| Why Politics and Religion
Miss the Mark of Unconditional Love by Mari Tankenoff and Scott Bergér Portions of this article are excerpted from the authors' recently published book, entitled Transcendental Illuminations (Beaver's Pond Press, 2004). Throughout our lives, both of us have always been driven by an insatiable desire and mission to gain insight and greater in-depth comprehension about existence. Both of us are committed to working toward the upliftment of humankind. We initially chose our respective professions of psychology and holistic healing, as they seemed to lend themselves well toward achieving such goals. Through our own learned efforts and personal desires to share our experiences, we both were compelled to write a book. Transcendental Illuminations was created to encourage, assist and support people in their pursuit of Truth and individual conscious evolution. By God's benevolent, intervening hand, we were brought together. By God's divine insistence, we have merged our personal experiences with fascinating, helpful and truthful information for the enjoyment of all people. The purpose of Transcendental Illuminations is to promote the re-empowerment of the individual. Many parts of this book pertain to God and to Transcendent aspects of our human conscious experience. Because indefinable God -- the Universal Creator, Manifestor and SuperConsciousness -- is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, why not? This book is not predicatory or in any way religious. In fact, it could be considered the very antithesis of religion in precisely the same way theology is the very antithesis of individuality. In this book, we explore the true origins of science, creation, religion, history, and spirituality, and in doing so, reveal both the covert mysteries, as well as the misperceptions by which these bases for human existence continually have been maintained and perpetuated. In today's society, every political and religious leader seems intent upon convincing us that God is on "their" side. How can God be on the side of one particular organized religion or political party, rather than another? The underlying problem pertains to the dichotomy between duality and Unity -- and not merely divisions between Republicans and Democrats, Jews, Christians Muslims, or anyone else divided according to theological, nationalistic, ideological, racial or gender biases. A politician's role is to represent the people, not to further specific causes that only pertain to his/her respective personal belief system, prejudicial bias or particular religious faith. It is not a political "right" to impose and subject upon others one's personal views. Furthermore, it is unfair to fault a politician for being able to separate his/her personal values from those of the people whom he/she represents. A politician who listens to the people and not merely to him/herself is guilty of no crime, but rather is being responsive and responsible -- and maintaining an appropriate boundary and separation of self versus others. Human consciousness has been God-gifted with free-will choice. It is because of free will that freedom of speech and all expression -- including religious expression -- continues to be protected and to prevail. What we all tend to ignore is that such freedom requires individuals to be accountable and responsible for our free-will choices. This is not synonymous with assuming the right to infringe our particular choices and beliefs upon the rights of others. Somehow, the freedom of speech has been interpreted as justification for subjecting others to our personal, dualistically interpreted "truths." Year after year, under false pretenses of uniting voters, politicians ultimately polarize them instead. They force voters to align their free-will choices along sectarian lines, dividing people according to such issues as abortion, family planning restrictions, health care, gay and lesbian rights, stem-cell research, household income and the environment. While it is everyone's constitutionally protected right and privilege to vote according to any number of such issues, these divisive issues themselves tear at the very fragile fabric of our society and earth humankind. Particularly troubling are the ways in which political parties manipulate God, biblical passages and specific religious tenets to substantiate and further their own political platforms about divisive and sensitive dualistic issues. Once again, the conscious interpretations of both politics and organized religion are firmly rooted in the duality. In other words, they do not represent or encompass a SuperConscious, Unified or "God" perspective. The Constitution guarantees a separation of organized religion and government, as well as the protection of free-will choice. It does not, however, address the issue of the fundamental differences between dualistic and Unified perspectives. Organized religion and its respective adherents face the same dilemma afflicting politics and politicians. Organized religions demand that followers adhere their individual free will to specific faith-based belief systems. Clerics in Iraq preach "unity," yet angrily deliver messages of anti-Americanism. Many of their sermons condemn the killing of Muslims by fellow Muslims, yet hypocritically condone the killing of American infidels. What sort of religion condones any killing of anyone? Internecine fighting reflects only one thing. It is not the "unfortunate" result of mistakes made or not enough enemies killed, but rather the dualistic expression of spiritually unevolved rage and ignorance. When was the last time people actually examined the tenets upon which their particular theologies are based? If a theology's tenets uphold the killing of another as justifiable or "in the name of God," this is tantamount to a license to kill with absolutely no individual accountability. It is a justification interpreted through a dogmatic lens that is anything but holy. Jihads, Crusades and so-called "Holy Wars" are hideous oxymorons, as compatible as "potable" and "cesspool." The Old Testament phrase "an eye for an eye" rationale for homicide undermines all true unifying holiness. Many of today's problems stem directly from such Old Testament messages themselves. Most organized religious adherents tend to interpret the stories of the Old Testament as the "Absolute Word" of God -- despite these writings being constructed nearly 2,000 years ago, after such events supposedly would have occurred. With God smiting people, bringing wrath upon humankind and exhorting people to fear God, divisive, dualistic messages are all that can be discerned. If, as the Bible insists, the entire universe began 5,768 years ago (give or take six days, with God taking the seventh day off), what does this message do to the fields of science, paleontology, archeology and geology? This biblical message runs counter to all legitimate scientific research and findings -- and certainly should give free-thinking individuals reason to question the validity of such writings. Similarly, it also should provide the opportunity to assess one's own individual, accountable free-will choices and conduct within the world and his/her unique conscious experience. Pope John Paul reinforces the Vatican's insistence that the faithful adhere to church teachings in order to receive communion. Such issues as abortion and gay marriage run afoul to such teachings. As a result, even the most devout adherent is subject to ostracism from the very faith they choose to hold dear to them. Politicians who maintain boundaries between their public and private lives are subject to reprisal. Apparently, organized religions do not respect or recognize that faith -- amongst other things -- is a personal, private and protected individual free-will choice. The Pope proselytizes his particular brand of faith while claiming that his actions are justified and not at all divisive. Like all individuals, the Pope is exercising his God-given free will to proselytize. However, that doesn't make his messages "Absolute Truth," or in any way truly unifying. Judaism attempts to ignore the individual free-will choice aspect of theology, instead aligning the faith with being "a people," culture or DNA. However, religion is not DNA. It is not a culture or a people, but rather a theology. Organized religions preoccupied with preventing the dilution of their "people" via intermarriage need not worry or assume the role of spiritual alchemist. Organized religion is, was and always will be an individual free-will choice. No one's individual DNA will be watered down as a result of marrying or bearing children with someone outside his/her particular faith. Organized religion has nothing to do with individual DNA and the human physical container in which the soul resides. Hitler and the Nazis made the grave error of attempting to preserve what they erroneously and dualistically perceived was the sanctity, purity and integrity of a specific race, creed, group, culture or religion -- by destroying anyone who did not meet their specific criteria. All of the aforementioned dualistically interpreted human misperceptions cited throughout this article miss the Unified mark of what God actually is -- Unconditional Love. It is extremely challenging for a dualistically interpreting, processing and comprehending individual to love unconditionally. Divinity as SuperConsciousness loves Jesus, Buddha and Krishna the same as the "Hitlers," "Stalins" and "homicidal bombers" of the world. Every aspect of Made Manifest is an expression of Divinity as Divinity. ALL existence is Made Manifest in the image and likeness of God. This relates to the invisible, Divine SuperConsciousness that expresses within and throughout all existence. Each human being has the obstacle of recognizing him/herself not as a physical being, but as an invisible divine essence. To Unified SuperConscious, Unconditional Love, all Made Manifest, is holy. In the Unified SuperConscious perspective, all aspects of the duality are considered to be holy. The challenge to dualistically attuned human beings is to utilize their individual free-will choice to align their conscious experience with Unconditional Love. In this Unified state, the human soul experiences true freedom -- and all dualistic definitions, confinements, restrictions and interpretations are dissolved. Transcendental Illuminations was created as a result of several unimaginable and inexplicable events that took place for both of us. In June 2001, while reading Autobiography of a Yogi, Scott came across a passage stating that anyone who utters the name "Babaji" with reverence will receive an instant blessing. His first skeptical thought was, "What is a blessing, and what would it feel like to receive one?" When he uttered Babaji's name, he felt a slight internal surge or burst of blissful energy. It quickly was apparent that other names and words in that book also produced a similar internal blessed response. From that point on, every time he focused on and touched anything with his hands, he was able to feel the peculiar blessings welling up. Certain words immediately elicited the joyous surge response, such as "Uncreated Infinite." Fourteen months later, Scott was convinced something big was about to happen -- something he never could have anticipated. On the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2002, he suddenly began to experience deep, blasting energy surges with ever-increasing, rhythmic intensity. Inexplicable, unstoppable energies were boiling outward from points deep within his body. Scott later learned that he was to experience a divine visitation process that would go on for only 45 minutes, during which three separate times, all breath was squeezed out of him. During this process, he was not breathing and not actually feeling compelled to breathe. His physical body was being SuperConsciously purified of all ego, attachments, fear-based vibrations and impactions. The feeling that he remembered most was that enraptured, euphoric waves continued to wash through him. His physical eyes were shut tight, but his spiritual third eye was being opened as Cosmic Vision. All tangible matter dissolved in an explosion of immaculate, radiant white light. At that point, all of Scott's previous dualistic interpretations were obliterated. It was then that Scott realized that an outline of a holy face was gazing through his face from mere inches away. It was a Divine Expression that revealed Itself within this immaculate, blinding white light. Nothing can ever be more convincing to one's innermost core than the firsthand experience of looking eye-to-eye with God in a True Transcendental Holy Celebration. This experience is but one of many inexplicable but undeniable firsthand events that both of us have recounted in our book. As seekers ourselves, the journeys we experienced moved us from our previously conceived notions about existence, and forced us to look beyond what we had formally come to know as "truth." We were granted spiritual upliftment beyond anything we ever could have imagined. We discovered that the keys to soul fulfillment reside innately within each and every one of us. More important, the keys are forever within reach, and the information they unlock -- Unconditional Love -- is eternally available to all. Mari Tankenoff and Scott Bergér will be at an author reading/signing event at Bound to Be Read, 870 Grand Ave., St. Paul, Minn., at 7:30 p.m Friday, Nov. 5. All are welcome. Mari Tankenoff and Scott Bergér are co-authors of Transcendental Illuminations (Beaver's Pond Press, September 2004). Mari is a Licensed Psychologist and Scott is a holistic healer. Please visit their website at www.TranscendentalIlluminations.com. You can contact them at MariandScott@TranscendentalIlluminations.com or call (612) 824-8044. Copyright © 2004 Mari Tankenoff and Scott Bergér, all rights reserved. |
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Nov 2004 |
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