“The only thing constant in life is change”
François de la Rochefoucauld

Things change, life evolves and spirituality matures. In the beginnings of human existence there arose primitive spirituality – spirituality based on spirits. Without a way to explain the forces of nature which surrounded them, people created spirits as a way to classify, understand and hopefully mitigate the impacts of these forces on their lives.

As humanity and society evolved, primitive spirituality evolved into ancient spirituality, beliefs in gods or god, as the arbiters of men’s lives. This evolution occurred in parallel with the evolution of civilization and the need to organize and control the growing populations and evolving society. The leadership of these societies used religion both as a means to control population and reinforce their own power and privileges. Whether it was priests who supported the kings or vice versa, it was a mutually beneficial relationship – to those in the privileged classes at least.

It seems that we are now entering a third phase of spiritual evolution, which I call modern spirituality. Our understanding of nature and science have advanced far beyond (and in direct contradiction to) the primitive beliefs which underpin most religious teachings. Instead of spirits or gods, priests or kings, modern spirituality proposes that we are responsible for our lives and decisions. Where natural events occur, they have understandable explanations which do not depend on supernatural forces.

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

John Lennon, Imagine

I’m right, you’re wrong. I’m saved, you’re dammed. My holy book (take your pick), is the true, unblemished, word of G.O.D., your book is a pack of lies. What a mess – you could spend a lifetime trying to sort through all the conflicting messages.

Before you do though, have you ever stopped to consider that maybe they’re ALL wrong? That maybe there isn’t a big daddy in the sky who is going to make your pain go away, or for that matter a big baddy down below that you can blame for all of life’s misfortunes. That maybe shit happens, you’re responsible for your decisions and their consequences, and that the ultimate and only evil is that which resides in the ignorant minds of man?

Excuse me for insulting your cherished beliefs if you happen to be religious, but just how stupid are you? If your life is so hollow, so meaningless, so purposeless that you need the guidance of long dead preindustrial primitives to tell you how to run it, you’ve got bigger problems than whether you’ve made the “right” choice in finding god.

Wake up! Cast off the shackles of ignorance, blindness and faith and you’ll find that there is more than enough purpose in life to go around – and the best part is that you can create the life that is meaningful for you – not the narrow box that your religious beliefs (or leaders) would have you live in.