Why?
(notice your little “should” in there?)
Why should Love NOT be who you are – who you were – who you may be if you allow … ? Why should Love NOT change you … ? Because Love changes everything. Love always has and it always will. Love and Life – they are the same thing – you cannot have one without the other.
The fires in Australia – the devastation – the wiping out of all life … And then the green shoots – within days. The green shoots of life – in ash so abundant in “life” that life cannot help but grow again – fresher – greener – brighter …
Like young (or old) brutish arrogant violent thugs … Brought to their knees by their seed (carelessly ejaculated without Love) now this unexpected unplanned loving breathing bundle of innocent life …
Like you when you were younger … “Gotta kiss a lot of frogs to find my princess – gotta spread my seed before settling down – gotta live before being settling for just one person …” (and giving up “living”, Paul?)
Yet read the language of your words now (compared to then) – how different you think Love is now (compared to then) – how different Love now (compared to when you were seven) – how different Love at seven (compared to when you knew no words at all) – when you did not have any words at all – but were Love and Loved in the truest meaning of Love – so much more then than now.
“Religion” is no different. Your definition of religion only describes where you are now – it’s not about “religion” at all – this is about where YOU are now.
So why not allow religion YOU its YOUR innocence (again).
That is Love. 😊
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Just me being curious 
Oh boy, I’ve done it this time 🙂
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Never! 🙂
““Religion” is no different. Your definition of religion only describes where you are now – it’s not about “religion” at all – this is about where YOU are now.”
These little chats keep concluding with stuff not in my head – in fact my head keeps going “over here” in my mind – yet the words keep going “over there”.
Yet having found the words on the screen – they make perfect sense: in this case that my thoughts about religion (good and bad) are not static and therefore “a truth” – but simply (changing) mile-markers in my own journey (and reflecting that journey more than the “word”).
Apply that to much we debate with “strong minds and hard hearts” (all of it “of God” and “God guided” – obviously) and suddenly it all seems a tad senseless – trivial – not even that relevant really!
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I get your drift, Paul- and I agree with it. Really, I’m writing about the same thing, only from a different angle. No matter how carelessly we toss them around and no matter how sloppy our thinking on certain subjects may be from time to time, the words actually mean specific things: religion, love, hate, holy, righteous… socialist, fascist, progressive… they all mean specific things, no matter how badly we might use them. Yet they way we use them speaks volumes about where our heads are at any given moment. 😊
By the way, yours was a great post!
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Thank you Don – my learning is that most words start life with innocence and love as their DNA (sounds familiar), and then “we” cloak them with stuff never intended and – too often – they end up weaponised (also sounds familiar) – and then the “debate” starts and never stops. Yet religion was not created to be what “we” have done with the word. And we are not fighting over “religion”. We are just fighting. By choice. Hmmmm …
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That about sums it up.
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