AS IN OBEDIENT?
One common stream in most religious teaching is the accepted concept that human beings are endowed with free will. Works for me, makes sense, at least worth looking into, right?
Then, however, these same religious teachings, for the most part, start telling us exactly how to use our allegedly freewill. I don’t mean they teach us how to use it for our maximum evolution, unfortunately, I mean they teach how to use our freewill in the way that suits them.
Some religions – teachings, disciplines, rituals, dogma – are nice about it. They suggest better behavior. As the suggestions become stronger other religions go to the extreme and put you in a living hell if you don’t look, act and feel like they do.
So, what the fudge?
Obviously, it’s about obedience, and of the many models of obedience we are provided, we’ve chosen the Sheep Model to make our point. Keep in mind we have a religious context here, but much applies to governments, corporations and other organizations, as well.
It’s clearly in the Jewish, Islamic and Christian faiths, and while it likely goes beyond that, the whole concept runs pretty well across the planet. Overall, it’s clear and simple, “Be a sheep.”
Let’s say first that obedience has a proper place in many human endeavors and definitely has a place in the development of every human being on Earth. But, if I’m subverting your free will somehow, isn’t that a kind of dark obedience?
I, like many of you, heard a few sheep parables growing up and, I don’t know what you saw, but the lesson was always about the obedience itself – like obedience in knowing when not to ask questions, and simply doing as one is told. And of course, there was talk about the rewards of obedience and let me say, from my time as an obedient sheep, they owe me.
So yes, we got the message “Obey and be rewarded.” They never talked about how sheep are valuable members in the web of life, and about how they give their life daily for you and me to be warm and eat well.
A sheep, really? There’s always been excitement around Jesus, no doubt, but He was no sheep from what we’ve been taught. It’s hard to imagine Him telling me to let my wool out a little longer, or fatten up a bit more before slaughter. Maybe the organizations that want to herd us might do better than the Sheep Model, if they want new members.
It stands as a principle at this altar, a foundation for action, that we get back at least some of what we lost in all those generations being sheep. A quick look at history shows us the fates of both the good, well-behaved sheep and the black sheep who don’t conform. Mostly the fates of sheep, good or bad, hover around wool supply and slaughter.
History plays a big part in this, remember. Even if we don’t read or study or give a hoot about history, it’s “written in our blood.” Ancestors and living DNA move in all of us. all colors, creeds and globally, at that.
Much of human history, ancestors and consequently us, have endured a “god, or gods” who destroys us almost at whim, over and over again. The violence in the Bible and all the texts that support the history make Hollywood look like amateurs in the horror/terror department.
Then they talk about love and grace, if of course, you’re a good sheep.
Confusing as it all gets, we came to see it all as an issue of Will. If one agrees we all have freewill, then all the good and the bad in world history has something to do with the use and misuse of our human freewill. Right?
So, let’s start with isolating our Will – the Will that has our name on it. Take a minute, hold it up and look at it. With all that history attached to our Wills maybe we should honor it, value it and improve upon its use?
We love the sheep and all they do; indeed, they are a staple of life, but it is they who were called to be sheep, not us. As the most evolved beings – body, mind and soul – on the planet, do you think human beings are called to be sheep?
As the Medical Profession says, “First, do no harm,” or as Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and as Pagans say, “An’ it harms none, do what ye will.” Sounds like these guys have a better plan than “Be a Sheep.”
Yes, these ideals are easier said than done, but they are available and achievable. The simplicity of the above ethical codes, by the way, makes them quite liberating!
After all, if you believe in some kind of Creative Absolute that gives us freewill, why do you think they gave it to us? So, it could be manipulated by governments, religions, corporations, and other highly domination-prone groups?
As unfathomable human energy creations, there are millions of ways for human beings to express and experience our Will. It’s likely the information stream that brought you here has millions more options for you.
As a point of reference, in a future article, we want to share five Toltec Principles that came to our assistance when we did our major reset of our spirituality. The Five open doors in the mind.
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