On Passport Aspect of Religion

I know religion is a sensitive subject even in this country. So long as it's a sensitive topic, it indicates there is a long way to go to freedom of religion. In order not to get myself into hot water here, I'll just talk about one of my observations about religion: the resemblances I found between most people's religious beliefs, and the use of passports.

One time I was talking with someone who traveled overseas a lot about Neale Walsch's  three books "Conversations with God". During our conversation about religion, he brushed off my excitement about my newly inspired view of religions from the books, with a simple response "Religions are just passports to most people." Now, many years later, I have to agree with him. If you examine the world religions, whether it is Christianity, Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism, a lot of people use them in the way how passports work:

- Need procedures, be it praying, meditating, fasting, or performing good deeds.
- Need approval, be it by simply believing the one and only God, or practicing the "ways".
- Use to get somewhere: be it heaven, forgiveness of sins, immortal life with 72 virgins, or nirvana/happiness.

My old sister in China goes to a Buddha temple and burns incents, praying for good luck in winning her next Majiang game. One of my real estate clients in the States told me she had to pray for God's answer for a counteroffer price after we received an offer for her house listing. Ten years ago my mom told me when someone in her teacher group was introducing Christianity to other teachers, after hearing the stories about Jesus performing miracles such as healing the sick and walking on the water, some of the teachers came to grasp this new religion "Oh I see. Jesus is like a Kungfu master!".

I for one, although do not belong to any religious sect, love reading Bible, Buddhism and other religious teaching books. I read them no different than I read fiction, history or philosophy books. There are things that ring true to me on all these books. For any belief system to have existed hundreds or even thousands of years, and have millions of followers, no matter how faulty it is, is a direct result of demand and supply, a time in history, and a representative of collective consciousness/unconsciousness. A polarized view of a religion by total acceptance or total denouncement is equally naive. Even Hitler or Chairman Mao, without the demand, time in history, and their millions of followers, they would not have been able to begin what they have done. I have sat through many priest preaching sessions in Christian churches and meditation sessions in Buddhist temples. In the end, I didn't convert to anything, couldn't bring myself to be one of them, and walked away still a hopeless Pingist but I have hence gained deeper respect and understanding of religions. Christianity and Buddhism echo so much similarity. They both place ignorance the source of all sins and sufferings, which makes sense to me. Jesus says on the cross "Forgive them father, for they know not they do" while Buddhism emphasizes awareness and detachment because all our human sufferings come from our monkey nature ignorance. Maybe because of my Chinese upbringings, I'm more resonant with non-exclusive and non-vengeful Buddhism. Buddha's answers to many questions "I don't know" please me. I used to not understand Christianity because I didn't believe new born babies were sinners. Up until last year, I even contested I was a sinner. I also have had a hard time understanding that life is suffering because I myself have had many happy moments. However, through the years, gradually, every religion starts to unfold its wisdom to me when I examine things deeper. When you are in awe with the power and beauty in nature, art and music, and when you love and cry, what else and who else are revealing to you but…God.

A lot of people use religions like passports. Nothingness alone will drive most people crazy. In this regard, at least the atheists should be given some credit because they have to bravely deal with the nothingness. That's one of the reasons most people turn to a religion, for the benefit of a passport. If giving is for giving's sake, forgiveness is for forgiveness sake, believing is for believing's sake, and love is for love's sake, there are no promised destinations or rewards ahead, will you still give, forgive, believe and love just because you do? If so, then God is making you in His image as opposed to you making God in your image. If you do, you are a true religious/spiritual person in my book. Otherwise, maybe you are just one of the millions of passport holders, not much different from the self-serving non-believers, huh?