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Neurons, Mental Depth, and Open Religion
Many people sense a connection between these three concepts, but how strong and in what ways? In reality, we know quite a lot about their interrelatedness. Patterns It all starts, more or less, with synapses, neurons, and the patterns they create — essentially mental patterns. These patterns underlie all mental activity, illustrating the profound connection Read the full article…
The Future of Open Religion
The future of Open Religion, >as explored in many blogs<, foresees a significant transformation in religious experiences and beliefs. This blog integrates some key points. At its core, the future of Open Religion is about inclusivity, Compassion, and profound understanding, surpassing traditional boundaries and cultivating a global community founded on shared spiritual values and experiences. Read the full article…
Why Open Religion is Global
OK ― Not yet global in its present reach. The global aspect lies in its openness to everyone: believers and non-believers, anywhere in the world. Please read: What is Open Religion? How can non-believers adhere to Open Religion? You don’t have to believe in any conceptual construct ― no god, saint, angel, heaven, or hell. Read the full article…
Open Religion in Every Religion
Open Religion can be seen as a direction that can be taken from any conceptual religion. Alternatively, it can be seen as potentially present within the latter ― making Openness more easily accessible to many. I write of ‘religion’ here in a broad sense. For instance, Buddhism is another religion in which Open Religion can Read the full article…
The Gentle Slope between Closed and Open Religion
People tend to be trapped at either side of ‘closed religion’. Getting un-trapped may thus be hard and hurtful. Before reading this, [see: ‘Triangle of Religion’]. With ‘closed religion’, I mean: where within the core itself, the inside and the outside of a specific system of belief are mutually exclusive. To the adherents, the main Read the full article…
What is Open Religion?
Open Religion is a project by itself. Its aim is to be able to talk religiously and at the same time put religion itself – as a phenomenon – into sub-conceptual context. [see: ‘About ‘Subconceptual’] There are many religions. In the course of time, there have been many more, now forgotten or not practiced anymore. Read the full article…
Is ‘Open Religion’ the Future?
In a world replete with separate religions, that what overlaps-in-depth may show a way towards Open Religion. Being an adherent of one specific religion at the principled exclusion of others, is definitely not open. ‘Inter-religious dialogue’ is in many cases just a kindly disguised way to (non-)accept each other for some specific common goal. We Read the full article…
Open Religion = Poetry
Respect is due to all people, but not to anything just because it’s called ‘religion.’ Open religion = poetry. Let’s just say: religion = poetry. I’m not talking about words, rhythm and rhyme, although poetry of course can also be cast as such. It’s also much wider: the poetry of any art, the poetry of Read the full article…
Opening Religion
This is the introduction to a Lisa File (53 p.). If you want the whole file, please contact lisa@aurelis.org, stating who you are and why you want the file. For more about the Lisa Files, click here. In a world increasingly characterized by diversity and interconnectedness, the need for a more inclusive and flexible approach to Read the full article…
Opening Religions — Meaningfully
Opening religions – this is, the Open Religion endeavor – should lead to more deeper meaningfulness — certainly not less. Organized religions typically provide deep meaningfulness through storytelling. That is their main strength and also their main problem — not in the storytelling itself but through the frequently mistaken unification of the story and reality. Read the full article…
Are Religions Ready for Openness?
In the long term, religions seem to evolve toward Openness, be it with ups and downs. Possibly, we are standing before an era in which the gates will be thrown Open. Much readiness is needed to make this happen in a gentle way. Fundamentalism is the reaction towards closedness. We see fundamentalism growing stronger within Read the full article…
Every Religion Is Open
Many existing religions are incompatible with each other. To me, these incompatibilities are – one way or another – as many signs of superficiality. Underlying this is Openness, as in: ‘Open direction to God.’ [see also: “Religion IS Openness”] Dare I speak of God? Dare you? God is a ‘concept’ that means something different to Read the full article…
Opening Religion
This is, as I see it, mainly to be done through opening related concepts. ‘Opening concepts’ One should see this rationally / conceptually AND, even mainly, sub-conceptually: meditatively. This brings a difference in methodology as well as in results. Both are to be seen much more as ‘creative’. As any of my writing, actually. A Read the full article…
Religion IS Openness
In order to ‘make deepest connection’ (re-ligare), Openness as an invitation may be sufficient to let it happen in a natural flow. This is not about openness at a purely conceptual level. It is not about ‘talking the truth’. It is rather about ‘deeply being truthful’. Of course, this is not incompatible with talking the Read the full article…
Psychedelics and Religion
The connection between psychedelic and religious experiences is grounded in the concept of subconceptual processing. Thus, we can focus on the transformative potential of both when approached with respect. The profoundness of genuine religious experiences should never be diminished. These encounters offer transformative insights, shaping individuals’ lives in deeply meaningful ways. Interestingly, psychedelic experiences can Read the full article…
Science x Religion = Disaster?
Combining the pragmatic possibilities of present-day science with the imagined truths of traditional religion is a combustible mixture ― a recipe for disaster. Humanity has gained super-human technological power. Yet, currently, we see science often focusing on externalities and religion being trapped in ancient dogmas that are mutually contradictory. We urgently need to get beyond Read the full article…
True Religion
Religions often view each other as ‘false.’ In this sense, every religion is deemed false by someone within the religious sphere. But can we fundamentally talk about ‘false religion’? Religious feelings are never false. That’s an essential point. One can fake religious feelings, but then there are no genuine feelings to be false. True religious Read the full article…