I have come to the conclusion that organized religion as a whole has made a huge mistake. The mistake was not in encouraging people to reach God, or in giving them a path to walk. The mistake was in making their own path the exclusive road to God. Instead of unifying humanity in an effort to love God, organized religion (in an effort to control the path to God and thus control the travellers on that path) has pitted humanity against each other in an eternal battle of who is "right" and who is going to hell. And EVERYONE thinks they are RIGHT.
It is not just religions who battle it out between one another - the Christians verses the Hindus verses the Jews - within religions, sects or denominations also seek the exclusive rights to being the only ones who have God's ear.
That being said, Islam is no different with the sects, and I hope I can explain the denominations here in an understandable way.
The vast majority (84 to 90 percent) of all Muslims are Sunni. This is about the same as the percent of religious people in the US who are Christians, to put it in perspective! :-)
Sunni means "tradition" and they emphasize following the traditions and teaching of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the early Muslims who formed the Muslim "church" similar to the early Christian church, who formed the basic principles and practices of Christianity.
Shi'ite muslims make up about 10-16%. They believe that Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law was his successor and that the Muslim community at large should be headed by designated descendents of Muhammad.
Sufis are to Islam what Kaballah is to Judaism or what Charimatic Christianity is to mainstream Christians. They are a little "out there." Generally, most Muslims still view Sufis to be Muslim, but some uber traditional ones don't. Sufis have alot of admiration in my book, however, because they emphasize, more than any other branch, the importance of a personal relationship with God, a personal EXPERIENCE of God, and personal as well as spiritual growth. A number of Sufi orders (much like monastic orders) exist. Historically, Sufism has played an enormous role in Islam - both in literature and in producing scholars and poets. Sufis were more responsible for the spread of the Islamic religion outside of the Arabic world than any other group, and converted people in primarily sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia (Pakistan, India and Bangladesh) and central Asia.
Its interesting to note that although the sects call themselves by different names (and there are a few lesser-known and lesser-associated with Islam sects), they all are unified by the spirit of Islam - to know God, to love God, to submit to God.
Sunnis and Shi'ites alike pray five times a day. The both hold to the Essential Beliefs and the Pillars of Worship... the division is the path to God...and one wonders, if you're headed to the same destination, does it matter so much how you get there?
I have to say here that the whole sect division thing is a huge mess. And why is it that organized religion has so many 'paths' and they all say they are the right one?
ReplyDeleteBecause in the beginning of all of these 'organized' religions, they were all the same. As time went on, humans changed the details. This is why 'updated' versions of religion had to be revealed. God vowed that no one would alter the Qur'an and that the message was final and eternal. This is why there are so many similarities in all the religions - why they all preach the basic same thing, to love and know God, one God (yes, even Hinduism), charity, kindness, etc. Fundamentally, in the beginning, they were all the same - Islam, or submission to God. But the people had to go and change things about, just like with Moses and the people who began worshipping the calf. They needed something to behold. They had the original teaching, but then kind of drifted away.
As for the sects in Islam - strictly forbidden. "And do not divide yourselves into sects..." is stated in the Qur'an, very clearly, and with out any room for ambiguity.
Sufis emphasize love and emotional connectivity with God, Shi'a emphasize that Ali should have gotten the caliphate (amongst other things) and Wahabi emphasize very strict rules. Even to say 'I am Sunni' is technically not a correct thing to say, but people have come to a point where they feel the need to differentiate their beliefs from another's beliefs. But if Muslims asked themselves what the Prophet (pbuh) would have done or said... they would come to the conclusion that they should not call themselves anything other than Muslim, and to take the middle, easier, less strict path. Don't go too far right, and don't go too far left. THIS is what he has told us, and would tell us again today. It's the human being who makes things so complicated and jumbled up. I am starting to believe it's the human condition to be in a constant state of confusion and depression (think soap operas!).
LOL!! You are so right, Rachel! Its the confusion of humans that makes finding God a quest!
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting blog you are working on. When I was in high school my stepdad, who had been a Bible School student, sat us down each week and we talked about different religions.
ReplyDeleteWhen I graduated and became an adult - I went on a similar journey. My purpose was to discover what I believed - not what my parents had taught me to believe. It was so interesting.
I am still fascinated by the cultural and traditional rites of all major religions. I agree with your assessment - that organized religion divides people.
While I don't believe that God is "hands off" in the sense that I believe He walks in relationship with us and hears our prayers - that He can even make changes on our behalf - I do believe that His gift of free will is paramount. We are free to choose and our choices affect others - sometimes for good and sometimes for bad. It is in this that we learn and grow. If everything were good, we would never know the value of good or appreciate it's beauty.
I applaud you for your journey and I pray God's blessing on you as you learn and develop your own beliefs and traditions.