One to One

Meher Baba, as we know, did not found a new religion but his intention was to bring all religions together like beads on a string. Followers of most religions however, are content to follow the rites and rituals of their religion and to maintain its separateness from the religions of others. There is often rivalry and animosity toward one or more other religions. Even within a single religion there can be conflict as there has been historically between Protestantism and Catholicism.

Religions, more often than not, divide rather than unite humanity, making it all the more easy for the "Godless" to weaken and undermine the faith of the followers of those religions. Christianity has been under pressure to accommodate the LGBT agenda. If certain churches accommodate this agenda, they alienate many of their orthodox followers; if they don't, they alienate many of their more "progressive" followers. If either case, the seeds of division are sown and the religion weakened.

Speaking from my own experience, the "fire and brimstone" approach by Catholic educators in the 1960s did much to alienate the "love generation" and it certainly alienated me, leaving me with a life-long aversion to religion. By an emphasis on fearing God and the punishment that God might inflict on those who have "sinned", religions stray from the intent of their founders. For those followers of Meher Baba who chose to retain their religion, He urged them to return to their religion's roots and not be content to merely follow its rites and rituals mechanically.

The best way of doing this is to establish a one-to-one relationship with the religion's founder. We cannot comprehend God but we can follow the example of those humans who truly represent God on Earth. There should be no barriers between yourself and this founder, no intermediaries. The mind should be disengaged and the heart fully engaged as it is essentially a heart-to-heart relationship. Thinking must take a back seat.

Gradually more followers of more religions will come to realise that Meher Baba's intention was not to replace the message of the founders but rather to rebroadcast it for modern times. For those who have abandoned their religion or never embraced a religion, Meher Baba is available. He was God in human form and His Advent has been painstakingly recorded. The power of His words remains potent and reading them will draw more and more followers to Him in the future.

With Meher Baba, there is no religion to navigate and act as a barrier in connecting to Him. Reading about His life and the words that He silently spoke is enough to establish that one-to-one, heart-to-heart relationship. He has nothing to teach us and we have nothing to learn. All that is needed is to awaken and Meher Baba is The Awakener. Jai Baba.