Reality and Religion

January 19, 2013 By Fr. Dwight Longenecker 1 Comment
I have just finished the fascinating Proof of Heaven by Dr Eben Alexander. This is the story of the NDE (Near Death Experience) of a brain surgeon. When he came back from the other side he explains (as do most who have an NDE) how much more real the other world is than this one. He doesn’t talk much about religion, but he explains how, after his experience, when he went back to church–with it’s music, stained glass and sense of the sacred, he suddenly ‘got it’. He sees what religion is really for. It is meant to give you a glimpse of heaven. Of course more traditionally minded Catholics have been saying this all along–that sacred architecture and liturgy and sacred music is meant to connect us with the other side–give us a glimpse of heaven and take us out of this world....



.....Alexander also reveals the reason for religion. Religion is not there just to make the world a better place, help the poor, feed the hungry and help people lose weight. It’s there to open the human heart to the reality of the divine. That is why the liturgy is the primary work and necessity of those who are religious. Celebrating Mass, therefore, and saying our prayers in a routine manner is at the very heart of religion. It is what religion is about. The good deeds etc…that’s just the result of the religion, not the point of the religion.

The rules of religion (and the word “religion” comes from the word “rule”) are the means to an end. The moral regulations, the doctrinal statements, the instructions for prayer, the rules for devotions–all those things are the rules of the game. They are the map for the journey. They are the guidebook. They help us get into shape so that we can eventually, through a lifetime of prayer, discipline, penance and belief come to the point of transcending this world and living in a state of higher consciousness–what we call “living by faith.”

Finally, Dr. Alexander comes back from his NDE saying that he is totally convinced that there is a higher connectedness and purpose in the universe. Nothing is wasted. All things work together and the love and light far, far exceeds the darkness and evil. He believes there is a higher purpose and connectedness and our job is to perceive that, learn how to discern it and live within that higher purpose and connectedness. In other words to say, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

More here,
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2013/01/reality-and-religion.html