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It is easy to dismiss any suggestion of a new world religion. After all, look at the division and conflict, the extent of human suffering, caused by opposition among the religions we have already. But times are changing. An idea that at first seems utterly counter-intuitive might, looked at closely and even-handedly, become exceptionally valuable. Here are three questions to begin the discussion:
- What's wrong with existing religions?
- What are the problems with secularism?
- What might a new world religion look like?
What's wrong with existing religions?
These tend to be 'top down', hierarchical, made up of leaders and followers, and based heavily on traditional rituals, rules and practices, seeking uniformity and obedience to the organisation, excluding those who do not conform, opposing those adhering to different denominations and other religions, opposed also to secularists.
What many people dislike about religion, prompting them to dismiss it and turn away, grows out of a lack of emphasis or encouragement to think, speak and act for oneself, to ask difficult questions about the belief system, for example, and come to independent conclusions. There is an insufficient expectation that we might eagerly take responsibility for what we say and do, also what we each keep silent about and choose not to do.
What are the problems with secularism?
People reach a point in life when they want to make up their own minds, especially about the important things: how to live; where and what to study; who to trust, etcetera; even what to read. Secularism allows immense freedom over these matters, but that comes with the reverse problem: who to follow; what values to adopt; where to find healthy guidance through life's often treacherous pathways.
By default, too, secularism has become intrinsically entwined with materialism, with capitalist consumerism, which tends seriously to condition people towards holding worldly ambitions, desiring 'success' in terms of position, profit, property, possessions, and power over others. Other people get to be treated as either supporters or competitors, friends or foe. In all walks of life, we tend to create rivals and opponents, real or imagined, threatening our status, wealth and well-being.
This is not a healthy situation. It damages people biologically, psychologically, socially and spiritually. The effects of the resulting turbo-charged techno-culture, including warfare, eco-destruction and climate change, do indeed threaten human survival. For some time we have been presented, via the media, with a relentless diet of human misery, the desire to numb or escape from which fuels the widespread use of heavily promoted habit-forming alternatives to feeling stressed, helpless and hopeless. Despair is resisted and painful feelings desensitized by (often multiple) destructive, difficult and costly to treat addictions to, for example: shopping, eating, social media, gaming, gambling and sexual behaviour; to nicotine and alcohol; to prescription medication, 'recreational' and 'hard' drugs.
These matters also, of course, fuel organised crime, gang violence and worse. Everything affects everything else, and multiple inter-penetrating vicious circles are operating. It is a fairly drastic change that needs to happen, such as introducing a new world religion, different in style from what has gone before.
What might a new world religion look like?
Firstly, it would be inclusive and not seek to supplant any of the existing religions, nor to overturn secularism. In this sense, it would really be a 'meta-religion', that 'goes beyond' others (or even a 'super-religion'). And it could only operate meaningfully, not by being 'top-down' in any sense, but by taking as its starting point for each person where they already are on the journey towards what we might call 'supreme psychological health' or perhaps 'spiritual maturity'. Such a new religion would consist of self-identified New Religion People (called NeweRs perhaps), who might equally think in terms of being a Newer Christian, a Newer Muslim, a Newer Jew, a Newer Buddhist, a Newer Hindu or whatever, even a Newer Atheist, a Newer Pagan, or a Newer Humanist, gradually recognising more and more of what they all share deep down than what separates them superficially.
If you take the time and trouble to look deeply into these different religions, perhaps read their core teachings, you will find remarkable similarities. For example, in terms of values, they generally all invoke virtues like humility, honesty, tolerance, patience, gratitude, generosity, forgiveness, courage, joy, compassion and love. Reflect deeply on this, and you will see that such selfless values depend on a deeply experienced sense of unity and connection. Central to any new world religion would therefore be the idea that we are each somehow seamlessly connected to each other; regardless of gender, age, race, colour, sexual preference, political, ideological, religious or non-religious beliefs and practices, or anything else; connected also to those who have gone before and those who will come after; connected similarly and vitally also to nature, the planet and the cosmos.
This becomes each person's compass through life; an intuitive guide that we can each find within ourselves if we learn how to pay attention and seek it out. Some of the methods–in the new religion we might call them 'wisdom practices' - have been taught among different world faith traditions for centuries. Whether you call it 'silent prayer', 'meditation', 'mindfulness', 'stilling', or just think of it as having some protected 'quiet time' each day, the beneficial effect is the same. Others ways of finding and expressing one's true self, like abseiling down a sheer rock face for charity, might be completely new. It is about rediscovering sacred connections; that our most authentic self is not necessarily who we think, but is really one with everyone and everything else. For those attracted to religious language, we can say that each of us has a divine and immortal principle within, a soul, communicating with the greater unity of unfolding existence, something whole - therefore holy; a great wind or breath of life that some (based on the Latin word for breath, spiritus) call Spirit. These words are in common use, even among those who do not think of themselves as religious.
Conclusion
This is just the start of the discussion about a possible new world religion. I have given more detail of the ideas and the reasoning behind them in my books, in earlier blogs and elsewhere. The main points are: firstly that such a religion would be personally empowering; secondly it would unify, bring people together rather than set them apart; thirdly, it would not depend on beliefs so much as on personal experience; on who you really are and how you live your life.
If such a universal religion came into being, there would surely be a reversal in the destructive social trends of the past 100 years. Who could then deny that the world would gradually become a cleaner, safer, happier place, in which both human survival was safeguarded and people everywhere would have a real chance to flourish?
"New oaks from little acorns do grow." Please give these ideas further consideration; also share them with others. In anticipation, let me thank you, from my heart.
Copyright Larry Culliford
