By Jerry Kvasnicka

One faith, one Source, one Reality, one God. The universe is one unified whole, and oneness is the reality. In the case of human beings, we are one with the Creator and one with each other. When it comes to religion, we seem to forget this. All religions, with the possible exception of Zen Buddhism, presuppose a separation between God and humanity. Religion is simply the attempt by human beings to reach out to God and somehow overcome this perceived sense of disconnection.

There is a bumper sticker that I proudly display on the wall of the post office that I operate: “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” This is the plain truth of the matter. Human beings, identified with their humanity and with the assistance of religion, seek to have a spiritual experience. They employ religion to bridge the gap between themselves and God, a gap that doesn’t actually exist.

One common faith

At an interfaith gathering in Cape Town, South Africa, Emissaries of Divine Light Spiritual Director David Karchere asked these questions: “Do you think that ultimately there is something beyond our individual faiths? That behind your faith and behind my faith there might actually be one faith? What is that common faith?”

In his various workshops and classes, David has defined that faith as “primal spirituality.” It goes to the very source of all things, and various names have been given to it—God, Creator, Spirit, Being, Reality, Evolutionary Urge, Love. As spiritual beings, we are already connected to this source and have no need to develop religions to tap into it.

Diluting and distorting primal Reality

Religions invariably contain systems of belief, doctrines, creeds, rules and regulations, assorted rites and rituals, systems of religious law, hierarchies and all other manner of outer forms that can only dilute and distort the primal spiritual Reality that seeks access to the Earth through human beings. The contrasting outer forms and trappings of different religions inevitably create division and conflict among religions, and history is replete with religious wars.

Some religions such as Christianity and Islam have “holy books” of stories and teachings that are veiled attempts to crystallize the Reality. Many human beings virtually worship these books, and something akin to bibliolatry, in the case of fundamentalist Christianity, may result. Yes, the teachings and stories and all the other symbols of religion may point to the Reality, but they are not the Reality. Surely it is time to end this practice of what amounts to idol worship.

Bringing heaven into the earth via true character

We are spiritual beings having a human experience. There is no separation between us and the Divine Reality. Another way of saying this is that we are not here to somehow get out of the earth into some imaginary heaven; we are already in heaven, we come from heaven, and we are here as representatives of the Most High to bring heaven into the earth.

The easiest and most direct way to do this is to simply reveal the qualities of Divine character in everyday living, qualities such as integrity, dignity, nobility, generosity, honesty, serenity and humility. Yes, I know that these qualities are often expressed by those associated with a religion, but there is no inherent need for the latter. In fact, the strictures and dogma associated with a religion may tend to limit the natural expression of these qualities.

The revelation of true character is the most natural thing possible to a human being once the human mind finally abandons its attempts to interpret Love and form religions about it and simply surrenders to it. This liberates Love, enabling it to come forth in all its pristine beauty and power through human beings.