Common Sense in Religion

The first consideration in a true religion is that it does not deviate from common sense in speech or action.  There are organizations that offer psychic phenomena, or express extremes through fanatical speeches and eccentric behavior.  We should guard ourselves against these.  There are some people who are inclined to be much impressed by such unnatural religious practices, which is due to ignorance of the spiritual aspects of the universe.

A dogma which causes its followers to be unfriendly to those of another does not impart the right spiritual concepts.  A true spiritual teaching attempts to instill in its members a conviction that its mission is to serve all and it urges them to help not only those who belong to their own group but all others as well.  Think of the miserable defeat Japan had to experience in World War II, which was the consequence of its exclusivism and the pursuit of its own interest with disregard for the welfare of other countries.  This is an example of how wrong a self-centered attitude is.

The ultimate objective of religion is to assist us to become as nearly as possible the perfect image and likeness of God.  While perfection on earth is perhaps beyond the reach of the human self, the sincere step-by-step efforts to attain it express the right attitude and show true spiritual aspiration.

The deeper a person’s faith becomes, the more natural and unaffected he is.  An individual can reach that level only when he has absorbed the teachings so well that he has actually come to live them.  An individual with true spiritual awareness should speak and act with common sense, should make a favorable impression on everyone, and should be so unaffected that no one can tell what his belief is.  He should leave an uplifting, warm impression like a spring breeze upon those with whom he comes in contact.  He should be humble, kind and concerned about the individual happiness of his fellow man and about the welfare of society as a whole.

If you want to become happy you must help to make others happy; the blessings you receive from God by living in this way are the only true happiness.  Many people pursue happiness only for themselves at the sacrifice of others.  They should awaken to the fact that by living with such a self-centered attitude they will experience only reverse effects.

January 25, 1949