1The Gaj of Religion |
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Each of the Western religions harbours a dual perception of God/Allah/Jehovah (Gaj).1 On the one hand, Gaj resides without. This is the Gaj of monotheism, who is sometimes portrayed cloaked in human form and gracing a throne. He may be a white, or brown, or black man (perhaps with a beard) and is usually regarded as an overseeing patriarch ever ready to bestow his blessings (or not) upon the human race. He sends saviours or prophets to act as mediators between himself and us. Churches, mosques, and temples are built to corral this Gaj, without which he would be difficult to locate. Stones and mortar erected to this Gaj's honour are more valuable than human life, as evidenced by the myriad murders committed in their defence.
On the other hand, Gaj resides within. This is the Gaj of pantheism, which is said to fill hearts, to enter us in the form of the Holy Spirit, to peer out at each from the eyes of others. The pantheistic Gaj is indistinguishable from its creation; it resides in every grain of sand and in every human soul. Thus it has no need for the trappings of religious belief. It cannot be set apart from the individual and relegated to sacred books, or arcane rituals, or holy saints. |
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