Onlline Sermons

We have posted a lot of sermons from our Universal Life Church ministers. Some are Christian and some are not. You are welcome to use them or just enjoy them as you like.

Friday, March 05, 2010

Religious Philosophy

Religious Philosophy - Ecclesiastricism
by Rev.Fr. Andrew R. M. Manley



Q. 1.) Critics, and some academics, have sometimes maintained that it
is this focus on the internal self that has prevented societies where
these religions are predominant that has resulted in their lack of
material gain and progress. They accept the notion that it is this
psychological focus that has removed any emphasis on scientific,
educational, or economic advances. What are your thoughts? Do you
think that emphasizing the "inner you" that that necessarily precludes
social or scientific advances?


A.) I do agree with some of the critics, in that the focus has
prevented societies from progressing at a level that some countries
have been able to excel. However, the notion that it is the only
problem is where I draw a different conclusion.

What I have noticed with my perception of the world and other
religions is that denominational spirituality has a flaw, that flaw
being that they are the only "right way" to a higher spiritual level
of conscientious. If this observation is correct in it's assumption
then one could saw that no religion is right to address any of these
issues. With that being said I would have to conclude that all aspects
of the spectrum need to be reevaluated as to a clarification of each
status. Because each one is in it's self equal to the other as to
being a viable solution to fix the problems of society.

The problem still remains though that in order to achieve such
tranquility would take cooperation, which in and of it's self is the
true problem of these social dilemmas. All religious leaders need to
step back into the basic fundamentals of their faiths and put more
emphasis on drawing a growing attitude towards the general social
environment, than on the theological approaches that most if not all
religions take when ministering to those that want to be ministered
to. If this "attitude adjustment" can be reached on a universal level
than it would be feasible to say that the world would change for the
betterment of the whole of society. Again, all stemming to a central
point of being of the "inner you".



Q. 2.) If, as we saw earlier in the course, that it is true that
religions have tended to focus on one of Russell's 'three great
problems' at the expense of the other two, which of these problems
seems to you to be the "most important"? Ignoring for the moment the
specific religions this indirectly indicates, do you believe the world
would be better off if it adopted the views of the Western
Ecclesiastical religions (i.e. the natural problem), the Eastern
Ecclesiastical religions (i.e. the social problem), or the Southern
Ecclesiastical religions (i.e. the psychological problem)? Why?



A.) As I eluded to in my answer of question one, it is no easy fix.
They are all equally to be the blame and solution to the problems we
face as a society as a whole. To say that one is more right or better
to address these problems is in it's self the problem. It takes
cooperation to achieve this level of social understanding. It is all
psychological within our selves to be able to grasp the true natural
problem that has become through the decades a social problem. You
might even say that it is because of religious beliefs that we are
experiencing these very issues in society today.

People expect and understand tangible experiences and they learn,
adapt, and even grow from the five senses of their being in relation
to their environments and situations. Compliancy is also a major
problem that these groups do not address when expressing the teachings
of their faiths. Compliancy in it's self is evil, to encourage a
status quo as acceptable to me is the ruination of society. As well as
to the opposite end of the spectrum being tolerance or rather the lack
of tolerance in the preaching of social behavior. Each culture has
it's exceptions, but it is the exception that slowly moves an
individual or society forward to achieve a greater understanding and
acceptance of society around us.

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