Religious Philosophy Course

Essay for completion Certificate for Master of Religious Philosophy           

By Rev. James Connor

This is a vast  subject.  A definition of philosophy from the internet is: “the study of human morals, character, and behaviors.”  Wikipedia defines religion as “a set of beliefs and practices generally held by a human community involving adherence to codified beliefs and rituals and study of ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology as well as personal faith and mystic experience.”

I will begin with what you ended your summary with on Paper number 4; the idea that religion started because there actually is a God who we have a relationship with. 

I was brought up in the Catholic religion, including youth education, having relatives who were priests and nuns, and coming from ethnicities of Irish and Italian background with long Catholic roots.  I did not during any of this time, have a deep heart sensing or connection with the divine.

Later in life when I was 35 years old, I met a minister from a small, non-denominational movement called the Emissaries of Divine Light, named Walter Bahan.  I could see by this man’s actions that he was “walking his talk” in terms of his spiritual path – his everyday life reflected his internal belief and perhaps knowing of God.

I used to be a volatile, and sometimes even violent, man.  After meeting and getting to know this minister who was demonstrating spiritual principle in his daily living, I was inspired to follow his path. An example is that I used to get angry to the point of exploding at other people during business meetings or small group gatherings in which I felt like I wasn’t being heard or respected.  In talking to Walter about this, he led me to the concept of “letting go” – letting go of my ideas of what other people needed to do or think or say.  It took some time, and I would back-slide sometimes, but I was beginning to feel a deep change in my life as I learned new ways of coping and interacting with people.  Nothing in my previous education – religious or otherwise – had led to this kind of self-control and peace.

An example for something of mystic experience is that I can recall times when there would be a small group of us sitting together, and just spontaneously someone would sing a song, then someone else would say a poem, and there was such joy and open-hearted connection and satisfaction in the room, that it could be said that we were “in one accord in one place”, that we were filled with and sharing in the Holy Spirit.

I read and understand the points about how religion was created, as “projections” of human needs for answers, and addressing human fears.  Some of these are plausibly presented, and can be convincing arguments.  And if I hadn’t had what I consider direct experience of spiritual connection, and the internal knowing of divine love, I might be convinced of them, too.

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