A Spiritual Bill Of Rights

A Spiritual Bill of Rights for Humanity

Toward Global Spiritual Freedom and Oppression-Free Religion

By Theresa Marks
To listen to the full document and about Theresa Marks visit spiritualbor.org

Part One
The Seven Spiritual Rights of Humanity

What they are. Why they’re important.

Part Two
Putting the Spiritual Rights into Practice

Toward Global Spiritual Freedom and Oppression-Free Religion

• Spiritual freedom banishes fear
• The great spiritual teachers affirm spiritual freedom
• Healing the wounded human spirit
• Working toward oppression-free religion
• False religious superiority
• Religions serve best when they point the way forward
• Rethinking concepts of primitive origin
• Kindness alone evangelizes
• Relationships and values–the ideal anchors for religion
• Spiritual freedom is the answer to our challenging times
• Introducing the “Religion of Personal Experience”
• The time is now!

 

 

Part One

The Seven Spiritual Rights of Humanity
‭What ‬‭they ‬‭are.‬‭ Why‬‭ they’re ‬‭important.‬

Connect with the Creator in our own way
Affirm our inherent goodness
Freedom from fear of divine punishment
Our own search for truth
Freedom from religious obligations
All spiritual leadership roles regardless of identity
Choose our own life partners

There is nothing more life-giving for individuals than to discover and then build a direct relationship with their Creator. This fundamental connection has been threatened in these critical times. All of the spiritual rights identified herein are a direct corollary to the Creator’s gift of individual free will —and are the spiritual birthright of every human. The purpose of this document is to declare unequivocally that our spiritual rights have been endowed by the Creator.person. These precious rights should not be violated by any person or institution.

1.   
The right of individuals to connect directly with the Creator in their own unique way is fundamental to human spirituality and should be protected, honored and nourished.

No religious or spiritual institution, ideological or philosophical group, or individual representing any institution or group, or any individual acting alone should presume to act as an intermediary between persons and their Creator. Each of our relationships with the Creator is unique, primary, and sovereign in all matters relating to the spiritual life. 

TheThere is nothing more life-giving for individuals than to discover and build a direct relationship with their Creator. This Creator-human relationship is the living source of spiritual growth.growth and is all-important to these critical times. Although many experience this relationship in the context of religion, it is completely independent of any faith traditionreligion or beliefspiritual system.path. It is our human birthright and can be experienced by anyoneanyone. whether

or not they follow a particular spiritual path.

Because of its unique and intimate nature, this connection must never be abrogated by those who would insert themselves between persons and God.their Creator. Religions do best when they serve people in their search for the Creator by taking a supportive role in the sacred relationshipCreator-human between individuals and their Creator.relationship. Religious leaders appropriately serve humanity by leading group worship, teaching spiritual concepts and facilitating the sharing of spiritual insights; their role should be considered ancillary to the Creator-human relationship.

2.   
Individuals have a right to affirm their inherent goodness as beloved children of the Creator.

This basic right has been affirmed by all wisdom teachers. Humanity is not inherently sinful and unworthy of the Creator’s love. Such teachings prevent humanity from reaching its full potential. They do not reflect the Creator’s infinite love, parental devotion and spiritual empowerment toward humanity. Rather, each of us are created in goodness and beauty as precious seeds of great promise. Religious, philosophical,philosophical and ideological systems cooperate with God’the Creator’s high purpose for us when they foster self-respect, thereby unleashing full human potential to solve our serious problems. The human spirit, when awakened and enlivened by a direct relationship with the Creator, naturally yields abundant fruits of loving service, unselfish devotion, courageous loyalty, sincere fairness, enlightened honesty, undying hope, confiding trust, merciful ministry, unfailing goodness, forgiving tolerance,tolerance and enduring peace. 

3.   
Individuals have a right to freedom from fear, especially fear of divine punishment.

The primitiveprimitive-origin concept of eternal torment, or hell, as well as other concepts of divine chastisement and retribution are demonstrably false. These teachings have long been a source of distress and an obstacle to spiritual growth for innumerable people. They stand in stark contrast to the Creator’s all-loving nature, who never uses fear to control us. In God,the Creator, we have the personification of our ultimate ideals — ideals—the perfect parent, teacher, friend; to portray our Creator as a punisher is simply untrue. No one has anything to fear from God.the Creator. Rather than accepting this long-held belief, enlightenedwe spiritualcan peoplechoose to uplift usone allanother by holdingadopting more enlightened concepts of the Creator.

The fact ofthat the Creator’s love coexistingcoexists with the Creator’s justice presents a paradox; in our confusion we may feel that divine punishment is a reasonable solution to mortalhuman imperfection. But our limited vision cannot be comparedcompare to the far-seeing eye of an infinite Creator who knows the motives of every human soul and who would not lose one child. Love and mercy are the true attitudes of the Creator. The action of any individual, even the most grievous, is always met with infinite divine patience and understanding.

While it is true that free will choice makes it possible to reject a relationship with the Creator, the theory of an eternity of torture is a human fiction born from an immature desire to punish others.

The final decision to live in relationship with the Creator or not rests with each person. If there is repeated and final rejection of this life-giving partnership, the Creator respects that person’s sovereign free-will decision and withdraws. Since the Creator is the source of all spiritual and material life, we may instead conjecture a cessation of existence for those wholly rejecting the Creator.

4.   
Individuals have the right to embark on their own search for truth.

Since every human is endowed with a unique identity from the Creator, spiritual insights and experiences will vary from person to person. The most sublime of human adventures is that of discovering the Creator for oneself. The diversity of spiritual viewpoints in the human family is a great strength that points to the beauty of the Creator, but in no way dilutes the truth of humanity’s unity as children of the Creator. Religions and spiritual groups should not interfere with any individual’s sincere efforts to comprehend and experience truth. On the contrary, they can inspire spiritual growth by encouraging people to discover for themselves the truths about the Creator and their great purpose and destiny as children of the Creator.

5.   
Individuals have the right to freedom from religious obligations.

Participation in religious activities mustshould always be strictly voluntary. Religions become authoritarianoppressive when they dictate the beliefs and behaviors of people.behaviors. Since the Creator’s primary attribute is unconditional love, all people are given the divine gift of free will. The Creator does not then revoke this gift by imposing obligations on individuals.

WhenSimilarly, when religions presume to claim divine penalties for not fulfilling religion-mandated obligations, it violates the spiritual liberty of followers and often results in shame and guilt.

It must be stated that while theWhile many religious traditions and rituals do succeed at demonstratingcontain spiritual truth, they are nevertheless human concepts, symbols and activities that are not replete with eternal truths in and of themselves. At worst, they become empty recitals from primitive eras, not worthy of the hard-won wisdom and spiritual progress of humanity in this dawning era of light. The outdated spiritual concepts found in some religious traditions stand in need of updating with new truths revealed through the personal experience of followers. But even updated forms are not a substitute for the primary Creator-human relationship.

NotwithstandingBut newthey practices, believers mustshould never have their traditionsbe taken away if theyfollowers find them to be spiritually nourishing. Rather, the process of developing a personal relationship with the Creator can be prioritized for followers who may downplay this importantprimary connectionrelationship because of their attachment to religious practices. When large numbers of these followers discover a personal relationship with their Creator, it willcould result in a tremendous collective spiritual illumination that willwould gather many under the twin unifying concepts of the divine Creator Parent and the family of humanity.

6.   
Individuals have the right to access all spiritual leadership roles.

We honor the beauty and diversity of the Creator when we invite all people into spiritual leadership, whether by gender, race, ethnicity, orientation,orientation or other identity, thereby including their precious gifts to uplift humanity. It significantly strengthens humanity whenever we do so. When people from all groups are empowered to answer the call to spiritual leadership, the Creator will be truly represented.

The exclusion of women from spiritual leadership, as entrenched in many religions throughout the centuries, has been a great loss for humanity. Their harmonizing influence is needed at all levels of religion to inspire new spiritual perspectives and help prevent tragic abuses.

Human attitudes of superiority and servility cannot reflect the Creator’s love toward all. The gifts of all people, when wholly embraced, will allow humanity’s full potential to emerge and heal our world. A fertile environment of equality is the spiritual salve that beckons us into a new era of light and life. 

7.   
Individuals have the right to choose their own life partners.

Along with our personal relationshiprelationships with the Creator, loving and loyal human partnerships are the most beautiful testaments to love. As loving partners commit to each other’s well-being, face life’s challenges, and share physical, emotional,emotional and spiritual intimacy, they create a nurturing foundation for the growth of their souls. Unselfish and spiritually fragrant human partnerships form the basis for strong societies and should be supported by religious and spiritual groups who love the Creator.

Part Two

Putting the Spiritual Rights into Practice
Toward Global Spiritual Freedom and Oppression-Free Religion

PART

 TWO

IS

This CURRENTLYSpiritual BEINGBill REVISED!

of

ProclaimRights Libertycan help prepare the way for many to Spiritualdiscover Captives!

their

Thatown isrelationship with the urgentCreator, messageregardless of thistheir newreligious billstatus. The principles of rightsspiritual forfreedom ourthey timeoffer thatencourage canpeople liberateto humanityconsider perspectives beyond their own tradition, and express truth from atheir longown andpersonal heavyexperience. bondageConsideration of spirit.the Readersfollowing whorelevant resonateissues deeplymay withhelp thisshine messagea shouldpath taketoward care not to enshrine and crystallize it, but to act upon it and
spreadputting these livingrights conceptsinto topractice help unchain all our human family.globally.

Fear, liberty and spiritualSpiritual freedom banishes fear

The essence of bondagefreedom is fear and worthlessness. No human person can grow when living in an environment permeated by fear. Fear is antithetical to spiritual growth and to the unconditional love of the Creator. It is the ultimate isolator and separator. But the essence of true liberty is first and foremost libertyfreedom from fear–fear of judgment, punishment, rejection, abandonment, hopelessness and meaninglessness,meaningless–of whetherothers thator fearof the Creator, who should never be offeared. otherFear peopleis oralways antithetical to the Creator.Creator’s loving nature.

Fear can also result from teachings which hurt sensitive souls, particularly when they are pressured to espouse them. Fear directly inhibits spiritual growth and has no place in spiritual life. 

Liberation from fear, particularly existential fear islike afear powerfulof antidotedivine punishment, opens new horizons for people to theexperience currentlife worldwidewithout spiritual crisis.dread. When people are freed from fear, they will discover their own unique connection to the Creator in their own way. Then the nobility of the true Creator-connected human spirit can come shining forth tonaturally seek out thetheir highest values, meaningspurpose and human potential. This willcan create a force like no other to uplift humanity.

The spiritual life should be free, fluidfree and creative; not controlled, domineeredcontrolled or put in a box.contained. Spiritual freedom leads to spiritual inspiration which leads to joy in sharing that inspiration and ultimately tothrough loving service of others.service. A freeliberated spiritual lifespirit is truly the master key that opens nota only directliving connection to the Creator,Creator butand flows that living, healing connection to others.

The great spiritual teachers affirm spiritual freedom

Jesus of Nazareth and many other spiritual luminaries fearlessly proclaimed spiritual freedom for all. Jesus did not die because an angry God demanded sacrifice for human sin. Rather, he bravely faced death at the hands of jealous religious leaders who refused to give up their seats of power in a nation oppressed by laws and rituals. Through his inspiring life and courageous death, he taught the joy of living in communion with the Creator.

All the great spiritual teachers realized that beliefs and practices of themselves have little spiritual power. They understood that the freedom to embark on one’s own spiritual journey is necessary to find truth, enlightenment and connection to the Creator.

Healing the wounded human spirit

JesusWhen ofpeople Nazarethclaim and many otherthe spiritual luminariesfreedom throughoutthat historyis fearlesslytheir proclaimedbirthright, overthey andare over again true liberty for spiritual captives. Jesus himself died not because a supposed angry Creator demanded the blood sacrifice of an innocent victim for human offenses, butenabled to free all peoples from authoritarian religions who refuse to lay down their power over many who are bludgeoned by tradition and spiritually enslaved.

When today’s spiritual slaves are freed, they will be able to tapplug into the veryultimate source of healing, wisdom and power — power–our Creator. ThenAs willeach individualsperson bandis healed and empowered through this sacred connection, they can join together to create real and lasting solutions to the world’s problems. 

Secular solutionsapproaches cancannot only be temporarily effective becausesolve the sourceroot of allour worldlyproblems strife —because the wounded human spirit itselfcan — will stillonly be justhealed asby woundedspiritual and gasping for love, acceptance and healing. But uplifted means–through a living relationship with the Creator,Creator. In partnership with the divine, the human spirit is indomitable and will swiftly actacts to bring the light of love to all problems, all peoples, all creaturespeoples and to our entire planet home.planet.

True human potential is vast but has been languishinglanguished for millenniamillenia; underfalse the pernicious lieteachings of its supposed inborn evil ratherprevent thanour thriving in the truth of its innate goodness.thriving. The truth is that each of us are like seeds of pure potentialgoodness that will grow, blossom and bear inestimablehealthy fruit under the right spiritual conditions. This statement of rights outlines essential principles to revivify planetary spiritual potency and fertilize the soil of humanity’s soul.

RootingWorking outtoward toxicoppression-free religion

Oppressive forms of religion harm, but oppression-free religion can help create spiritual conceptsgrowth

Detanglingon a global scale. The world needs a new wave of courageous reformers willing to address modern problems. Obvious issues like clergy sexual abuse, while profoundly egregious, may be less complicated to solve than the inflexible attitudes blocking positive change. Many issues could be remedied with empathy and destroyinggenuine theeffort deceitfulto tangledislodge ofnegative toxicbeliefs and practices.

The problems facing today’s religions have hindered their spiritual concepts that has wrapped its venomous tentacles around the collective mind of humanity for millennia will of necessity be laborious. The most notable of these include the notorious triunity of divine eternal punishment, sinful human nature and blood sacrifice demanded by a vengeance-thirsty Creator, also known as atonement.

Important distinctions should be made in this worldwide healing processpower to protectnourish innocentfollowers; soulsthey that are no more conscious of these threatsstruggle to spiritual well-being than are developing babes in a mother’s womb. The unwitting vast majority of people, both inside and outside of religion, all the waylive up to top institutional levels, have been slowly poisoned with the same spoiled spiritual food generation after generation.

The heartbreaking fact of humanity’s spiritual journey is that these toxic concepts, along with many carefully preserved light-containing truths, have been marinating in the sour soup of the world’s religious consciousness for ages and have tragically and actually become the “sacred truths” that much religion is based upon!

The planetary-wide endeavor of extricating truth from error will require great delicacy and boldness. Three critical guideposts should be followed in this process:

Steering the ships of religions to safety

Although this operation of extracting toxic concepts from world religions has been underway for some time, progress is limited. Many titanic religious institutions were unmoored for better or worse by huge societal changes decades ago and are tossing aimlessly in the polluted harbors of toxic concepts. A brave few souls have led and continue to lead the mutiny against these deceptions but have been consistently quashed by the largely ignorant captains of religion. What is desperately needed now is an organized crew of courageous mariners willing to brave the repression, callous ecclesiasticism and mental, spiritual and sexual abuse that have long festered in these otherwise noble-intentioned ships and steer them to safety in the calm waters of spiritual truth.

Because they have fallen victim to toxic concepts, some religions have lost much of their ability to spiritually nourish and empower their followers. They have become more like sprawling shantytowns for starving truthseekers dotted along a secular landscape poisoned by materialism and atheism, instead of fulfilling their true potential as living communities of truthlove that vitalize and inspire spiritual travelers. TheSo longa processnew reformation is crucial to the spiritual health of theirboth rehabilitationfollowers isand indeedinstitutions. beyondTo thethat scope of this document. However,end, consideration of the followingcommon keytraits issuesof —healthy falseorganizations religiousversus superiority,unhealthy harmfulones evangelizationilluminates tactics,aspects religions’in obsessionneed withof reform.

Common traits of healthy organizations:  Inclusive, collaborative, democratic, de-centralized leadership structures, allow debate, share different perspectives, understand nuances in viewpoints, support grass-roots voices and participation, value listening, encourage mediation and compromise, promote servant leadership and group oversight of leaders, value trust, empathy and compassion.

Common traits of unhealthy organizations: Exclusive, authoritarian, oligarchic, intolerant of differing views, polarized thinking, strict adherence to onerous rules, use fear to control, rigid interpretations of ideas, enforcement and punishment common, little to no oversight of leaders, rivalry among leaders, mistrust between members and leadership, little to no participation allowed for non-leaders in decision making.

It is no coincidence that this document utilizes the pastAmerican Bill of Rights as a template. The oppression wrought by totalitarian regimes, dictators and theocracies has always been obvious to the roleworld. But if we are to progress together as a global community, oppression in any sector of religionssociety, inparticularly worldwidethe spiritualimportant renewalsector —that mayreligion proveoccupies, tomust be atransformed helpfulby beginningfree toand thisdemocratic process.values, because wherever oppression rules, people suffer.

False religious superiority

The false notionsnotion that anyone religion is superior to othersothers, andalong thatwith any religious group are “the chosen people havesyndrome” beenhas thecaused cause of endlessmuch violence over the centuries. While most religious wars have thankfully de-escalated into theological battles, some are tragically still waging.wage. TheOther conceptrelics of the “onepast, truesuch religion”as claims of divine favor and infallibility, should also be cast off. Only the Creator stands at the head of all religions, not human leaders.

Religious superiority remains one of the chief obstacles to spiritual unity and castsonly aserves heavyto shadowdampen onecumenical newlyand formedinterfaith bondsefforts. But there has been progress in thethis interfaithdelicate movementprocess. andPeople organizations such as the Parliament of World Religions.

The new openness to spiritual perspectivesversed in many worldmultiple traditions is a reason for much hope as humanity’s spiritual evolution progresses. Independent spiritual people who are “multilingual” in various religious traditions will be particularlyespecially valuable in the larger process of bridging understanding between traditions, volumizing the spiritual concepts found in eachfaiths and voicing unifying perspectivesideas. that uplift all traditions. Here again, it bears repeating that all superior and inferior attitudes are damaging to this delicate process.

Just as thedifferent world’sfaith religionstraditions arecan being exposed to new perspectiveslearn from othereach traditions,other, so should the followers within each religiontradition be encouraged to have friendly round-table discussions sharingshare their uniqueexperiences perspectiveswith ofeach personal faith.other. This collaborative approach contrastsadds vibrancy to traditional top-down methods whereof clergy-only the ordained are allowed to teach.preaching. Open sharing is key to buildingcultivates fresh perspectivesviewpoints and allowing more robust spiritual fruits to blossom from the grass-roots up.

TheWith Creatornew foreverideas standsfiltering atthrough old institutions, the headresult ofis alla religions,newfound past,respect presentfor anddiverse future; not mere human ministers whose inflated historical roles have exerted absurd claims of divine favor and infallibility, which like the divine right of monarchs, should be buried as relics of the past. As the great icebergs of authoritarian religion begin their slow melt, their ecclesiastical leaders also need to be deftly educated and inspired by enlightened agents from within to freely surrender their attachment to religious sovereignty in favor of affirming the one true spiritual sovereign, our divine Creator.viewpoints.

Evangelization by invitation, not by threat

There will always be multitudinous spiritual approaches that reflect the diversity and beauty of the Creator. But evangelization into any tradition, old or new, is a reciprocal process requiring open invitation and voluntary acceptance. Teachings become very harmful to sensitive souls if they are falsely couched as a compulsory threat. Such threats become even more traumatizing when they are wrongfully attached to false claims of divine punishment and lobbed at followers or the proselytized.

All strong-arm methods of evangelization, especially when they include false claims of a sinful human nature or divine punishment, should be wholly repudiated by religious leaders and lay people alike. When religions oppress people inside or outside of their walls, they directly oppose the loving nature of the Creator which gives good cause for them to be theologically, philosophically and ideologically restrained from doing even more harm.

Irrespective of the evangelization tactics inherent in some authoritarian religions, this spiritual bill of rights is meant to protect the freedoms of all individuals, including both those who feel compelled to evangelize and those who decline to be evangelized.

Religions serve humanity best when they point the way forward

In order to effectively serve their followers,effectively, religions need to lookhonor backthe past as well as forward.look to the future. But many of them haveexhibit becomea so obsessedpreoccupation with the past thatand theydon’t have completely forgotten — or maybe they never understood to begin with —recognize that spiritual wisdom is meant to evolve.evolve. Sacred stories from ages past, while they may also contain spiritualtimeless lessons for present-day followers,lessons, were specificallydeveloped meant to teachfor past generations who may not have been only able to comprehend archaicmodern concepts. Ancient stories are not meant to be the only tools to teach modern generations.

Humanity’s depthcapacity andto breadth in understandingunderstand the universeouter world and the inner landscape of the human person has increased immeasurably overthrough thescience, centuries with scientific, intellectualphilosophy and philosophical progress.psychology. Religions can choose to come along withalongside this process and do their part to boost human evolution by allowing mythicalancient stories from the past to be seen through a mature metaphoric lens and by encouraging inspiredthe newsearch storiesfor and perspectives from human sources.knowledge.

ManyIt ofbears mentioning that the inspired sacred texts of old, although bestowed by divine inspiration that comes through the Creator-human relationship,old were nevertheless writtenfiltered through the lens of human minds. Present-Likewise, present-day inspired human wisdom could do so much good if it waswere taken more seriously by religions!religions. Regardless of where spiritual truth emerges, it is a sad oversightmistake to disregard it just because it comes from human minds.

WorshipProgress is evident in new worship styles tailored to different tastes. Liturgies and worship services andtake ritualson asnew wellrelevance couldwhen benefitthey greatlyare fromperiodically freshupdated creativewith new ideas and symbolism. Religions as a whole tend toward overly-reverential and uptight styles that desperately need a breath of fresh air. If each succeeding generation were invited to createadopt and adapt religious languageslanguage and customs that speak to them, it couldwould inspire a newmore joyful connectionworship. toPast the Creator and to each other, rather than clinging to centuries-old approaches. This is never to say that past forms of worship,forms, particularly those reflecting the beauty of music and the arts, should not be preserved by devotees. But choice is key. Moreover, creativity bespeaks beauty, and practiced by those who wish to practice them. But, as mentioned earlier, these old formsdiversity of worshipspiritual becomeexpression not only cumbersomeenriches human experience, but oppressiveis whenalways theywelcomed areby foistedthe on followers.Creator.

Conversely,Whether somein modernteaching churches are embracing a laudable updated and technology-friendly approach toor worship, including energetic music and dynamic preaching meant specifically to appeal to youth. Yet sadly, underneath their best efforts at spiritual renewal, their doctrines remain as replete with toxic concepts as ever, which continues to hinder the spiritual growth and potential of coming generations.

Religions will begin toreligions flourish when they balance the past with theand present by cherishing the golden threads of truth from the past while weaving new spiritual fabric to clothe each succeeding generation in increasingly light-filled spiritual truths.

RoleRethinking concepts of religionsprimitive inorigin

global

Rethinking the primitive-origin spiritual renewal

Despite their flaws, religious institutions are tasked with playing a major role in global spiritual renewal. They have and continue to be a major force for good in the world, notwithstanding the authoritarian nature of many. Their real spiritual sustenance makes a positive difference for a huge swath of humanity. But as mentioned previously, the toxic concepts stubbornly lodged within their layers of man-made theological, philosophical and ritualistic structuresthat have been wreakingembedded havocin onreligions for centuries is a process that is just beginning. The three most notable in western traditions are divine eternal punishment, sinful human nature and the developmentdivine ofdemand humanfor potential.sacrifice, also known as atonement.

RootingImportant outmeasures are recommended in this long-term process to respect both those who question these beliefs and those who espouse them. Most people inside religion, all the way up to top institutional levels, have lived with these concepts willfor requireso careful effort because the sudden wresting of pious people from their long-cherished beliefs without gradually introducing them to new and better concepts could be destabilizing to society. Therefore, the process of uplifting these followers who are braced by the scaffolding of authoritarian religions necessitates a wise and patient approach that concomitantly preserves and expands on the truthslong that they alreadyhave have.become Mostunquestioned importantly,articles of faith. This presents an even bigger challenge insofar as subsequent concepts have been planted atop these old foundational beliefs. As a result, these primitive-origin concepts remain largely unchallenged even though they pose stark contradictions to the spiritualCreator’s libertiesloving of these beloved children of the Creator who take their spiritual nourishment from authoritarian religions must never be abrogated.nature.

As global spiritual renewal grows, many enlightened people inside and outside of religion will find exciting new avenues of service in supporting the frequently under-served followers of ailing authoritarian religions as they discover their true connection to the Creator.

The worldwide process of introducing more enlightened ideas to update older ones will require both delicacy and boldness. Three critical guideposts are recommended:

• People are always to be treated with love and compassion while being presented with new enlightened concepts and encouraged to retire primitive ones.
• Religions, society’s megalithic ships, must be steered with care and patience in this process.
• Primitive-origin concepts should be consistently and intelligently examined and uplifted with more truthful ideas, taking care not to needlessly destabilize institutions or individuals.

Exchanging limited concepts for more expansive ones demands careful effort since the sudden wresting of long-cherished beliefs without first gently introducing updated ones can be unsettling. A wise approach is one that concomitantly preserves and expands on the truths already known. Most importantly, the spiritual liberties of all involved must never be abrogated.

BreakingKindness downalone allevangelizes

barriers

There will always be innumerable spiritual approaches toward truth. But evangelization into any tradition, old or new, is meant to spiritualbe freedoma isreciprocal necessaryprocess

Worldwideof spiritual renewal for all religionsinvitation and allvoluntary peoplesacceptance. isForceful evangelization methods, especially when they assert sinful human nature and divine wrath, can harm. Such strategies do not reflect the unconditionally loving nature of the Creator and should be left behind by clergy and laity alike. Kindness and love are the only lastingtrue solution to the heart-rending problems of humanity. It has always been so throughout the ages and is even truer now in our rapidly-paced technological age. Humanity has held the power to destroy all life on the planet for decades and desperately needs the wisdom to turn away from its continuing barbaric choices. As stated, this critical renewal cannot take place without first breaking down the walls of fear, feelings of worthlessness, authoritarian forces both inside and outside of religion and all other barriers to free spiritual expression.evangelizers.

Many spiritual dangers to this generation

Spiritual leaders everywhere that have eyes to see this emergency must sound the alarm. Yes, progress is being made on all fronts. Yet no other generation has been threatened by so many spiritual dangers as the present one–rampant materialism, feelings of worthlessness, utter lack of noble purpose and atheism, which some are tragically driven to after being traumatized by authoritarian religion. All of these perils, coupled with centuries of suppressing our Creator-bestowed spiritual freedoms have pushed many to the brink of meaninglessness and are crippling our human potential.

SpiritualRelationships freedomand bringsvalues–the ideal anchors for religion

Even as they work on reform, religions remain a beacon for humanity and should be fully harnessed for global spiritual renewal. Their success could be assured if they navigate a transformative shift both in perspective and practice–the current form for many is belief-based, i.e., standardized and/or compulsory beliefs and practices which can lead to enforcement of uniformity, causing schisms and sectarianism. The ideal form prioritizes relationships and values over beliefs, i.e., the Creator-human relationship and the family of humanity which celebrate freedom, diversity, common values, love toward all and unity. When people anchor their religious lives to relationships and values rather than beliefs, they find unity where they previously saw division.

FreedomReligions should recognize that adhering to beliefs is not as important as loving people. Valuing beliefs over people can drive the establishment of rules to “protect” beliefs. Why would beliefs need to be protected? People need to be protected, and more importantly, loved. People also deserve to be uplifted by values like peace, kindness, compassion, truth, beauty and goodness. It is our common values that unite us, not our beliefs. Enlightened values feed beautiful relationships and relationships alone create love, not beliefs!

Humanity has been taught that beliefs are a primary source of spiritual expressionnourishment. While they are a meaningful part of the human journey, they are not the main course in the spiritual banquet. The true unending feast is only to be found in a living relationship with the Creator and family ties with all. Any religion that frees people from mandatory beliefs and directs them into the Creator’s loving embrace and familial love for all,all althoughis itdestined mayfor initiallygreatness.

conjure

Spiritual freedom is the answer to our challenging times

No previous generation has faced more spiritual challenges than the present–rampant materialism, feelings of worthlessness, lack of purpose and hopelessness. All these ills of the soul can be healed with spiritual freedom, which does not produce philosophical and religious chaos,chaos. willRather, actuallyspiritual liberty for all can catalyze a coherent force that canto lead humanity out of the countless impediments tointo spiritual unity–includingending sectarian strife and never-endingdebate childish battles overabout who has the “one true religion.” These and many other barriers to unity will begradually progressively expunged from worldwide consciousnessdissolve when liberty is proclaimed and all are free to discover and develop their primaryown human-Creatorrelationship relationship.with the Creator. Then all of humanity can begin to advance as a living organism,organism empowered directly by the Creator,Creator toward the threshold of a powerful spiritual renaissance.

The essenceworld is inexorably moving toward a new paradigm of thisinter-connectedness newwith spiritualall unitycreation. willThe nothuman-Creator beconnection uniformityis where peopleit areall pressuredbegins. toRadiating espousefrom formula creeds and practices that may undermine their freedom. Humanity’s true unitythere is a whole universe of connections waiting to be foundexplored. inUnity with the Creator, with each other and with all creation is our deeply held values, meanings and goals, as well as our shared supernal destiny. ButAnd the greatest unifying truth of all is that we are one human family infinitely loved by our divine Creator Parent.

Introducing

Thethe “Religion of Personal ExperienceExperience”

The mass discovery of the human-Creator relationship by a great number of people can bring about a new spiritual way of life relationship-based solelyspirituality on the unique life experience ofwithin each person. The “Religion of Personal Experience” (ROPE) naturally embraces the twin concepts of the divine Creator Parent and the family of humanity while also being able to coexist in friendliness with any religion that affirms thisrelationships spiritualand billvalues ofover rights.beliefs. In fact, the beauty of the ROPE is its diversityflexibility andwith flexibilitydiverse ideas while remaining in being able to try on many spiritual perspectives without losing its unifying relationshipunity with the Creator and the human family.

WhenAs doneeach voluntarily,person thefeels additionguided, ofthey religiouscan add beliefs and practices to the ROPE can enhance a person’stheir spiritual development. Beliefs and practicesThese can vary widelychange as athe person'individual’s ROPE progresses.evolves. The ROPE is the perfect vehicle for individual spiritual expression and will inevitably become the choice of more and more people as the world slowly moves away from traditional religions.people. Its influence is already visible in the burgeoning numbers of people identifying as “spiritual but not religious” or “nones” and it will undoubtedly spread with the rising tides of global spiritual renewal.

The time is now!

The time is now and the harvest is ripe for spiritual leaders from every tradition to urgently heed this call and resoundingly affirm the fundamental sacred rights of this new declaration of spiritual independence, this emancipation proclamation of the spirit, and ring the truth bells of liberty for themany suffering masses who are straining mightilywaiting to breakbe freefreed from their spiritual shackles.captivity. Then, and only then, willThen people everywhere will be lifted up to fulfill their shining potential and lead our suffering world into the dawning age of light and life!

by Theresa Marks — Spiritual Bill of Rights