Noted author, Dr. Scott Peck, offers a broad view of religion. He defines it in terms of how an individual views the world. In this sense, everyone, even an atheist, has a religion. No one can say, “I don’t need any religion.” It is impossible to be without one. He offers some examples of world views: Is the universe a chaotic place without meaning? Is it a place of competition? Is it a nurturing place?
If it is true that we all have a religion, why not investigate and discover which of the many world views is the most reasonable and conducive to contentment, unity, and peace. To find and enter the mansion of truth, we must seek and knock. When we feel we have reached the peak, we begin to descend. Dr. Peck offers this insight:
To develop a religion or world view that is realistic, that conforms to the reality of the cosmos and our role in it…we must constantly revise and extend our understanding to include new knowledge…We must constantly enlarge our frame of reference.115
He then adds:
Spiritual growth is a journey out of the microcosm into an ever greater macrocosm…the learning of something new requires a giving up of the old self and a death of outworn knowledge. To develop a broader vision we must be willing to forsake, to kill, our narrower vision. In the short run it is more comfortable not to do this—to stay where we are, to keep using the same microcosmic map, to avoid suffering the death of cherished notions.116
Recognition of a new Redeemer and a new Revelation from God always requires an expanded vision.
Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined to your own self.117 _Bahá’u’lláh
Jesus referred to religion as a spiritual wine and to its form as the wine skin (Matt. 9:17). As time goes on, people get used to the taste of the old wine, and cannot easily adapt to the new. They resist tasting the new spiritual wine just as children resist new foods. To try new beginnings, it takes courage and determination.
