This is the second time I have been deeply affected by the death of a child due to the Syrian war. Previously, I wrote about the tragic image of a young boy found dead on a beach in Turkey. Now, I am reflecting on the heartbreaking last words of a three-year-old Syrian girl, who said, “I am going to tell God all about this.”
Everyone thinks and feels differently about their religious beliefs. One might believe in God, but the depth of that belief varies. Some people commit crimes despite religious teachings, while others follow the rules laid out in their sacred texts. This disparity is evident in the crime rates across societies. Personally, I believe that the core of our belief systems should be justice and equal human rights. When a religious fundamentalist commits a spiritual crime against an innocent person, it is not due to the religion itself but rather the politics and a distorted sense of belonging. Politics creates a sense of belonging that is designed to make individuals feel inferior and worthless, thereby undermining their God-given gift of free will and making them easier to control.
If it were up to me, I would consolidate all belief systems into one and sacrifice them in the name of that one innocent child killed in the name of a group. Groups exert control over individuals who fear exclusion if they do not conform to their leaders’ demands, even when they feel it is wrong. Just look around at the number of innocents killed in the name of a sense of belonging.
Question your sense of belonging to various causes, from sports to nationalism, from racism to religions. Why do these causes define you? Why can’t you think beyond your loyalties to these groups? Do you ever consider your God-given free will and personal sense of justice? Where do you stand as an individual?
Previously, I wrote a blog titled “The Love Triangle,” where I divided love into three categories: passionate love, instinctive love, and universal love. The dividing factor is the individual with free will. If you cannot balance these three forms of love, you are not fully utilizing your free will. You may become an unhealthy and incomplete individual if you are not using your God-given power of free will.
The politics of belonging can overpower you, making you choose one aspect of the triangle at the expense of balance. For example, you might prioritize passionate love over instinctive love and harm your own children for the sake of a lover. An American woman is imprisoned for this very reason, as her lover did not want children. Alternatively, you might prioritize universal love over instinctive love and end up having your own children harmed. A Canadian Sikh family had their daughter killed in India because she married against their wishes. Family chaos can also arise when forced to choose between your mother and your spouse. If you are not mentally healthy, you might fail to create balance and resort to extremes. I see much of the chaos in human interactions stemming from individuals not taking responsibility for their free will.
When faced with difficult decisions, always consider how others might act if they were in your position. Would they choose justice with their free will, even if it means taking a stand against you? Balance the love triangle with justice and equal human rights rather than the politics of belonging. As an individual, if you cannot stand against the will of your group, you must recognize the value that God has invested in you through your free will.
If exercising your free will is not life-threatening, failing to do so will only lead to internal guilt and suffering until you are no longer alive. If you feel that you live among or were born into a community that does not meet your level of intelligence, should you seek a place where you feel you belong?
We all evolve indefinitely, though the speed of our evolution varies. Some cultures place such a high value on ancestral traditions that they resist keeping up with the changing world. This is not a blessing or a matter of pride; it is a curse. If you cannot compete due to technological advancements or if you allow your people to suffer due to a lack of modern medical understanding, it is destructive to those involved. Thus, it should not be a matter of pride to remain behind.
Evolution is an inherent gift from God and is independent of cultural or religious traditions. Regardless of religious insistence, populations continue to evolve.
Protectionism, racism, discrimination, prejudice, and religious extremism are all rooted in the same fundamental problems.
Justice, equal human rights, belonging to humanity, spirituality, and God are essential for living comfortably in a mortal existence. The politics of belonging thrive on individuals who seek security from their group rather than from humanity and God.
Security is not part of the mortal vocabulary. Thus, living guilt-free and comfortably within our mortal skin requires a commitment to justice for all, including ourselves, as long as we inhabit this mortal life.
Committing spiritual crimes in the name of belonging to your group comes with a heavy price, especially if it leads to inner guilt. Remember, you are blessed with free will from God, not from your nation or religion. Therefore, justice should be the guiding principle during your temporary visit on Earth. If your group, including your religion, demands that you commit a spiritual crime, it is an injustice, and you are responsible for your actions. Even if you are taught that such demands come from God, you are still accountable. Do not allow the politics of your belonging groups to erode your spiritual health. Sacrificing spiritual happiness for the sake of group politics is a steep price to pay for a mortal being.
Consider the metaphor of drunk driving: hiding behind religious beliefs and nationalism while failing to use your free will. You might commit spiritual crimes for your group and justify them as necessary. Each of us is blessed with free will. The reason for this gift is to take responsibility for our actions.
Always remember that drinking and driving is a crime, as are other crimes against humanity. The politics of belonging can lead us to believe that even spiritual crimes are acceptable if committed for the group. However, all religious wars are political wars; spirituality is not related to them. As an individual, take responsibility for your actions and avoid becoming a “drunk driver” in your moral life.
If you believe that God has a court system to reward or punish you, use your free will to reject any spiritual crime, even if it is cloaked in the politics of belonging. Your individual strength lies in recognizing your own worth. A human being is like a seed with all the nutrients needed to grow into a majestic tree of God. God represents a collection of all the divine attributes and sustains both God and humanity. If you still feel unimportant, you need to strip away the politics of belonging to a group to find yourself. Believe it or not, you are directly connected to God with all the responsibilities that entails. Hiding behind group politics indicates a weakness that drives you to seek security through control. These are not compatible with mortal life, and seeking unattainable goals leads to personal chaos. Living with guilt is its own punishment, so committing spiritual crimes in the name of religion or nationalism can cost you dearly. Just look at the mental and emotional scars of returning soldiers.
The weaker you are individually, the less likely you are to question and the more likely you are to become a willing participant in the injustices perpetrated by your group.
Our free will is the greatest gift from God, allowing us to question even the very existence of God. We will not fully understand God or ourselves until we reach our potential. Ask yourself: Have you reached your potential? Given that we learn new things every day, the answer is likely no.
We continually learn and discover in all areas of life except religion. Why is that? Why can’t we evolve and grow spiritually to reach our potential as well?
Why are we still killing each other in the name of God? Aside from the stories in holy books and movies, we have little concrete evidence about God. Goodness in God is reflected through good human beings, but our knowledge remains incomplete. This has been, is, and will continue to be an ongoing process until we reach our potential. We have always arrogantly believed that our knowledge is complete.
We have sacrificed human beings, thrown virgins off cliffs, burned witches, killed homosexuals, and discriminated against people based on skin color and belief systems, yet we still believe our knowledge is superior. Despite learning new things every day, we continue to kill each other for our sense of belonging to our groups. We need to evolve to overcome the politics of belonging and learn to belong to humanity, spirituality, and God instead.
Religion is a spiritual matter, not a political one. Killing over politics, territory, or personal revenge appears less egregious than killing in the name of God.
How much do we truly understand about God? There are things we understand and things we do not. If we do not fully understand something, should we be killing innocents over it? No one should, but this has happened throughout history and continues today. It is time to take charge as individuals and drive the car of life soberly, for you never know if you are going against the very principle you are trying to defend. This is what I consider a spiritual crime committed in the name of God.