Let’s continue…
Yesterday, in TR 666 - Trump's Plan to Eradicate anti-Christian Bias has Direct Ties to Religious Corruption, I called out Trump’s spiritual advisor, Paula White, for her direct ties to gross religious corruption—and as expected, I lost subscribers because of it.
So be it.
Also in that report, I made the effort to stimulate critical thinking regarding how one might perceive the government’s role in promoting religion, specifically by providing examples of what might feel like “foreign” religious practices such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. I pointed out that though adherents of each faith worship God in their own different ways, each group (Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims) also has a strong contingency that supports Donald Trump and America First policies.
I was emphasizing that just because these people believe differently, does not make them our enemies. Many of them are, in fact, our political allies—and in this fight-to-the-death for the American Republic, we really do need all the allies we can get.
With that in mind, it is commonly said that there are no more divisive issues than politics and religion. Much of our culture has long considered these two topics to be taboo in polite conversation. This is no accident, I believe, as neglecting these subjects in “polite conversation” allows for deep, natural divisions to fester.
Left unchecked, these deep, natural divisions will naturally lead to the death of our Union. United we stand, divided we fall, as you well know.
Thus, all at once, the need arises to address these deep, natural divisions head-on, and deal with the taboo topics that so many people are too timid to talk about.
To do so, we need to make plain two intertwined vectors of thought. The first vector is that of faith, belief, and religious practice. The second, is that of faith, belief, and political practice. The common threads should be obvious to all.
The power of faith and belief are well documented in scientific literature. As alluded to yesterday, the benefits of having faith and believing in God (or a higher power) are numerous, ranging from an increased sense of well-being, to greater psychological resilience against stress and a measurably greater ability to heal injury and disease.
This is miraculous to me. It’s like magic. It’s divine. Though scientists, using the empirical scientific method, have proven conclusively that this correlation exists, they still have a very poor understanding of why faith and belief have such a profound impact on the physical, mental, and spiritual health of human beings.
Is it too much of a stretch to suggest that we were designed that way?
If one were to reject the notion of Intelligent Design, or reject the belief that we have been created in the image of God, and instead intentionally stick to raw evolutionary explanations, logic will again lead to the same conclusion.
The positive impact of faith and belief clearly exists in objective reality, undeniably, and the mechanisms of this phenomenon are still shrouded in mystery.
Personally, I chalk this mystery up to the Eternal Enigma, to that which exceeds the mind’s ability to comprehend—but that’s just me.
It’s true that there are many things we can know, that we cannot explain, right? For example, one need not understand exactly how a microwave internally functions, to push the button and pop some popcorn.
This is an apt analogy to faith.
One need not understand how the universe, multiverse, or cosmos functions—pick your preferred label for the Sum of Everything that is—to grasp the very real benefits of spiritual practice. Faith, prayer, worship. These have an undeniably positive impact on our daily lives, an impact that we can both feel, perceive, and document.
But here we must square off with a reality that many religious groups struggle to accept. Different faiths, different prayers, and different forms of worship all produce an equivalent degree of positive impact—an impact that can be felt, perceived, and documented objectively, regardless of the religion involved.
This is quite profound, is it not?
So, if various faiths and religious beliefs are producing the same physiological and spiritual benefits—which is a boon for humanity, mind you—then who’s to say that one religion is morally superior over any of the others? Certainly not me.
I can have my own preferences and faith. I can have my own beliefs and convictions. I can even study scriptures and ancient texts to flesh out my head-level understanding of how all of this stuff works—but I cannot deny the fact that people with entirely different beliefs, based on entirely different texts, experience the same effects.
To deny that reality would be a woeful degree of arrogance and self-deception.
Thus, I believe that honesty compels us to acknowledge this reality, and that humility compels us to accept it. I believe that honoring the various spiritual expressions of humanity is the proper path forward.
This is the virtuous path: honesty, humility, and honor.
Of course, you obviously do not have to believe as others do. You do not have to accept their beliefs as gospel, abide by their dogma, or honor their Gods. That’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that we need to accept the fact that each of these groups are engaged in fruitful spiritual expression that brings peace, joy, and a deeper meaning to their lives—regardless of what you or I think about it.
It is said in the Bible, “My ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Is it not possible that God is speaking to different people in different ways?
With that said, in so much as faith and belief play out in the grand display of religious and spiritual practices observed around the world, so too do these intriguing behaviors—faith and belief—play out in the political theater. Indeed, faith and belief play a profound role in political practices around the planet. Unfortunately, these forces can, in many instances, be pointed to as the root cause of geopolitical chaos.
Here we must reach for a higher perspective, to properly frame the issue, and we must do so with honesty, humility, and honor—lest our efforts be in vain.
Let’s zoom out.
Similar to the myriad religious beliefs that undeniably exist, there are also myriad political beliefs in every corner of the planet that are held with equal conviction. While a strong case can be made that there is little distinction to be made between beliefs in religious and political dogma, on a very subtle note I disagree.
I place faith and belief in God, in something divine, in worship and prayer, as an inseparable aspect of our shared humanity. It is an instinctual expression of the spirit within, something that animates us at the subconscious level to seek a deeper meaning and explanation for our existence.
In this sense, I see spirituality as an extension of Natural Reality.
Conversely, I hold faith and belief in the State, in political reality—which comes complete with worship and prayer (albeit in a secular form)—as something entirely different. This is an environmentally conditioned phenomenon that has arisen from the growing complexities of human interaction.
Spiritual expression has existed since the dawn of time, but political expression as it is today, arrived on the scene much later in the course of history.
In this sense, I see politics as an extension of human thought, which is something very different and often at odds with Natural Reality.
To be fair, I see organized religion just the same. Organized religion is an exercise of thought that often confuses and restricts the natural expressions of spirituality.
But, to the point, political reality does in fact exist, and political tensions exist because of it. And again, the same can be said for the reality of various religions—various religions do in fact exist, and religious tension inherently exists because of it.
Think of Holy Wars, Jihad, and the Great Crusades, and you’ll get what I’m saying. Religious wars are no different than one country waging war upon another, or for that matter, the entire world imploding into conflict due to political tensions.
What we find, upon closer inspection, is that human beings can be easily compelled to kill one another over different beliefs—that is, over different thoughts.
Is there a solution to this persistent, plaguing feature of humanity?
Maybe not.
But, then again, I do believe we can get a long way toward peace and stability by walking the virtuous path. Living with honesty, humility, and honor will do a lot to diffuse divisions and tension, be they religious or political in nature.
Distilled to a simple phrase of common parlance, the solution is “live and let live.”
Of course, that will never work, so long as religious and political dogma rule the day. It would be naive to think, “can’t we all just get along.” The answer is obviously no.
But WHY?
Why can humans beings not coexist in peace and harmony?
In theory it’s possible, and in reality many people do in fact live in peace and harmony, with people who have wildly different beliefs about God and politics. America has been proof of this fact for nearly 250 years. This is true, is it not?
So then, we might inquire: what is the agitating force that causes people to rise up against one another?
The answer can be uncomfortable.
Religion, which when layed bare is nothing more than a collection of indoctrinated beliefs, is clearly a guilty culprit. The same holds true of the State and various political narratives, which is just another collection of indoctrinated beliefs.
What we find here, is the human mind being yanked this way and that by conflicting thoughts—and it is these conflicting thoughts that are really driving conflict.
Immediately my mind races toward military grade memes and memetic warfare, toward the infectious ideas (thoughts) that are being intentionally propagated to sow religious and political divisions. But alas, I will sidestep this science for today.
Deeper understanding of humanity reveals that our thoughts are fickle and fleeting. Our thoughts can be changed causually, indirectly, or quite intentionally. This is a fact that is not to be overlooked or taken lightly.
Wisdom provides even greater insight: our thoughts can be changed by either internal or external forces. As spiritual creatures, we have the ability to create and cultivate our own thoughts, beliefs, and mental reality. This is an internal process.
In the absence of this self-direction, the State and its purveyors gladly step in, as will religious leaders who are eager to convert you to their system of belief.
At stake in all of this is a battle for control. Who controls you?
It may be a leap, but I believe that to the extent that an individual lacks self-awareness, they inherently lack self-control, and therefore self-determination. In turn, this invites control by nefarious external forces, by people and entities that seek to control the individual and exploit them for selfish gain.
Again we find organized religion and politics working the same beat. In a very real sense, both are working to beat the mind into submission using dogmatic teachings that turn people against each other, for the purpose of power and control.
I know that sounds harsh, so as not to be misunderstood, I do believe that both organized religion and political movements can and do play a benevolent role in society. Religions provide spiritual guidance and spur a sense of charity. Politics provide legal guidance and spur a sense of civic responsibility.
Both are necessary for society to function.
Without spiritual guidance, sensible charity, legal parameters, and civic responsibility, it is likely that humanity would tear itself apart in a dark display of our worst impulses and instincts. Of course, even with each of these factors in place, even with government and religion, we might still succumb to the same fate, unless we can self-arrest by elevating awareness at the personal, social, and societal level.
This is critical.
Elevating awareness is the ultimate solution.
Elevating awareness increases empathy, and empathy unlocks the answers to societal woes. It does so by stimulating mutual respect for objective reality. Put differently, empathy leads to an understanding and acceptance of human diversity—that we are each incredibly unique individuals who are not, and never will be, the same.
This gives rise to the realization that freedom is the most good for the most people.
That implies both religious and political freedom.
If people want to worship God by slaughtering goats, that’s not my cup of tea, but as long as you’re not slaughtering my goats, go ahead and worship how you’d like.
If people want to live in a socialist commune, have at it, just don’t expect to claim my private property or force me to play along—but still, you can live how you want.
Underlying these simple examples lies an awareness that different people think differently, and though I may disagree, it’s not really my place (or worth my time) to argue about it. Their beliefs are their own, and I’m okay with that.
Also underlying these examples, is the justification for laws and regulation.
However, due to the length of the report at this juncture, I will sidestep the political science of this justification for now as well.
Let’s wrap it up.
Friends, I sat down at the keyboard this morning with an open heart. I’ve written the words as they’ve come, some 2,000+ at this point, and I have much more to say.
There are layers upon layers of conditioned perspective that must be peeled back to get at the most accurate perception of life’s religious and political complexities. It may seem like a pointless philosophical romp to some, but rest assured, my mind is striving toward solutions. Why?
Everywhere we look we see chaos, contention, and division—even, and perhaps especially, in the midst of all the “winning.”
While I am truly grateful that Trump, Musk, and the rest of the All-American team is kicking ass and taking names, and while I’m thoroughly excited about the political reckoning that is taking place, I am also looking to the horizon. How might this movement to Make America Great Again get derailed?
The answer is division.
It’s going to take time, as in more than one administration, to truly correct course. Even as Trump cleans house, the thoughts that divide We The People are still as pervasive as ever. We’ve had hints of unity, which allowed us to win in the last election, but immediately it feels as if this unity has come under direct attack.
While the political division between left and right is as stark as it’s ever been, it is the religious division that I fear the most—for it is this form of division that is most difficult to defend against and overcome. History has proven this repeatedly.
In searching for words, a poem flows out:
Behold the thought that’s seldom sought,
That brings the mind to bare,
On fleeting truths not often caught,
In emotion’s clouded glare.
We are but one in a single way,
Not in feelings or belief,
But in seeking peace that doesn’t sway,
In spiritual relief.
The words we use and means we choose,
To salve this mortal wound,
Reflects the truth of mind bereft,
Of answers to the clues.
Could it be that each of we,
Inherent in ourselves,
Can touch divine without the mind,
Leaving thoughts upon the shelves?
Could it be Divinity exceeds the mind itself?
When thoughts lead into conflict,
When brains do human things,
Our hearts still know the power
That displays through everything.
And herein lies solutions,
For the world and all our woes,
If we’d only grasp the concept
Of how together it all flows.
God only knows, and so it goes,
We grow through pitch and pain,
Toward the light of truth and proper use,
Of our gifted human brain.
No two are the same… think about these things.
Rejoice in the being of you. Reflect on the differences between family and friends, try to walk the virtuous path, and your heart will be glad that you do. So said the sages down through the ages, the path is trodden and true.
—
And that is the message of my heart for today! Friends, I hope you all have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend. Thank you for your time and support of the Torch Report, it means a lot. I’ll get back to the astute political commentary next week.
I wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Luke
Share this post