Saturday, November 4, 2017

The Theory of Spirituality Devoid of Religion



CITATION
Rasheed, Muhammad. "The Theory of Spirituality Devoid of Religion." Cartoon. The Official Website of Cartoonist M. Rasheed 04 Nov 2017. Pen & ink w/Adobe Photoshop color.


Imani Lateef - Just so you know. Bashing Christianity does not make you Woke. Bashing Islam does not make you Holy.

Kendrick Mitchell - My personal philosophy: "I AM SPRITUAL NOT RELIGIOUS."

Imani Lateef - this is actually the majority of ppl consider themselves to be spiritual rather than religious.

Kendrick Mitchell - I think it leaves me free to think instead of accepting without question

Imani Lateef - Ironically. This is just as Jesus would want you to be.

Kendrick Mitchell - Fully aware bro

Muhammad Rasheed - Jesus would want you to deep study to show yourself approved, and develop the skills needed to discern between the corrupt versions of the religion touted by the institutionalist bureaucrats versus the pure religion of God.

The modern tossing the baby out with the bath water ideology of the 'spiritual not religious' new ager crowd hardly sounds like a philosophy the Christ would endorse.

Imani Lateef - Jesus' mission was to do away with "religion" itself. He constantly forced ppl, religious or no, to question and sometimes abandon their traditions. (Water/Wine) He encouraged ppl to step out of their comfort zones (Good Samaritan). Jesus was non traditional so if someone's approach to finding God seems in traditional I'd imagine he'd encourage that.

Muhammad Rasheed - Jesus was non-traditional only if said tradition had caused the people to stray from the Path of God he was anointed to instruct. He was never anti-tradition just for the sake of being anti-tradition. His job was to realign the believer back to the righteous path, which affirmed those traditions that continued to uphold it, and abolished those traditions that represented man-made corruption.

Imani Lateef - True. I believe he was definitely leading ppl to God. I don't believe that Way always pointed to a Religion. The vast majority of religious traditions caused ppl to stray from God and they still do. Yet many ppl still find their way to God unknowingly using principles Jesus introduced without the Church or Mosque, etc.

Muhammad Rasheed - The messengers of God were anointed to instruct humankind in scripture and wisdom, providing the practiced example of how God wanted the Word performed. Their practice was the pure religious system sanctified by God. The people subsequently added their traditions to the pure system -- some good, some neutral, some bad -- the latter of which required new prophets to come along and realign the people back to the pure religion they once knew. This has happened often enough that the pure thread of the message is clearly visible to those who bother to learn the material, standing out from the corrupted traditions the people allow to infest the system.

The Way of the One God is always wrapped in a religious system of the people who were called to preach it, which over the ages has taken many cultural traditional forms, but with the same simple core message at their hearts. Considering what's actually at stake, it is better to put in the work and actually study these systems to pinpoint and master the pure message at the heart of them, instead of leaving up to chance that we will simply stumble upon the truth by magical-thinking happenstance.

Muhammad Rasheed - The relentless counter-message of the enemy is too strong not to take a disciplined and active part in that study, as boring as we may have found the material in our youth. It's time to grow up and be serious about it.

Imani Lateef - However, Dialogue like this is exactly why ppl just aren't interested in Religion. I know I'm personally tired of the rhetoric. Yet I am studying and constantly seeking understanding. What tends to happen is religious leaders tend to do exactly what you are suggesting and make God this unattainable goal that is only accessed through their belief system. I firmly believe that way of life is simply out dated and ineffective.

Muhammad Rasheed - What part of my comment represents an 'unattainable goal' to you, Imani?

Muhammad Rasheed - FYI... My belief system is Al-Islam. In the Qur'an, the One God specifically said one does not have to be a formal Muslim to be saved. This is an example of why it is important to study this material, and allow facts and knowledge to lead instead of an abstract and wishy-washy "spirituality."

Muhammad Rasheed - If we don't know what the religion we are knee-jerk vilifying is ACTUALLY SAYING, then how can we make an informed decision about it?

Throwing the baby out with the bath water is a laziness trait, not one of wisdom.

Imani Lateef - But I've studied Islam. A Muslim is one who submits their will to G'd. Yes. You don't have to "study" do it. And the Quran states we all will do this "willingly or unwillingly". The idea is I'm not trying vilify any religion or lack of religion. The idea is Religion is just one tool available to find God. Not THE tool.

Muhammad Rasheed - Jesus said that the way to know the message of God was through the messengers. The message as filtered through their instruction is the Religion of God. Everything we all know about God came through the messengers who have been performing that job for the aeons humanity has been on earth.

What other tool is available that would enable you to perform in life how you need to perform in order to save yourself from hell and know the Bliss of your Maker for eternity?

Muhammad Rasheed - Because from here it looks like the only other 'tool' is to just wing it, and live a secular existence while claiming to believe.

I don't see a lot of being saved in that.

Imani Lateef - I get it. I don't see a whole lot being saved either. Unfortunately I don't see a lot of saving via Religion either. So it all cancels each other out.

Imani Lateef - As far as tools go, we have been innovating tools for eons. For some reason we refuse to innovate the "Religion" tool. That is fascinating and frightening.

Muhammad Rasheed - It's only frightening if you commit to a stance of vilification. lol I am not so hard-hearted regarding that item since it is obviously the tool preferred by the One that created mathematics from scratch.

You should relax. :)

Muhammad Rasheed - Education is the key, Imani. Encouraging a more well-rounded knowledge base in the varying components of religious systems, with a vital ability to discern between meat vs fat, is how they can be saved.

Of course whether they choose to USE that knowledge or not is a horse of a different color...

Imani Lateef - @Muhammad Rasheed... I'm so relaxed, bro.

Muhammad Rasheed - lol I believe you.

Broc Smith - self-serving comes in many forms

Muhammad Rasheed - I don't know what that means coming from you, Broc. You'll have to be less cryptic with your messaging.

Broc Smith - meaning; religion, regardless of its application, (or form it takes), is a man-made organized perception of the infinite. the hippy white man portrayed in your comic sees God as serving him, therefore justifying his behavior. This is true in many forms, hence my comment and not only drug addled white-trash hippies.

Muhammad Rasheed - Religion isn't a perception of the infinite, since God doesn't bother sharing the inconceivable secrets of the immaterial unseen with us. The job of religion is to embed the precepts of God's Word into our lifestyle, to aid in making it easier to walk the Straight Way.

Muhammad Rasheed - I doubt he's a "white-trash" hippie. I suspect he's the heir of a moneyed family, which gives him the soft leisure life style to make the decisions he's made comfortably.

Muhammad Rasheed - I agree with your "sees God as serving him" insight.

Broc Smith - There is too much evidence "religion" is according to the beholder, to agree with your assessment. However, I totally agree with the latter potion of your statement.

Muhammad Rasheed - Religion is what the One God designed it to be. The crackpots who think it's whatever they behold it to be is exactly the mindset the cartoon is critiquing.


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MEDIUM: Scanned pen & ink cartoon drawing w/Adobe Photoshop color.

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