A Thick Layer of Dust

I watched part of a program on PBS last night about a Jewish synagogue (A synagogue, "assembly", "house of assembly", "house of prayer" is a Jewish house of prayer.) The overall impression was that the prayer house was surrounded by thousands of ghosts and mythical creatures and that this was very much a part of the European Jewish faith. I am sure that many people can think back and recall superstitions in their own family, church, mosque, house of worship.

It seems to me that the main subject of interest in my own family, at family gatherings, had to do with mysterious happenings and spooky local stories. Nothing was said about the actual words, instructions of Jesus, nor of methods of spiritual development. The evil eye seemed to always come up.

These religions of old are not what they used to be. How can anyone actually discover God or what the Messenger means. The stage is too crowded.

We all know that they will never be able to shake the decorations and believers are obsessed with the decor.

Time to build anew.

'A multitude of mysterious and supernatural beings had descended into Christianity from pagan antiquity, and were still coming into it from Germany, Scandinavia and Ireland, as trolls, elves, giants, fairies, goblins, gnomes, ogres, banshees, mysterious dragons, bloodsucking vampires; and new superstitions were always entering Europe from the East. Dead men walked the air as hosts; men who had sold themselves to the Devil roamed woods and fields as werewolves; the soul of children dead before baptism haunted the marshes as will-o'-the-wisps.' (from pg 86 The Wine of Astonishment by William Sears)

When people talk of their religions, what are they really thinking about? Is there a place we can all sync with?

This passage from the Qur'an seems to speak of the problem.

2:165 And yet there are people who choose to believe in beings that allegedly rival God, loving them as [only] God should be loved: whereas those who have attained to faith love God more than all else. If they who are bent on evildoing could but see - as see they will when they are made to suffer [on Resurrection Day] - that all might belongs to God alone, and that God is severe in [meting out] punishment!
2:166 [On that Day] it will come to pass that those who had been [falsely] adored shall disown their followers, and the latter shall see the suffering [that awaits them], with all their hopes cut to pieces! (2:167) And then those followers shall say: "Would that we had a second chance [in life], so that we could disown them as they have disowned us!" Thus will God show them their works [in a manner that will cause them] bitter regrets; but they will not come out of the fire.

A.G.W.