Christ Jesus, the personification of Divine
Love, did not concern Himself with creeds. Creeds are actually
meant to control blind followers. They also fulfil man’s craving and love for
ease. After all it is easy to convince oneself that by attending a meeting of
believers on a particular day set aside for this, one has fulfilled a major Commandment.
It is also easy to assume that one has
attained a high level of purity simply by avoiding the consumption of a
particular type of meat! However, Jesus advised long ago that we should look
deeper than these.
It so happened that one day a Pharisee came to
report to Jesus that His disciples have not only transgressed the Commandment
to keep the Sabbath holy, they do not observe the times of fasting and they
neglect the prescribed ablutions. In response, Jesus made it clear that we need
to look for the real and spiritual values in what we do and not just cling to
the outward forms only. So, He kindly responded that man can actually have the
Sabbath every day, ablutions point us to the need to purge our souls and
fasting is not just about abstaining from food. On that occasion, Jesus declared:
“The man who communes with himself in a quiet hour, who frees himself from all
base, everyday thoughts, who does not indulge his lusts, and humbly approaches
his God in prayer, keeps the Sabbath. He hallows it! He has cleansed himself of
all impurities, and have fasted by eating only what his body needed.”
Now we should not think we are above creeds.
Are you looking down on people who are not of the same faith you hold dear? Are
you keen to fulfil the outward aspects of your religion so that others can see
you as a good example? Are you always eager to be in the good books of the head
of your religious association? Do you assume that members of your religious
group are perfect? All of these are the
characteristics of a life suffering from the shackles of creed and dogma! Free
yourself today!
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