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Yet though the bonds of organized religion are breaking down the long term human seeking for the Eternal and Infinite, which is the essence of human nature, continues to exist and appears to be growing. More and more people are seeking experiential forms of spirituality to satisfy this internal longing. It is not so much that religion has failed us or become out of date, but that religion as we know it is no longer relevant either to our outer or inner needs.
Religion as belief is
breaking down but religion as the seeking for direct knowledge of
cosmic reality is undergoing a revival. There is a search for a new
religion not as a new church, but as a universal spirituality beyond
all organization. It is a return to Dharma, a rediscovery of the
laws of life. We can foresee the
breakdown of the monolithic world religions which have dominated the
world, along with their massive organizations, and their dogmatic
hold on the minds of people. Their power is on the wane,
particularly in the lands of their origin.
The waves of
missionary conversion, which have left the Western world and moved
to Asia and Africa - and are still very active trying to undermine
the traditional cultures of these lands - will also soon have to
come to a halt. We are beginning to become open to the spiritual
ideas of other people instead of trying to impose our own beliefs
upon them (which generally occurs without having even looked at what
they already believe in).
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