Tomes of Wisdom
What is the purpose of religion? Is it to elevate the mental awareness of an individual's mind? Their conscious transcendence? If that is the case, then on a very large scale, the majority of today's religious institutions are failures. IF religion fails at this point, then why is it that any religion has survived the sands of time. Most likely because for the first practitioners, it worked. At some point in history, an individual or small group of associates postulated a belief system that showed them the way to a *higher* level of consciousness. In their enlightened state of mind, they found a strong feeling of camaraderie toward the rest of their fellow man. The urge to share this *religious* experience with others led them to develop a map which others could follow. This map, based on their perception of the experience, would consist of shared rituals and shared *truths*. It is the static nature of this map that has led to the current crises in religion. For, though the same map may be used, people today have no choice but to embark on their journey from entirely different locations (physically, temporally, & mentally). Thus, the map has lost its efficacy.